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Pope Residence Infrastructure Plans

That’s quite a jump!

Before I go too far into today’s topic, let me thank all of you who read, commented on, forwarded, or shared Lee’s post about the disappearance of local Cameron restaurants. Usually our Facebook posts get 100-200 exposures. That one had well over 2,000! I think Lee struck a nerve. Our web statistics look pretty hysterical, too. BOOM, a huge spike on Wednesday!

Back to Work

The work on the Pope residence is going really well. I have a sneaky suspicion that the crew really enjoys knocking plaster off walls and revealing brick. Who could blame them? It’s just beautiful!

Here’s the hole for working on the sagging beam.

Cody has been meeting with various subcontractors to get the building’s bones back in good shape. They have a plan for shoring up the sagging beam that involves just two holes in the flooring, one of which you see here. He doesn’t seem to think it’s too bad of a project.

He also talked to a mason about what’s needed to do any repairs or reinforcement needed on all the newly exposed brick. We want to keep the character, but also make the building safe for us and our clients! It may not be the most inexpensive proposition ever, so we’re going to talk about it as a team before doing any more work on the two remaining offices that still have plaster on the walls. We don’t want to kill the ole budget!

Our old HVAC friend Felix also dropped by to figure out how to get heating and air conditioning into the building (yay!).  He always does such good work. It’s going to be an interesting system. The downstairs is a little complicated and has three zones (the complicated part), but upstairs will be easy to do through the attic, when that time comes. That’s a bit of a relief.

Enjoy these pictures of the former kitchen with the damaged shiplap removed (it will be replaced by shiplap from a house that’s being demolished), the location for the second beam repair access,  and the newly exposed brick in the entry hallway. We think it will look fantastic with the trim painted a light color! (We don’t want the place to look like a dungeon, after all.)

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Again?

Closed sign

Businesses close, especially in small towns. It’s not usually that big a deal. Unless it’s your business or your employer. But all closures affect the community at large.

In the past month or so, two chain restaurants in Cameron closed their doors: Bush’s Chicken and the Sonic (again). When businesses close, the fault usually rests with the management, not an elected official, no matter how much he promotes himself as a problem solver, as has been suggested on Rantbook. The management issues at both of these restaurants were obvious. My opinion: both closed because management failed to manage their personnel.

Both Bush’s and the Sonic have a reputation for good, fast food. Bush’s is my favorite chicken house by far, and I have a loving relationship with Sonic that goes back to the 1970s. My first job was at a Sonic, and my first entrepreneurial ambition was to own a Sonic. If I went out for chicken or burgers, it was to a Bush’s (since I discovered them a decade ago) or to Sonic (since I was 14). So, I was saddened to find both of these restaurants in Cameron were the worst, in my experience, of their respective chains. I mean, how many of you Cameronians ate at either one regularly?

Closed Bush's location in Cameron

Bush’s built a new building. If they don’t reopen in the same location, that’s a lot of money to just walk away from.

The last four times I went to Bush’s, they were out of chicken. That happens occasionally with chicken places—but four times in a row? The staff was always friendly, new, and basically clueless. They seemed more interested in gossiping in the kitchen than taking care of business. The food was edible, but not up to Bush’s standards. The management failure here was in instilling a culture of customer service. Continue reading →

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Just a Few More Pope Residence Photos

Here’s Rhett Parker checking out our brick walls.

Much of this content was originally from the Hearts Homes and Hands blog, but I wanted to share these photos with the Hermit Haus Redevelopment readers, too. Since so many of my friends have expressed interest in looking at the old bricks, I’m going to leave the photos in the large size, at least if you’re looking on a computer!

Today’s Update

We’ve been having visitors come by (just ask one of us, and we can give you a tour if nothing dangerous is going on). Yesterday, the City Manager of Cameron, Rhett Parker, dropped by to check things out. He liked all that brick!

I also like it. It makes me almost swoon. It’s just so old, unique and fascinating. By looking at the openings and patterns in the walls, you can see where original doors and windows were. The crew found a window that goes into the entry hallway. It makes us wonder if the original house had a much smaller hallway. Maybe it was one of those dogtrot setups, with a breezeway in the middle.

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This original bathroom window might even bring in light if the laundry room goes away.

One of the downstairs bathrooms has been cleaned out, and looks very much better now. The sink and toilet are in good enough shape to re-use, so that will help with costs, at least a little bit! We don’t plan to put in another bathtub, since we’ll have a full bath upstairs eventually.

