Willow Glen Resident

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Photograph by Vicki Thompson

History Preserved: Heidi LeVell purchased the Victorian home on Delmas Avenue in North Willow Glen when it was in complete disrepair. She has since restored it to its former glory.

LeVell restores homes to save history

By Lisa Neves Woldt

If walls could talk, a 120-year-old Victorian house on Delmas Avenue would have plenty to say--thanks to Heidi LeVell, a contractor in the business of saving Victorians.

LeVell's company, Second Generation Restoration, specializes in vintage home restorations. LeVell and her business partner, Linda Sylva of Los Gatos, purchased the property about a year ago and breathed new life into the 2,150-square-foot Victorian that had been a rental since 1938.

The home's rebirth began shortly after LeVell bought her own home on Coe Avenue three years ago. That was when the dilapidated Victorian around the corner caught her eye.

"I could just see from the outside that the house had a lot going for it," she said.

Kristen Brown and her husband, Stephen, have lived next door to the property for more than six years, and she says LeVell was at the right place at the right time.

"She pulled over in her van one day and asked if I knew anything about the property," says Brown, who was acquainted with property owner's son.

Brown told LeVell the owner had recently died, and that the house was in probate. LeVell bought it last June. Brown, whose home is also a Victorian, is pleased the home is being restored, after sitting in disrepair for so long.

An art history and American architecture college major, LeVell had renovated properties throughout Northern California before starting her own business two years ago.

"We wanted to start a company that saves history that's based on preservation," she says.

To that end, the company's motto is "Saving History One House at a Time."

LeVell and Sylva decided to focus on historic homes in North Willow Glen.

"I'd really fallen in love with the area," says LeVell, who has two young children. "We decided to try to save what we could here."

She says people have stopped by to thank her personally for saving the house, and are happy to know there are builders out there who care about preservation.

LeVell is concerned with the trend she sees happening in quaint communities such as Willow Glen, where people are attracted to the area's charm, but then replace the older homes with large, modern ones out of character with the neighborhood.

LeVell says there are better options than just tearing down and replacing the property with a modern dwelling.

"You can take these old homes and make them into the houses you want while maintaining the original character," she says.

Instead of razing the 1880s house, LeVell raised it to replace the foundation. "The house was in fairly good condition," she says, "considering all the earthquakes it's been through." During the excavation for the foundation, 125 antique glass bottles were found--there was no garbage pickup in the 1880s--along with 80 skeleton keys and a colony of bats in the attic. The basement was divided into two apparently illegal apartments, with a bathroom on the back porch.

LeVell spared no time, effort or detail in bringing the house back to its original glory, retaining as much of its authenticity as possible. Under its 11-foot ceilings, she refurbished moldings, doorknobs, hinges and lighting fixtures wherever possible.

"Any piece that was missing in the house, we salvaged from other Victorians or through the Internet," she says.

Even the original hardwood floors were useable.

"We were thrilled when we pulled up the carpeting and saw the floors," says Sylva.

The flooring is Douglas fir and will be restored to its original dark patina. The windows were also in good condition and are one of the best features of the house. Some are stained glass, some have leaded-glass patterns and several windows have a wavy effect that LeVell finds of particular architectural interest.

Walls were taken down to the studs and reinforced with shear walling for earthquake compliance. The steep and sagging brick staircase out front was replaced with wide-planked steps, which makes walking up them easier, LeVell says. A new, two-car garage replaces a shed in the back of the approximately 5,800-square-foot lot that now sports a new lawn and a Victorian-era gazebo.

The house, which retains much of its original character, has upgraded plumbing and electrical wiring. LeVell had a new furnace installed in the basement and added new kitchen appliances and new cabinetry. She also had the walls painted instead of wallpapered.

"Victorians had no built-ins," she says. "Everything was freestanding."

The former attic was expanded to become the master bedroom and a bath that will feature a historically correct, 72-inch wide, cast-iron bathtub.

