This Old House

Kevin

Today on "This Old House"... Oh, man, why is it so full of stuff? This is very unsettling.

Craig

There's a lot of work that needs to be done. But the bones of the structure are great. And the rest of the neighborhood, as you look around, is still in really, really good condition. We want to make sure it stays that way.

Tom

This season, we're in Detroit, Michigan, tackling two different projects.

Kevin

Oh, my word.

Craig

If this house is going to be saved, this is one less that we have to tear down. Frank, you are a brave man to take on this project. You excited?

Frank

Yeah. We're eager to get started.

Kevin

A Detroit family found a home with lots of potential. Now they're planning on doing most of the work themselves. But "This Old House" is here to help out. So, what have you found up here?

Tom

Well, a bit of a surprise.

Woman

I can't wait to see what the finished product is gonna be.

Kevin

Hi there. I'm Kevin O'Connor. And welcome back to "This Old House," here in Detroit. This city has teetered on the brink of collapse for years. We've all heard the stories about the bankruptcy and the abandoned houses. But there's a growing sense that it's not over for Detroit, not yet. Many people are spending time and money to bring back what was once a trend-setting metropolis. But after a decade of abandonments, those people who have stuck it out here are worried that the house next to them might be the next house on the foreclosure list. Abandoned houses are like a cancer. They spread through the neighborhood. So there are a number of programs designed to turn things around. And today, we're here to learn about one of them. It's called Rehabbed & Ready, a collaboration between the Detroit Land Bank and corporate sponsors working together to rehabilitate abandoned properties and sell them at an affordable price. And one of the program's biggest boosters is the mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan. Mr. Mayor, nice to meet you.

Mike

Kevin, good to meet you.

Kevin

So, right off the top, is Detroit coming back?

Mike

Well, it's been pretty remarkable what's happened in the last 4 or 5 years. And you know, this has been an interesting opportunity, with the home mortgage crisis in 2008 and 2009. A lot of beautiful homes were -- were abandoned. And now we're seeing families taking the opportunity to move in.

Kevin

So, how bad was it when that crisis hit? Give us some sense of perspective.

Mike

Well, Detroit's population has gone from 1.8 million to 700,000 over the last 50 years. So a million people left the city.

Yeah. Mike

And they didn't

take their houses with them. Kevin

No.

Mike

So Detroit has been dealing with this for a long time. But what we saw in 2008 and 2009 was a completely different magnitude. It was the first time we saw people leaving beautiful homes, solid architecture. And at this point, in the last year, we've got 1,000 of these houses occupied that were vacant. We own another 3,000

houses... Kevin

Hmm.

Mike

...that we think are in structurally sound shape, that are great bargains. And we're moving families in every week.

Kevin

So, this is amazing housing stock. I mean, these are houses of substance. It's clear that this was a very affluent city at one time.

Mike

Well, unlike New York and Chicago, which built vertically -- I mean they built in high-rises -- there was so much wealth in the early part of the last century, in the auto industry, that one auto-plant worker could afford to buy a single-family home

with a backyard. Kevin

Hmm.

Mike

And so what you had happen in Detroit that was unique is beautiful neighborhoods spread from one end of the city to the other.

Kevin

So, what's the goal? What are you hoping to get done in say, the next year or 2?

Mike

We're gonna keep doing what we're doing. And so, you know, if we could get 100 houses a month that were vacant occupied -- and that's

what we've been doing... Kevin

Right.

Mike

...and put 1,000 houses in, that's 3,000 people a year just into the neighborhoods, in addition to what's going on in downtown or midtown, you're going to see the population of Detroit start to climb.

And I think it already is. Kevin

All right, well, we know you've got one of those projects right around the corner, so we are going to follow that throughout the process and watch someone get back into that house.

Mike

That will be great.

Kevin

Mr. Mayor, thank you for your time.

Mike

Thanks, Kevin.

Kevin

Craig Fahle is an executive at the Detroit Land Bank, which runs the Rehabbed & Ready program. Craig,

nice to meet you. Craig

Nice to meet you, Kevin.

Kevin

So, you've got a real gem here.

Craig

Absolutely, a diamond in the rough.

Kevin

That's the way you guys think about it.

