Neighbourhood Tour: Stinson

[flar]

Original thread with comments:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=147294

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[Millstone]

It surprises me how many of these places have crappy roofs. I mean come on people, you have this great house and your roof looks like ass, fix it.

[flar]

^^Are you serious? I only see a couple that need a new roof.

[raisethehammer]

I can't find any with a bad roof.
In fact, I LOVE all the slate roofs in this area. So cool.

[flar]

I would never get rid of a slate roof.

[highwater]

The stucco on the mansard sure sucks, and it's a shame about the metal roof on the second one (could they have been trying to approximate copper?), but nothing else jumps out.

[markbarbera]

I can't help but wonder what fate lies in store for Stinson School now that it has closed. Such a grand old building. Has anyone heard anything pertaining to its future?

[raisethehammer]

nope....although the original plan was to demolish it (big surprise) but community reaction fought that idea and now they are building the new school at Queen Victoria's site instead of Stinson.
I hope someone can do a loft/cafe type of thing with the old school.

[highwater]

It's been designated so they can't demolish it. (Unless the board sells it to someone with friends in the right places, then all bets are off, I suppose.)

[Millstone]

^^Are you serious? I only see a couple that need a new roof.

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have roof/shingle problems. yes i'm serious

[raisethehammer]

Lol.... you must be a roofer trying to make a quick buck.
I'd say they've got another 10 years before needing repairs.

[Hammer Native]

I can't help but wonder what fate lies in store for Stinson School now that it has closed. Such a grand old building. Has anyone heard anything pertaining to its future?

This makes me think of the old West Avenue School across from General Hospital. It was designated a heritage building and saved and was used as an office building for agencies related mainly to social services. It was called the Hamilton Self Help Centre and had offices such as the Social Planning Council, Habitat for Humanity, and others. I don't know if it's still operating as such but maybe we could use the old schools for more things along those lines. In other words community oriented agencies.

[realcity]

I can't help but wonder what fate lies in store for Stinson School now that it has closed. Such a grand old building. Has anyone heard anything pertaining to its future?

f**kin school board

it looks like the neighbourhood is getting gentrified, but without a school it definitely puts some brakes on it, by discouraging families with young children who want to walk them to school. Living an urban downtown neighbourhood, one would expect they could walk to a nearby school.

Closing these schools only adds to sprawl, then they wonder why they have the problem of building new schools on the fringes of the city.

Thanks Flar. this definitely showcases a very fine, underrated neighbourhood.

[emge]

i may have already noted this, but i saw these photos a long time ago, but only realized looking through them a little while ago my own house (rental) is in it. i really like this neighbourhood.

Friends of ours just bought a 4,000 square ft restored home in the neighbourhood as well.. its nice (even as a relative newcomer to the city last year) to find people we know coming to live here as well

[MsMe]

Where is the house with the fountain located?

Was the fountain put in when the house was built, or added later?

I am assuming it was a prominent person who orginally lived in that house when it was first built?

Does anyone know the real age of the house?

[DC83]

Where is the house with the fountain located?

The big stone one with the green roof? It's right on Stinson @ East Ave... if you look up East Ave from Main, you'll see the house staring you down!

[Duckyboy]

Great shots of the my area, flar. We recently moved here from Vancouver and can't believe all the great old houses here. There are a couple of shots that almost got our house in there. It's the big one with the black fence around it on the corner of Stinson & Emerald. Give us a few years, and she'll look like she used to back in it's glory days.

So... much... work...

[flar]

Great shots of the my area, flar. We recently moved here from Vancouver and can't believe all the great old houses here. There are a couple of shots that almost got our house in there. It's the big one with the black fence around it on the corner of Stinson & Emerald. Give us a few years, and she'll look like she used to back in it's glory days.

So... much... work...

Good for you, we need people who appreciate Hamilton's potential to come to this city and make these kind of improvements. Thank you for your hard work and good luck with the renos :cheers:

[MsMe]

One thing I always loved about the older homes is the interior woodwork. They sure were true craftsmen in their time.

[Duckyboy]

Good for you, we need people who appreciate Hamilton's potential to come to this city and make these kind of improvements. Thank you for your hard work and good luck with the renos :cheers:

Thanks a lot! And thank you for all the great pix; we're looking at them almost 2 years ago when we're first deciding to move out here. The Durand area pictures definitely help sell this moving idea to our parents! Hahaha.

Also, I think you'll find a lot more people like my girlfriend and I who will soon realize what a jem Hamilton is. Especially with the cost of living getting what it is, I think there will be an influx of people gravitating to this town, and I think the Stinson area will be have some pretty cool things happening to it over the next 5-10 years or so. There are just too many great houses at great prices; it cannot last.

[raisethehammer]

Stinson and Emerald?? Is that the one with brick cleaning going on recently??
Great job! The house is really looking great.
Welcome to the Hammer!

