By Rob Scott
SUNBURY -- When Drew Alexander bought the home at 130 N. Fifth St. and told code officer Joe Swope he planned to renovate it, Alexander said Swope told him he was crazy.
Half of the duplex was gutted in an April 2006 fire and then condemned. Before that, the building was the subject of frequent code violations.
"It was bad," said Swope. "It was in rough shape."
Alexander, co-owner of ERL Management, Bloomsburg, said when he purchased the home in February 2008, it was in such poor shape the side walls were bulging out and he and his crew had to raise the second floor to relieve the pressure on the first floor and replace the walls.
They then raised the entire house off its foundation using eight 20-ton jacks to replace the rotted wooden sill at the foundation
They removed debris and trash, some from the fire, as well as countless bags of trash piled in the basement and attic, Alexander said.
"Flipping a house isn't as easy as it sounds," he said. "The first three months of the project was fixing the existing structure. ... If you're flipping a house, it's usually cosmetic."
Nevertheless, he doesn't have any regrets about taking on the project, Alexander said. "We knew what we were getting into with this."
A year later and you can hardly tell it's the same house. The fire-damaged side has a new roof, new windows, doors, siding, plumbing and wiring. The other half should be finished in three weeks, he said.
Alexander's company owns 25 apartments spread across Bloomsburg, Danville, Catawissa and now Sunbury. He said he likes the challenge of fixing a home, especially if people think it can't be done.
"I was excited (Swope) said (I was crazy) because I wanted to see what he said when it was done," said Alexander. "For me, it's the challenge. Especially when I walk into something I've never done before."
According to Alexander, when Swope saw what he and his crew had done to the house, the code officer said, "I've never seen anything like this before."
Swope said he's glad Alexander was able to repair the house rather than tear it down and create another vacant lot.
"Condemned properties are just not good for any city," said Swope. "The quicker they work on it, the quicker the neighborhood is happy."
Alexander and his crew got plenty of encouragement from the neighbors, who would come by and tell them what a good job they were doing or bring them cold drinks on a hot day.
And for Elm Street manager Kristin McLaughlin, what Alexander is doing is just what the city needs.
"What's important is the housing stock gets fixed. It raises not only that property's value, but also the ones around it," she said.
n E-mail comments to rscott@dailyitem.com.
