The Toaster, a unique-looking home in McCall that was once set for demolition, is in the process of being converted into an affordable housing unit.
The McCall City Council just approved a contract with Dalrymple Construction Services that could cost a little more than $90,000 to remodel the Toaster building at 1614 Davis Ave.
The Toaster is a 1,100 square foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom accessory structure. The contractor will be converting a portion of it into a kitchen by removing one bedroom and one bathroom.
The cost of the bid is $81,767. This would cover demo, cabinets, counters, labor and materials, lighting, appliances, plumbing, electrical, flooring, finishing touch-ups, professional cleaning, and bond insurance overhead and profit. This is the base bid. There are alternatives that could bring the bid up to $91,177.
The first alternative, the city outlines, is new flooring, the second is a washer and dryer, and the final alternative would cover upper cabinets in the kitchen. Community Economic and Development Director Michelle Groenevelt said currently the structure has open shelving and the cabinets are down below.
“We’ve worked with this contractor before, he helped us with the Senior Center. He’s really good at keeping costs down,” Groenevelt said. “But if there’s an opportunity or there’s something that just happens that nobody has control over, we just want to watch the budget. So that’s kind of why we have it set up that way.”
Last June, the structure was relocated from Lake Street to Davis Ave. This cost the city $48,000, which was reimbursed through a $50,000 Gem Grant. In addition to the total cost of the bid, Groenevelt said the city is also aiming for some energy-efficient upgrades that would cost another $15,000. She said the city has asked the council for permission to submit an application for funding to help with the energy efficiency upgrades.
The Toaster is a city-owned parcel, so Groenevelt said the “priority” is to make this a transitional home for a city employee.
“So somebody gets kicked out of their existing housing, and they’re looking for a place to land for like six months up to a year, this house would be available for city employees,” Groenevelt said. “We also have some challenges around hiring so it gives somebody who’s a new hire a chance to kind of land in the community and get networked and have a place to live until they can find some more permanent housing.”
The contract states that by the end of May 2023, the remodel will be completed. The city hopes this allows someone to move in this summer.
