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Poetter Hall was purchased by the SCAD founders in March 1979. Classes began in September of that year.  
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Trivial Pursuits

Trivial Pursuits
 
McKinnon ‘breathes new life’ into old houses

Patrick McKinnon
John McKinnon 
Patrick McKinnon, a foundation studies professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, hones his carpentry skills performing house renovations.

By Monique Bos
Published: Friday, September 16, 2005

Savannah College of Art and Design foundation studies professor Patrick McKinnon has what he calls an “after-work job”: He purchases and renovates old houses in Savannah.

After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration, he went to work for the college’s support (now physical resources) and special projects departments. Through his involvement with such challenges as the restoration of Trustees Theater, he learned about the renovation process and acquired skills in carpentry, dry-wall, painting and other elements.

McKinnon tackled his first renovation project with a college roommate. Since then, he and his wife, Petra, have renovated four houses together, including their current home.

“We renovated a big old Victorian on Henry Street, and we live there now,” he said.

They recently purchased another house in the downtown area that they plan to restore and eventually live in, he said.

Petra, who earned a B.F.A. in photography from SCAD and works as a pharmaceutical sales representative, helps with design and business elements.

“She does leasing, mortgage, paperwork,” McKinnon explained. “I do the swinging-the-hammer stuff, but it definitely overlaps.”

McKinnon also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and began to teach foundation studies courses at SCAD. He recently started a company, Colonial Investment Group, with two partners, and together they have renovated approximately 15 houses. “Some of them are rentals,” he said, “but most of them we sell.”

He follows a few principles when deciding what properties to restore.

“I look for a house that’s run-down but hopefully structurally sound,” he explained. “Generally, we try to keep the property historically correct.”

He always installs new electric wiring, plumbing, central heating and air, kitchen cabinets and counters, and bathroom appliances, he said. He contracts out the electric, plumbing, and central heating and air but usually does the rest of the work — carpentry, hanging sheetrock, dry-walling, painting, installing fixtures, sanding or replacing flooring, installing casings around windows and doors — himself.

“I’m my own general contractor on the job,” he said.

McKinnon said the time required for restoration depends on the size of the house and the amount of work needed. A small house might take two months to finish. He and Petra spent eight months on their home before they moved in, and he said they continue to make improvements.

“We’re still working on it now,” he said. “Once you move in, there are a lot of things you still haven’t finished.”

While the business can be lucrative — sometimes McKinnon doubles the market value of a house by investing as little as $10,000 in repairs — he isn’t in it for the money.

“All the money you make, you end up putting into another property,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a disease, I think.”

In addition, McKinnon said dealing with contractors, deadlines, work permits and city regulations can be a headache. “It takes a great deal of commitment and time and energy,” he said.

However, he enjoys the creative and design aspects, as well as the carpentry, he said. The reward comes when he transforms a well-built but run-down house to an inhabitable and attractive property — “a new 100-year-old house.”

“The most satisfying part to me is taking an old house that’s been completely neglected and breathing new life into that house,” he said.