Adventures in Historic Homeownership – the Yucky Stuff

What, what, WHAAAT? There’s yucky stuff in home ownership, Jules?

How could that possible be?

One of the pitfalls into the money pit that CAN be historic homeownership is the sewer line, the mother of all yucky stuff. Anyone who knows me knows that I LURRVE old houses. Along with that love comes a price to pay. I bought my house for a veritable song, so little that I won’t even bother telling you how much (but did you know that it’s a matter of public record?). I knew when I acquired the old gal that lots of work was going to be needed to bring her back to her former glory. What I didn’t know was that, lurking beneath the weed infested lawn, was an insidious force that was going to cost me $5,000 more than I thought.

A broken sewer line.

Was the sewer system/line working when I bought the house? Sure it was. Of course, no one had lived there in a few months so any slow or backed up lines wouldn’t have been apparent anyway.  The sewer line wasn’t actually broken to the point of disconnection, just enough that one part of the break was offset from the other part. Could it still have functioned that way? Absolutely, at least for a while.  But do you really want a monster lurking in your front yard ready to announce itself with sewage in your bathtub? I thought not.

Here’s the thing about a lot of these old houses in Highland Park, St. Elmo & North Chattanooga: many of them got some of the first sewer lines ever installed in Hamilton county. And they are quickly nearing the end of their useful lives. They might even already be broken or cracked and offset like mine was. The only way to tell is to have a camera run through the line. And that’s NOT something that your home inspector is going to do. It’s going to cost you another couple hundred bucks to have it done. If you are planning on a renovation that includes plumbing work, the city inspector is going to want to see that riveting footage before he signs off on the final inspection anyway. So you might as well get it done now when you still got the chance to ask the seller to pay for the repair if necessary.

Take it from someone who knows – you don’t want to add $5,000 to your renovation budget three days after you close. You should save until at least the next week.

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Julia Odom enjoys long walks on the beach, debating the restoration vs. renovation question and hanging out with plumbing inspectors

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Highland Park/Ridgedale: Chattanooga’s Historic Neighborhoods

Bounded by Holtzclaw and Willow, McCallie and Main, Highland Park surrounds Tennessee Temple University. Several Temple Alumni and home restorers have been fixing up these houses over the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The bulk of the homes on Chamberlain and Duncan have been renovated, nearly as many on Bailey and Union have been restored. These homes command a premium price, particularly those with original historic details. The Highland Park Neighborhood Association sponsors a tour of homes each year. The neighborhoods of Highland Park, Ridgedale, Oak Grove, Orchard Knob & Bushtown are often collectively referred to by Chattanoogans as Highland Park.

Bordered by Willow, Missionary Ridge, McCallie & Main, Ridgedale was originally conceived as an addition to Highland Park but it has now evolved into its own individual neighborhood complete with its own nighborhood association. The residential area between Dodds Avenue, Missionary Ridge, Main & 23rd Streets are also part of Ridgedale.

Tentative plans for a new park at the border between Highland Park & Ridgedale neighborhoods are currently being considered.

Although the Victorian was the most popular design for much of Highland Park’s building period, the Four Square and Bungalow designs are the hallmarks of the Highland Park neighborhood. Many homes share a Craftsman or what I call a “transitional Craftsman” style, meaning that there are Craftsman elements without necessarily having all the elements of a true Craftsman home.

The heyday of this area was between its original development in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s and the 1950’s. Urban blight and the demographic move to the suburbs claimed the Highland Park area as a victim. Crime increased and many of the once proud homes were subdivided into multi-family rentals. In the early 1990’s, as many Chattanoogans started to become aware of Chattanooga’s rich architectural history, several Highland Park residents – most notably Ginnie Tatum – decided to take back their neighborhood and formed a neighborhood watch from which the Highland Park Neighborhood Association was born.

Ginnie Tatum recently passed away and while she may be gone, the work she began is certainly continuing with the addition of more and more renovated historical gems and a thriving neighborhood.

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Sweet Diversity

May 14th, 5.30pm
South Chattanooga Recreation Center
1151 W. 40th St in Alton Park/St. Elmo.

Join me and the residents of District Seven for a sugar rush the likes of which have not been seen in Alton Park for lo these many years.

Hosted by the Chattanooga City Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs and Councilman Manny Rico, Sweet Diversity gives the residents of District Seven (Ridgedale, Alton Park & St. Elmo) a chance to show off their cultural heritage and culinary skills.

Sweet Diversity is free and open to the public. Individuals, neighborhood associations and community groups are welcome to take part in the festivities. Participants bring desserts, distribute recipes, and display information about their cultural & ethnic background.

(Pictured: My soon to be famous pecan tartlets)

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