Somebody please buy this house, fix it up and live in it...

List the Address so Kenso can do his magic.

That was once a beautiful home.

.

Never saw that movie. :)

This house has been bought and demo/ renovations we're planned for this week. I know the owner and looking forward to the demo because I will be receiving a ton of material from this house!

Were planned* auto correct can be a pain.

There's no need. This house used to be City property and then it was transferred to a private buyer for resale. I was sitting in the City Council session when this property was transferred last year. I've watched it since HomeStar Realty put up a sign on the thing on the front steps.

The house is gigantic--it will be a very profitable rehab once it's scooped up and repaired.

The house was originally built for a family member of the old Harbison Dairy empire.

Will do! Thanks Kat!

saw them doing the clean out today on my way to work, they guys looks pretty disgusted. Glad to see this house on the way back to life.

now someone needs to get their hands on this one

http://g.co/maps/8wsze

it's a twin with a street to street lot with a carriage house facing Martha big project great possibilities

Joe i was gonna post this but i didnt know if he got the building yet .

Here's the floor plans:
http://bmkhomes.com/uploads/2/8/0/0/2800172/a1.01.pdf

Yea Ken. Pretty awesome house too. Was probably beautiful years ago.

I wanted to buy this from the City the first time I went to Memphis Taproom. It was not practical, but it was a dream.

That house had a old stove in the very back kitchen that was the size of a Buick.

that's one awesome floor plan. place is gonna be sick - hopefully the work they do is worthy of the building.

is it being flipped after renovations or will the current owner occupy?

From the site I found the plans on, it feels like they're doing a fix-n-flip.

I can't wait for the open house. That house will be amazeballs when it gets done. The biggest Kenzomansion ya ever seen.

Hello to all. I was informed that our newest project had made it to the website. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce BMK and highlight our work. I invite all of you to take a look at our website at www.bmkhomes.com. You might not know who we are just yet, but if you look at our portfolio and our current projects, you will see some that we have done a lot of good in the neighborhood. 2345 Cumberland will be restored to its original beauty will enhancing it's grace with modern upgrades. The floor plans that were posted on the site are old, the current plans are on our website. All are welcome to attend the open house in 3 months. In the mean time, we will be having an open house at our new construction project at 1108 Columbia on Saturday and Sunday from 12-2, hope to see you there. Please spread the word about us if you know anyone who is looking for a custom builder.

I can't wait to see the finished product bmk I bet it will be fantastic.

Just looked at the new plans... wow a WIC the size of a bedroom.

Kat, that house has "Salsa Factory" written all over it!!

Kat you should help stage the welcome wagon for the open house. Nothing says "oh my god ILL TAKE IT!!!" once buyers realize how close they'll be living to the Salsa Shack.

Quick, someone trip and fall so I can chase an ambulance right into that house!*

*The aforementioned posting is meant only as a joke. By reading it, you accept that it is only a joke, and nothing more than a joke.**

**But seriously, I want that house.

Man, I want that house, too. the third floor is totally superfluous but you get it anyways. Is there any backyard?

It has a side yard and a teensy weensy backyard.

It's nice to see re-habs done with care and attention to detail. I've seen way too many butcher jobs where contractors use cheap materials, hide serious problems behind stucco or drywall or add their own "unique touches". Way too many homebuyers get screwed by contractors making everything look good for the quick sale. Makes me want to write a, What to look out for, blog. This also applies to new construction and there are lot's of examples on Susquehanna in EK.

Get some good home inspectors on your side who are willing to call out those shenanigans (and schlep ads for them for referrals), and you got yourself a pretty formidable force probably way better than L&I: homebuyers would be reading it.

It definitely would put pressure on builders to keep quality at least baseline if buyers were better informed about what to look for.

Never, ever sign an Agreement of sale where the seller refuses to allow your chosen home inspector into the property or plays the clown game (keeps shifting the dates around to try to buy time covering up problems). When you get problems getting your inspector in there, that is a major major red flag. Sirens should be going off like big klaxons and you should be discussing with your agent about pulling the plug.

The worst situation is when a contractor who does substandard construction has friends, who don't know good/proper construction, that defend them. These same folks will berate a decent contractor for building on a lot they want to see remain open space. The new homes on Trenton Ave are a good example...The builder is supplying a good product for the price range but the local's have had little good to say about them. I'll skip pointing out who I think does substandard construction due to the defenders who frequent this site.

the locals wanted to see those lots stay open? dang.

If they want that then they should find a way to buy them. dang

Oh I will happily call someone out, and he's not a homebuilder. He's just a complete skeezebag. He will call in handymen to come in and try to dress up problem properties instead of actually repairing them. Does it all the time.

Al Slafman (aka David Albert Slafman). Here's what one Fishtowner encountered after taking a house that appeared to be a light fixer-upper off his hands.

So, every time it rains good... swimming pool. The poor dehumidifier on the floor doesn't stand a chance.

The best advice for anyone looking to buy is, Don't ever buy a house where the adjacent home was demolished or in danger of it. That stuccoed sidewall was not built to be an exterior wall. No matter how good the deal, walk away. If you already own one of these properties, sell it to someone who has not read this post. I'm sure someone will say that there are ways to fix it and there are but it's still not a good idea to buy one. In choosing a realtor, ask them about this. If they don't agree, find another realtor.

How has A.S. not been sued for fraud? A lot?

Was in this house today and received a ton of material. I took a few pictures and will post later. The work in that house was AMAZING! Great detail and time was spent on this home. And I know the guys doing the work know will do the same.

I am so thrilled to see all of the excitement this property is generating. I want all to know that we deliver a high quality product that we stand behind. We are life long "originals" of fishtown who are trying to do our part (and of course make a dollar or two) to continue the renissance of this great neighborhood. We take pride in all we do and will take care of this old girl. Take a look at some of our past projects and talk to their owners, we deliver what we say.

really? you think that stuff on Trenton etc is good? poorly framed& sheathed, sold to unwitting out of state investors who saw our hood on a one day bus tour and outfitted with some nice showers and stainless appliances. It will look as junky as the crud on susky in 10 years. The only good thing about that stuff is it brought wallets that will hopefully support local businesses. Architecturally they are at best uninspired and construction wise they are shoddy

on this I agree with you fully, too late but fully

John (lighterthief) . I should have made it clear that I was making a comparison to other construction in the immediate vicinity. I believe you and I agree so I won't bore you with details. One simple difference is one builder used 2x6's between units where the other used 2x3's. But hey, if you have a good PR machine it's all good, right?

I'm glad the house is in good hands. It's one of the jewels of Cumberland St.

yeah, it's on my list of things i learned too late. i take solace in the fact that both of my neighbors sidewalls are exposed and they've been that way since the early 80s.

I own one on Susquehanna. It's now a rental but I'll be trying to off load it next year. Had I owned the side lot I would have built a house. That's the only real solution to the problem.

it'll probably happen eventually. my neighbor has a three lot yard. sooner or later the lots will be worth enough to get him to sell.

my neighbor (the one with two exposed walls), actually knocked the houses down on our street himself in the 80s. he'd pull the facades into the street and then call the city and say it was a hazard. the city would come out and finish them off. almost everyone on our street has at least one side lot.