Post in Hennepin County to speed house demolitions

--- On Wed, 6/18/08, dyna <dyna@unions-america.com> wrote:

> Joan is right- most of these houses are way beyond rehab.
> The
> average foreclosed/abandoned house on the Northside is
> around a
> century old, has a questionable foundation if any at all,
> has no
> insulation, and no longer has plumbing or wiring.

First of all, I didn't interpret Joan's comment as indicating that most of the
vacant/boarded homes were beyond rehab.  Instead it seemed to me that she was
saying that there were a handful of (mostly burned-out) properties for which
demolition was the only option.

Second of all, it's news to me that 100-year-old houses are past their prime.

Third, I'd like to know how Dyna has come to such conclusions about the
condition of "most of these houses."  This description confounds me:

***
Rehab?
> You're
> looking at gutting to the studs, then installing completely
> new
> heating, plumbing, and electrical as well as insulation and
> energy
> efficient windows and doors. And back to that questionable
>
> foundation... if you have to fix that you may as well put a
> new house
> on it. We're looking at around $100 a square foot for a
> rehab, and we
> haven't even figured in a new roof or siding yet. So
> we're talking
> $100,000 to rehab a typical 1000 square foot house...
***

Really?

Have you been touring them Dyna?  Are you monitoring the supply and condition
of all the vacant and boarded homes, at least in your neighborhood?  Are you a
contractor?  Are you up to date on the costs of various repairs, as which
repairs are necessary for every vacant and/or boarded house in the City of
Minneapolis?

I am seriously flabbergasted by the amount of people I hear talking about how
many and which houses ought be demolished, and why.  In fact, I've heard more
than one person in just the past 30 days say that such-and-such house should
come down because it didn't have any copper.

Seriously?!?

My plumber recently quoted me $3-5k for all new copper in a two-story, two-bath
house, with give or take 2000 finished square feet.  Not that I would use
copper myself anyway - I would use Pex.  But that's another conversation.

Personally, I HAVE been monitoring a good number of these vacant and boarded
homes, and have toured more than I can count in recent months.  (Many on the
North side, particularly in the neighborhoods of Old Higland and Hawthorne, as
well as Phillips and my own Central neighborhood.)

While I have definitely seen a few houses that were overwhelmingly damaged,
(typically by fire) the majority have been utterly salvageable.  Furthermore,
there are a good many which not only CAN be saved but I would argue SHOULD be
saved, since they represent styles of architecture which are no longer being
produced in this city, and represent an important part of our history.

And that's my rant for the day.

Connie Nompelis
Central Neighborhood