Craig

Well, we've got lots of diamonds in the rough, like this, here in Detroit.

Kevin

So, tell me about all those diamonds in the rough. How does a house sort of qualify for your program?

Craig

Well, first of all, we've targeted neighborhoods first. We wanted to pick some neighborhoods that had a lot of stability but had a few houses that, if we could correct them, would really take -- take the whole neighborhood and lift it up -- lift up the property values and stop the spread of blight, making sure that houses like this, that are open and exposed, and potential -- potential objects for vandalism, and we need to make sure that these go away so that we preserve the rest of the neighborhood and make sure that the neighbors stick around. That -- That's the goal -- stopping the blight.

Kevin

So, what is the process for the actual rehab of this? How does that whole program work?

Craig

Well, what you really need to do is go in, assess the foundation of the structure, take a look at the roof. Can it be saved?

Kevin

Right.

Craig

We've taken a preliminary look at this house. We think it's got a lot of potential. It's worth preserving. It's a little dark in here. Obviously, the windows are boarded up to keep the vandals out.

So I got a light here for you. Kevin

Beautiful.

Craig

So you can take a look what we've got.

Kevin

So, what is the history of the house? When was something like this built?

Craig

This house was built in 1937, according to the records that we have.

Wow. Craig

And you see it's got some of the features of that era. You got great molding in here, the nice archways, some of the architectural features that, you know, people don't really use anymore, so --

Kevin

No, I mean, look at this, right? We've got sort of the tray ceiling. We've got the arched doorways. I mean, as you come around, even though the windows are boarded...

Mm-hmm. Kevin

...good size, um...

Craig

Yeah. If there weren't boards on them, there'd be a lot of natural light coming in here, exactly.

Kevin

Sure. And look at this. I mean, you know, you can see the family around the fireplace at one point, just like every other family.

Craig

Absolutely. And they've got, of course, the plug on the top so you can plug in your holiday decorations, all that kind of stuff. So there was a lot of thought that went into this place when it was built. And it's obviously very solidly constructed, because it's been vacant for a few years.

Kevin

Right.

Craig

And the only thing that we really see when it comes to the plaster is the peeling paint.

Kevin

Yep. And what's going on? They -- They've taken off the moldings to salvage them, maybe?

Craig

Well, no, what you see, typically, in a house like this, if -- if somebody has gotten in and vandalized a little bit, you'll see that they go in here to get the window weights out...

Kevin

No way.

Craig

...because they can sell them for scrap.

Kevin

Just take the steel -- the old iron.

Craig

Yeah, they're -- they're heavy.

Kevin

Wow. But, you know, if you do have a little bit of suspension of disbelief, you could see this as a dining room for the holidays.

Absolutely. Kevin

Oh, my word.

Yes. Kevin

Okay.

Craig

Now, here's what you have to look at in this kitchen. This is a total gut job. But that means you can make it whatever you want. You're not limited to what kitchens were in the 1930s anymore.

Kevin

Right, so... But look. I mean, look at this. What happened to all this plumbing here?

Craig

It, likely, was scrapped by someone.

Kevin

Just literally ripped the pipes out of the wall.

Craig

Well, depending on which pipes they could take. Now, if you look, they went into the wall over here. And you see that this is not the stuff they're looking for. They're looking for copper,

mostly. Kevin

Okay.

So this is... Craig

So they left that alone.

Kevin

This is, like, a steel pipe.

Craig

So they went into there to break into the wall to see what's there. And they're not as interested in that as they are anything that's copper.

Kevin

Mm-hmm. It looks like they tried to get into a bathroom.

Craig

And the other possibility here -- and we don't know for sure -- is that somebody else may have come in here and started thinking about whether or not they wanted to take this project on.

Right. Craig

And decided against it.

Let's go upstairs. Kevin

Oh, man. Why is it so full of stuff?

Craig

That's a good question. But this is not atypical.

Kevin

This is very unsettling.

Craig

Well, you know, at least -- You never know the circumstances in which somebody was forced to leave this house. Sometimes they will leave behind everything and just go in the middle of the night.

Kevin

But their, I mean, entire life is left behind in this house.

Craig

Well, it's unfortunate. But we do find this on occasion.

