Eyesore of the week

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Address: 824 Ionia St., Lansing
Owner: James, Paul and Kimberly Blaha
Assessed: $25,800
Owner says: Could not be located

The house at 824 Ionia Street is a traditional two-story house from the early 20th century in the historic Genesee Neighborhood that has been the victim of a fairly extensive interior fire. Now, many of its windows are boarded-up, and paint is peeling off the side. At last check, the yard appeared to be on the precipice of becoming an overgrown jungle. It may be, given its handsome character and fine location adjacent to the anticipated Sobi Square LEED Neighborhood Development, that this house is a good candidate for a “green” restoration keeping with its historic character. According to old photos of the house, it was once kept in exceptional shape.

Restoring a historic house following a fire is an excellent opportunity to bring an antiquated building up to code while utilizing innovative as well as sustainable rebuilding options to reconstruct a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable dwelling.

It is essential to act quickly within the hours and days after a fire. Smoke and water used to extinguish the fire  often cause the greatest amount of damage to the structure. Fire clean-up and restoration is incredibly time sensitive. Within weeks of the fire, the costs can escalate dramatically. The longer a homeowner delays the restoration of their home they increase the damage caused by water including: mold, mildew, spores, and other potentially dangerous fungus as well as damage caused by smoke including: soot (both visible and invisible,) and smoke odors that escalate with time.

It is very important to hire someone who is certified in fire and smoke damage restoration.
All too often homeowners worsen conditions following a fire by trying to clean and restore their home on their own. Special methods are required to successfully complete the clean-up to mitigate further damage to the home.

Hire an architect to bring the building up to code while restoring the building to its original beauty in a more earth friendly manner by using sustainable rebuilding options to reconstruct a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable dwelling

It is essential that all homeowners have a fire preparedness plan to allow for quick action following a fire and to mitigate long term damage.

“Eyesore of the Week" is our look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates each week with Eye Candy of the Week. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call Neal McNamara at 371- 5600 ex. 17.

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