$100,000 is not a small sum, but when compared to the massive cost of $3.3 million to renovate, it's almost as if they acquired the building for free. Mad respect for investing to revitalize the community.
I am so ridiculously jealous of people who have the financial means to do things like this. I'd love to renovate old buildings into modern-use commercial and residential properties.
@@xthatwhiteguyx Study re terminology. befriend local investors learn to wholesale or network with wholesalers to find property deals find something that numbers work make a shared llc with your investor friends present the deal to them start small, work your way up not anything is possible, but this definitely is
It's really not hard to do man, just throw out any empathy you have along with any shred of common decency and you can make that kind of money no sweat.
Sometimes it's cheaper to bulldoze the building and build a new residential one. Here in NYC office buildings are being considered to convert to residential but office space is going for 10k-100k a month to then rent apartments for about 5k. Don't make financial sense.
Industrial buildings especially old ones if you start opening up walls and paint you might find lead, asbestos so thats a huge added cost. Also these building are not very well insulated for residential use. But the biggest cost would have to be plumbing. Its not cheap to run basically all new piping to account for additional bathrooms and kitchens.
Commercial/industrial to residential poses a challenge due to how they’re built. In a RES, every unit needs a bathroom, which comes with plumbing connections. In offices and INDUS, these facilities tend to be large and centralized in the building. This expense might so great that it’s more financially sound to knock the whole thing down and build something from scratch.
I have always said a city should have around 90% occupancy before new buildings/houses can be built. There should be government incentives. I live in California and it seems as if they are covering every square INCH of land with some type of building while abandoned buildings just sit.
This is super cool, so good to see a heritage building like this get reused and not just demolished. But I have to question, how does such a big school come to be abandoned in the first place.
Population loss probably meant there was no longer a need for such large schools. Or they did a cost benefit analysis and decided it was cheaper to build new than renovate. My old university restored an old historic high school that it had been using for classes. The renovations meant it could no longer be used as a school because having it meet code would've resulted in increased costs and demolishing many of the historical features. They use it as an office building.
What an inspiration. My name is Lory Marowelli and I am a retired railroader. After years of traveling I wanted to put down roots and bought a 14,000 sq ft old schoolhouse in Pittsford Michigan. It’s absolutely a labor of love. It’s been a very hard road account of me doing all the work myself and self funding. I’ve just recently applied for grants. I’ve also hired a grant writer to help me register with the historical society in Michigan. My building is registered to be an event hall and coffee shop. I wish I knew so much more about the big ticket items such as: carpentry, electrical, plumbing and hvac. Like yours, the community is so happy that I’m doing something with this 20+ years abandoned building. It’s a slow but steady progress for me. I had no idea what a monstrosity project this would be but I’m still happiest in this space knowing what the end result will be. Much luck to you and thank you all for sharing your story. Once again, quite an inspiration😊
I live in HUDSON MICHIGAN !! Not far I really am interested in this to and I would love to help if you need it I’m 17 and wanna do this stuff when I’m older
This is a wonderful renovation. I really like that they kept as much of the old structure and elements as possible rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch. We need more developers like this! So many vacant buildings that are just sitting and rotting
Those who have the imagination and know-how to develop housing in this way need more backing from government in terms of permits, grants and reduced taxes in order to maximize the benefits to the community.
I love old buildings. They’re just beautiful. The design and architecture just isn’t the same for modern ones. I hope they are successful and able to save & refresh more older buildings.
Totally!! Every generation does the same thing, builds new buildings to there current style and design. Instead of building a new one, fix and old one! Hopefully PA gave them a huge tax credit/break for doing so. Way more character in this build than most!
I was wondering about this and the reason some or a lot of office buildings like high rises can't be converted is it's ridiculously cost prohibitive to add bathroom and kitchen infrastructures to a building. If you think about an apartment building, the bathrooms and kitchens are stacked one on top on another because of the plumbing. But in a office space, on one floor you might have two bathrooms, so adding that extra plumbing for multiple units is what kills the deal. Also, a lot of times in an office building the distance from the edge of the building to the center limits what you can do. If you add bedrooms you'll be limited on where in that floor footprint you can place them because they need egress. These guys did an amazing job though. Amazing actually!
Yes and No, Yes because instead of an abandon building just sitting there and making the area look bad, you then have them fix it up and make the area start to look nice again. No because 1400-1600 is still a lot for most people. People who buy up property want to always act like they are doing the community a favor because they remodel the place up, when in all reality they are the ones who push up all the prices
I wish they had shown what they did with the school library. Also, that seems like a relatively small school based on the public spaces they showed. My high school wasn't even particularly large and we still had two auditoriums, a small and a large gymnasium, a library, a cafeteria, and a bunch of storage areas and sports fields. Of course, my high school wasn't an inner city high school, so it could afford the land for such extravagances. Oh, it also had a pair of elevators, which was convenient. A shame it didn't have the architectural grandeur of this building, though. High ceilings and crown molding really make it feel special.
I lived in an old high school that was renovated into apartments. The developers did a great job of incorporating the building’s history into its current esthetic. It was really cool!
What's the plumbing situation like? I can imagine 90% of the renovation cost being adding plumbing and higher voltage electrical to every housing unit, considering not every classroom had sinks/toilets/showers/washer/dryer
A really beautiful job done here who wouldn't want to live in one of these apartments . Impressively consistent character with each design choice . It all works beautifully .
I LOVE vintage buildings! These renovations look fabulous…great modern look to the interiors while maintaining some of he original details. Can’t wait to see the Schwab building when it’s done. Kudos for saving these pieces of history!!!
Me, too! There is an abandoned elementary school in Chicago that was renovated into an apartment complex. I would go online and see pics of some rooms with the school logo on the floor (it was built over the gym floor), some rooms having the chalkboards that were used, etc. Maybe one day!
Ask why this building and the one across is abandoned. You should be disgusted as a former teacher. They swoop in for profit after the neighborhoods and the schools were screwed.