Kevin

So, your job is to start off with the clean-out. Now I understand why that makes sense.

Craig

Yes, the clean-out will happen very soon. And that gives us a much better idea of exactly what it is we're dealing with, in a house like this.

Kevin

This is kind of heart-wrenching. I mean, how do you walk through dozens, or even hundreds, of these houses and remain optimistic about Detroit?

Craig

Well, you just -- because if this house is going to be saved, this is one less that we have to tear down. We think we can do it. We've had some success. We see people rehabbing houses all over the city. And I'll tell you what. What makes it worth it? When you're standing outside and the next door neighbor comes out and says, "Thank you for taking care of this house." That's why you keep doing it.

Kevin

If you leave it like this, the situation is only going to get worse.

Craig

Exactly. So, let's go back here. You notice this is actually a really nice-size lot

for Detroit. Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Craig

This is a really nice yard, has a lot of potential back here.

Kevin

Okay. And you guys will do landscaping before you sell it?

Craig

Yep, absolutely. We'll get some landscaping done, clean all this stuff up.

Kevin

The house is a little overgrown, too. You can see the vines going on it. It looks like maybe, at some time, there was a porch there. But, you know, you got a nice bump-out. The brick is in good shape. You can see the potential.

Craig

Absolutely. And -- And you couldn't really see it when we were in the kitchen, but that's a nice little dining area in that kitchen...

Right. Craig

...that you could make. And -- And it could be a great place for somebody to have their coffee in the morning.

Kevin

So, what's the next step for you guys?

Craig

First thing we've got to do is

clean this place out. Kevin

Yes, you do.

Tool whirring

clean this place out. Kevin

Tool whirring

clean this place out. Kevin

Wow. it is quite a difference, once you clear this whole place out, when you get those boards off those windows and the panels on, to at least let the light in.

Craig

Sure. Yeah, the place looks a little bit different than the last time you were here, doesn't it?

Kevin

Oh, it does. With everything out of the second floor here, look at this. So, you can sort of see, now, the bones. You can see the floors, although you can also see just how much work is left to be done.

Craig

Well, you know, all of our houses in this program start out like this. And they always turn out great in the end. So we've got a lot of faith that this is going to get done, because we have a great general contractor. He's right here. His name is Tom Abbott.

Kevin

Hey. Tom. Kevin.

Nice to meet you. Tom

Hi, nice to meet you.

Kevin

So, you are a brave man.

Now you got your hands full. Tom

Very much so.

Kevin

And what's your role with this project?

Tom

I'm the general contractor. I take care of all the programs or the projects that we're working on for the Land Bank right now.

Kevin

And how many are you working on?

Tom

Right now,

15. Kevin

Wow, 15 at once.

Tom

Yeah, under construction.

Kevin

So, that's what's in progress. What about the ones you've already done?

Tom

We've completed about 30 of these so far.

Kevin

Wow! That's unbelievable. All right. And then the prognosis for this house, in terms of its condition and how long it's going to take?

Tom

This one's probably in a little rougher shape than some of the others we've done. But when we're completed, it'll look just like the others.

Kevin

And how long is that completion, you think, gonna take?

Tom

I think this one is going to be about 90 days.

Chuckling

Kevin

90 days? That seems

almost impossible to us. Tom

Yeah.

Kevin

All right. But then, so if you're guy who's managing, what did you say, 15 or so at one time?

Tom

That's correct.

Kevin

Who is here doing the work day-to-day?

Tom

We hire a contractor for each project. And we've got him here today, right now.

Kevin

Can we meet him?

Tom

Yeah. He's down in the living room.

Derek. Derek

Hey, what's going on, Tom? How you doing?

Tom

Good to see you. Kevin, this is Derek.

Kevin

Derek,

nice to meet you. Derek

How you feeling today?

Tom

He's done a couple of projects for us already. And this is going to be his third. I've got 14 more to do. So I'm gonna get out of here and get to work.

Kevin

All right. Thank you.

He's a busy man. Derek

Yes, he is.

Kevin

And you're about to be a busy man, too.

Derek

As long as he's busy, I'm busy.

Kevin

All right. So, what is your prognosis when you see a house like this? I mean, you've looked around.

