LEE (44) & RODERICA (43)       

Home: 1912 Colonial Revival

Layout: 6 Bedroom 2 Bath

Square Footage: 3,600 SQFT

Approximate Budget: $60-75K

RESTORATION NEEDS                   

1. Kitchen

2. Home Office/Den

3. Dining Room/Living Area

Lee is an IT professional who recently bought the worst house on the block in order to fulfill his dream of living in the historical neighborhood of Indian Village, Detroit. He knew that it would be a major undertaking but the idea of owning property in this coveted neighborhood would make it all worthwhile. He’s enlisted the help of his best-friend Roderica, who has restored her own historic home, to help him on his journey.  

Unfortunately for Lee, from the moment he made an offer on the home, things began to go down-hill. During escrow a tree fell on the house, creating a massive hole in the roof. He’s been able to fix the damage as best as he was able to, but it wasn’t a good omen of things to come...  After Roderica and Lee did as much work as they could themselves they enlisted the help of a G.C. that they thought they could trust. Unfortunately, the contractor took Lee’s money, only did half the amount of work he said he would do, and left town without any contact. Lee is currently going through small claims court to get his money back, but he’s still without a working home. Unfortunately, all the new contractors that Less has shown the home to have told him that the previous people have done a poor job and that the work would need to be redone. Lee took one step forward and two steps back.

Lee cares for his sick and elderly mother who still lives in their childhood home where he was raised. That home is in disrepair and isn’t conducive for a senior citizen to live in. Lee’s mother needs a place to live. Additionally, Lee’s sister passed away unexpectedly and left a five-year-old daughter behind. Lee stepped up to take care of the child when no one else was able to and is now the legal guardian of Karrie (5). Karrie is a cute and loving young girl with autism who loves animals and dressing up. After suffering the loss of her mother, Karrie needs a chance at a normal future and that begins with a stable and safe home. Lee is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders juggling a major home restoration, maintaining a full-time job, and caring for a special needs child and his mother. If anyone could use a break it is Lee who is selflessly struggling to do right by himself and his family.   

Kitchen: The kitchen is the heart of the home and needs to be completed before he can safely move his niece and mother in. Currently the kitchen is only half done. It’s not functional and is in a state of paused construction. There is half completed plastering everywhere and exposed walls. The kitchen is small, but it has plenty of potential. He needs the kitchen to be a space where he and his mother can cook and prepare meals for the family.

Home Office/Den: Off to the side of the kitchen is a space that Lee wants to be a home office. Lee works from home, so having a space where he can work comfortably but also be able to mind his niece and mother. Currently the den area has scuffed hardwood floors and half completed plastering on the walls.

Dining Room/Living Area: The first floor is spacious and would make for an ideal area for the family to gather. An open floor plan would allow the living room to flow into the dining area and into the kitchen. This would be an ideal layout for three people of varying ages and needs. Currently the dining room and living area are in various states of disrepair. The hardwood floors either need to be replaced, resurfaced or repaired. The windows are also peeling, they don’t shut and are in disrepair. The previous contractors removed some of the windows to repair but they were never fixed or replaced!

Additional Spaces: The stairs need to be completed and the wood trim throughout needs to be repaired. The front door entry way is old and ugly. The exterior stucco is cracked and exposed. There is no curb appeal to the home and almost the entire exterior is half finished.

Although Roderica and Lee can work and help where they are able to, this home needs more work than what they can do. In a string of bad-luck, Lee was also in a car accident last year and can’t do work that is too physically demanding on his back. Having Nicole and her team restore his home would not only fulfill his dream of living in Indian Village but it would provide a safe, forever home for his young niece to grow up in, and a place of peace and tranquility for his elderly mother.