@@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO whats your own solution , theyre revitalizing the neighborhood, that property now pays taxes. empty property pays no taxes especially former schools and church
I love that they left the chalkboards and how high the ceilings are! Plus I think the rent price is really good to include washer/dryer and amenities. As long as they keep the building full occupancy it should pay off the mortgage. It will take some time but this will be a really good investment for their future.
@@mrs.onyango6504I would say 1400 a month for a 1 bedroom is pretty high. Unless gas and electric are included in the price. Should probably be making 60k to 70k.
Amazing job. These gentlemen should be commended for taking forgotten spaces that are hazardous into making them safe and livable. There was a gorgeous abandoned high school in our area and eventually it was tore down. I wish cities would give people like these guys more incentives to change these spaces.
This is so amazingly well thought and done. I can only imagine all the potential in an abandoned school. These abandoned buildings (sometimes historical) just need great minds to do a makeover. Good job
@flawlix Singapore 🇸🇬 More Expensive Than Yr States 1400 USD U want this Types of Apartment Not Where as Gd as This Price U can Look at My Country Condo too Expensive Here
The median household income in America is $74k, according to the 2020 Census. Now, it may be quite a bit lower in that part of PA, but they DID say that these were considered "luxury apartments" for their city.
Love this idea! Especially as it saves a rather beautiful building & is unique! Most new apartments are boring rectangles that they call “modern architecture”. I had this idea for malls as well. Why don’t they convert it and then the interior walkways could be common grounds for games or little coffee shops/convenience stores.
That would be a good idea. Have the apartments then rent out business in the bottom portion. Like salons and barber shops, coffe/cafe etc. Maybe some of the residents would get a discount if they provided a service to the residents. Also a gym and maybe a small shopping place for essentials.
@@NoodlepunkI saw something like that a couple years ago, in a big city. The upstate’s was converted to small one bedroom flats, with no real kitchen, but a fridge and microwave plus sink shared by bathroom and cooking area. Kind of like an office with a sleeping area. It is used for commuters to have someplace to crash and or do minor computer production or one on one business meetings while in the city during the week, then off to their large single family home weekends and holidays.
I have 40 units in Texas and let me say THIS is my next goal. I want to take a midrise building and do commercial-to-residential conversion. The main struggle in this is combining the cash with the know-how. It looks like this 3-person team has their head on straight! More power to you guys!
The trio have saved a beautiful building from complete ruin, but I question some of their design choices and $1,400 per month for a small one bed is a lot of rent.
I would've agreed too, except this building has common spaces, a gym, and washer/dryers in the rooms. My husband was paying this in the DMV for an apt with his brother before he married me, and they didn't even have a washer/dryer in the room and no interior common spaces. You get a lot packed in this apt for the price
I remember drooling over abandoned schools and churches at online sites about 14 years ago. I envisioned exactly what you fellows have accomplished here. My hat's off to you for a project well-done and another (the Schwab school) nearing completion. Your projects are gorgeous. Guess it helped that you started out with a couple of awesome sites. Sure hope you'll be posting future projects for me to admire. Thanks!!
This is a great idea and the tenants are lucky to live there. Atlanta has a couple of schools that were converted to lofts and they run about 2400 for a studio 😮
I really do love this idea. I also think they should turn all the structurally sound abandoned malls into apartments too. You can fit low income apartments, and large high end apartments in one of those malls with restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries too.
That was kind of a dream of mine, to be able to spearhead renovation of a mall into a multipurpose residential complex, retaining some of the ground level commercial space. I've seen some places its been done, ooening up center/common area atrium style. Pretty cool, too!
@@aimeem , Very few 'new' apartment buildings have "gorgeous architecture", and malls can easily be converted into housing for homeless populations__so, why not?!
@@aimeem I agree. Plus malls usually don't have any windows. So it would probably be more expensive. But they still have to find a use for the mall of some sort. I don't know what it would be but something.
The world needs more young people like these three gentlemen ❤ You've collectively produced housing that is reasonably priced & put a LOT of thought into design ❤❤❤
What a cool place to live; so much history, character and unique details! I love that the school is getting used and not just demolished! I hope more people start doing this across the country.
I wonder if you're talking about The Brick Lofts at Historic West Tech High School? My son lived there with a couple of friends. It's surrounded by a really bad neighborhood and the security is nil. They rent to anyone and management is terrible. While parts look nice, a lot of the renovations were done in a half-assed way. It's really a shame because it's a beautiful building. Very glad he's out of there. Edit: Oof, just noticed I responded to a 8-month-old post. 😅
a lot of the public schools have shut down because of lack of funding in Pa, I've done construction work in 2 school to apartment conversions. There's plenty more around this is happening to
I used an abandoned Catholic School in Bloomfield, PA and used one room….the square footage was massive. One large room and two clock room areas….each large enough for a kitchen or a bathroom. It was used as movie sets during the late 80s and was then torn down. It would have been excellent housing. Why the budget for housing doesn’t rely on government owned building to be restored. My elementary school is now an assistive living facility. Unfortunately most are made into high end luxury apartments.
Kudos to you three for doing this renovation! The apartments are really cozy and keeping so much of the old school is a brilliant idea! Good luck in the future.
Great idea and execution. My hope is that they maintain and upkeep the property. As an apartment renter myself I've seen many beautiful buildings slowly decay away because of tenants and lack of maintenance/upkeep. Many focus on the exterior with landscaping or the main office area which usually looks immaculate but then let the units themselves grow mold, bugs, etc.
What concerns me is that the rents are very high, meaning most average people with a salary of $41,000 can't afford to live there. Because of high rents and the fact they only built mostly single bedrooms, I hope there is a need for such housing for seniors, Gen Ys and and Zs.
