Saint John man overcomes barriers to renovate north end homes

The houses at 90 and 92 Victoria St. exemplify the contrasts ofSaint John's old north end. Number 90, slated for demolition, is crumbling, with smashed-out windows and trash strewn across the lawn.

The trim 19th-century details of number 92, by contrast, are freshly painted. The windows and siding are also new.

It's a bright spot on a street suffering from chronic neglect.

Andrew Grady has worked with a team of contractors and partners to transform the house since and his wife, Karen, purchased it in April 2016.

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When they started, it was "definitely dilapidated," said Grady, originally from Prince Edward Island.

He moved with his family to a house that didn't look much different than the one beside it does now.

"There was garbage everywhere," he said.

They bought it for $20,000, hoping to bring a little bit of "vision," said Grady, to a building that for years had remained uninhabited.

Some aspects of the renovations proved a little tricky.

When they tried to salvage some of the interior plaster, "the smell from just sitting for so many years without anyone in the building was just not worth taking the risk," he said.

So the team of contractors started from scratch and "gutted it right down to the studs," Grady said, installing new windows, plumbing and electrical wiring.

With a lot of help over 67 days, Grady said, the project was done.

"It basically made this unit sustainable for the next 25 years," said Grady.

Bad reputation undeserved

He, his wife, and baby son now live at 92 Victoria St.

"Our vision was always if we wouldn't live there, we wouldn't want people who were trusting us with their home to live there," said Grady.

He also also bought 53-55 Albert St., a rambling, partially fire-damaged four-unit building down the street.

• Saint John's north end poised for transformation

While the new neighbourhood has been a "bit of an adjustment," he said, the old north end is "quieter than it used to be."

"A lot of the people in this area are lifelong residents who just want to mind their own business," he said.

"People that perhaps might have been a problem in the past are moving on."

The real issue he said, is "landlords that maybe don't care as much as they should. It sets a tone like, 'Well, you can care about the property but we don't necessarily care.' So that's been hard."

He said some of the properties that are too far gone are being torn down, which is a positive thing.

"I'd rather see ceded vacant lots than buildings that are falling down," said Grady.

Reticence to finance

Finding banks willing to finance investment in the community is no mean feat, according to Grady.

A lot of people thought he was foolish to invest in the area, he said, and "a lot of banks are not interested in financing in this area right now."

He worked with a broker and pulled financing together, completing the project for a slightly-over-budget $100,000 investment.

For now, they're self-financing the initial work and seeking a lender for the upcoming project at 53-55 Albert St.

"Because the exterior doesn't look asappealing," he said of the building, which has remained partially shrouded in white plastic since a fire several years ago, "we have to do more work initially for [lenders] to entertain it."

• PHOTO GALLERY: A visual tour of the old north end

"It's pretty challenging," said Grady.

"This street, and this part of the city has a negative connotation with the underwriters because there's been fraud and things like that."

Grady said his vision was made possible in large part by Mathieu Laquerre of Mada Partners, the real estate development firm backing many of the renovations in the old north end.

He also credits Coun. John MacKenzie, who represents the old north end, with much of their success.

"He's been a fantastic advocate for what we want to do," said Grady.

"He's been opening doors for us that weren't open for us before."

Needed: Elbow grease

Is Saint John's old north end on the cusp of a comeback?

8 years ago

Duration 1:29

The old north end, according to some, Saint Johns best kept secret is attracting new residents with cheap real estate and developers looking to renovate.He said what the area needs is a little bit of confidence - not to mention people willing to invest.

"People seem to be appreciating what we're doing here," said Grady.

"Walking by, they say all the time: 'that was a really nice building, I'm glad to see what you did.'"

He said it's a matter of uncovering the neighbourhood's sleeping potential.

"With a little bit of elbow grease and not a large investment," said Grady, "a lot of these places could be made sustainable for the next generation."