July 06, 2011

6 Strategies at Red Mountain

by: Taz Loomans

8 Comments

Red Mountain is a duplex that Paul and I just purchased located near 11th Avenue and Indian School.Β  It is a new project in the development arm of Blooming Rock.

Here’s a photo:

Here are the specs:

1. Originally built in 1959

2. Constructed of 4″ block. Yes, it’s block even behind the board and batten. My favorite part – check out the weeping mortar which adds a very mid-century flair to the place.

3. Red Mountain is composed of 2 units that are roughly about 950sf, with each unit having 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths.

Here are 6 strategies we’re using at Red Mountain:

1. Keep the stuff that gives this great mid-century duplex it’s character like the horizontal masonry on the bottom, the vertical board and batten rhythm on top, the kick-ass wide angles and the great steel casement windows. We’ll try to keep some of the interior original items as well, such as the original kitchen cabinets and the original wall oven in the north unit, plus the original bathroom tiles and some of the original light fixtures. We won’t be tearing any walls down either, with the exception, perhaps in the kitchens of both units.

2. Make it energy efficient with new high-seer HVAC units, new insulation, new energy and water efficient fixtures and appliances.

3. Make it easy for future tenants to live in by replacing some of the infrastructure. We’d like to keep the character of living in a historic house while minimizing the hassles of dealing with old HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.

4. Clean up some bad additions to the back of the house, making it flow better and increase visual openness.

5. Surgically add some new elements to the house, mostly cosmetic, to add to the hipness factor! More to come on this later.

6. Make the front yard of the house a way to create great street-presence, be inviting to the neighborhood, be a shared space for gardening and be an awesome, shaded spot to hang out outdoors. We are working with Landscape Designer Jeremy Stapleton on the front yard as well as Doreen Pollack who is helping us get free APS shade trees.

Stay tuned here on the Blooming Rock blog for regular updates and tips from the Red Mountain renovation!

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8 Responses

  1. Diane D'Angelo says:

    Taz — if, through this renovation, you are somehow able to change my opinion about sloppy …. er… weeping mortar, I will buy you and Paul dinner! πŸ˜‰

    • Taz Loomans says:

      Diane, that is a challenge I will take on! It’s funny, we found Red Mountain shortly after the PSF at Janet Manor, after all our discussion about weeping mortar. I gotta tell you, the weeping mortar is part of the reason I fell in love with Red Mountain in the first place πŸ™‚

  2. Stephanie Weigold says:

    Looking forward to your next masterpiece! Keep me in mind as a prospective tenant – would love a “Blooming Rock” home.

    • Taz Loomans says:

      Hi Stephanie, thanks! I will definitely keep you in mind as a tenant!! We are planning to be ready to lease on September 1 if that timing works for you πŸ™‚

  3. […] What’s happening at Red Mountain? […]

  4. Lisa says:

    I love reading about the Red Mountain adventures! Great job scoring the cabinets, oven and stove.

    Joey and I are moving to 11th Avenue and Osborn very soon (and we’ll have the original 1950 turquoise wall oven and stove – yeehaw!). We’re going to be neighbors!

  5. […] two weeks we’ve spent largely figuring out what to do with the flooring in the east unit of Red Mountain. The original floor was vinyl […]

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