It is an absolutely beautiful space! Here is the HONEST truth though. We do NOT need more apartments like this. What we need is AFFORDABLE housing. Smh 🙄
My life changed too when I started doing this and putting money in stocks. The first few years it as really great, but this year I haven't felt like my portfolio is doing well. I have lost more than $40,000 from my portfolio the past four months, and it's now very worrisome.
I hope more people see this and do it... a hospital or school should never be wasted and torn down.... even malls. A beautiful job. I want to stay here!!!❤❤❤
Always makes me sad when I see abandoned buildings left to rot while people pay 80% of their income on rent or live on the street.. Love what these guys have done
The problem is that even if you decide to buy an abandoned house, you end up with a challenge in keeping the costs in check. First your loan payments, then the renovation costs and if it is not close to your work, travel costs. On that part, if you are unlucky you also need to consider selling everything if you don't manage to get a good enough paid job to keep up with your costs. Rent in that matter is easier to deal with since you would just move away. Sadly the Real Esate situation is just horendous currently. It is a wonder in itself that anyone sold those two buildings for only about 200k. But that also means that something is with its location, either too low of a population or unappealing work etc.
Imagine spending 3 years getting out of there just to wind up going back in to live! Then at your reunion someone asking where you live now, "Third floor man, 101 geography."
Definitely looks to have some serious community vibes for those who live there, lots of usable space. I will say that those really high ceilings do look quite out of place for relatively small apartments though, but what are you going to do? While you could lower them with a floating ceiling it would really look out of place.
What an amazing, tasteful and sympathetic restoration ... well done, it is wonderful when people are brave and take on these projects of urban renewal ... you guys are visionaries
1400 a month for 1 bed in a refurbished area like that plus you have gym access is a super good deal. Modern appliances are probably just for the show room but imagine how great it'd be to have that sort of style of place to live in. Super great. Would have liked to see something done with the rooftops other than solar panels. A sectioned off garden area where tenants can grow their own plants would be wondrous to make up for the nonexistent porch space.
Awesome design, guys! I have been thinking about doing the same thing to a building I found. However, I am not as solvent as you guys and not so sure if I'd be able to pull it off. You guys did a wonderful job of repurposing these buildings and preserving their original artistry. I Love it!
Would love to see more stories like this. Investors helping in their local communities. My dads cousin is a house flipper. He mainly fixes up old houses in the community and then sells them.
I wish you all well, what you have done is not short of amazing. For a community to see their High School again in all it's glory, then you can live in it, well if you had any school spirit at all, it's really cool. Not to mention the gym (with a basketball court), and the auditorium as a common area. Good for you guys, a great for your community.
Think about it tho, these tenets have access to a common space, a ton of off street parking, and a gym and storage in the gym. They all have separate laundry, And then the second building has a common area, indoor parking, and gonna have a rooftop lounge above the garage. 1400 a month when you have those luxury’s are honestly worth it. There are places around Pittsburgh that charge 1400 a month and all you have is a bed room, bathroom, maybe separate laundry rooms, kitchen and a living room with maybe off street parking. They could be charging more
@@andrewvisloski208 They could be charging more in Homestead, PA? Mate, compare apples with apples. Bumfuck Nowhere, PA, isn't Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh is certainly not NYC. In any case, 1400$ per month is well above what someone living on a median salary can afford, especially in Homestead, PA.
3 million for that renovation!? That’s incredible! Just an average 3 bedroom home where I live is around 1million to buy. And you got all those apartments. Amazing!
These places are beautiful. You guys NAILED it! I work as Talent Acquisition Specialist for a commercial/federal construction company. I live in Virginia Beach. Federal construction on base is a big market here because of all the local military bases.
Pay attention, people. This is why rent is so expensive now. These buildings that could be used for affordable housing are being turned into $1,400 one-bedroom apartments. This trend is why the average rent is more expensive than the average mortgage. The real estate market has completely inverted because of stuff like this.
EXCELLENT! This is what we need more: proactive young people with fresh ideas! This is so beautiful: not just the renovated structure itself, but the love and care they're putting into the community. Hats off to these genetlemen!
I’m glad I pulled through, despite the crises. I am retiring next yr at 55 with 3 houses paid off worth 4.5 million. One is my place of residence the other 2 properties will give me $80,000per/yr rent . I will have an income stream of $20,000 per mnth through my super which gives me total $240,000 a yr to live comfortably. I have no debts _.._ Stay Motivated!!
It’s a great idea & fixed nicely but still a little too stoic for me still gives off a school vibe & ceilings so high but for those that love that feel kudos & we do need more housing rather then abandoned buildings😌
There's a lot of abandoned schools and homeless people in Indiana and the surrounding Chicago area. But $1400-$1600 a month may be a. Issue. Minimum wage in Indiana is still $9 an hour. Certainly not a living wage. So ion know about y'all pricing 😢.
They did a great job on this project. I know it's expensive to renovate older empty buildings but it just makes so much sense. Keeping elements of the original use is a plus giving a nod to the history and offering a unique look. So much new build construction is quite bland. I'm anxious to see images of the second school when completed.
Why is nobody mentioning the tiling at 5:08? It looks like none of the gaps between the tiles and cupboards are sealed (great spot for a mixture of dust and grease to accumulate), there is a very visible gap to the cupboard on the left and an even worse one to the extractor fan up top (looks like it's not even properly painted). Some corners of the tiles look chipped off (e.g. on the bottom left corner of the tiled area directly above the counter, first tile from the left above the stove, the tile immediately left of the right power outlet and the one right of it directly above the counter and worst of all the tiles aren't properly aligned to each other which makes the entire area look cheap and utterly out of place compared to the rest of the apartment. At 5:10 it looks like the tiles aren't even properly cut underneath the cupboard, getting worse with every tile towards the corner. It would be sub-standard for social housing, never mind a $ 1400 one-bedroom apartment?
This is a gorgeous renovation. Incredible job with maintaining the history of the building!! I would absolutely live in one of these apartments. Seems look a really good deal to me!!
