Layton Boulevard West
N e i g h b o r h o o d s
Silver CityBurnham ParkLayton Park
Turnkey Renovation Program
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors Inc.,  Sacred Heart Center  1545 S. Layton Boulevard
Suite 506  Milwaukee, Wisconsin  53215  414-383-9038
Replacement of the
boiler lead to instant
savings in regards to
the daily gas usage.
The Turnkey Renovations Program was created to in response to
the housing market's decline and the resulting foreclosure crisis.
With a mission of homeownership, LBWN wanted to proactively
address the drastic increase of foreclosed homes in the LBWN
neighborhood and to maintain, and hopefully increase, the
community's owner occupancy rate. The goal of the Program is to
purchase vacant, foreclosed homes and update, renovate, and
sell them at an affordable price for a buyer at 80% of the County
Median Income or higher. The improvements made are focused
around drastically increasing the homes’ energy efficiency and  
restoring the turn of the century craftsmanship found in the
beautiful LBWN housing stock.

To make this program a reality, LBWN has formed partnerships
with
Johnson Controls, Lagina Plumbing, Wisconsin Energy
Foundation
, WE Energies, Focus on Energy, Home Depot, Hot
Water Products
, and Dawes Rigging and Crane Rental.  These
companies all play critical roles in the end result of a home that
exceeds the air infiltration rate set for a new Energy Star home,
that has significantly lower energy bills, and that takes advantage
of solar energy to provide hot water for the home. The success of
this Program and the completion of the houses would not be
possible without the help from our sponsors and partners!
1213 S. 29th Street
The first foreclosed property LBWN acquired is located at 1213 S.
29th Street in the Silver City neighborhood, just south of National
Avenue. Due to its severely blighted nature on an otherwise great
block, it was clear that there would be an immense positive impact on
the neighborhood once the renovations were complete.

The property was vacant and boarded up for about 9 months before
LBWN acquired it, the yard was completely overgrown, the garage
and porches were structurally unsafe, the foundation was
deteriorated, and the interior of the house had been neglected for
decades. The house would most likely have not been purchased by
a home buyer or an investor, and would therefore, by remaining
abandoned, simply continue to have  a detrimental effect on the
neighborhood.

The renovation was guided by an energy audit and the
improvements made include a solar thermal water heating system, a
high efficiency boiler, windows, light fixtures, cellulose insulation
blown into the attic and wall cavities and also rigid insulation installed
on the exposed exterior foundation. A programmable thermostat and
water efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures were also installed. To
maintain the neighborhood charm and make it attractive to
homebuyers, a new roof and new porch were added, a concrete
garage slab and walkways were poured, the wood floors and trim
were refurnished, the kitchen and bathroom was remodeled, and it
received a new paint job.

Neighbors were excited about the project and thankful that a new
home buyer has moved into the neighborhood. Safety has been
restored as the property is no longer a target for potential squatters
or vandals.  The home also serves as an example of what
improvements can be made by neighbors to reduce their energy
consumption and utility bills.