CHRONICLES OF A BUNGLED REAL ESTATE DEAL – Page 3 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads Me

House Update – Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal – Part 12 – This and That

So much for the trip to the dump yesterday. It turns out it wasn’t our last trip after all. Today began with starting this pile.

Hubby continued on with the trim that the previous guy didn’t bother with. We really lucked out when we went to try and match it. The local lumber company had ordered it for the previous guy and he’d never picked it up. When I went in searching to match it they were just getting ready to burn it so they sold it to me for $1 per board instead of the original $2 a foot. SCORE!!

On a more fun note, I’ve been trying to get to the ICE ROOM for what seems like forever. This is a REAL ice room. You know where a guy used to deliver a block of ice every day to keep the food cold – long before refrigerators. I’m turning it into a cleaning closet. It is a concrete room that stands just outside the kitchen door at the top of the basement stairs. The previous owner had shoved styrofoam along the edges of the walls and put up a couple of primitive crude shelves. I pulled all that out today and cleaned it real well. Next comes a ceiling, some walls and a floor to which we will continue the oak flooring from the kitchen after painting. Then I’ll install a couple of shelves and some hooks for brooms and such. It’s a 5x5x6 foot tall room.

I hope to finish the ICE room later this week. Hubby also finished the molding in the downstairs bathroom. This little room at the end of the bathroom used to be the cold storage room off the butler’s pantry which is what the bathroom was many many moons ago. This room is officially done! YAY!!!

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House Update – Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal – Part 11 – Kitchen Update

We’re winding down finally!! Hopefully this was the last load to the dump.

I packed that truck as tight as I could! 800 pounds of construction debris.

Hubby and I are working hard on all of the finish trim molding in this old house, you know the little stuff that is more frustrating than the original demolition OR the subsequent rebuild!

This corner behind the refrigerator was one of the most frustrating due to an old wall and a new wall joining.

While we know this wall is plumb, it is also half 117 years old and half brand new, which always creates a little frustration. We wanted to keep it as original to the character from 1892 as we could. So, we chose to build the arch and then paint instead of stain for the ease of the kitchen.

Hubby finished the ceiling tiles and started the molding around the upper edges while I started painting the archway.

Next week we’ll sand and stain the floors and finish the thresholds.

We carried the same theme to around the kitchen window. Even though it is two separate windows, we only put up one shade and set of curtains.

This was an old wall with super thick studs. So, the electrician put the outlet for this area under the kitchen sink. We will also be finishing the kitchen counters next week, but for now it is really nice to be able to hook up the coffee pot without cords all over the counter.

Now we get to start on the 4 doors in this room for the decorative corners and casings. The TO DO LIST is truly getting smaller, but everything still seems to take sooooooooooo much time. Our goal is still the 15th. Wish us luck!

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Freaky Weather and House Update

Oh so much better!

We ran about 2 boxes short of finishing the “old” side of the kitchen and doing all the ‘hand cut’ pieces before the crown molding.

The dining room is done except for edge pieces that need to be handcut.

I was trying to keep my sense of humor while I did inside projects to stay out of the weather and get over my bronchitis. That’s the glue on the back of one of the ceiling tiles.

I loved how the snow was sticking to the light pole in a straight line. This was really wet snow and with the wind blowing was al over the place. I love this tree across the street. It always makes me think Christmas ~ even in mid April.

This was the 3rd time he’d shoveled the driveway in the last 24 hours. I had to laugh this time ~ just after he finished the plow came by and did the street and he had to do the bottom all over again.

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The light at the end of the tunnel ~ time for another House Update

It’s been a rough couple of weeks around here. We’ve been busting our butts to get the projects finished around here so we can get this house on the market. We are just plum wore out as my grams would say.

We did take a couple of days off after finishing the floor since we were so tired and sore, but then we got right back into the swing of things. Over the past week we have been:

serious yard clean-up and major pruning
cleaning out the barn, organizing camping gear and boxing up TONS of stuff for the VFW rummage sale
stacking next year’s firewood
sealing 2 of the butcher block counter tops with the first coat of sealer.

painting wall paper ~ it was a cotton brocade with no flock, but was old and yellowing . It looks sooooooooooo good painted in BEHR Innocence White.

If you look close above the door you can see the color differentiation, In person it’s an awesome change!

installing ceiling tiles in 3 separate rooms, one of which has a fun pattern as you can see

installing external molding that the previous owner never bothered with
deciding for sure on house colors so we can paint this summer

all of which make my back sore and really tired, but we’re nearing the end so it makes so much easier to live with. We still have a ways to go and all the crown molding to do and tons more molding after that, but we are starting to see that light at the end of tunnel once again!

I’ve been trying to take better care of myself so I can feel less stressed. Now that I’ve had a long, long, hot shower I feel human again and seriously less stressed. It IS the little things!