Your business will make you rich but investment makes and you keep you wealthy, we all deserve to be successful and have financial freedom, I pray everyone here becomes successful
@@leahmolly9150 I'm enjoying working under a platform that brings good return in my life and I've been making my weekly returns without stress all in cryptocurrency
0:01: 💼 The building was vacant for about 10 years before being purchased. 1:03: One-bedroom apartments rent for $1,400 a month, while two-bedroom apartments rent for $1,600 a month. 3:11: 🏢 The video discusses the challenges faced during the renovation of Bow Tie High, including funding issues and underestimating costs. 4:01: The renovation included restoring the original auditorium and gymnasium. 6:11: 🏫 The Schwab School is a challenging construction project with 33 apartments and various amenities. 6:15: The Schwab School is in worse condition compared to Bowtie High. 7:06: The units in the Schwab School have original features like high ceilings and concrete floors. Recap by Tammy AI
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the rent sounds low as i hear greedy landlords charge 3k a month and rising all the time
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
$100,000 is not a small sum, but when compared to the massive cost of $3.3 million to renovate, it's almost as if they acquired the building for free. Mad respect for investing to revitalize the community.
Yeah. This is why its actually not uncommon to see commercial listings for 1$. It's all the renovations/zoning/taxes that get ya.
You can barely buy a house for that amount! Actually nowadays that's more like the down payment!
They probably leveraged the income against the loan.
"Project income for 27 rooms is X million."
They make about 500k a year with rent. In about 7 years they would have pay for the renovation. After that is all good profit.
100k can't get me a car in my country 😂
I am so ridiculously jealous of people who have the financial means to do things like this. I'd love to renovate old buildings into modern-use commercial and residential properties.
They took out a loan. You can do that too
@@ekklesiast Check the size of my nose. I clearly would not qualify for a loan even 1/5 this magnitude.
@@xthatwhiteguyx Study re terminology.
befriend local investors
learn to wholesale or network with wholesalers to find property deals
find something that numbers work
make a shared llc with your investor friends
present the deal to them
start small, work your way up
not anything is possible, but this definitely is
@@xthatwhiteguyx based
It's really not hard to do man, just throw out any empathy you have along with any shred of common decency and you can make that kind of money no sweat.
Its so many abandoned buildings around the country and I’ve always wondered why this isn’t done more
Because it doesn't make financial sense in most cases and might be hard to change zoning
Sometimes it's cheaper to bulldoze the building and build a new residential one. Here in NYC office buildings are being considered to convert to residential but office space is going for 10k-100k a month to then rent apartments for about 5k. Don't make financial sense.
Industrial buildings especially old ones if you start opening up walls and paint you might find lead, asbestos so thats a huge added cost. Also these building are not very well insulated for residential use. But the biggest cost would have to be plumbing. Its not cheap to run basically all new piping to account for additional bathrooms and kitchens.
Commercial/industrial to residential poses a challenge due to how they’re built. In a RES, every unit needs a bathroom, which comes with plumbing connections. In offices and INDUS, these facilities tend to be large and centralized in the building. This expense might so great that it’s more financially sound to knock the whole thing down and build something from scratch.
I have always said a city should have around 90% occupancy before new buildings/houses can be built. There should be government incentives. I live in California and it seems as if they are covering every square INCH of land with some type of building while abandoned buildings just sit.
This is super cool, so good to see a heritage building like this get reused and not just demolished. But I have to question, how does such a big school come to be abandoned in the first place.
It might have been a private school that closed due to lack of resources or they moved the school to a new larger building.
Changing demographics? Some schools become unnecessary as populations change.
Population loss probably meant there was no longer a need for such large schools. Or they did a cost benefit analysis and decided it was cheaper to build new than renovate.
My old university restored an old historic high school that it had been using for classes. The renovations meant it could no longer be used as a school because having it meet code would've resulted in increased costs and demolishing many of the historical features. They use it as an office building.
the schools run out of money to stay open. A lot of these public schools in PA are in massive amounts of debt.
All the money went to the local police departments instead of schools
What an inspiration. My name is Lory Marowelli and I am a retired railroader. After years of traveling I wanted to put down roots and bought a 14,000 sq ft old schoolhouse in Pittsford Michigan. It’s absolutely a labor of love. It’s been a very hard road account of me doing all the work myself and self funding. I’ve just recently applied for grants. I’ve also hired a grant writer to help me register with the historical society in Michigan. My building is registered to be an event hall and coffee shop. I wish I knew so much more about the big ticket items such as: carpentry, electrical, plumbing and hvac. Like yours, the community is so happy that I’m doing something with this 20+ years abandoned building. It’s a slow but steady progress for me. I had no idea what a monstrosity project this would be but I’m still happiest in this space knowing what the end result will be. Much luck to you and thank you all for sharing your story. Once again, quite an inspiration😊
lori, that's a beautiful, inspiring story. i wish you all the luck w/your ongoing project 🙏
That's so cool, I hope it all works out and hopefully could see what the results will be like. You are an inspiration too, Good luck!
I live in HUDSON MICHIGAN !! Not far I really am interested in this to and I would love to help if you need it I’m 17 and wanna do this stuff when I’m older
An inspiring story of restoration.
@@seanlovejoy7709
Feel free to stop by the old schoolhouse on so. Pittsford Road. Just south of m34. It’s been a slow road but it’s been constant.
This is a wonderful renovation. I really like that they kept as much of the old structure and elements as possible rather than tearing it down and starting from scratch. We need more developers like this! So many vacant buildings that are just sitting and rotting
Exactly what I was going to say!!!
It's a historical building, they would not have been granted permission to knock it down.
Those who have the imagination and know-how to develop housing in this way need more backing from government in terms of permits, grants and reduced taxes in order to maximize the benefits to the community.
costs too much to renovoate existing structures, much easier nowadays to start from scratch
Its cheaper to keep parts plus historical tax breaks.
