Urban Discoveries Baltimore

Let’s face facts: the house you buy will probably be almost-but-not-quite-in-so-many-little-frustrating-ways perfect. You could live with that trim you don’t like and that ugly carpet… or, you could completely rehab a house, renovating to your specifications, making everything yours and perfect. We’ve interviewed our fair share of Baltimore blogger-renovators (in fact two of them, Project Rowhouse and Baltimore Rowhouse, were recently featured on HGTV’s Bang for Your Buck. Not that we’re kingmakers or anything.). Harper over at Bleak to Chic also prefers the second option, and was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about her own renovation project.

UDL: What do you like most about your neighborhood?

BtC: I’m right in the heart of Canton — and I love the easy access to everything: a quick jog to Merritt, a few blocks walk to Safeway, a stone’s throw to the Square, and yet just a few minutes of driving until reaching I-95 or the Inner Harbor.

UDL: What inspired you to undertake a renovation project like this?

BtC: While looking at houses to buy, I absolutely knew I wanted a fixer-upper! HGTV and its house-flipping shows have been on my TV-watching regimen for years, and I loved the idea of personalizing my house. It’s the next best thing to drawing up the blueprints by hand! Although it’s my aspiration one day to know how to do all the handyman work myself, I ending up hiring a GC for my first home renovation.

I purchased my house using a first-time homebuyers program (FHA), and got a $35,000 renovation loan (203k) on top of that, which is streamlined into my mortgage for one monthly payment. As a result, I got a good interest rate on both the mortgage and the renovation loan!

UDL: You did something different than most of the other renovators we’ve talked to in that you used contractors.  How was that experience? Anything you’d recommend to other people using contractors?

BtC: Going with the 203(k) loan, I had to interview at least two general contractors (in my case, I interviewed three). I walked through the house with all three, telling them my renovation ideas, and in turn, each GC gave me his input and estimated a cost for renovation. One GC took three weeks to get his estimate to me (after numerous phone calls/e-mails); another just didn’t even send me his estimate; and the third one — the one that I chose in the end — has been undoubtedly pretty easy to work with!

The GC I went with was a referral from a coworker — I would recommend finding a contractor who has experience renovating in Baltimore City; one who is familiar with the 203(k) loan (if that is how they are getting paid); and one who you feel comfortable with from the beginning.

If anyone has a lot of work to do at once and is looking for a general contractor, I can confidently recommend Jason and Dave of UrbanBuilt, LLC. They are very communicative, responsive, and professional, and I feel comfortable with my house in their hands.

UDL: What are you looking forward to seeing finished the most?

BtC: The rooftop deck! I won’t start that project until next spring (hello first-time homebuyer’s tax credit!), but I’ll certainly be counting down the days!

UDL: What have been the biggest surprises (or challenges) that you’ve come across while remodeling?

BtC: The remodeling aspect has been a piece of cake compared to the mortgage/loan approval process! Getting an FHA loan takes longer to approve, and that, coupled with the separate 203(k) loan approval, made my head hurt when I had to fill out all of the paperwork!

UDL: Any other big tips for people undertaking a project like this?

BtC: The internet is a great tool — take advantage of it! From finding blogs (like Urban Discoveries) that document people going through the same process, to interior decorating websites, there are countless inspirational sites out there that push you along to finish a project or answer a tough question.

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