A house in East Lake for $569,000? The builder behind it has a vision for Birmingham
A new home on Second Avenue South in Birmingham’s East Lake is catching a lot of eyeballs – not just for its look, but its price tag.
It comes fully-furnished, with designer grade furniture, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, a stand-up shower and two tubs, wifi, a side Lanai porch, chef’s gas stove, and other amenities, such as a tankless gas water unit and underground electricity.
It sits in a residential neighborhood among homes in various states of repair that would sell for a fraction of its asking price, and near abandoned houses showing decades of neglect.
Not long ago, this property was an overgrown, unoccupied lot with a ramshackle house “filled with critters,” according to its builder.
It’s the latest project for a Birmingham company whose owners have ambitions to build a variety of single family homes in different price ranges in the Woodlawn and former Groveland communities.
Andre Halston and his wife, Kimberly, are the inspiration and brains behind FlipBama, the company that built the home, which finished construction this month.
A former chef, Halston came to Alabama to pursue a second career in building. He particularly wants to revitalize communities to “give people a reason to stay, to come back and care.”
“It’s bothersome when there are properties around here, or any community, that are burned out, dilapidated, people just gave up, don’t care, and nobody does anything with them,” he said.
“Well, I’m a guy who cares and I’ll do something if it makes sense, because I want people to come back.”
Halston said he wanted to try a house building project in the neighborhood, similar to Avondale, in what appeared to be a forgotten area.
The design is his. He said it might look more at home in Mountain Brook, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, or any one of Birmingham’s suburbs.
He said he was recently asked by someone “almost with a scowl on his face” why he would build a home in that community.
“First of all, why not?” he said.
“Do you feel that people in this community do not deserve a home like that? That’s not a fair response in 2024. Somebody has to have belief in these communities, or they’re going to go away, or no one will want to come here. Hopefully, other builders will come.”
He says he’s prepared to work with anyone wanting to move in. The house is furnished, even with a library of cookbooks. In theory, all a new owner would need would be a toothbrush.
Construction took about 10 months, and the home has unique design touches and amenities throughout. The master bedroom has a spa bathroom, smart toilets, heated porcelain flooring, and a heated shower floor. There’s a retractable ironing board built into the wall, and a sliding closet door.
The guest bedroom has oversized vanity sinks and maple cabinets. A third bedroom can be converted to an office space. The main hallway closet has a heated shoe-drying station, and a large utility closet is concealed behind a bookcase doorway.
The kitchen seamlessly connects to the great room, which has a fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow one-way visibility out onto the neighborhood. The house is fully fenced, with room for parking in the front and back.
“I want people to feel grand, I want people to feel pride, I want people to feel a sense of accomplishment, and change within this community,” he said.
Halston has other plans.
A few blocks closer to Interstate 20 on Second Avenue South, he plans two homes similar to the Caribbean long home, with adjoining driveways on adjoining plots. He says the home design is the best use of narrow lots.
And several blocks away on Fourth Avenue North and 66th Street North, he wants to build 14 homes around a park, within sight of Interstate 59.
“You have to give people some hope that there’s going to be a difference,” he said.