I love old buildings. They’re just beautiful. The design and architecture just isn’t the same for modern ones. I hope they are successful and able to save & refresh more older buildings.
we need more developers like this given the demise of office buildings and abandoned buildings
Totally!! Every generation does the same thing, builds new buildings to there current style and design. Instead of building a new one, fix and old one! Hopefully PA gave them a huge tax credit/break for doing so. Way more character in this build than most!
I was wondering about this and the reason some or a lot of office buildings like high rises can't be converted is it's ridiculously cost prohibitive to add bathroom and kitchen infrastructures to a building. If you think about an apartment building, the bathrooms and kitchens are stacked one on top on another because of the plumbing. But in a office space, on one floor you might have two bathrooms, so adding that extra plumbing for multiple units is what kills the deal. Also, a lot of times in an office building the distance from the edge of the building to the center limits what you can do. If you add bedrooms you'll be limited on where in that floor footprint you can place them because they need egress.
These guys did an amazing job though. Amazing actually!
Do we really? Guarantee these apts are not affordable for moderate or lower income people.
Nope they pumped 3.3 million into the building then the rent to them start at about 1,500 for a 1 bedroom
Yes and No, Yes because instead of an abandon building just sitting there and making the area look bad, you then have them fix it up and make the area start to look nice again. No because 1400-1600 is still a lot for most people. People who buy up property want to always act like they are doing the community a favor because they remodel the place up, when in all reality they are the ones who push up all the prices
they did a wonderful job!
the common room, AKA auditorium is so cosy and beautiful.
I would totally love to live there!
I wish they had shown what they did with the school library. Also, that seems like a relatively small school based on the public spaces they showed. My high school wasn't even particularly large and we still had two auditoriums, a small and a large gymnasium, a library, a cafeteria, and a bunch of storage areas and sports fields. Of course, my high school wasn't an inner city high school, so it could afford the land for such extravagances. Oh, it also had a pair of elevators, which was convenient. A shame it didn't have the architectural grandeur of this building, though. High ceilings and crown molding really make it feel special.
How delightful to re-use these lovely old buildings! Beautiful!
I lived in an old high school that was renovated into apartments. The developers did a great job of incorporating the building’s history into its current esthetic. It was really cool!
Same here in fwtx
What's the plumbing situation like? I can imagine 90% of the renovation cost being adding plumbing and higher voltage electrical to every housing unit, considering not every classroom had sinks/toilets/showers/washer/dryer
@@najadiorr2501 in SoDo (South of Downtown)?
@@Nehmi yeahh
A really beautiful job done here who wouldn't want to live in one of these apartments . Impressively consistent character with each design choice . It all works beautifully .
So inspiring, both buildings look amazing, and have architectural features of a time that it’s not often found anymore.
The architectural features are amazing❤
I LOVE vintage buildings! These renovations look fabulous…great modern look to the interiors while maintaining some of he original details. Can’t wait to see the Schwab building when it’s done. Kudos for saving these pieces of history!!!
The renovations are so beautiful, but whoever did the tiling @5:12 did an awful job.
That's what they did to my old elementary school. It was so old my Dad who was born in the 1920s went there . Wonderful that you are doing this !
44,200 a month intake on full tennants. Only 77 months and it's made its money back. Fantastic stuff. Save these stellar old buildings!
They have active expenses included as well... they don't keep all of that money every month.
You're forgetting about servicing the debt, salaries, upkeep, etc.
That is 100% not how it works
someone did NOT do well in high school math class!!
Taxes and overheads means that they will fully repay the loans in about 8-12 years. That's the payback period for most real estate projects.
As a retired teacher I would love to live in an old school. I love that you left the chalkboard.
Me, too! There is an abandoned elementary school in Chicago that was renovated into an apartment complex. I would go online and see pics of some rooms with the school logo on the floor (it was built over the gym floor), some rooms having the chalkboards that were used, etc. Maybe one day!
Ask why this building and the one across is abandoned. You should be disgusted as a former teacher. They swoop in for profit after the neighborhoods and the schools were screwed.
@@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO Why were these buildings abandoned? I need more info to respond to you.
@@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO whats your own solution , theyre revitalizing the neighborhood, that property now pays taxes. empty property pays no taxes especially former schools and church
@snowbird You should research it. I agree. You require more information. That was part of my point and not the entirety.
I love that they left the chalkboards and how high the ceilings are! Plus I think the rent price is really good to include washer/dryer and amenities. As long as they keep the building full occupancy it should pay off the mortgage. It will take some time but this will be a really good investment for their future.
Keep history invest in this
I agree.
Is this for low/middle income housing or UPPER income people housing?????
@@mrs.onyango6504I would say 1400 a month for a 1 bedroom is pretty high. Unless gas and electric are included in the price. Should probably be making 60k to 70k.
@@fernandoaponte4149 60k is around the average income for Pittsburgh, also 1400 a month with all those amenities and the sq footage is quite fair
Amazing job. These gentlemen should be commended for taking forgotten spaces that are hazardous into making them safe and livable. There was a gorgeous abandoned high school in our area and eventually it was tore down. I wish cities would give people like these guys more incentives to change these spaces.
You couldn’t even afford to build a building like this these days for anything reasonable. These guys did a great job with this project. Beautiful
Pittsburgh is growing slowly but steadily, I’ve been living here since 2017 and have seen tons of renovations. Keep it up guys!
This is so amazingly well thought and done. I can only imagine all the potential in an abandoned school. These abandoned buildings (sometimes historical) just need great minds to do a makeover. Good job
$1400 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment?! That's insane!
Right?! That’s like $1200 less than a similarly sized 1 bedroom where I live. So cheap
@@flawlixWe paid 750 a month to rent a house ten years ago. 2,600 for a one bedroom is highway robbery.
You can’t rent anything in Phoenix under $1000. That’s a average price here.
@@drew9738 Same here in Hawaii. $1300/mo studio.