Derek

When I come to this house, what I do is, I see, what's the potential, what's the possibilities. And the possibilities is, this has the ability

to be a beautiful house. Kevin

Okay. Well, you guys are starting to turn me into an optimist, too. In terms of specifics, what would you do to a house like this? In a living room like this, what do you do, what do you leave, what do you take out?

Derek

Well, when I first come in, the thing is this. These houses were built in 1940, 1930. So what we try to do is we try to make them modern, but keep the same -- the historical feel to it.

Mm-hmm. Derek

So when we come in, we build our houses from the floors. So, when we first came in, we saw these beautiful hardwood floors, eh, a little scuffed up. But what we can do is we can come in and we can add, from Reclaim Detroit, we can add in new -- order new tongue-and-groove floors and bring back --

Patch where you have to. Derek

Yeah. And we'll bring it all the way out. So now the floors will be a focal point with this beautiful mantel.

Kevin

So, this is something you can save and will save?

Derek

Yeah. Our goal is, what we're gonna do is sand it down and bring it back to its original allure. And then we're going to put a nice, clear polyurethane on it and make it pop. So this will be the focal point that comes into it.

Kevin

I love to hear that -- to hear that the floors are saved, details like this are saved. I mean, the plaster is pretty beat-up. But, I mean, when I see this cove, we love it. Is this something that can be saved, these types of details?

Derek

You know what? That's -- That's a choice. On this particular one, our goal is to take the cove out. And the reason why we take the cove out is because, if you look at the size of this room, it has no lights. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna add six

to eight recess cans... Kevin

Uh-huh.

Derek

...with nice track lighting right here to basically make this the focal point.

So if you have a TV... Kevin

Right.

Derek

...when people come in, your furniture, people come in, this will be the first thing that people see -- beautiful hardwood floors, nice mantel, nice recessed lights.

Kevin

Well, it's sad to hear that the coves are going to go, but you are saving the house.

Derek

Yeah, we're gonna save the house. Actually, this was unique because, in fact, I grew up in this particular area. So I used to ride by and walk by these houses all the time. So the thing is to be able to be a part of the rebirth of Detroit and being able to bring back these houses one at a time, it's something I'm really excited about.

Kevin

Well, that's awesome. Let's have a look

at the kitchen. Derek

Okay.

Kevin

I'm curious to know what you're gonna do in here.

Derek

Okay, Kevin, let me tell you my plans for this kitchen.

Kevin

Boy, and this is a rough kitchen. Look at this place.

Derek

Well, it look like America's nightmare right now. But when we finish, it will be America's dream house.

Kevin

And what do you do to it?

Derek

Well, first thing we do is we basically open it up. Right now, everything is in an open concept. So our goal is to open this wall up anywhere between 24 to 36 inches.

Yeah. Derek

You don't need two doors.

Kevin

Right, and that'll give you a nice clear view into the dining room.

Derek

Walking in, you have beautiful hardwood floors, you got the nice mantel. You lead in here, custom kitchen, nice ceramic tile on the floor.

Kevin

So new tile here, beautiful.

Derek

New tile here, nice custom backsplash, new window,

42-inch cabinets up top. Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Derek

Down low will be all-new cabinets with a dishwasher, garbage disposal, everything. So everything that people need, that'll be updated.

Kevin

What do you guys put in for countertops?

Derek

Well, basically, it's going to be a nice granite countertop.

Kevin

Nice, okay, so stone there.

Derek

So a granite countertop with the granite backsplash.

Kevin

And, I mean, I'm looking at this here. Is this -- Is this a gut back to the studs?

Derek

This will be all the way to the studs.

Kevin

Okay.

Derek

And that way, we can get a cleaner look.

Kevin

Yeah. Well, so, obviously,

this cove comes out. Derek

That cove is gone.

Kevin

The archway here -- what do you do with that detail?

Derek

Well, then we take the arch out because it actually dates the house. So our goal is to make it more contemporary.

Kevin

Okay. You know, I like the bay with the boards off and the light coming through. You said that window goes. What happens to windows like these?

Derek

We replace every window in the house, all-new double-hung, well-insulated, low-E argon-gas windows.

Kevin

All right, so, you know, a new tile floor in here, stone countertops, cabinets, open floor plan, I -- I can see it. This is gonna be a good-looking kitchen.

