Donny Mak Wins an "Outstanding Renovation Project" Award for Riverside Avondale Home
Posted on February 29, 2016
Mak was honored for the work he and his team did at the 2500 square foot home at 3331 Oak Street.
Riverside Avondale Preservation recognizes outstanding renovations, new construction, and service to the neighborhood through its “Preservation Awards.”
Bloom Realty was lucky enough to have listed one of this year’s winners, 3331 Oak Street in Avondale, redesigned by investor Donny Mak. He was awarded an “Outstanding Preservation Project” award at the meeting on February 18th.
Kitchen makeover included removing walls to create open concept kitchen and dining area.
The Avondale home was acquired from a family trust, and had been neglected for more than a decade. “We saw real potential in the bones of the house.” said Mak, “but we needed to undertake a major rehab to make into something functional as well as beautiful.”
The exterior was a major challenge based on the condition of the windows, siding, roof, driveway and yardscape, with the rear of the home overgrown with trees and wild plants. The garage was also a challenge, due to significant repair that was needed from a fallen tree that had damaged the roof and was never removed.
Finishes throughout, such as the original stairways, built-ins, moldings and original wood floors, were all preserved as part of project.
Mak told us, “Inside we created an open concept kitchen with all the latest conveniences. The historic integrity of the finishes such as the stairways, built-ins, moldings and original wood floors were all preserved as part of project.” In addition, all the bathrooms were updated, and an additional half bath was added to the downstairs and kitchen area to create a much more functional first floor.
“We were lucky enough to meet one of the daughters who grew up in the home,” Mak told us, “and we gave her a tour of the finished renovation. It was a visibly emotional experience for her, to see the outcome and to know the home will live on for at least another 100 years.”
From the Riverside Avondale Preservation Website:
RAP’s Annual Preservation Awards are determined by committees who review nominated projects and scour the neighborhood for other worthy
nominations. The RAP board then approves a slate of nominees presented by the awards committee. For the renovation awards, RAP looks for
substantial work to preserve the architectural integrity of the building. Only the exterior of buildings is considered in the decision-making process, and
all exterior work must comply with the City of Jacksonville’s Design Regulations for the Riverside-Avondale Historic District. All award decisions will
be made by the RAP Board of Directors in its sole discretion and RAP reserves the right to not make awards in all categories or to create new
categories.