@flawlix Singapore 🇸🇬 More Expensive Than Yr States 1400 USD U want this Types of Apartment Not Where as Gd as This Price U can Look at My Country Condo too Expensive Here
1,400 a month for 1 bedroom is well out of price for about 75% of everybody in the USA. You would need to make ~68K a year to be able to afford that.
Honestly, the worst apartments in Massachusetts are running that high right now. It's ridiculous.
This is not an average apartment building either
The median household income in America is $74k, according to the 2020 Census. Now, it may be quite a bit lower in that part of PA, but they DID say that these were considered "luxury apartments" for their city.
Are you delusional? The national average for a 1 br is $1,713/m. And these rooms are nicer and more spacious than most. I'd say it's a great deal.
My mortgage isn't even that high and my 2,003 sqft house is on 1/2 an acre.
Love this idea! Especially as it saves a rather beautiful building & is unique! Most new apartments are boring rectangles that they call “modern architecture”.
I had this idea for malls as well. Why don’t they convert it and then the interior walkways could be common grounds for games or little coffee shops/convenience stores.
th-cam.com/video/HmL2l-bcuUQ/w-d-xo.html it has been done! Should be done more often.
i think that would be even more expensive cause the form of a mall does not fit residential requirements.
That would be a good idea. Have the apartments then rent out business in the bottom portion. Like salons and barber shops, coffe/cafe etc. Maybe some of the residents would get a discount if they provided a service to the residents.
Also a gym and maybe a small shopping place for essentials.
@@NoodlepunkI saw something like that a couple years ago, in a big city. The upstate’s was converted to small one bedroom flats, with no real kitchen, but a fridge and microwave plus sink shared by bathroom and cooking area. Kind of like an office with a sleeping area. It is used for commuters to have someplace to crash and or do minor computer production or one on one business meetings while in the city during the week, then off to their large single family home weekends and holidays.
I have 40 units in Texas and let me say THIS is my next goal. I want to take a midrise building and do commercial-to-residential conversion. The main struggle in this is combining the cash with the know-how. It looks like this 3-person team has their head on straight! More power to you guys!
I love the renovating and preserving instead of tearing it down goal of these gifted young men.
The trio have saved a beautiful building from complete ruin, but I question some of their design choices and $1,400 per month for a small one bed is a lot of rent.
I would've agreed too, except this building has common spaces, a gym, and washer/dryers in the rooms. My husband was paying this in the DMV for an apt with his brother before he married me, and they didn't even have a washer/dryer in the room and no interior common spaces. You get a lot packed in this apt for the price
Gotta milk those renters quick before the housing bubble is going to burst. Again!
You would have thought we've learned from 2008, but apparently not.
What else do you expect from "real estate investors"?
@@490othey literally spent 3.3 million!
I don't know where y'all are living where $1400 is considered expensive rent.
I couldn't even imagine how the water and utilities are all seperated
I remember drooling over abandoned schools and churches at online sites about 14 years ago. I envisioned exactly what you fellows have accomplished here. My hat's off to you for a project well-done and another (the Schwab school) nearing completion. Your projects are gorgeous. Guess it helped that you started out with a couple of awesome sites. Sure hope you'll be posting future projects for me to admire. Thanks!!
I hope they keep the lettering of the class subjects on the doors! That would be so unique to that location! I love this!
This is a great idea and the tenants are lucky to live there. Atlanta has a couple of schools that were converted to lofts and they run about 2400 for a studio 😮
2400 a studio in Atlanta !? Crazy that this is the new normal
$2,400 for any apartment in too much
@@thunderb00m exactly! It's depressing
These apartments should be free. What a scam.
@@larss4119 will you work construction for free?
I've been saying this should be done with all the old and abandoned schools. These two buildings look GREAT !!!!!
I really do love this idea. I also think they should turn all the structurally sound abandoned malls into apartments too. You can fit low income apartments, and large high end apartments in one of those malls with restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries too.
malls would be trickier as they don't usually have much natural light, everything would need skylights.
That was kind of a dream of mine, to be able to spearhead renovation of a mall into a multipurpose residential complex, retaining some of the ground level commercial space. I've seen some places its been done, ooening up center/common area atrium style. Pretty cool, too!
They need to do this with defunct malls next.
I read somewhere that malls were originally designed to be living communities
Senior citizens homes!
Malls don't start out with gorgeous architecture, so it would be much harder
@@aimeem ,
Very few 'new' apartment buildings have "gorgeous architecture", and malls can easily be converted into housing for homeless populations__so, why not?!
@@aimeem I agree. Plus malls usually don't have any windows. So it would probably be more expensive. But they still have to find a use for the mall of some sort. I don't know what it would be but something.
The world needs more young people like these three gentlemen ❤ You've collectively produced housing that is reasonably priced & put a LOT of thought into design ❤❤❤
$1400 for a one bedroom is not a reasonable price lol.
I love when people renovate old buildings. Beautiful job!
What a cool place to live; so much history, character and unique details! I love that the school is getting used and not just demolished! I hope more people start doing this across the country.
A school in Ohio had this done many years ago! Finally others are stepping up to do the same!
I wonder if you're talking about The Brick Lofts at Historic West Tech High School? My son lived there with a couple of friends. It's surrounded by a really bad neighborhood and the security is nil. They rent to anyone and management is terrible. While parts look nice, a lot of the renovations were done in a half-assed way. It's really a shame because it's a beautiful building. Very glad he's out of there. Edit: Oof, just noticed I responded to a 8-month-old post. 😅
I love this. I wish more people had this type of ambition. There are so many building just waiting to refurbished and repurposed.
a lot of the public schools have shut down because of lack of funding in Pa, I've done construction work in 2 school to apartment conversions. There's plenty more around this is happening to
I used an abandoned Catholic School in Bloomfield, PA and used one room….the square footage was massive. One large room and two clock room areas….each large enough for a kitchen or a bathroom. It was used as movie sets during the late 80s and was then torn down. It would have been excellent housing. Why the budget for housing doesn’t rely on government owned building to be restored. My elementary school is now an assistive living facility. Unfortunately most are made into high end luxury apartments.
