Let There Be Light

There's nothing like light to brighten up your day.

Working in a boarded-up house is always an unpleasant experience.  The Walnut Street house has no electricity, no running water, no heat.  Even on warm days, it has a feeling of coldness, and it feels dank.  Many of the details are hard to see.

The house is boarded up because squatters have been a problem.  Both apartments have, at various times, been occupied by uninvited guests.

The first floor apartment was being accessed through one of the living room windows.  Although most were covered with boards, one was left uncovered at the bottom half, and someone climbed up, broke the glass and went in.  The house had a lot of trash, including many needles, strewn about the place.

The upstairs was being accessed by the back stairway.  The stairs were made of wood, and in deteriorated condition.  Considering the access they potentially provided, and the fact that the City has so recently had a balcony tragedy, I decided to tear the back steps off the house.

15 minutes later, the stairs were gone.  I'd like to say that I have amazing physical prowess, but the reality is: those steps were rotted beyond belief.  As I struck them with a hammer from below, the steps disintegrated.  So taking down the back stairway was surprisingly easy.

Now that the stairway was gone, we felt that getting into the upstairs would be relatively difficult for anyone who wasn't supposed to be there. So we took some of the plywood off the upstairs windows, to allow us to see inside and really get a sense of the house.  We uncovered several windows, and threw them open to let fresh air blow through the flat.

The upstairs flat is beautiful.  It has 10 foot ceilings, lots of interesting detail, and has a charming feel to it.  We've been revising our thoughts on how we want to change it, and w probably are going to make minimal changes.  The flat is just too nice as it is, even in its current deteriorated condition.

The back bedroom

Looking toward the living room

The dining room

The kitchen

The north wall, with some windows uncovered

Meanwhile, the plans are done and the permits have been submitted to the City of Berkeley.  Now the fun begins: zoning adjustment board hearings, variances, and pushing to get the permits to move the house.  

This weekend, the security fence finally goes up out front, which will help us keep people from camping out and moving their bowels in the driveway (yuck!) and letting their dogs do the same.  Most of the trash has been removed, and we will soon need to remove the chimney.  

This house is going places!