You may have seen this story in the Omaha World Herald regarding the restoration of a beautiful Tudor Revival home on Mercer Park Road. The story of the renovation and the connection to the history of the house is really something else. It’s the holy grail of high-end historic home restoration.
I wanted to focus on what made the restoration so great from a real estate perspective. Ms. Derrick did three things in this restoration that made it ideal for resale: the attached garage, the drop-zone, and the en suite bathroom off the master bedroom. These are things that modern homeowners want, but don’t often get in older homes.
This is the photo’s caption.
Most homes of this age have a detached garage (or none at all). Bathrooms were also limited in older homes. Reverting the extra room into a garage made it appeal to more buyers (though rumor has it these lucky buyers turned it back into an extra room).
Another caption.
Choosing to restore a home that had an en suite master bath was a shrewd move. Often old homes are big on charm but short on bathrooms. Finding an en suite master bath is rare, and Ms. Derrick was smart to start with a home that had one. Adding one, if you can, is usually worth the cost as well.
Finally, making a space to transition from outside to in (HGTV cutely dubs these ‘drop-zones’) was a perfect choice to entice today’s modern family into yesterday’s beautiful homes. It goes a long way in preserving those floors (and, oh my what floors they are).
If you’re thinking of restoring your old home or taking on an investment restoration, keep in mind that bridging the years between the past and modern life is key to maximizing the return on your investment.