Better Flip project in Willowick needs contractors

The Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority is looking for contractors for its Better Flip project in Willowick.

The port authority is seeking contractors registered in the city to schedule tours of the house at 557 E. 305th St. Tours will be held May 25 and May 30. Interested contractors will have an opportunity to see the house and the renovation plans and ask questions directly to the port authority.

The Better Flip project is one that executive director Mark Rantala considers among the most important undertakings in his nearly five years at the port authority.

There are 15,000 bungalows in Lake County’s west-end communities. Most of those postwar homes were built between 1948 and 1955. The housing stock is good, but the homes themselves are outdated. They don’t have amenities such as open-concept kitchens, walk-in closets and master suites that young, modern homebuyers are looking for.

According to the Request for Intended Bidders, the project will “demonstrate how to renovate a 1950s bungalow into a millennial-friendly smart home.”

“The design by TDA Architects of Willoughby incorporates a number of elements that we hope will make the house attractive to young couples, encouraging them to move into western Lake County suburbs, as a key element to a strategy to attract future workers for Lake County,” the request read.

Work is anticipated to start on the home in June and will be completed before Labor Day. The winning bidder will work in conjunction with a video crew that will document the process on the project’s website as a guide for homeowners interested in undertaking similar projects.

Rantala has previously said they’re going to make as many upgrades and renovations to the home as they can to show people everything possible they can do. He said they don’t expect people to do every single one, but pick and choose which projects to undertake. They’re also trying to use as many local subcontractors as possible to show people what is available.

He has also said the port authority is not getting into the house-flipping business; this is a one-and-done project.

The demonstration house is being donated by the Lake County Land Bank.

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