My husband and I moved to Birmingham, Alabama, right after we graduated from college.
We had very little money to invest into purchasing a home but didn’t want to rent.
After touring the various neighborhoods, we were delighted to find an affordable property in Highland Park. Located right near downtown Birmingham, the area offers amix of historic homes, apartment buildings and small businesses. We were able to afford the home because it had been left vacant for quite some time and need a great deal of renovation. Fixing up the house has taken us quite a few years. We began with the most pressing issues, such as a new roof and bringing the electrical system up to code. We’ve installed new windows and exterior doors, sanded and refinished the hardwood floors and eventually managed to remodel both bathrooms. It took us quite a while to save up the money to update the kitchen. I was delighted to replace the ancient refrigerator, stove, linoleum floor, warped cupboards and formica countertops. We’ve gradually torn down all of the walls and ceilings throughout the house, added insulation and installed new drywall, outlets and light fixtures. This allowed us to access the ductwork, which was a mess. Whoever designed the original duct system created all sorts of sharp bends that restric airflow. There were also holes, leaks at the seams and a tremendous amount of grime builtup inside the pipes. We hired a local Birmingham HVAC professional to entirely remove the old ductwork and design a more energy efficient alternative. We took out a loan to afford a high-efficiency furnace and air conditioner that effectively handle the demands of local weather. With temperatures in Birmingman dropping into the thirties and climbing into the nineties, heating and cooling is important to comfort.