File Photo Home Sweet Home, a former residence and later a gift shop, was relocated due to a flood wall.

The former Home Sweet Home house is slated to become guest lodging through a sale approved by the Minot City Council Monday.

Jacob and Amy Jenkins of Minot offered $500, anticipating it will cost between $190,000 and $300,000 to maintain the historical integrity in renovating the home. The figure doesn’t include a significant amount of proposed sweat equity. They plan to turn the house into an Airbnb, or bed-and-breakfast housing. They expect to wrap up renovation by August 2024 but have long-term plans for development of the property that will extend the project to a second phase.

The city council was happy to accept the $500 offer for the property appraised at $250,000.

“I’m excited to see this moving forward and in the hands of some really passionate and committed individuals,” council member Carrie Evans said.

“It will be nice to get this property back in a fully functional state,” council member Stephan Podrygula added. “It’s a great idea and should encourage people to visit Minot and stay here at least for the short term and, hopefully, they will like what they see and they will stay here for a longer term.”

The city acquired the house, built in 1899 and last used as a gift shop, and relocated it across the street to 110 4th Ave. NW to make way for the Fourth Avenue flood wall.

Council member Scott Burlingame said the house has been a sunk cost for the city for a long time.

“It’s just sitting there. It’s not helping anybody, and it’s costing the taxpayers some money. I think it’s a good opportunity to get it back on the tax rolls,” he said.

“We’re excited to have the project and turn it into something amazing,” Amy Jenkins said after the council’s action. She said she has had her eye on the building even before the city bought it, waiting for a purchase opportunity to present itself.

She said planning for the renovation has been ongoing for eight months. Work now can start this winter with gutting as needed. She said they will work closely with the State Historical Society to recreate the house the way it originally looked rather than how it looks today.

“We’re excited to get started. We literally have a play by play for the next four years — things to accomplish monthly,” Jenkins said. She said they want to keep the public informed along the way so the community can watch the project develop.

“We want the community to be excited about it,” she said.

Jenkins is a local social worker who previously worked for Ward County Social Services, and Jacob Jenkins is principal at Berthold Public School and has done freelance acting and writing. They also own the Putt District in downtown Minot.

The couple has experience in home restoration that began with renovating their Minot home following the June 2011 flood. They also have renovated a historic farmhouse.

Amy Jenkins will be acting as general contractor on the Home Sweet Home project and will organize all subcontractors. Minot Mobile Contracting will complete the main renovation, Legend Electric has been subcontracted for the electrical work and Absolute Comfort will do the HVAC/plumbing and heating.

The proposal by the Jenkins’ indicated the house needs considerable work, with a need for refurbished windows and doors, handicapped-accessibility, roof repair, woodwork restoration, new utilities to meet code, replacement of deteriorated plaster and lathe walls, restoration of hardwood floors if possible, mold and mildew evaluation and sanitization. Due to the deterioriating roof, pigeons and possibly animals have been inside the home, leaving droppings.

The proposal presented also calls for construction of a driveway and an English Garden landscaping look.