THE HIBBS HOUSE PROJECT: A Craftsman Restoration
Published On: May 28, 2019 Posted by: Jeremy Peterson
We recently purchased the historic Ambrose P. Hibbs home located at 2223 Adams Ave. in Ogden. The purchase was somewhat of an accident after one of our property management clients ran into a personal hardship and even worse circumstances at the property. Recognizing the impossible situation, we offered to purchase the home and help alleviate their burden. They happily agreed.
At closing, we adopted a property that was a complete mess. Fetid trash was piled high and years of neglect and abuse were glaring. The building had been used as a rent-a-room flop house and was also illegally subdivided into a duplex. The home will need to be converted to accommodate single-family use which we intend to do. To get you acquainted with the project, here is a video of the home after we hauled out all the trash:
There was so much to discover about this house. As we started working on it, we found layer upon layer of work done my Handyman Willy. So many strange band-aid fixes and sad improvisations. For instance, the bead board wall coverings seemed totally out of place in the home. We removed them and discovered 5 layers of wallpaper and holes in the wall where a previous owner had done a bad job installing cable boxes.
Removing old and obsolescent improvements to the home turned into a major undertaking. So far two trailer loads have made it to the dump. More is on the way.
Yet, not everything we found was a disappointment. One of the cool discoveries made was finding original decor in the kitchen. After pulling the cabinets down, we found original canvas wallpaper with tree and flower motifs.
We rolled up a couple of the better preserved pieces for use later in decorating the home. The kitchen of the home came to us with a 1960’s marmoleum floor. We pulled that floor up and revealed the original 1913 linoleum floor (plus 900 staples left over from the floor we had just removed.)
Whether your trying to rent out a house or trying to sell, curb appeal is a big part of making a home capture top market value. So, we were disappointed to see that the dormer to this home had been boarded up with plywood. We wondered why a previous owner had done that. So, one day I climbed up in the attic to see just what was behind the board. Here is video of that discovery:
We were excited to make the discovery. A week later we were on the roof removing the plywood. As you can see, the home looks much better with the divided pane windows exposed.
The broken pains are being fixed soon.
Of course, one of the most exciting parts of buying an old house is exploring sealed off nooks and crannies. Here is what happened when we opened up a space that had been sealed for decades:
We are really excited for the potential this building has to offer. It should start to blossom over the coming weeks as its charm and character are returned. Look for more updates in the future!
In the meantime, if you are wanting a historic home in the Ogden area to call your own, CONTACT ME, and let’s find a house that is right for you.
