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Cottage remodel is a Victorian victory

By Nancy Richman Milligan, Special to the Rocky

Published November 7, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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The kitchen remodel was designed around the room's unique windows, including the round one Mike Webber bought at an antique store. He painted inexpensive wood cabinets, added molding to a basic stove hood and used an old window for the stove backsplash.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

The kitchen remodel was designed around the room's unique windows, including the round one Mike Webber bought at an antique store. He painted inexpensive wood cabinets, added molding to a basic stove hood and used an old window for the stove backsplash.

Mike Webber uncovered the arched brick doorway between the kitchen and the dining room, which had been hidden behind false walls, early in the renovation.

Photo by Mike Webber

Mike Webber uncovered the arched brick doorway between the kitchen and the dining room, which had been hidden behind false walls, early in the renovation.

Mike Webber, a graduate student and waiter, won a Historic Denver exterior renovation award for his low-budget remodel.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Mike Webber, a graduate student and waiter, won a Historic Denver exterior renovation award for his low-budget remodel.

An antique carrom game table serves as a side table in the living room.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

An antique carrom game table serves as a side table in the living room.

Three years after buying the home, Mike Webber had restored it to a close version of its original Victorian splendor.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Three years after buying the home, Mike Webber had restored it to a close version of its original Victorian splendor.

When Mike Webber bought his house, the outside brick was covered in layers of paint, the add-on front porch was outdated, interior walls were crumbling and the yard was a mess.

Photo by Mike Webber

When Mike Webber bought his house, the outside brick was covered in layers of paint, the add-on front porch was outdated, interior walls were crumbling and the yard was a mess.

Mike Webber filled his living room with bargain antiques, including a mid-19th-century South Carolina secretary, at left, a tobacco-drying basket, over the sofa, and an 1850s Australian colonial desk that supports a World War II searchlight.

Photo by Ellen Jaskol © The Rocky

Mike Webber filled his living room with bargain antiques, including a mid-19th-century South Carolina secretary, at left, a tobacco-drying basket, over the sofa, and an 1850s Australian colonial desk that supports a World War II searchlight.

The home's living room before the renovation.

Photo by "Before' Photos Courtesy Of Mike Webber

The home's living room before the renovation.

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Mike Webber grew up loving houses. As a child, he pored through the real estate catalogs his mother brought home from work. He watched and helped his father fix up the family's older homes in upstate New York.

And when Webber set out to buy his first home, the graduate student/waiter balanced his limited resources with unlimited vision.

"It wasn't the frosty Dentyne Ice blue paint job with Barbie pink trim that caught my eye," he says of the home he purchased in 2005. "It was the great bones of the house and its location in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood."

Built as a working-class cottage in 1887, the 1,073-square-foot home had suffered years of neglect, shoddy remodeling attempts and recent foreclosure. The layout made no sense, Webber says. "There were big bedrooms but a tiny living room, false walls, covered-up character."

Three years later, the homeowner's renovation earned him the 2008 Restoration for Living Award from Historic Denver for the best exterior renovation.

Webber did almost all the work himself, learning as he went along.

"I taught myself. I would screw it up and figure it out. Caulk became my best friend."

His neighbors became valuable resources, recommending sources and teaching him the ins and outs of Victorian homes (for instance, living rooms face south and bedrooms face north).

Working on a tight budget - he spent a total of $25,000 on both the exterior and interior - Webber hired out the painstaking job of stripping paint layers off the exterior.

"I hired a man who quoted a price and time frame that seemed too good to be true," he says. "We all know how that ends up. A four-week job took nine months, with ripped plastic sheets blowing in the wind around my windows and the house waiting for the brick stripper to get out of jail."

The job also cost 50 percent more than estimated and ate up a big chunk of his budget.

"It's amazing how easy it is to cave in to demands when you ache to just have your house back to some normal state of being," Webber says.

With the charm of the original red brick finally exposed, Webber turned his attention to the landscape. He broke up old concrete and tore out thorny weeds, replacing them with a graceful brick path and new trees, flowers and boxwood hedges. A painted wood fence inspired by period design now frames the property, while a new side porch provides outdoor living space.

An urban pioneer who lived in the house all through the chaos of construction, Webber tore down crumbling lath-and-plaster walls, uncovered interior brick walls and restored the original floor plan with a few tweaks. He made every attempt to stay true to the era of the Victorian house, casting a wide net to come by the materials that would shape his thoughtful renovation.

Short on money but long on resourcefulness, Webber found crown molding and more second-hand treasures for pennies on the dollar at home-improvement thrift stores and specialty flea markets. He discovered discarded window frames and other useful objects in the alleys while walking home from work.

The kitchen cabinets cost only $350. That meant painting the outdated stained oak finish and compromising on the layout.

"I couldn't afford to move the plumbing, so I had to find a way to make it work," Webber says. And until he can afford granite, he is making do with inexpensive laminate countertops.

When complete, the second bathroom will feature designer tile that retails for $38 a square foot; Webber paid only 10 cents to 20 cents per tile. But perhaps his greatest bargain is a cache of wide natural cherry floor planks that cost $1.20 a square foot, enough to cover all the floors in the house.

Crisp white-painted crown molding, baseboards and ornate window trim contrast sharply with the warm floors and edgy gray and chocolate brown walls. A collection of antique furniture and collectibles is arranged with a creative eye and a contemporary lack of clutter.

"Every piece has a story," says Webber, who is drawn to objects with simple lines and a sense of history.

While the house is still a work in progress, the homeowner is enjoying the journey.

"I don't think anyone really knows what they're getting into when they buy an old house," he says. "I knew this one had amazing potential, but I didn't completely recognize it until I experienced the space and let it talk back to me."

Shopping list

Mike Webber is one savvy shopper when it comes to fixing up his home. Along with eBay and Overstock.com, he visited these local spots:

* Habitat for Humanity Home Improvement Outlet, 70 Rio Grande Blvd.; 303-722-5863, habitatoutlet.org

* Bud's Warehouse, 4455 E. 46th Ave., 303-296-3990, budswarehouse.org

* Becker Appliance, 2729 S. Broadway, Englewood; 303-761-5374, beckerappliance.com

* Mendoza Used Brick, 701 W. 64th Ave.; 303-427-1201, mendozaservices.com

* The Ballpark Market, Larimer Street between 21st and 22nd streets; 303-589-2800, ballparkmarket.com

* A Paris Street Market at Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton; 303-974-0904, aparisstreetmarket.com

It's all in the attitude

It takes more than bargains to renovate on a limited budget. It takes determination and openness to new ways of doing things. And you have to expect a few mistakes along the way. Here is what Mike Webber learned:

* Expect the unexpected. When you don't have much money to spend, you never know what you're going to find.

* Be completely flexible and willing to build a whole room around the perfect piece.

* Network with the neighbors, especially in older neighborhoods.

* Don't overlook freight costs when buying online. They can turn a bargain into a budget-buster.

* Compromise on things that can be changed easily and upgraded later, such as doors and light fixtures.

* Find new uses for common items. Webber turned old doors sideways and dressed them up with trim to panel the entryway.

* Learn when things go on sale, even at the thrift warehouses.

* Don't overlook the alleys of neighborhoods being renovated - it's amazing what people throw away.

Details

* What: Victorian brick cottage in Five Points

* Built: 1887 by Robert Thompson

* Size: 1,073 square feet

* Cost: $158,600 in 2005

* Renovation costs: Approximately $25,000

* Awards: Best exterior renovation, 2008 Historic Denver Restoration for Living Award

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