Historic Woodstock home on 315 W. Judd Street before the project began.

Thanks to Tom Lafontaine, the dilapidated and abandoned home on 315 W. Judd Street, Woodstock, will soon be a historically renovated home just a block from Woodstock Square. The cedar-sided two-story home dates from the mid- to late 1800s. LaFontaine Enterprises purchased the building for about $3,000, which covered the city’s legal fees.

Lafontaine began his construction career as part of a father-son team when he was just 10 years old. Accompanying his father after school and on weekends, the love of construction never left him.

Today he and his wife of 37 years, Pepper, run their own business dedicated to pleasing their customers. Doing so requires good listening skills. They remember than everyone has a budget. “We think about what we would want for ourselves,” said Lafontaine. “Of course, not everyone has the same taste, but the quality, the practicality, and the budget must be considered.” By listening and responding, the company grows the business by exceeding expectations, rather than advertising.

The home started with two bedrooms upstairs and 1½ bath. It will metamorphose into three-bedroom with a master bath on the ground floor, along with a master bath and walk-in closet.

Woodstock is committed to preserving and protecting the historic integrity of the Woodstock Square and its historic properties. The Judd Street home is part of the Downtown Business Historic District, established in 1996.

Woodstock has a Certified Local Government (CLG) status from the National Park Service, which gives owners of historic properties located in the designated area the ability to participate in state and federal historic preservation incentive programs, such as income tax credits, a property tax assessment freeze, and grants.

The Judd Street house needs extensive renovation inside and out. Lafontaine removed the peeling and falling stucco, to reveal cedar siding. Each step of the renovation must meet the requirements of the Historic Design Review Guidelines. The guidelines assist property owners in making design decisions so that the historic look and nature of the area remains intact.

In 2015, the city formed Real Woodstock to grow tourism. The purpose of Real Woodstock is to grow tourism and development opportunities, and to create a strong sense of community. According to Woodstock’s website, “Woodstock is a true Midwestern city where community and quality of life are values that are revealed in every street and sidewalk. Beginning in the center of its historic Square and moving out to its farm-cushioned edge, Woodstock is unique — a place that its citizens are proud to call home and visitors fall in love with.”

Lafontaine says that the Judd Street house has been vacant for years.

“It wasn’t pretty. It was a blight on the neighborhood,” Lafontaine said. “It’s been vacant for a number of years and now considered a blight on the community. Now when the neighbors go by, they stop to see how the project is going. They are happy to hear the sound of construction.”

The home started with two bedrooms upstairs and 1½ bath. It will metamorphose into three-bedroom with a master bath on the ground floor, along with a master bath and walk-in closet. Without adding on the existing structure, Lafontaine’s plans the open floorplan and creates an “Interior layout that meets today’s current market trends.”

At the same time the plans will keep the character of the 19th century home it is.

“It going to be really cute,” says Lafontaine. He plans to sell the house when the renovation is complete. Like all of his projects, whether new or a renovation, it will be a home he’s proud to call his own.