DuPage Street condos

This building was built as three apartments and was later changed into six. It deteriorted badly and was attracting nasty  people as renters.   It origianlly had porches with roofs but was changed into just decks.

An investor bought it and changed it into four very nice condo units attracting excellent owners.    Each unit has three levels.  He put the porches back but used interior balusters and newels for the exterior porches.  Within years they rotted off. I was a friend of two of the condo owners so I agreed to help as their condo owners assocition had a very limited budget for repairs.  I found a very approprote treated spindle at Menards at an incredibly low price of about $3 each.  They needed a lot.

The condo owners got togeher and while watching sports in the garage primed and painted all of the spindles themselves to save money. This common goal also built their friendships.   I made the newels, finials and rails for them and lent them an air nailer, drills  and chop box  to install them.

 

I  spnet a half day with them instructing them on the installation.  None of them had any construction experience but did a great job of installing the spindles rails and balusters.  They found it to be very satisfyng and saved a tremedous amount of money. It felt good for me to help them and to get an asset to our neighborhood.