They also cleaned out the laundry room addition, and it looks much less horrible now. We may even end up keeping it, if we can figure out how to make the roof no longer leak where the outdoor stairway supports come through it. Sigh, that’s another “interesting” modern introduction!

Some Really Big Photos

Below are pictures of some of the things that have been found in the last couple of days. I’m using the captions to explain why I think these are such amazing and cool finds.

We were surprised to find that even the "bay window" or whatever you call it, was originally brick!

We were surprised to find that even the “bay window” or whatever you call it, was originally brick!

Next up, they're going to see if the brick behind these walls is good enough to display, or whether we'll just repair the walls. It's Lee's future Throne Room.

Next up, they’re going to see if the brick behind these walls is good enough to display, or whether we’ll just repair the walls. It’s Lee’s future Throne Room.

This is in the room behind the fancy front room. You can tell from the brick that the door to this room was originally its current size. The door to the icky bathroom, at right, must have been an exterior door.

This is in the room behind the fancy front room. It was the worst room before, but now may be my favorite. You can tell from the brick that the door to this room was originally its current size. The door to the icky bathroom, at right, must have been an exterior door.

There is a HUGE nest that was in the ceiling. Eww.

There is a HUGE nest that was in the ceiling. Eww. And look how much stuff has been taken out so far.

Another picture of the front room, just because it is pretty. All the different bricks amaze me, and that extra fancy light fixture looks quite interesting in the room now.

This is one of the few wood walls downstairs. The crew is currently getting rid of the "kitchen" along this wall.

This is one of the few wood walls downstairs. The crew is currently getting rid of the “kitchen” along this wall. That’s good, because it was pretty ugly.

Here's the boarded-up window to the interior hallway. We'll open it up!

Here’s the boarded-up window to the interior hallway. We’ll open it up! That may be my favorite discovery so far. You can also see how they brought in electricity, and the decorative brick over the door.

The view up to the second floor. That will be covered up!

The view up to the second floor. You can even see all the way out onto the “sun porch.” That hole will be covered up!

Not to worry, they saved the mantel.

The back of the main room. Not to worry, they saved the mantel and it can be re-installed or replaced with something more accurate to the period.

In the entry hallway is a hole in the floor that had been covered up, and a fascinating pipe. We do not plan to hold pole dancing classes in here.

In the entry hallway is a hole in the floor that had been covered up, and a fascinating pipe. We do not plan to hold pole dancing classes in here. We are still not exactly sure which light switch makes the chandelier work, but at least it works!

Look, some of the bricks have glazing on them.

Look, some of the bricks have glazing on them. This is so cool. The bricks are all so different.

Every day we get new ideas when we look at what the demolition crew uncovers. Soon the whole first floor will be emptied out and we’ll see the shell we have to work with.

Then the electrical system will get upgraded and things can be restored to their previous beauty. Whew. Exciting!

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Just Can’t Stop Renovating: The Pope Residence on Gillis

While we are on purchasing hiatus, we’re still busy renovating properties, mostly the ones Sue Ann and Lee own in Cameron. Yesterday was pretty exciting, because we finally started the renovation of the old Pope Residence on Gillis (formerly known as Second St., and before that Bridge St., as shown in the 1906 map).

Here is an overview of Cameron in 1906, the earliest Sanborn map that shows our two properties.

Here’s a covered-up arch

To say we are excited at what we found on “demo day” is an understatement. Cody, the general contractor, reported that all the interior walls on the first floor are brick. Now, we know that the house was the first brick home in Cameron, but we didn’t realize brick was inside, too! Everyone agrees that this feature is a keeper, and we will be using it as a decorative element, not covering it up, wherever possible. (And think of all the drywall savings!)

At upper left, the image shows the separate kitchen building (later demolished) and the boarding house on the bottom, with “family” on the second floor.

The workers also uncovered hints about what the house looked like when it was first built, too. There are many arched openings between the “parlors” downstairs that got replaced with wooden doors later. That does sound more accurate to the time when the house was built. However, the doors also make sense. During the Great Depression, I found ads in the newspaper for rental rooms in the house. Sure enough, a later Sanborn map (these are maps historically used for insurance purposes) of the house shows that the first floor was a boarding house. That makes the separate stairs make a lot more sense, doesn’t it?

Continue reading →

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I Finally Got My Shoe Tied!

This is the final installment! (See the first and second one by clicking the links.)

