Lockport NY

I came across this interesting blog about an old victorian renovation down in Richmond, Virginia.


First interesting thought is that even farther down south cities have been hit by the same disinvestment as those up here in the north east although our "grass is greener" mentality tends to hide that at times.
 
It spans from 2003 until present and follows a path that one would follow (or has followed) in rejuvinating an old house from a former double back into a single in a not-so-nice neighborhood. A process that many here would like to see happen more around Lockport.
 
It highlights the:
Joy of discovering old walled in features
The unjoyful finding out of structural issues in the walls
removing that addtional wall separating the stairway
crime nearby
contractors that "don't work in that part of town"
Nearby blight
Removing those old asphalt siding shingles
Good and bad infill
Rehabilitation Tax Credits
etc
 
Although scary at first and a pain in the ass when doing it, an old house offers the opprtunity to live in a place while redoing it one section at a time as money permits. It is a wonderful feeling to walk through a room knowing that you did the work and are making a place better than you found it.
 
What incentives do we need to make more of these happen (Residential PILOTs?) and how do we help people accomplish the work (Building Dept classes/cheat sheets?)?