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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
GROW TRUE LOVE & SWEAT EQUITY ARMENTS REMODEL %\.DWKOHHQ(OO\Q Wallowa County Chieftain T hey say the worst thing a new- ly wed couple can do is re- model together. “That’s what they say,” agrees Steve Ar- PHQWZLWKDVDWLV¿HGVPLOH “But, Steve could do it,” adds his new bride, Joella. “And we both wanted to save this house. It’s very rewarding to see it come back to life.” The house the couple have chosen to resurrect — and resurrect is not too strong a word — is a three-story monster on 10 acres outside of Lostine. The sprawling 4,700-square-foot, ¿YHEHGURRPVWUXFWXUHZDVVPDOOHUZKHQLWZDVPRYHGWR the crossroads of Jimtown Road and Haun Lane in 1908. It dou- bled in size after the move. In its heyday it was the premier home in the tiny town of Evans. The town of Evans is long gone, and the house almost disappeared, too. It VXIIHUHGDVHFRQGVWRU\¿UHLQDQGEHWZHHQWKH¿UHDQGZDWHUGDPDJHLWZDV nearly destroyed. After that, it was neglected, though sometimes occupied, for nearly 50 years. Steve saw LWDQGIHOOLQORYHZLWKWKHURPDQWLFZUHFNZKHQKH¿UVWFDPHWRWKHFRXQW\\HDUVHDUOLHU but it was locked in a trust and not for sale. Years passed and then Steve fell in love with Joella, a vi- brant woman who was up to the challenge the house presented. See REMODEL, Page B5 This is the view newlywed Joella Arment enjoyed for the first few months of her marraige to Steve. The couple lived in a camp trailer outside the ruined home until they could remodel it sufficiently to make it safe to occupy. F IXER - UPPER TIPS IRUDKRPH RENOVATION DQG REFURBISHMENT SURMHFW Are you a handyman or woman inspired by the cable television shows that portray renovation and refurbishment projects as simple, straight- forward experiences? There are some common UHG ÀDJV WKDW may signal that you’re in over your head. Not only could these UHGÀDJ LV sues reduce or eliminate the potential of getting a bank loan, the repair could require more money and time than you’re willing to invest. Of course, if you are able to get a loan for the property, you may be able to talk the buyer into a reduced deal price, depending on how PDQ\ LVVXHV \RX ¿QG 7DNH a notebook with you as you walk through the home and write down detailed notes on what will need to be repaired. Do some research on your RZQWR¿QGRXWWKHHVWLPDWHG costs of making the necessary repairs, and use the infor- mation as bargaining power when going through the offer process. 6XEÀRRULVVXHV Open or severely damaged VXEÀRRUVVKRXOGEHDQLPPH GLDWH UHG ÀDJ WR DQ\ EX\HU This type of disrepair poses potential health and safety is- sues for anyone living in the home. 5RRILVVXHV Many resale homes can have aged roofs that may require immediate repair. Before making an offer on the home, call a couple of roof contractors to get a quote on repairs. Give them as much detail as pos- sible on dam- aged shingles, bowing ply- wood or po- tential leaking issues to get an accurate quote. ([SRVHGZLULQJ This is obviously one of the most dangerous issues a home could have, due to the poten- tial for electrocution. Bank ap- praisers or home inspectors will suggest the immediate repair of such issues before a deal will be able to go through. 3HVWGDPDJH Home-wide damage from termites or rodents can some- times be hard to spot by the untrained eye. If it is appar- ent upon your initial walk- WKURXJK \RX FDQ ¿JXUH WKDW WKH LVVXH ZLOO GH¿QLWHO\ QHHG to be rapidly repaired – both for the health of buyer and the home’s structure. ALERT: Extreme Winter Drought Conditions have Increased Wildfire Danger Statewide. Protect your property by creating and maintaining defensible space now. Armen t Photos house in front of th by h The Wil e and his ne e partially r Kathleen Ellyn/C e h lows. T w brid Evans e, Joell stored three-s ieftain he hom o a premie utside Lostin e was moved , have chris tory te r e and the home in the in 1908 and to the tiny to ned wn of , for a ti area. T home s he me uffered a seco town is no lo , was the nd-sto ry fire in nger there 1968. Creating defensible space is essential to improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire. It’s the buffer you create between a building on your property and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it protects your home from catching fire – either from direct flame contact or radiant heat. Defensible space is also important for the protection of the firefighters defending your home. in uches tive to include a r o c de rlor of the ted pa t defy A few rly comple ldings tha tings a u e in o n a al m ntique p the a eriod- himsic the w ation, the nd the p ic a classif collects, ures. t ix e f v e g t S ghtin li t c e r cor Come in to see our selection of Gas & Electric Appliances Two zones make up the required 100 feet of defensible space. Zone 1 Zone 2 201 E. Hwy 82 • Enterprise 541-426-0320 Sales & Service Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Serving Union, Wallowa, Baker & Grant Counties Convenient Delivery • Residential • Commercial • Industrial Zone 1 extends 30 feet* out from buildings, structures, decks, etc. • Remove all dead plants, grass and weeds (vegetation). • Remove dead or dry leaves and pine needles from your yard, roof and rain gutters. • Trim trees regularly to keep branches a minimum of 10 feet from other trees. • Remove branches that hang over your roof and keep dead branches 10 feet away from your chimney. • Relocate wood piles into Zone 2. • Remove or prune flammable plants and shrubs near windows. • Remove vegetation and items that could catch fire from around and under decks. • Create a separation between trees, shrubs and items that could catch fire, such as patio furniture, wood piles, swing sets, etc. • Cut or mow annual grass down to a maximum height of 4 inches. • Create horizontal spacing between shrubs and trees. (See diagram) • Create vertical spacing between grass, shrubs and trees. (See diagram) • Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, and small branches. However, they may be permitted to a depth of 3 inches.