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    At Home: Foursquare in Olde Towne East

    Five years ago when Richard Cissell was looking to buy a house, the houses in Olde Towne East were hard to get. One would go on the market and be off in a day or less. He was looking for a house that would be a challenging project. The one he found and eventually bought turned out to be a pretty big one. The home was originally a single family, then made into five apartments, then three. Now he was buying it to turn it back into a single family and restore some of the original floor plan, while having modern updates. The house is what is known as a ‘spec home.’ There are two others on his block, one that was also converted into different apartments like his, and one that has been left alone. He had a fun time imagining what the floor plans used to look like and then visiting his neighbor’s original house to see how everything really did look. Most often, he was spot on. The house is now four bedrooms, two and a half baths for a total of 2850 square feet. We take you on a tour of some before and afters of this beautiful remodel.

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    The most ambitious project in the remodel was redoing the kitchen. He did the entire room and did all of the work himself. Being handy in the DIY department really allows you to save money. The stunner in the kitchen is the exposed brick fireplace. It had been bricked in and plastered over. He knocked off all of the plaster, reopened the firebox, chiseled out all of the mortar by hand and then re-tuckpointed it himself. Very time consuming, but what an amazing focal point for his favorite room in the house. He admits that it was difficult living without a kitchen for awhile; besides all of the time consuming work, that is one of the harder parts of a remodel. Other sources for his kitchen include: the cabinets, faucet and pendant light are from Ikea, the granite countertop was Incas Gold from Konkus Marble and Granite, the floor tile is Atlas Concorde Cementi from Hamilton Parker and all of the appliances came from Appliance Smart. If you are able to wait for sales on different items like appliances and cabinetry, that will help you save you money on your remodel.

    kitchen’s brick fireplace before:

    kitchen after:

    dining room before:

    kitchen leading into dining room after:

    Every room in the house has had something done to it. Even if it was just painting. P&W Millworks, a company out of Plain City, OH did some of the glass and transom work in his house. They do an outstanding job of matching what was originally there. He was also able to find period details at Columbus Architectural Salvage. Craigslist can be a good resource, but you really need to be on there all of the time scouring the site and acting fast. You can also find good deals on ebay. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a good resource for doors. The German Village Antique Mall is also a good place to find some period items.

    stairway before:

    stairway after:

    living room:

    guest bath:

    details:

    One of the things he did to modernize the home was to expand the master bathroom into a master suite. He added a master bath with two walk in closets, a separate shower and a large jacuzzi tub. The tiled floor was a project he did himself. Having a large sitting area in the bedroom really makes it feel like a peaceful place to retreat to after a long day.

    exterior before:

    after:

    All ‘after’ photos were taken by Kevin Foster. ‘Befores’ were provided by Richard. Richard did the outstanding kitchen remodel on a budget of only $14k. The master bathroom budget was $5k. Like what you see? This home is currently for sale through Delicious Real Estate. Click here and enter MLS #2929923 for more information.

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    Anne Evans
    Anne Evanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-evans/
    Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for The Metropreneur and Columbus Underground. She regularly contributes feature stories on both sites, as well as Mega Weekend each week. She has started and grown businesses, created experiences, forged community partnerships, and worked to create opportunities for others. She loves meeting new neighbors and those making an impact in our community. Want to connect?
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