Revival Home
A Second Stripe™ Revival Home has the benefits of new construction, the authenticity of a century, and has been designed with personality and joy.
Only a project that meets our standards can be considered a Second Stripe™ Revival Home.
Our Commitments
As part of A Second Stripe™ Home Revival project, we repair, replace, restore, re-install and/or inspect the systems and structures of the home to update function, safety, and resilience and will be transparent about what we did or didn’t do. We'll provide specific descriptions of work completed. (Insurance agents love those!)
We will respect the authenticity of the home and its heritage – saving, restoring and/or re-installing high-quality materials that will last and contribute to its integrity as a century home. Woods, tile, stone, brick, mixed metals – these things make us happy. Especially the smell of sawdust and green grass. We will be judicious about what we replace and what we save; we will not carelessly discard elements or materials that function well (unless something is such a horrible shade of electric lime green it makes your eyes bleed.) Even then, there may be someone else who might appreciate it.
We will apply design thinking principles to the home’s function (bring it up to the standards of modern living) so that living in it just feels intuitive. We’ll consider what’s needed, re-imagine spaces, be thoughtful about where every single element will go, and make use of every inch of space. EG, no dishwashers across the room from the sink. Drop zones. Lines of sight. Extra outlets. A spot for keys. A foot ledge in the shower.
We will imbue every home with personality and unique design that feels both current — and timeless. We’ll search out elements and materials that are not only right for a traditional home but pack it with vibrancy and joy. No generic homes here.
We will respect the history of the home and neighborhood and happily connect with former owners to understand and honor what they loved and cherished. If we can carry any of that forward, we will.
We respect and are so grateful for all our partners, craftspeople and contractors. We care about them; they care about what we are creating together. We all care about getting it right. Just ask JP. Picky picky picky. Ok. Maybe a little.
We will prioritize buying from and partnering with local or small businesses alongside trusted national/global suppliers with names you can feel good about. We will explore materials and practices that emphasize innovative and sustainable methods.
We will be transparent and open about where we source, who we work with, what we’ve done, or not done.
We grew up here, we live here. We probably know someone you’re related to or went to school with. We love our cities and want to help preserve the vibrancy and optimism of these homes and neighborhoods.
Our Standards
Unlike commercial real estate, which uses either the CoStar five-star building rating system or the NAIOP* A | B | C system, residential real estate re-builds, renovations and restorations do not have universally accepted, specific, standards to evaluate or measure quality. Fannie Mae’s Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) has a standardized condition and quality scale of 1 to 6, but is unfortunately lacking in specificity. Especially as it relates to a renovated home’s design and function -- and the revival of a vintage home’s character. Properties and materials of many types are described as ‘custom’ or ‘top quality.’ These terms can mean something quite different to each individual, and the variability within the quality ratings can be significant. Even Fannie Mae notes that “the categories for quality are somewhat generic in nature.”
Because what we are creating is unique in our targeted neighborhoods in Mpls. and St. Paul (renovation and restoration so complete), we are developing our own set of very specific standards, based on the UAD and the commercial systems, that will be a significant part of how our properties are budgeted, restored and ultimately evaluated. Along with nationally accepted data and building cost models from the NAHB, NAR and USHUD,* and replacement cost models such as The Xactware 360 Value Tool, used by State Farm and other national insurance providers, we hope these measures provide more specificity, transparency and objectivity in the cost/value equation for high-caliber residential re-builds and renovation of century-old homes. We want to be able to provide visibility and clarity.
*National Association for Industrial and Office Parks, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development