The Painted Ladies Take a Lot of Care to Keep Pretty

BY GLEN STARKEY

Dream homes fall into two distinct categories: new and contemporary or old and historic. For those want the latter category, San Luis Obispo County is a dreamer's paradise.

Dozens of Victorians can be found in various downtowns. Some of the historic homes are restored to their original splendor; others await the hard work and tender loving care needed to renovate.

But whether you're buying a fixer-upper or purchasing a fully renovated Victorian, one thing is clear: They're not cheap–not cheap to buy renovated, not cheap to renovate.

A recent look at sales prices revealed that already-restored Victorians sell–depending on such variables as size and location–for $400,000 up to nearly $1 million. And depending on how far a restorer is willing to go, fixing up a Victorian can quickly surpass $250,000, especially since most need new foundations, plumbing, and electrical systems and have specialty work requiring skilled finish carpenters.

Obviously the people taking on such projects could buy a new home if they choose, so why go through all the trouble?

Vintage Collectors

Ann and Dick Greene love all things old–old cameras, old furniture, old cars. They purchased a small, dilapidated Victorian on Buchon Street in SLO a couple of years ago and have been fixing it up themselves ever since.

"We like the nostalgia, the history," said Ann, who picked out the exterior paint colors and also decorated the interior using Victorian-era techniques to keep the home historically authentic.

In the entrance hall, for instance, Ann has installed embossed wallpaper which has been given a patina to make it look like leather. "This is just how they did it then," she said. "They didn't have a lot of money." The Greenes also replaced the old light switches with the push-button kind, and Ann made a copy of the original accent stencil that was used in the bedroom and restenciled along the ceiling.

Dick has done most of the infrastructure work, replacing electrical and plumbing while saving as much of the original plaster walls as possible.

"If you're handy at all, or if you can read a how-to book, I think fixing these up on your own is doable," he said. "But you do have to be persistent. I thought I'd have this done in two years. Now it's going to be two and a half."

"Three," piped in Ann. "But we enjoy doing it."

And when it's finished, will the home be worth the purchase price plus the money to renovate?

"I think we'll break even," said Dick. "But that doesn't count your time. We can't even keep track of that. If you didn't like doing it, it wouldn't be cost-effective."

Luckily the Greenes do like doing it. They also restored an old farmhouse in New York. In their Buchon Street home, they've tried to reuse everything in the house. They broke out the walkway leading to the front door and used the old concrete to building a decorative wall in the back garden, then used the old fireplace bricks to repave the walkway. They're breaking out the back wall and extending the dining room out to the back porch and using the old wavy-glass windows for a built-in hutch.

As much as they love the home, there are disadvantages to old Victorians. The Greenes' house sits on a nonconforming lot, so there is no chance of building an addition under current city regulations. There's also no driveway or garage.

But the home has 13-foot-high ceilings and some amazing architectural and interior design details, which give Victorians like the Greenes' their charm. They bought it in its almost original 1890s condition.

"One thing we liked about the home was that only three people had lived in it since it was built," said Ann, referring to Axel and Ida Hanson and their daughter Evelyn. "They hadn't done much to it over the years."

The home originally had no bathroom. "It looked like they just stuck an outhouse in one corner," said Dick of the bath area. "It was like they just built a little closet and stuck a toilet in it."

The Greenes tore it out, but in an effort to maintain authenticity, added a vintage claw-foot bathtub. They also found a vintage gas stove and filled the house with antiques they've collected over the years, including a working Victrola on which Ann plays 78 rpm jazz records handed down by her musician uncle who played with Guy Lombardo.

"We just love old things," said Ann.

Urban Village

In 1987 Mary Martin bought the Miller house on SLO's Broad Street, beginning a massive renovation and expansion of the existing home. She added 17 feet to the back of the home, created a master suite, expanded the upstairs with dormers, and did a complete refurbishing of the plumbing and electrical systems.

She had the help of one of Los Angeles' most famous architects–the man who designed the L.A. City Hall, the Sanwa Building, the Arco Towers, the Wells Fargo building–Albert C. Martin, her father.

"There's a national trend to move back to the city," said Martin. "It's the urban village phenomenon. We've seen it in San Francisco for years, and now it's happening in San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles.

"All the amenities are here. The railroad station is nearby. My elderly parents can take the trolley from Long Beach to Los Angeles, jump on a train and come right to San Luis. I can walk to Trader Joe's or downtown."

Martin believes downtown living will continue to increase in the coming years, driven by Baby Boomers and Boomers' children who have tired of suburban living.

"The people doing this now–moving to the cities, rebuilding the old homes–are trendsetters," she said. "We all grew up in the suburbs. We've been completely dependent on cars. The lack of public transportation in the suburbs, the isolation, the energy use, and the environmental concerns of having to drive everywhere–people are ready to move back to the city."

Martin, who owns Traditions, a furnishings and design store a few blocks from her residence, also loves the charm of the old Victorian homes and has decorated the interior of hers impeccably.

