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Rick Kobylinski | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> My Old House tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

My Old House

This is a gallery that will chronicle the renovation of an old brick row home in one of the old river ward neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The house was built in 1912 and renovated in 1929 just before the stock market crash. The 1929 renovation added the second floor bathroom in the house and relocated the stairway leading to the second floor. The house sat uninhabited, unheated and without electric or running water since 1962. Bad roof leaks for several years had destroyed most of the ceiling and walls and had ruined the floors on both the first and second floors. When I purchased the house in 2003, I expected a lot of work to get it back in shape for resale but not the total gut that is ongoing. On television they can renovate a house in an hour. This one will take a little longer. Stay tuned.

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My Old House
My Old House		 Front of living room
Front of living room		 Living Room ceiling and walls
Living Room ceiling and walls		 Stairway
Stairway
Back bedroom and bathroom
Back bedroom and bathroom		 Steps down to the basement
Steps down to the basement		 Front end of the basement
Front end of the basement		 Old hot water heater from the 20s
Old hot water heater from the 20s
Original steam cast iron boiler
Original steam cast iron boiler		 Back end of basement
Back end of basement		 Wayne the laborer
Wayne the laborer		 Vestibule gone
Vestibule gone
Plaster demo dust
Plaster demo dust		 Living Room ceiling stripped
Living Room ceiling stripped		 New electrical service
New electrical service		 Wayne ready for demo
Wayne ready for demo
Starting on living room wall plaster demo
Starting on living room wall plaster demo		 Thankless job
Thankless job		 85 year old workaholic
85 year old workaholic		 Second floor bedroom
Second floor bedroom
Second floor corridor
Second floor corridor		 Second floor front bedroom
Second floor front bedroom		 Wall between bedrooms
Wall between bedrooms		 Second floor wall demo
Second floor wall demo
Lath stripped off bedroom wall
Lath stripped off bedroom wall		 The ceiling is next
The ceiling is next		 Back end of the second floor
Back end of the second floor		 Hidden behind the walls for 80 years
Hidden behind the walls for 80 years
Second floor wall demo
Second floor wall demo		 Buckets of demo'd plaster
Buckets of demo'd plaster		 One of many
One of many		 Wayne and dad on second floor wall demo
Wayne and dad on second floor wall demo
Sistered roof joists
Sistered roof joists		 Roof reinforced from the bottom
Roof reinforced from the bottom		 Second floor down to bricks
Second floor down to bricks		 Wire lath on the kitchen wall
Wire lath on the kitchen wall
Ready for base coat stucco
Ready for base coat stucco		 Removing the floor boards
Removing the floor boards		 Removing the second floor
Removing the second floor		 Halfway gone
Halfway gone
Stairway coming out
Stairway coming out		 Demo of second floor
Demo of second floor		 Second floor gone
Second floor gone		 Reworking the floor joist pockets
Reworking the floor joist pockets
Installing the angle iron brackets
Installing the angle iron brackets		 party wall joist pocket detail
party wall joist pocket detail		 Joist brackets
Joist brackets		 Better view of the new joist brackets
Better view of the new joist brackets

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Guest 04-May-2011 15:38
bad home but u still can renovate it gd
Millie Leahy 17-Sep-2009 08:17
I loved watching the unfolding of your vision.The hours of love and hard labor, I can well imagine others thought you were crazy. I am looking forward to seeing more. I love the pictures of your Dad. My dad is 87 and still going strong. I am renovating a mobil home in the east mountains of Albuquerque and my Dad is helping me. I wish you well. Millie
Margaret Lew18-Mar-2009 02:55
Are you finished with this project yet? It is really fascinating to see how you stripped this house to the bone. Neat photo essay.
Reflections by Ruth22-Jul-2008 06:48
you've done some amazing work on this house. Cant wait to see your updates
Guest 13-Sep-2007 23:22
Wow! What an inspiring story this is. I'm impressed with the work you are doing both to the house and with this photographic chronicle. Keep up the good work!
Dave Beedon29-Dec-2006 04:16
Nice documentation! I admire your energy level---I could never do that much work even if I knew how to do it (I don't). Three cheers and good luck.
Rick Kobylinski29-Nov-2006 03:56
JWei, I can see how the house can convey a melancholy feel when you see all of the old rotted wood and bad condition of the walls. Believe me when I say that when people walked through the house in the early days of renovation, they thought that I was absolutely crazy for attempting this amount of work. Now when they walk through, they are shocked to see the underside of the roof with no second floor. They shake their heads and just smile at me when I tell them about the plans and layout of the second floor bathroom, the new powder room to be installed on the first floor, the new kitchen with granite countertops and the laundry center tucked in the corner. My wife has the design colors and finishes picked out. Once the new floors, walls, electrical rough-ins and plumbing rough-ins are complete, the house will really start to look like something. Really.
Rick Kobylinski29-Nov-2006 03:39
Mary, the project has always been about renovating the house as if I would be moving into it. The work has been slowed substantially for quite a few months because of some serious health problems with my parents. My father will be 88 years young in December and his heavy construction days are behind him. I am sure that he will enjoy being the foreman emeritus as we resume renovations after the holidays.
Guest 29-Nov-2006 03:09
The series carries a melancholy mood and interesting approach to this house

Great!
Mary Bowles28-Nov-2006 21:40
God love you. What a project. All that old lath and plaster giving way to modern solutions. Terrific about the family chipping in and working with love. The house must be pleased to be valued again. I shall keep an eye on you. More power to your elbow, as they say. Good luck.
Rick Kobylinski25-Nov-2006 20:07
I bought this house in January 2003 and have been pecking away at it for the last almost 4 years. My son, Wayne, and my father have been helping as you can see from the pictures. You don't often get a chance to have 3 generations working together on a project like this. My parents live two doors down the street and my father has lived in his home since 1923 so you can see that I have a vested interest in the proper renovation of the property. My father had a custom woodworking business next door to the house for almost 40 years so I have a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from for renovations. It also helps that I am a mechanical contractor by trade and can usually handle everything myself except for the major electrical work.
exzim25-Nov-2006 18:53
This type of gallery is always interesting to me having done some of this type of work. Nothing this complete though. Is it a labor of love, it must be costing a bundle and although financial rewards aren't everything, do real estate prices in Philly make it worth while.
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