A "Dream Home" Finally Worthy of the Nickname

Before renovation.

Exterior after rehab

Living room/kitchen remodel

Instead of bedrooms like this...

Bedrooms are like this now.

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  First photo contributed by Alissa Luepke Pier, Hawthorne resident and project architect.  Photos 2-4 and 6 from Aesthetic Eye Photography.  Photo #5 by Jeff Skrenes, originally appearing on North by Northside.

Urban Homeworks continues to impress me.  They took something as drab and dreary as a Dream Home - which even without the exterior that so many in NoMi find distasteful, brings about memories of yet another case of mortgage fraud in this community - and turned it into a house that people would be proud to live in.  Much of the rehab can be attributed to the vision of local architect Alissa Luepke Pier, who designed the facade improvement and re-oriented the front door to create a more comfortable space.

The development project also reconfigured the second floor by removing one of the bedrooms and making the rest of the rooms a little more spacious.  Urban Homeworks staff said that floor looked "too much like a dormitory" before they changed it up.  I thought it compared more to a prison, but in all fairness, I've never been incarcerated, so maybe I'm being too negative towards prisons.

One aspect of this house that made it a viable rehab candidate is that it is what's often referred to as a "second generation Dream Home."  The first round of Dream Homes were slab-on-grade, no basement, no garage, six bedrooms, and baseboard heat.  This one at least had a full basement and a garage, making the other renovations much easier to work with.  If anyone wants to see the property, it's at 2515 Irving Avenue North.  The house has a family as its proud new occupants as well.  If you see them in their yard, make sure to welcome them to NoMi!  And thanks, Urban Homeworks!