And, she noted, the homes are never finished. She's still working on some upstairs areas of hers. And by the time she's finished one section, she's ready to redo another.

"It's fun to do. I think I'm going to repaint the interior. I'm tired of this," she said gesturing to her dining room walls. "I grew up with architecture and design. It was always a part of my life."

Trials and Tribulations

Don and Ruth Silva finished restoring the Marshall house about 10 years ago. Every two or three years they have the house repainted.

"Oh lordy, you have to take care of your investment," said Ruth, who's no stranger to hard work after spending most of her life as a farm wife. Her husband, Don, had one of the last working dairy farms in the county before they sold all but 10 acres of their ranch in Templeton.

Ruth is a tireless furniture refinisher, and the dozens of antique pieces in her home were brought back from the dead by her hard work. Don, too, is a workhorse.

The Silvas did much of the restoration themselves, but had to hire a contractor to complete some of the work. Even so, Don ended up doing most of the dirty stuff–removing the roof, digging out the foundation under the house. The contractor ended up paying him as a worker, and after the house was finished talked Don into helping him with a couple of other projects.

"He said, ‘Don, I don't have a worker as good as you,’" laughed Ruth. Some retirement! Both of the Silvas were in their 60s when they took on the project.

"What attracted me to this home was the ball and stick," said Ruth, referring to the elaborate, carved wood decorating the entrance between the living and dining rooms. "And I like the garage in the back. Who wants a garage that faces the street? I don't want everybody to see all the junk in my garage.

"And we needed to be right downtown," she continued. "My church is nearby and the bus stop is right there, so when we get too old to drive we can hop on the bus and go all over town."

For the Silvas, the restoration process wasn't all smooth sailing. The problems began when the city of San Luis Obispo made them put in a new foundation, even though it had been replaced just a few years previously.

"They said it hadn't been done right," said Don, "so we took it out and did it again."

"It's hard to work with the city because of all the permits and the waiting and the restrictions," said Ruth. "We didn't mind the inspectors coming by because we knew we were doing everything right."

The biggest annoyance, however, was over the smallest of things.

"We got ready to move into the house and the inspector came to give us the final [inspection]," said Don. "He said, ‘Oh, you can't move in yet. You have to plant a tree in the front yard.’ So I dug a hole. Well, he came back and said, ‘The hole's in the wrong place. You have to move it over one foot.’ I couldn't believe it.

"Then I went to get a tree," continued Don. "I got a nice big palm from the ranch. It was in a huge box; I brought it in on a truck. Well, the inspector told me it was the wrong kind of tree. He told me what kind I had to buy, told me where to get it, so I had to spend another $200 on a tree before we could move in.

"I never did move that hole over though," said Don with a wry grin.

The Silvas also declined a $50,000 city loan when they found they would have to paint the house colors of the city's choosing. Still, they couldn't be happier now.

"We love this place," said Ruth.

Glen Starkey's dream home can be described in two words: PAID FOR.

Encouraging Restoration

Nearly every community in the county contains beautiful examples of Victorian homes, although by far the city of San Luis Obispo boasts the most, which is probably why it's the only city with a comprehensive set of guidelines, rules, and regulations governing renovation of such properties.

"Yes, the city has adopted historic home guidelines," said associate planner Jeff Hook. "Suffice to say the city's policies encourage historic homes."

SLO Town has two lists of historically significant properties: Master List buildings, which are deemed historic based on architectural style, history, or association with important persons or events in city history; and Contributing List properties, which contribute to the historic character of a neighborhood but may not be unique examples.

Master List properties include structures like the Mission, the Sinsheimer building, the Fremont Theatre, the Ah Louis Store, and some of the more majestic downtown Victorians.

"Exterior changes to those kinds of properties require special review by the city's Cultural Heritage Committee and the Architecture Review Commission," explained Hook, who also noted that interior changes on some buildings–the Fremont Theatre, for instance–would also need reviewing. "The CHC reviews and makes recommendations to the ARC. We have people in the CHC with special knowledge of architecture and typically someone with strong background in local history."

There are about 175 Master List properties in San Luis Obispo. Contributing List properties consist of about 400 mostly residential structures. Both lists are designated historic by the City Council. According to Hook, changes can be made to Contributing List properties without the additional reviews required for Master List properties, but all SLO Town buildings are subject to a rather lengthy and exhaustive review process regardless of their historic significance or lack thereof.

"The city policy encourages people who have Contributing List buildings to make changes that preserve the character of the historic building," said Hook. "They could choose not to. If, after changes, a building no longer retained its historical character, it would simply be removed from the list."

Master List properties can be changed significantly, too, but are under much stricter guidelines.

"Historic resources aren't museums–as in ‘they can't be changed,’" said Hook. "People work and live in these building, so changes are needed for comfort and are often necessary to make the structures usable in this century. But the review process encourages that the changes are made to complement and retain the original design and historical significance of the building."