Kudos to you three for doing this renovation! The apartments are really cozy and keeping so much of the old school is a brilliant idea! Good luck in the future.
They could have done way more with the auditorium and gym. Maybe lease it to a restaurant or something.
It’s designed very beautifully. I would have left the auditorium as a skating ring. More money to be made.
Great idea and execution. My hope is that they maintain and upkeep the property. As an apartment renter myself I've seen many beautiful buildings slowly decay away because of tenants and lack of maintenance/upkeep. Many focus on the exterior with landscaping or the main office area which usually looks immaculate but then let the units themselves grow mold, bugs, etc.
What concerns me is that the rents are very high, meaning most average people with a salary of $41,000 can't afford to live there. Because of high rents and the fact they only built mostly single bedrooms, I hope there is a need for such housing for seniors, Gen Ys and and Zs.
Awesome episode! I love when people convert buildings to apartments. Feature more stories like this please. It's inspiring
I agree!
I'm hoping for a tour of the new school once they are done
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE BUILDING RENOVATIONS I'VE EVER SEEN.......SIMPLY OUTSTANDING. YOU THREE GUYS DESERVE AN AWARD!!!!!!!!!!
It is an absolutely beautiful space! Here is the HONEST truth though. We do NOT need more apartments like this. What we need is AFFORDABLE housing. Smh 🙄
My life changed too when I started doing this and putting money in stocks. The first few years it as really great, but this year I haven't felt like my portfolio is doing well. I have lost more than $40,000 from my portfolio the past four months, and it's now very worrisome.
@Christopherdan-q2q dont listen to them scam bots
@@faceholicks they're all bots, including christopherdan
I hope more people see this and do it... a hospital or school should never be wasted and torn down.... even malls. A beautiful job. I want to stay here!!!❤❤❤
Love how they kept the integrity of the building. Good work!!
Always makes me sad when I see abandoned buildings left to rot while people pay 80% of their income on rent or live on the street.. Love what these guys have done
The problem is that even if you decide to buy an abandoned house, you end up with a challenge in keeping the costs in check. First your loan payments, then the renovation costs and if it is not close to your work, travel costs. On that part, if you are unlucky you also need to consider selling everything if you don't manage to get a good enough paid job to keep up with your costs. Rent in that matter is easier to deal with since you would just move away. Sadly the Real Esate situation is just horendous currently. It is a wonder in itself that anyone sold those two buildings for only about 200k. But that also means that something is with its location, either too low of a population or unappealing work etc.
These guys covered this place so that they could have 1 bed apartments rented out at 1400 a month. That isn't going to solve the homelessness
What these guys have done is get more people to spend 80% of their income on rent
Did you even watch the video kid lmao
@@kvasir8931 1,400 is cheap for a 1 bedroom apartment, the average cost in the USA is now over 1,900.
Just checked in on them -- fully occupied. Well done.
Imagine spending 3 years getting out of
there just to wind up going back in to live!
Then at your reunion someone asking where
you live now, "Third floor man, 101 geography."
Well done guys, you are not only saving these beautiful buildings but also the original features as well.
Love what you do.
I love the wide hallways and staircases! Those apartments are way better than anything I ever lived in!
Definitely looks to have some serious community vibes for those who live there, lots of usable space. I will say that those really high ceilings do look quite out of place for relatively small apartments though, but what are you going to do? While you could lower them with a floating ceiling it would really look out of place.
What an amazing, tasteful and sympathetic restoration ... well done, it is wonderful when people are brave and take on these projects of urban renewal ... you guys are visionaries
1400 a month for 1 bed in a refurbished area like that plus you have gym access is a super good deal. Modern appliances are probably just for the show room but imagine how great it'd be to have that sort of style of place to live in. Super great. Would have liked to see something done with the rooftops other than solar panels. A sectioned off garden area where tenants can grow their own plants would be wondrous to make up for the nonexistent porch space.
Awesome design, guys! I have been thinking about doing the same thing to a building I found. However, I am not as solvent as you guys and not so sure if I'd be able to pull it off. You guys did a wonderful job of repurposing these buildings and preserving their original artistry. I Love it!
Love it! So nice to see these beautiful old buildings restored and brought back to life instead of being torn down. Great job!
Would love to see more stories like this. Investors helping in their local communities. My dads cousin is a house flipper. He mainly fixes up old houses in the community and then sells them.
I'd live here, so thoughtfully designed and historic.
I wish you all well, what you have done is not short of amazing. For a community to see their High School again in all it's glory, then you can live in it, well if you had any school spirit at all, it's really cool. Not to mention the gym (with a basketball court), and the auditorium as a common area. Good for you guys, a great for your community.
$1400 for a one bedroom is absolutely wild
Think about it tho, these tenets have access to a common space, a ton of off street parking, and a gym and storage in the gym. They all have separate laundry, And then the second building has a common area, indoor parking, and gonna have a rooftop lounge above the garage. 1400 a month when you have those luxury’s are honestly worth it. There are places around Pittsburgh that charge 1400 a month and all you have is a bed room, bathroom, maybe separate laundry rooms, kitchen and a living room with maybe off street parking. They could be charging more
@@andrewvisloski208 never read such brainwashed nonsense in my life.
@@andrewvisloski208
They could be charging more in Homestead, PA?
Mate, compare apples with apples. Bumfuck Nowhere, PA, isn't Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh is certainly not NYC.
In any case, 1400$ per month is well above what someone living on a median salary can afford, especially in Homestead, PA.
3 million for that renovation!? That’s incredible! Just an average 3 bedroom home where I live is around 1million to buy. And you got all those apartments. Amazing!