I don’t know why I am always surprised when I fall so short of my own expectations, but I am. I continually do it over and over again, and yet I am always surprised over and over again when it happens. Life is soooooooooooooo messy, the unexpected happens all the time and we do all need grace, lots of it and many times from ourselves.

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House Update ~ Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal – Stairway/Foyer

We’ve never understood why, but the foyer has a 2 level floor – LOL only by a 1/2 inch, but enough to annoy me. The hardwood floor in front of both front doors is well worn with 117 years of use on the one side and 60+ years on the other side.

Many of you will remember that I had mentioned that during WWII this house had been converted to a duplex and it stayed that way until the 1980’s. When it was converted back to a single family home, both front doors were left in place and let me tell you how handy that was for moving furniture in and out. One door is directly in front of the stairs going up while the other leads directly into the main part of the downstairs. The foyer is actually about 5 foot x 10 foot, but appears so much smaller and is extremely hard to photograph.

We were able to raise the lower side with the addition of a piece of underlayment to the same height as the higher side. The new floor will also add an additional layer of insulation as the higher side is over a slab foundation.

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House Update ~ Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal ~ Kitchen floor continued again

We were hoping to get further today, but we’re happy to have completed the kitchen at least. All we had left was a small portion, but it required unhooking all the appliances (washer, dryer, freezer and dishwasher) and then re-hooking them which was a super pain in the butt. Since these areas will ALWAYS be utilities, so we also spent a bit of time patterning out the ugliest pieces so they would be under appliances. I guess my quilting background finally paid off. This room has 4 doorway, so we’ll still need to do the finish work on the thresh holds, but we’ll do that after the sanding, staining and sealing.

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House Update ~ Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal ~ Kitchen continued

I was hoping to be able to tell you that this job was completed today, but alas, there will be one more day. The section left requires disconnecting the washer and dryer and a little more hassle.

We finished the last third of the larger side and then did under the stove.

One of the hardest sections was under the refrigerator ~ only because of the weight of the refrigerator and getting onto the new floor without damaging it. The heating vent that comes up from the floor was kind of a pain too!

The first view below is my favorite because it makes it look like it’s already done. The second view below is all we have left to do so hope to be done tomorrow and then be able to do the foyer tomorrow too.

We going to let it set and settle for several weeks and then we’ll sand and seal.

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House Update ~ Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal ~ Kitchen continued

And the fun began. I know I should have had more spinach. We moved a 1700 pound pallet of wood yesterday morning before coffee into the garage, bundle by bundle, in heavy wet snow. Then we moved about 1/3 of that into the house yesterday to get started. We moved another 1/3 in today and will move the last of it in tomorrow. At least today wasn’t snowing.

Once we got organized, it went pretty smoothly other than having to take apart 2 cabinets and then put them back together after the floor was in place. Even Whiskey approved of her normal sun bathing spot.

We got two thirds of the larger side done today. Now that we are more organized tomorrow should go more quickly.

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House UPDATE ~ Chronicles of a bungled Real Estate deal ~ Kitchen continued

While I have an extra cup of coffee today, I thought I’d bring you up to date on this old house we’re trying to finish.

YAY – the flooring finally arrived. We have lived with a painted subfloor for so long, but I really hate it. I’m so excited we’re finally able to put down the new floor even if it does mean sooooooooooooo much work. We found an awesome deal on some solid oak tongue and groove 3/4 inch flooring. We had a few issues with the delivery and have been waiting for this for an additional 2 weeks. It was absolutely beautiful the week it was supposed to be delivered. Yesterday was COLD and SNOWING (a wet yucky snow) and the delivery showed up at 7AM instead of 9:30AM and he wouldn’t put the pallet in the garage or even the driveway, but dropped it in the street so it had to be unloaded by hand IMMEDIATELY in the wet snow at 7AM before coffee. The delivery man said it was a $75 charge for every 10 minutes he was there (a fact we were not informaed of, but you can bet I will be discussing with the seller).

Hubby even went to the library and read and then re-read all he could find. The books will tell you to start at one edge and work towards the other side. Since this is an “L” shaped room and the house is 117 years old, it is not necessarily always square, we started with the arch in the center of the room (the one spot we know is square because we did it) and are working out in either direction to keep the lines straight. That way any minor discrepancies will be under the baseboards when they are up.

Before we put in the first nail we lined up the boards between the arch and an entire row on each side to be sure this was the right decision.

So I’m back to sorting out sizes and making a pattern. I hope to show you a finished floor later today or tomorrow. Now I can’t wait to stain and finish it!

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House Update – Chronicles of a Nightmare – Upstairs Bathroom ~ Part 7

BEFORE

This is what it looked like when we purchased the house. There was a funky chunk of carpeting on the floor as well as a homemade vanity and very strange facade around the claw foot tub. I was sure it would have no feet when we finished tearing out the facade, but it was in excellent condition. Since this ‘remodel’ was not planned we had to do all the work ourselves and it has been a long, hard road to tow.

