Blake Zochert’s home at 3259 Vincent in the Cleveland neighborhood may be Camden’s only entry on the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour, but it epitomizes what the tour’s about. His home, and 50 others throughout the two cities, will be open Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, 1-5 p.m.
“This home is a perfect example of a classic home with great bones but victim to years of neglect and bad remodeling decisions,” Zochert said. “The second floor was falling apart, uninhabitable. The octopus gravity furnace, broken and inefficient, consumed the entire basement. The kitchen was unusable. But on the outside, the home had great appeal, with stucco and Tudor architectural features.”
Visitors can see how this beauty was brought back to life. “The second floor was remodeled into a spacious bedroom, with skylights, bamboo floors, plenty of storage and spray foam insulation. A brand new designer gourmet kitchen fit into a modest space. And the basement is now a comfortable, warm and dry lower level with spa-like bathroom, full bedroom and family room. The home now boasts in-floor radiant heat that’s 97 percent-plus efficient,” and is compatible with solar and geo-thermal, if he or a future owner might convert to one of those heat sources.
Zochert (pictured left), who also owns local rental properties, has been on the tour before; first with a home on Washburn which later was damaged in the tornado, and last year a home on Upton which he lived in until the Vincent home was ready. The goal is to move back to Washburn when the tornado damage is repaired.
Other North Minneapolis homes on the free, self-guided tour include two in Homewood, 1119 and 1133 Thomas Ave.; artist Yolanda Clark and new neighbors Tom and Sandy Walker have a remarkable story of planning and building a new home economically. At 907 Morgan Ave. the owners have been adding character to a late 1990s-built “builder grade” home. At 286 Washburn Ave. the entire house was remodeled as a new second-story was added. Owners Stephen Harvey and Karen Soderberg did much of the finishing after the builder provided them a shell.
Urban Homeworks has challenged their crews to affect a quick but painstaking total makeover of 2418 Aldrich Ave. in the Hawthorne neighborhood. And in Old Highland, Will and Krista Stensrud, who have acquired duplexes near their own, recently took on renovating a single-family home at 1815 Girard Ave. They welcome new neighbors Ryan and Terri LeGros at 1819 Girard on the tour.
And finally, the former offices of Neighborhood Housing Services at 1501 Dupont Ave. N. will be open. Many a prospective new homeowner has been welcomed by the pink crabapple blossoms in spring, met in the basement for classes, or met with staff for mortgage counseling. This is a rare opportunity to see it as a Victorian home with four livable levels, soon to be for sale as a single family home.
The entire list of Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour homes will be posted on MSPHomeTour.com in mid-April and printed guides will be available at public libraries. The tour of “real homes, real people, real ideas” attracts thousands of visitors looking for neighborhood info and remodeling or expansion ideas.
“Maybe next year will be Camden’s year to feature more homes,” said coordinator Margo Ashmore, “we move it around and work with people and organizations who show interest.” To inquire for next year’s tour, contact 612-867-4874 or margo@margoashmore.com.