Transforming an old condemned house into a modern masterpiece requires time and resources. As the 2nd Chance House project nears completion, our 2nd Chance Crew of DIYers describe how they used sustainable home renovation techniques to boost efficiency, save resources, and create cozy interiors!
The 2nd Chance House project is about saving an early 1920s condemned house and creating a home for a deserving Cleveland family.
Old homes are full of history, character, and charm. Their unique architectural details set them apart from modern structures. However, their old age also brings the need for comprehensive upgrades and repairs.
Loctite and Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity have joined hands and assembled teams of renovation experts and DIYers to get this old home renovation project done. They are using sustainable home renovation techniques to transform this house into a modern showstopper.
Ricky Smith, the leader of the 2nd Chance House team, provides a comprehensive update on how the DIYers are transforming this condemned house by creating exciting interiors.
The 2nd Chance House crew has been working on various projects to upgrade and modernize the interior. After stripping the house to its bare bones, they revamped the following interior elements.
1. Boosting energy efficiency: Efficient heating and cooling are essential to creating a comfortable indoor environment. According to Clayton Juarez, one of the biggest challenges of transforming a house built in the 1920s is bringing it up to modern building codes. To boost the renovated house’s energy efficiency, Clayton and Habitat added a ridge vent—which draws the air up from the soffits and directs it outside via the top of the house.
Once that was done, Clayton installed insulation along the attic ceiling before hanging drywall all over the loft area. Next up are the bathroom and bedroom areas!
2. Decorative fireplace: Older houses usually have various unique features and design elements. With a well-executed plan, hard work, and creativity, these can be transformed into anchor pieces for entire spaces.
This is precisely what Jessie Ecker had in mind when she chose to work on the fireplace. Her idea was to completely rework this stand-out feature and give it a fresh new look!
Jessie started by stripping down the existing feature and built a new frame to create a showstopping decorative fireplace. She covered the bottom half of the fireplace with stone. Jessie didn’t use mortar to attach the stone to the frame, which helped her avoid making a mess and reduced the time required to complete the project. Instead, she used Loctite’s strongest and most durable construction adhesive, PL Premium MAX, to attach the stone and give it a lasting hold.
This sustainable construction solution:
- Is repositionable for up to 20 minutes
- Can be used for railings, stairs, flooring, and framing and works well on various materials including stone, wood, fiberglass, metal, drywall, concrete, and more
- Supports indoor and outdoor use on wet, dry, and frozen surfaces in both cold and hot temperatures
3. Exciting wall treatments: The right wall finish can give any interior space the right look and feel. Sydney Lorence shines in this area.
At the beginning of this home renovation project, she took it upon herself to transform the children’s bedrooms. While she enjoyed redoing the boys’ room, she was buzzing when she got to the daughter’s bedroom. Sydney decided to install board-and-batten walls to give it a comfy and refined look. She extended this finish to the ceiling to make the space feel roomier.
Sydney used Loctite Power Grab Heavy Duty to attach the battens to the wall boards in the daughter’s room. Since the adhesive cures white and is paintable, she could still give the walls a cute pink finish— just as the daughter had requested.
To speed up the work, Sydney brought in a trusted assistant—her husband Max! Having worked with him before, she knew he could quickly cut the boards and ensure they were installed swiftly.
4. Custom ceiling: During demo day, Sydney collected laths from the demolition waste pile. She planned to use these recycled materials to renovate the boys’ bedroom.
Her vision involved giving the ceiling a unique look by installing one strip of lath after another until completely covered. She explains that lath is a common building material used in houses from the 1920s. Integrating it into her design helped preserve some of the uniqueness and charm of this old structure. The outcome is an eye-catching boy’s bedroom ceiling finish that gives the space its own standout personality.
Sydney decided to use Loctite Power Grab Heavy Duty for this project as well. Thanks to its instant grab capabilities, she could easily attach the laths to the ceiling without the need for screws and nails. Since the adhesive is repositionable for 15 minutes, she adjusted each lath until it was perfectly in place
5. Color and décor: While the rest of the team was working on their projects, Chris and Yvonne Johnson were busy helping the team and collecting different décor elements to give the interior a homey vibe. The power couple picked the best interior paint colors and shopped for an assortment of décor items.
With the home renovations in full swing, the 2nd Chance House is quickly coming together. Knowing that they would be working against time, the team quickly devised an effective action plan. Each team member picked their preferred project as soon as the demo work was done. Afterward, they quickly identified the challenges they would face and devised smart and creative time-saving strategies to overcome them. More importantly, they aligned their work with Loctite’s sustainability mission by integrating different elements of the existing structure into their projects.
The 2nd Chance House renovation team members couldn’t hide their excitement as they finished their projects. Each DIYer is proud to have contributed to transforming this old structure into a cozy home for the new owners.
With part of the interior work done, Ricky and the Loctite and Habitat for Humanity teams are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work! They will finish the remaining interior work and address the porch situation.