Duplexes can be tricky rental properties. The units are usually small enough that the tenants need to get along or be miserable. Sometimes duplexes are not equipped with separate utilities either. Occasionally they have been chopped up by well meaning investors who wanted to make more money by adding more space.
A perfect example of making a duplex ugly to earn more money is this duplex on Nugent Avenue in St. Paul. The "before" picture on the left tells an ugly story in this exterior shot. No one wanted this forsaken building. Only a few people could see beyond the ugly front porch enclosure and the boxy second floor addition. Luckily for this duplex, Mike Williams, the owner of Regal Designers and Remodelers, Inc., could see beyond the short sightedness of former owners. Today, after a full year of rehab, this historic building has a facade more in keeping with its former self. Yes, some square footage was removed along with the removal of the enclosed porch and second story "box", but what a difference in how the building looks.
Other things in this duplex that make my heart sing include:
- Separate utilities including a second water meter
- New furnaces
- New water heaters
- New windows
- New kitchens
- New bathrooms
- Refinished wood floors
- Fresh paint throughout
- New double garage with a separate stall for each unit
- Three bedrooms in each unit
- Separate laundry for each unit
- Extra space for future expansion in the basement for the main floor and in the attic for the second unit
Last, but not least, it's for sale!
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