[Duckyboy]

Stinson and Emerald?? Is that the one with brick cleaning going on recently??
Great job! The house is really looking great.
Welcome to the Hammer!

No, that house is on Stinson and East. We looked at that house when it went on the chopping block, and it was a disaster inside. Unlivable... but, by the time we had a walkthrough, it had 3 offers on it! Great news for the area. That means that there are some other people out there who know a good thing when they see it. That house will be great when it's done; the whole street (south of Main) is great.

Our house is the great big one on the corner of Stinson and Emerald. It has a black wrought iron gate around it, a wrap around porch and a big blue camper van parked out back. You can't miss it!

We don't have the immediate funding to attack the place like Stinson/East, but we'll get there. Turning a 4 apartment house back into a single family home is a lot of W O R K! Hahaha... but it'll all be worth it in the end. Only good things can happen here.

PS: great site, Raise the Hammer! We checked it out before our big move here, to get an idea of local politics, culture and whatnot. It's pretty much a daily read for us now. Keep up the great work!

[FairHamilton]

That's a really big house, you aren't kidding it will be lots of W O R K. One project at a time, one project at a time.

[Duckyboy]

That's a really big house, you aren't kidding it will be lots of W O R K. One project at a time, one project at a time.

Hahaha... yea; I've got my outside projects lined up (for the summer), and my inside projects almost listed out (for the winter). Oh it's gonna be a busy decade... hahaha!

It'll be interesting to see the one raisethehammer was talking about on East/Stinson when it's done. I'm getting my agent to set up a veiwing once it's on the market; just to see what they did with it. I know the one next to it was listed for $289K and sold within a week, so that's promising news for the area.

[raisethehammer]

you mean it is being fixed up in order to be flipped?? Interesting.
$289,000?? Wow! That's amazing for that area.

[FairHamilton]

Interesting they chose to clean the brick at the beginning of the restoration.

I were to flip it cleaning the brick would be one of the last things I would do (OK, I would never do it). I wouldn't think you'd get your money back from brick cleaning, and though the cleaned brick looks good from afar, it doesn't look good at all close-up.

[adam]

Depends if its done right or not!

[FairHamilton]

Depends if its done right or not!

Done wrong, or done wright, all cleaning methods remove the outer crust of the brick which is a result of the firing process during the bricks making.

Some results are horrible, others better. All results while leaving the brick cleaner, also leave the brick in a state altered from the original brick.

Either way, I don't think the cost of the cleaning would be recoverable through increased value of the house in a house flipping exercise.

[Duckyboy]

Done wrong, or done wright, all cleaning methods remove the outer crust of the brick which is a result of the firing process during the bricks making.

Some results are horrible, others better. All results while leaving the brick cleaner, also leave the brick in a state altered from the original brick.

Either way, I don't think the cost of the cleaning would be recoverable through increased value of the house in a house flipping exercise.

Very true, FairHamilton; the main problem with brick cleaning (before OR after) is the cost. It is really expensive.

The cost CAN be recoverable... in London (UK), Vancouver (if you can find any brick houses left! Ha!), Toronto, etc.. anywhere where the housing prices are sky high.

Here in the Hammer, where things are quite reasonably (read: CHEAP!) priced, one cannot expect to throw in the cost + profit % into the asking price; houses do not have that large of a demand.......... yet. ;)

Also, as raisethehammer was saying before, I'm pretty sure that house (East/Stinson) is a flipper; large crews in action shortly after possession date, contractor advertising and bidding war (it went for $5000 above the asking price within a war between 4 bidders). Those things usually point to a quick turnaround.

Regardless, it adds to my new neiboughhood and my new city. And that can't be all that bad.

[adam]

I agree. Its usually best to leave the face of the brick alone (while redoing joints) Someone sandblasted the brick on my house about 20 years ago, and it still looks great, but I wish they would have taken care of the joint work instead!

[raisethehammer]

If Harry is looking for a smaller project to take, how about buying STINSON school on STINSON street in the STINSON neighbourhood and doing some lofts with ground floor resto/cafe.

How sweet would that be. It's literally calling his name.

[adam]

Yep. It seems like he really needs to build some equity at the moment.

[onetimetoomany]

Hahaha... yea; I've got my outside projects lined up (for the summer), and my inside projects almost listed out (for the winter). Oh it's gonna be a busy decade... hahaha!

It'll be interesting to see the one raisethehammer was talking about on East/Stinson when it's done. I'm getting my agent to set up a veiwing once it's on the market; just to see what they did with it. I know the one next to it was listed for $289K and sold within a week, so that's promising news for the area.


Wish there were photos of the before. Would love to see the brick restored on 116/118 East Ave as it was on this house.

[ShavedParmesanCheese]

Wish there were photos of the before. Would love to see the brick restored on 116/118 East Ave as it was on this house.

Oh my god. This thread's been dormant for Twelve Years.