This is pretty important

How could anyone be mad at rich people like Thurston Howell III and his beautiful wife, Lovey? I’m sure he earned his money by hard work.

I see so many people who are angry with others who they believe are rich. Why are they angry? Usually it stems from jealousy, or on the surface it appears as the person didn’t earn what they have.

Here’s a personal example. I’m a single mom, single-income family of six people, six dogs, 3 cats, and 2 birds. I accept second-hand clothing in very good condition from people I know. I just got a whole bunch of name brand, business casual clothing (some with the tags still attached) from my good friend and soul sister, Kayla. I’ve received several compliments! I dug my make up out, and I’ve been dressing up a lot lately. It makes me feel better. Now the downside of this is also that some people think I went on one heck of an expensive shopping spree. Because of that, they think that I am rich all of the sudden. Bless their hearts!

I have earned (by working hard even when people don’t see it) what I have. The Rattlesnake house was not gifted to me, I pay for it (sorry to burst anyone’s assumption bubble), my van and car are my personal purchases not the company’s. I work hard for what I have.

This is not what Sue Ann and Lee do all day. Believe it or not, they’re regular people with bills and stuff.

What really irks me is to hear, “Well it must be nice!” from someone who thinks it was handed to me. Well the clothes were because Kayla loves me, and I love her and her style! So, it is nice. It is also nice to work hard and earn something. It isn’t nice for people to treat me or anyone else as if it wasn’t earned.

The people who do that are prime examples of the poverty mentality. They assume I am Lee and Sue Ann’s pet and now just get handed everything. That is their own poverty mentality not allowing them to see that I do work for what I have. They assume others have a rich relative or some bundle of money somewhere that provides what they have. Maybe the people who do this would have something nice, too, if they took accountability for their actions, were careful with spending and really tried. At least they’d not have an ugly view of the world.

More poverty mentality hang-ups

Complaining about other people on social media is not a highly paid profession, either.

Also, if you are stuck in the poverty mentality, being a landlord IS NOT the job for you! To be a successful landlord, you have to be able to save money and have patience. You can’t touch any of the rental income for a minimum of 10 years. You can’t live off of that rental income. Read that last sentence again. You have to build that rental account up for paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, advertising, vacancy, repairs, etc.

Plus, you have to remember that the deposits people give you have to just sit somewhere for when they move out to be refunded as appropriate. If you meet a landlord with a poverty mentality, RUN! Chances are they won’t keep that house and you will never have any maintenance issues addressed!

If you believe that you will just never have as much money as someone else, you’re correct. Stop comparing where you are to where someone else is. Make a savings account, get serious, stop blaming people who have more than you for you not having everything you want.

So I am asking our readers that have overcome this mentality, how did you do it? What made that change happen? Grow your prosperity mindset everyone! Throw that poverty mentality in the trash where it belongs! Oh and BTW, the lottery is not a retirement plan. But that’s a whole other blog.

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Most Recent Posts

Pope Residence Infrastructure Plans
01/17/20 - Commercial Buildings, Rehabbing - No Comments

Before I go too far into today’s topic, let me thank all of you who read, commented on, forwarded, or shared Lee’s post about the disappearance of local Cameron restaurants. Usually our Facebook posts get 100-200 exposures. That one had well over 2,000! I think Lee struck a nerve. Our web statistics look pretty hysterical,…

Continue Reading
Again?
01/14/20 - Commercial Buildings - 9 Comments

In the past month or so, two chain restaurants in Cameron closed their doors: Bush’s Chicken and the Sonic (again). When businesses close, the fault usually rests with the management, not an elected official, no matter how much he promotes himself as a problem solver, as has been suggested on Rantbook. The management issues at…

Continue Reading
Just a Few More Pope Residence Photos
01/10/20 - Commercial Buildings, Rehabbing - No Comments

Much of this content was originally from the Hearts Homes and Hands blog, but I wanted to share these photos with the Hermit Haus Redevelopment readers, too. Since so many of my friends have expressed interest in looking at the old bricks, I’m going to leave the photos in the large size, at least if…

Continue Reading
Just Can’t Stop Renovating: The Pope Residence on Gillis
01/08/20 - Commercial Buildings, Rehabbing - No Comments

While we are on purchasing hiatus, we’re still busy renovating properties, mostly the ones Sue Ann and Lee own in Cameron. Yesterday was pretty exciting, because we finally started the renovation of the old Pope Residence on Gillis (formerly known as Second St., and before that Bridge St., as shown in the 1906 map). To…

Continue Reading