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Students buy, gut and remodel their own home
By Jessi Cole
Collegian Freelancer
Classes
and studying aren't the only priorities scribbled in some students'
day planners.
For senior Aaron Baker and junior
Jordan Irish, the purchase and renovation of their 62 Park St.
home also rates high on their to-do list.
Affectionately known as "The
Keep" to residents, the remodel has consumed the time of
the two friends for the past year.
As if painting, staining and flooring
weren't enough, the two also improved the electricity, plumbing,
drywall, windows, gas, insulation and landscaping.
Beginning in the basement, they
raised the frame of the house three inches, added a bathroom,
and are currently working in the kitchen. Irish's father, a
general contractor, helped with brainstorming and labor.
The first floor of the home includes
Irish's recently finished bedroom and a spacious living room-the
only room in the house that features exposed wood. It was also
the room that inspired the two to strip layers of paint and
old stain off the doorways and trim throughout the house.
The stairway leading to the second
floor was also a major project.
They tore out the old, steep staircase
and built gentler, wrapping stairs instead.
In addition to the inside, the
two also worked on landscape.
Baker and Irish took down a carport,
added asphalt and cleaned up the backyard. Irish said that after
50 years of neglect, the yard needed "a little attention
and a bobcat."
Irish completed the project while
also running a full-time contracting job for his father in Concord,
Mich.
And when he's not pounding nails,
Baker manages and plays the violin in the Four Strings Quartet.
The two were able to purchase
the house at an auction because of Baker's "investment
genius" and because Irish took two years off school to
save money. Irish's father set up an account with his company
in order to fund construction costs. The two plan to pay for
the materials when they're able.
As a precaution to avoid liabilities,
they set up a company called Iron Men, LLC. The company name
stems from the Bible verse: "As iron sharpens iron, so
one man sharpens another," Proverbs 27:17.
Although both guys look at the
project as a character-building experience, Irish said that
sometimes "when you get sharpened, sparks fly."
Despite the huge undertaking of
buying and rebuilding a house, neither of the two plan to stick
around after graduation.
Baker plans to move to Chicago
or New York and use his accounting major to manage his own business.
Irish, who still has another year
left, plans to stay and manage the Keep.
The two then plan to sell the
home.
Although the construction process
has been memorable, it hasn't been without mishap.
"We have put our own blood
in this house," Baker said.
Sporting a still-raw scar on his
chin, Irish said that he cut himself with a chainsaw while cleaning
brush from the backyard. Baker cut his right index fingertip
nearly in half with a soldering blade.
Despite their injuries, the two
were lighthearted and joked about one of the many times Baker
shocked himself while doing electrical work.
Baker said an experience such
as the renovation could either "make or break a relationship."
"It definitely made this
one," he said.
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Photo Courtesy of Aaron Baker and Jordan Irish
Aaron
Baker(L) and Jordan Irish stand inside their gutted house.
The two bought and remodeled the home at 62 Park St. The project
strengthened their friendship despite several injuries sustained
during construction.
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