Craftsman Bungalow Restoration #1: Bungalow H...E... Double Hockey Sticks

The best real estate investment is to buy the worst house in the best neighborhood. I know “bungalow heaven” and it is a great neighborhood. Congratulations.

I am looking forward to your continuing series. And pics of course.

Gee, some of your projects at the house might qualify as outdoor projects for the summer challenge.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

It sounds like we have similar stories. We moved from the Chicago ‘burbs to the other end of the state – Metro East Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, and wound up buying a sad bungaloid that had been chopped up into 4 section 8 apartments. Talk about the worst/ugliest house on the block! But, out of necessity (new trim work, kitchen, etc.), it introduced me to woodworking. We’re 4 years into a 5 year plan – but we’re only about 75% done :-)

-- To do is to be

you are going to have a busy year, JS

Giz…I see another interesting story beginning!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Giz…I just caught up on your cabinet blog…great series.

I’m really looking forward to following you along on this journey. My wife and I are thinking about selling our current home in a few years (once my youngest is done with college and on her own). We plan on buying the afore mentioned decrepit houses in decent neighborhoods…maybe doing it 3-4 times over the next 10 years. We will hold out to find the perfect bungalow for the last one and make it our dream house.

OK…get blogging

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Just to be clear this story starts in 2002. I will be blogging the past and current…

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

It sounded like you were talking partly past tense…

You must have done very well with this house since 2002. I had the great fortune to buy my home in 1983…one year later it had doubled in value. We didn’t need to do a lot of work to it. It was brand new. I did frame and finish the basement and we’ve done a lot of imrovements in 24 years. A large part of our focus was on the outside. We have fairly extensive landscaping and gardens and a small treefarm.

I’m very interested to see what you’ve done. You do nice work and I like your taste….get some pictures posted…..schools out.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

I am getting to it. Schools not out yet!

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne