(Originally posted 8/16/2016)
Everyone knows the saying, Go Big or Go Home, right? So with this project, that’s exactly what I did. I decided to go big, really big. But since ‘going home’ isn’t really an option, I decided to make this project’s tagline – JUST GO BIG. At just under 3,800 sq. ft., The Cecil House is located on a prominent corner in Hampton Heights and was in need of a lot of TLC. In addition to some neglect over the years, a large tree limb fell on the front of the house and knocked off the entire front porch. Here’s what it looked like before.
So pretty, right? I’m so excited, and honored, to work on this special house and cannot wait to bring this beauty back to her former glory. And can I just say how encouraging all of the neighbors have been? Seriously, we’ve only cleared off some of the overgrown trees and shrubs and have been so encouraged by neighbors who are just genuinely excited that this house is getting the attention it needs, and deserves.
We’re tackling the outside first – two large trees have already been removed, much of the overgrown bushes and trees have been trimmed back or cut down altogether, and the falling down fence had to go as well. Work has begun repairing the brick work and next up will be to replace the damaged porch flooring, rebuild the gorgeous porch, and replace any siding that’s rotted. Just FYI, all of these changes first had to be approved by the City of Spartanburg since Hampton Heights is in an historic district, requiring any exterior changes to receive approval before work can begin. Since we’re just putting things back to the way they were before, we were able to apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Minor Works in order to get started. Once all of this has been completed, we’ll repaint the entire house and cannot wait to show you the after pictures.
So, stay tuned! We’ll be posting our progress as well as some history behind the house and are currently looking for a family who would love to call this house home. If you know of anyone who’s interested, be sure to have them Contact Us soon before it’s taken.
Until then, enjoy looking through the before pictures below and be sure to subscribe to our blog to keep up with the progress!