DURING

We have started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Considering we had to take this bathroom down to the studs when we had to rip out the mold infested drywall, this room has come a long way. We were going to save the tub so we painted it bronze over that horrid sea green, but changed our minds mid way and decided cabinet space was more important so we add a shower.

Hubby has finished the trim molding and the door for the attic since I took this next picture. We’re in the process of the final coat of paint as we speak. Other than removing the old claw foot tub and changing it to the corner shower we tried to keep it in character for the age of the house by using the bead board, decorative ceiling tiles and old fashioned rounded sink.

We used Laura Ashley laminate flooring in “oiled teakwood” and on sale it worked out to be less expensive and better quality, made in the USA, than the other options – most of a lesser quality and made in China.

AFTER

I am so in love with the triple pane window that replaced the “ORIGINAL” single pane window. This room is now a warm little haven – just needs a TV & Frig! LOL

Hubby wanted a little extra color in here so I did this altered decoupage plaque for above the sink.

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House Update – Chronicles of a Nightmare ~ Living Room ~ Part 9

The above pictures are the before we bought the house pictures that the realtor took. One of the things I really fell in love with was this “DOUBLE” mantle and pillared fireplace. I love the beveled mirror that ties it all together. The entire room is just bright and welcoming, but was in serious need of fresh paint. We weren’t thrilled with the puke green carpet, but figured we’d live with it for a bit. That bit was short lived when I picked up the corner to see the hardwood floor color below and the carpet literally disintegrated in my hands it was so rotten. So I opened a window and started tossing it outside for the dumpster we had just ordered to empty out all the trash they’d left behind. Hubby was NOT thrilled with me, but agreed it needed to be done.

The above picture was taken a few days after we moved in, but before we pulled out the rotted carpet, removed the sun rotted sheers, added blinds and curtains.

We decided on BEHR Oklahoma Wheat for the walls and this warm Mocha for the mantle. The mocha really compliments the golds in the original tile work around the fireplace.

Below is the completed room.

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House Update ~ Chronicles of a Bungled Real Estate Deal ~ Overall This & That Update

We’ve been working what seems like night and day to finish up around here. And even though we have accomplished a TON, it seems like the list is never finished! One of the biggest issues (or so we thought) was a pipe in the basement that was supposed to be fixed before the previous owner ever moved out, but they failed to do any of the conditions for the purchase of the house and now when confronted say, oh well, sue the inspector, he’s bonded. Nice people. Yeah right. Well, we’ve tried talking to the real estate people, we’ve tried being nice, we’ve tried arbitration and now we’re just going to get tough and sue them ALL. The home warranty didn’t cover it because of their fraud, the new insurance didn’t cover it because it was pre-existing and the mortgage insurance didn’t cover it because there isn’t a mortgage. Each person we’ve contacted has outright said that this particular county doesn’t enforce anything. So, before this is all over we WILL be contacting the appropriate agencies and filing complaints all the way up to the federal housing authority. What if we were a young couple just starting out with a HUGE mortgage? The laws, rules and codes SHOULD BE enforced everywhere!

So to bring you up to date:
The coat closet: I love this closet. It’s 6×6 feet and well located. It turns out though that it wasn’t original to the house. It was added on at some point using a portion of the front porch. Which is great, but it was never insulated, walls or floor, so we started by insulating the walls and floor and then building new walls and floor over the insulation. I wish I had a before picture, but oh well. It also had a single paned window. Who puts a window in a closet? So we eliminated the window, changed the direction of the clothes rod and built in a shoe rack for all the winter boots. Hubby added hooks for the frequently worn jackets. We also added a great rack for all the games so they are easily accessible and there is room for all the luggage too. Then I painted it the Oklahoma Wheat color and Voile we have an insulated Mud room.

The storm door: We had to replace the original one when we remodeled the kitchen and had never gotten around to it. We had installed the insulated new regular door and figured we’d get around to the storm door eventually. We were at my favorite place, The Habitat for Humanity Restore and found the perfect door for $15.00

The kitchen cabinets & counter tops: We installed the last cabinet and its counter top. Then I stained the cabinet and sealed the counter top.

The baking center counter top has now had 3 coats of mineral oil and is looking good!

The Basement drain clean out: This is one of the items the previous owner was supposed to take care of, but failed to do. At some point someone couldn’t get the plug off and they broke a hole into the rear of the pipe. So we hired a plumber to give us a hand. He melted out the old lead and was able to break off the old cap. The inside was then cleaned out and a new PVC pipe and cap were glued together and sealed in place to prevent further sewer gas from escaping.

The Downstairs Bathroom: The first part of this bathroom was here. Today we finished the down stairs bathroom. It had been a butler’s pantry originally and a cold storage room. We finally finished converting the cold storage part into a set of cabinets and finished the molding and paint.

The window at the rear was from my cousins house and will eventually be a mirror.

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Category: CHRONICLES OF A BUNGLED REAL ESTATE DEAL