Derek

We had a -- a running joke. Our goal was to go from worst to first renovation. So our goal is to take this from the worst house to become the best.

Kevin

Worst to first. I love that. All right. I have not been in the basement yet. Can we go down there?

Derek

Let me lead you down the way.

Kevin

Yeah, you lead. I like that idea. So, we couldn't even get down here a little while ago. There was so much stuff. So I'm glad to see that it's all cleaned out. And now that it is, what's your assessment?

Derek

I see it as the ideal basement.

Chuckling

Kevin

Of course you do. But you do have to do something down here.

Derek

Well, as you see, these walls are bowed in a little bit. So our first thing will be to make sure that the foundation is secure. And we're gonna secure that by basically putting some steel beams to make sure that the wall is secure.

Kevin

Okay. I'm looking at a fuse box behind you. A full electrical upgrade for you guys?

Derek

Yeah, that's -- that's -- that's -- that's a given. Everything in here will be brand-new, new 100-amp box.

Kevin

And there's remnants of the old heating system. What do you guys put in?

Derek

Well, we actually try to make everything energy-efficient. So we're going to put a 90% energy-efficient furnace and a 90% energy-efficient hot water tank.

Kevin

Yep, so full upgrade on the systems. All right. So, what do you think when you hear "90 days"?

Derek

I think 60 days. I try to always be optimistic.

Kevin

Really? You're underbidding him?

Derek

Yes. I'll see you in 60 days.

Kevin

And when do you get started?

Monday morning. Kevin

All right, we'll follow you every step of the way.

Okay. Kevin

Thanks, Derek. Our other Detroit project is about 10 minutes away, in the Russell Woods neighborhood.

Scott

Security is a big issue here in Detroit. As construction begins, we need to protect our tools and anything that we install from theft. Today we're installing an alarm system. Hey,

Wes. Wes

Hey, Scott, how you doing?

Scott

What's going on?

Wes

Yeah, we're just getting the new alarm system installed. This was the old -- the old system -- basically, a glorified keypad.

Scott

And that was tied into that big mess of wires

that I saw downstairs. Wes

Yes. It was tied into there. All the cables and the connections would go to that box and that siren. And now the new system, here, is all self-enclosed. Everything is included. Cellular radio, backup battery, siren is all in one system here.

Scott

So this is completely wireless?

Wes

Yes, completely wireless. And typically, what would happen is the burglar would come through and cut the telephone lines.

You would never be notified. Scott

Oh, okay,

Wes

So, now, with this system all being cellular, there's nothing to cut. So, within 10 seconds after the alarm goes off,

your phone's ringing. Scott

It makes sense. This is where the heart of the operation is. What else is there?

Wes

Well, let me show you.

Scott

Okay.

Wes

Okay. So this is the new technology, the new motion detector. What makes this one different than the old motion detector is this actually has a still-shot

night-vision camera... Scott

Okay.

Wes

...inside

of it. Scott

Wow.

Wes

So as soon as somebody breaks into the home...

Yep. Wes

...it's instantly

taking a picture. Scott

Got it.

Wes

So, it just caught us as we were coming through into here. And it should have snapped a picture.

Yep. And here it is. Scott

Look at that.

Wes

Yep. The other cool thing that we installed was an automatic deadbolt. So this automatic deadbolt will automatically lock your house

if you forgot to. Scott

Okay.

Wes

But what's even better is, soon as you put your code in when you come home, not only does it open up the deadbolt, it automatically disarms, so you're not having to

disarm twice. Scott

That's neat.

Yeah. Scott

That's really neat.

Wes

And the other nice thing that we did is to put a full HD camera

on the back of this garage. Scott

Great.

Wes

What makes this camera different, what's really exciting about it, is that you can actually zoom into four different areas

of that same image... Scott

Yep.

Wes

...and be able to get real good,

close facial images... Scott

Wow.

Wes

...right off that one shot.

Scott

That's great. And what's going on over here?

Wes

And Mike's got -- He's gonna be installing the wireless sensor. So, the typical wireless sensors that you've seen before are the big,

bulky boxes. Scott

Sure, sure.