This is the coolest reno I've seen in a while I absolutely love it!! Amazing job 👏
Unique place to live. Very high ceilings and alot of communal space.
The communal space is great! It allows people to get to know each other and feels like a community.
Here I live in my 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, 2 min from center of town for 360 a month.
I'd definitely do this if I had the funds. Wonderful work.
1400 a month for a 1 bed/1bath apartment? Its got nice amenities and stuff but dang is that expensive.
Thats expensive in whereever that no mans land they live but else where 1400 is nice
$1400 FOR 750 SQFT?!?!?! Y'all crazy,...wayyy too expensive. You are doomed to fail imo
These places are beautiful. You guys NAILED it! I work as Talent Acquisition Specialist for a commercial/federal construction company. I live in Virginia Beach. Federal construction on base is a big market here because of all the local military bases.
Pay attention, people. This is why rent is so expensive now. These buildings that could be used for affordable housing are being turned into $1,400 one-bedroom apartments. This trend is why the average rent is more expensive than the average mortgage. The real estate market has completely inverted because of stuff like this.
Thank you so much for keeping that basketball shot in the video. I loved the confidence going in.
$100K for a abandoned high school👍🏽👍🏽
These guys had a great vision!! I love the renovation. So fresh and creative yet preserves the architectural charm. Well done ✨
EXCELLENT! This is what we need more: proactive young people with fresh ideas! This is so beautiful: not just the renovated structure itself, but the love and care they're putting into the community. Hats off to these genetlemen!
My school was this design and they tore it down. Such an amazing feeling in these buildings you don't get with new architecture.
$1,400 /month for a one bedroom in Bumfuck-nowhere, Pennsylvania.. that's California prices..
The laugh at 4:49 😂😂😂 so pure
I’m glad I pulled through, despite the crises. I am retiring next yr at 55 with 3 houses paid off worth 4.5 million. One is my place of residence the other 2 properties will give me $80,000per/yr rent . I will have an income stream of $20,000 per mnth through my super which gives me total $240,000 a yr to live comfortably. I have no debts _.._ Stay Motivated!!
Scam alert
Is that the same Jenny who sells breast and penial enlargement procedures? Now I walk on three legs and never leave the house. Amazing!
wish I could covert an abandoned mall into a full mini indoor town..apts & a central shopping / dining/ entertainment area..
It’s a great idea & fixed nicely but still a little too stoic for me still gives off a school vibe & ceilings so high but for those that love that feel kudos & we do need more housing rather then abandoned buildings😌
Paying 1400 for a one bedroom is still wild to me .
I feel brainwashed because 1400 would be an absolute steal in my area. Haven’t seen studios under 1800 - 2k in a while
Especially in Homestead LMAO
@@PFBM86 So homestead has a population of roughly 3000 people. Who si renting these?
I’m able to rent a whole house for the same out here.
@Gilotopia Good question...I'm guessing health or technical workers coming from outside the area
There's a lot of abandoned schools and homeless people in Indiana and the surrounding Chicago area. But $1400-$1600 a month may be a. Issue. Minimum wage in Indiana is still $9 an hour. Certainly not a living wage. So ion know about y'all pricing 😢.
They did a great job on this project. I know it's expensive to renovate older empty buildings but it just makes so much sense. Keeping elements of the original use is a plus giving a nod to the history and offering a unique look. So much new build construction is quite bland. I'm anxious to see images of the second school when completed.
with that ceiling height, why not playing more with double level appartments? a lot more energy efficient and better use of the space don't you think?
Why is nobody mentioning the tiling at 5:08? It looks like none of the gaps between the tiles and cupboards are sealed (great spot for a mixture of dust and grease to accumulate), there is a very visible gap to the cupboard on the left and an even worse one to the extractor fan up top (looks like it's not even properly painted). Some corners of the tiles look chipped off (e.g. on the bottom left corner of the tiled area directly above the counter, first tile from the left above the stove, the tile immediately left of the right power outlet and the one right of it directly above the counter and worst of all the tiles aren't properly aligned to each other which makes the entire area look cheap and utterly out of place compared to the rest of the apartment. At 5:10 it looks like the tiles aren't even properly cut underneath the cupboard, getting worse with every tile towards the corner. It would be sub-standard for social housing, never mind a $ 1400 one-bedroom apartment?
Wonderful wonderful contribution to the community and beautiful too. This is the types of projects we need for people to live and thrive.
$1400 a month? It was supposed to be cheap, you can't even live in an abandoned high school for an affordable price
You pay for the renovations and the mortgage payment and offer “affordable” rent then. If you want better rent out there then you provide it.
This is a gorgeous renovation. Incredible job with maintaining the history of the building!! I would absolutely live in one of these apartments. Seems look a really good deal to me!!
I'm surprised they only did four two bedroom apts. Especially when across the street from a school.
"Transformations happen, it speaks the soundness of businesses, the quality of time, preserved, as well as continuously established for a lifetime"
I love the re-use of spaces and keeping the history intact. Good for these guys, because I'm not sure too many investors would take this risk?
$1,400 to live in homestead is insane
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I love that it’s a team of 3 guys who have a personal connection to the area heading this project! Looks so cool!
Do these guys even like each other? I get a vibe that they are sick of one another 😂
0:01: 💼 The building was vacant for about 10 years before being purchased.
1:03: One-bedroom apartments rent for $1,400 a month, while two-bedroom apartments rent for $1,600 a month.
3:11: 🏢 The video discusses the challenges faced during the renovation of Bow Tie High, including funding issues and underestimating costs.
4:01: The renovation included restoring the original auditorium and gymnasium.
6:11: 🏫 The Schwab School is a challenging construction project with 33 apartments and various amenities.
6:15: The Schwab School is in worse condition compared to Bowtie High.
7:06: The units in the Schwab School have original features like high ceilings and concrete floors.
Recap by Tammy AI
the rent sounds low as i hear greedy landlords charge 3k a month and rising all the time
Thanks!