LeVell says she has kept the cost per square foot down by using salvaged materials. She bought the vintage doors needed for the addition from the Preservation Action Council, a San Jose nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and finding new uses for old buildings. The doors, along with hardwood flooring found at a salvage company, were purchased at a fraction of the cost LeVell would have incurred if she had purchased the materials new.

LeVell says there's no reason for anyone to buy new hardwood flooring anymore.

"I like knowing that I'm not harvesting from a rainforest somewhere. There's so much in salvage yards. It's like the ultimate in recycling," she says.

LeVell says people should recognize the value of their vintage properties. Using salvaged materials, for instance, not only keeps the cost down but, more importantly puts character back into the home. She advises homeowners not to cut corners.

"Older homes have a stronger value because there's not a lot of well-done antique homes on the market," she says.

The neighbors have supported LeVell's efforts during renovation; she appreciated it, especially from the Browns, who endured the yearlong construction next door.

LeVell also credits San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager with supporting street improvements and parks projects that have enhanced the North Willow Glen community.

Neighbors, as well as North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board members such as Marci Hildt of Coe Avenue, have stopped by nearly every day to see the project and offer opinions and ideas, which LeVell has found helpful.

Residents such as Richard Martinez, who has lived directly across the street from the Delmas Victorian for many years, says it's been rundown for quite awhile.

"I'm glad and a lot of the neighbors are glad it's getting fixed up," he says. He remembers it as a beautiful home about 30 years ago with a nice lawn and flowers. In fact, he says most of the homes along Delmas used to be Victorians before the freeway went in.

Some of the oldest homes in San Jose are in North Willow Glen, LeVell says, identifying architecture such as Victorian, Craftsman and Art Deco-styled houses.

"Palm Haven is an excellent example of preservation," she says. "Those home values have stayed strong, and we're really committed to that here in this community."

LeVell says vintage homes can become the gems of the neighborhood, with a little bit of tender care.

Martinez agrees.

"I'm glad Heidi is helping out and making the community look better," he says.

Residents care more about their property, he says, and it shows.

"It's about the best I have ever seen it," he says of the neighborhood.

When the house is sold, the new homeowners will receive a book containing the original blueprints and many photographs of the house throughout its history. A video diary will be included showing the home in various stages of construction. LeVell also plans to be available to the new owners.

"I live nearby, so they'll be able to ask me questions," she says.

LeVell and her 24-person crew find working on older homes challenging and interesting, so much so that they don't care to go back to new home construction.

"My whole crew is from Nicaragua, and they are so talented," she says.

She has trained them in historic preservation in areas such as working with old wood.

"In the Victorian age," she says, "a 2-by-4 was exactly that. Now, it's just shy of that, so it makes a huge difference when you go back to retrofit a property."

Even the painters, she says, enjoy the challenge. "They told me they spray out new condos and monster homes all the time but this is fun--a lot harder but fun," LeVell says.

Before she hired her crew, she interviewed three contractors who told her nobody wants old windows or old wood. But LeVell believes there are people who don't want their woodwork to look new.

"It's homey to see a ding and wonder if it was done 50 years ago," she says.

The story behind that ding is part of the character and charm of the construction, which LeVell says adds warmth to a home and makes it come alive.

Her crew looks forward to working on the next home renovation, a small Victorian on Coe Avenue. That project will begin as soon as architectural drawings have been completed and approved. She is planning renovations to her own Victorian home on Coe Avenue, although people have asked if she ever considered living in the Delmas house.

"I'm going to sell it because that's our whole goal," she says. "I want to spread the sense of preservation."

In the meantime, LeVell says she's got her eye on a gorgeous Victorian with an overgrown garden on a popular street in Willow Glen. While the house looks overdue for a major renovation, it is not for sale yet. LeVell says she's willing to wait for the right time. "I'm kind of a stalker when it comes to that," she says.