Wes

And they're kind of an eyesore. So what's new is these ones right here. This is a wireless plunger. It gets inserted into the door frame.

Wow. Wes

And the watch -- it takes a watch battery, lasts about 5 years.

That's great. Wes

There you go, Mike.

Mike

Thank you, sir.

Tool whirring

Scott

All right. Well, I'd like to hear this. Can we test it?

Wes

Sure.

We can give it a shot. Scott

All right.

Wes

So, we'll go ahead and give it a makeshift... And then you press the lock button

right on here. Scott

Yep.

Wes

Automatically locks the door. Okay. Let's -- We'll test it out. I'm just gonna go ahead and unlock it.

Scott

All right.

Wes

And we're gonna force it to go off.

Shrill alarm trills

Scott

Geez!

Wes

Yep.

Scott

I don't think anyone's gonna steal anything from this job site.

Wes

No,

I think we're okay. Scott

Nice job, Wes.

That was good. Wes

Thank you.

Scott

All right.

Kevin

The alarm system is installed and working. And most of the roof is sealed up. Now, Tommy left a little section here in the back of the house open. And, Tom, I guess this has got something to do with that decision.

Tom

Well, this back part of the house, right here, where it's leaking, it was from the roof and the flashing that runs up the wall. But if you look over here, there's actually peeling paint along here and some leaking that came in here. I think that's from ice dams.

Kevin

Ah, okay. So we'll fix that with the new roof and flashing. How you gonna fix this?

Tom

Well, I want to blow cellulose insulation up there. Now, I could drill some holes in the ceiling. But I don't want to do any more damage to the plaster. So, what I did is I had the roofer leave a small section of the roof off so we can climb in there or stick a hose in there

and fill it with insulation. Kevin

Good.

Yeah. Frank

How you doing, Tommy?

Tommy

What's up, Frank?

Frank

So we've rented this insulation machine. Could you tell me a little about how it works?

Tom

Well, it actually works like a vacuum cleaner in reverse. We're gonna load it up. It's gonna suck the insulation down through the bottom. And it's gonna push it out through the hose up there. So we keep loading it up, and we keep driving it in. Before you know it, we'll have plenty of insulation up there.

Kevin

And how about this? This meet with your approval, Tommy?

Tom

Yep. That's cellulose insulation. It's recycled newspaper and paper ground up and treated with borate. So it has a fire retardant and an insecticide in it. It has a great R-factor.

Kevin

All right. Where you want me?

Tom

All right, why don't you load the machine? Frank and I will go up and start blowing it in. And we'll try to get about 12 inches, which will give us around an R45.

Sounds good. Tom

All right. So, what I did is I took the hose and I put a stick on the end of it.

Okay. Tom

That will allow us to reach in there, way in, and direct the hose around the perimeter, 'cause we'll start tight against the eaves and work our way in, gradually filling it up. All right, Kevin, fire it up.

Blower whirring

Okay. Tom

Tom

Going in there really good, fill all those voids up. Gonna put in more than we want so it'll settle down. You can see the studs right there. We're blowing it right down there.

So that's a good thing. Frank

Okay.

Tom

So, the more insulation we get in there, the more money you're gonna save on your heating and cooling bill.

Frank

Great.

Tom

All right, Frank. There you go. Now, the good thing is that you had about 6 inches of Fiberglass insulation in your existing attic. We added about 8 inches on top of it. So you're gonna have more than enough insulation to keep the snow melting on the roof and the ice dams from forming.

Sounds good. Kevin

All right. So, Frank, what do you got up for next time?

Frank

We got some demolition planned for the kitchen and bathrooms.

Kevin

I love to hear that. So, until then, I'm Kevin O'Connor...

Tom

...I'm

Tom Silva... Frank

...and I'm Frank Pope...

Kevin

...for "This Old House" here in Detroit. How does it look?

Tom

It looks good.

Kevin

Yep. Next time on "This Old House"... We'll visit another home renovation in Detroit. But this one is slightly larger. This breathtaking estate is where automotive pioneer Henry Ford and his wife, Clara, lived for over 30 years. Right now, there is a massive effort to restore and preserve the estate. And today, we're gonna have a look at the work going on inside.

Richard

And we start replacing some old drain lines -- fun. That's next time on "This Old House."