Scariest Project Ever!

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Don't you hate construction dust? Every. Single. Thing. is covered with it.
ugh.
This is the terrifying part ... we are down to subfloors in all the rooms, even the stairs. Bathrooms have been gutted except for one toilet and sink so that we don't have to get a porta-potty. The kitchen has been gutted ... refrigerator is plugged in but there are no cabinets or counters or sink in the kitchen. The dishwasher and stove are unplugged. Construction debris pickup is scheduled.
The good news is that the plastering is done ... all ceilings have been scraped and plastered and any holes in the walls (including the big hole where we are closing up a doorway) are patched up ... the dreaded popcorn ceilings are gone. Some walls were taken down, one new wall went up.
The wood flooring for every room has been delivered. I have to pick out tile for the bathrooms.
The new windows that were installed two months ago are great. The 80 foot pine was trimmed so that branches scraping the roof no longer are in issue. Nice arborist was very encouraging and said it's a healthy, happy tree I planted about 30 years ago. It was a tiny seedling from my parents' yard.
The place looks nice from OUTSIDE. If they only knew ....
I guess we are on target with the schedule and might squeak through with my budget. We really have to.
ohmy! If you have any advice for getting through this with a bit less stress, please share it. I find myself not being able to sleep or waking up from nightmares of the place falling into the abyss.
ps.YES - I am taking lots of pictures and videos.
 
It will all come together. Relax. Since my daughter is not giving me even a target date for when she will be able to come do my new office, I am going to put out "feelers" for a handyman in the area. I want to git'er done! I need to do it while I am excited about it, while I am stoked up about the move enough to go through the current office getting rid of crap as I move in. BEFORE I have the season starting. Sigh. I was counting on it being done during the winter.
I admit I have become a wuss in my old age. In my youth, I would have just done it. Now I have an arm that is painful and knees the scream.
 
Our contractor took down the interior walls in my kitchen on the coldest day of the year. We could see outside. I could not turn on the heat for the rest of the house because it was just going out thru those gaps.
The contractor, OTOH, was burning all the scrap wood in the wood stove in the kitchen and working in a t-shirt it was so warm where he was.
Think lovely thoughts. That kitchen remodel we did sold the house in under 12 hours.
 
Seashanty,
What is the name of your B&B and what Country are you in? Sounds like quite a project!
 
I'm right there with you. We did the kitchen 4 years ago. We made it through with our trusty crock pot. I collected crock pot recipes for weeks prior.
Right now we have three toilets and two showers and various floor and wall tiles all over the living room and dining room. Three bathrooms are gutted. The plumber is here today. Plastic all over the stairs and trying its best to keep the dust down, but failing.
How to get through it? Have a corner where you can be comfortable. The crock pot thing. A very good book. Just look ahead. It will all be worth it.
The best part for us? Yes, they found knob and tube wiring and yes they found very precarious plumbing. So, it helps to know the house is coming out stronger and safer.
 
Seashanty,
What is the name of your B&B and what Country are you in? Sounds like quite a project!.
MNVineyardBB said:
Seashanty,
What is the name of your B&B and what Country are you in? Sounds like quite a project!
Right now she's doing a personal home reno, not a b&b.
 
A convertible shopvac... it vacuums sometimes and sometimes it's a leaf blower... blowing dust out into the world.
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface.
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
The trend now seems to be a sellers market. At least it was in South Carolina last March when I put my brother's house on the market. It hit the listings on Monday and by Tuesday evening it was under contract - for full asking price and they wanted to close 10 days later.
I had told the realtor that the only price negotiating I would do is if 2 wanted it and were bidding up. I did not have to sell it this week or this month. They had the inspection done and I got the "laundry list" on Monday with closing on Friday. I called the realtor saying there was no way to get bids much less completion by Friday (this was Monday night).He said they were just looking for money and we had allowed $500 for just this reason. I knew they had closed on THEIR house and NEEDED to get in a new house. I told the reltor - offer the $500 and they will reject it. THEN tell them I will go $750 - take it or the house goes back on the market. They took it.
I tell you all this to try to help when you get to the selling part. Stand your ground on the price. Since it will have just been remodeled, there should be NOTHING for them to say needs done. The money is better in your pocket than theirs and if they want the house, they will pay your price. (I stood firm about giving up $1000 when we sold our Illinois house - and we had had only the one offer. They found the money!)
 
Seashanty,
We had no plumbing in one of our second floor rooms and I was able to install a bathroom and whirlpool. I ran plumbing from the basement.
I wouldn't rule out being able to convert your home to a B&B
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
So, you do realize it took longer than 12 hours to do the reno, right? ;-)
What made it sell fast, given it still needed work, was the kitchen. Galley style, birch cabinets, some with glass, some open, some closed. Distressed pine floors. (The contractor helped with the distressing by dropping hammers and screwdrivers and a chainsaw. Not on purpose, he was a klutz.)
We added a mudroom with glass door between it and the kitchen. Lots of light.
Pick paint colors from a pottery Barn catalog of you are looking to sell to a younger age group. That's one of the things the young couple mentioned - colors from the catalog.
If I can find the real estate listing I'll email it to you. The kitchen is still the same, a lot of other stuff changed.
 
seashanty said:
Don't you hate construction dust? Every. Single. Thing. is covered with it.
ugh.
Even when we've replaced en-suites in the guest rooms the dust just gets everywhere, there's no way we could have stayed open doing this work. Thank heavens that last winter we re-did the last en-suite so now the whole house has been refurbished.
We will re-decorate the guest bedroom we did first this winter, just because I did it with a black theme and after 5 years I'm fed up with it, it's too dark and could do with a re-fresh.
fdd-original-3-300x225.jpg
 
A convertible shopvac... it vacuums sometimes and sometimes it's a leaf blower... blowing dust out into the world..
LOL. When we were using a planer to remove paint from used floorboards we purchased to match the existing ground floor, the shop vac was aces at containing the vast majority of the mess generated. It was also great at removing dust particles from between floorboards prior to refinished.
Shop vacs rock.
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
Sorry you were left with the mess. Our departed tenant was a hoarder. The next of kin have been notified via registered letters about the deadline they have to remove his belongings. There has been no response.
I've been boxing up the private papers and family photos the law requires us to hang on to for a bit longer. Its feels so sad to do this when others should be going through these private family photos.
On a brighter note, our insurance company has stepped up and is following through on getting the units back in livable condition. Our displaced tenant has renters insurance for temporary accommodations. Hopefully she can return inside a couple of weeks. We hope to wrap this up in another month.
Best wishes for a quick and beneficial sale.
:)
 
seashanty said:
Don't you hate construction dust? Every. Single. Thing. is covered with it.
ugh.
Even when we've replaced en-suites in the guest rooms the dust just gets everywhere, there's no way we could have stayed open doing this work. Thank heavens that last winter we re-did the last en-suite so now the whole house has been refurbished.
We will re-decorate the guest bedroom we did first this winter, just because I did it with a black theme and after 5 years I'm fed up with it, it's too dark and could do with a re-fresh.
fdd-original-3-300x225.jpg
.
Love that feature wall!
Gomez and I went to an open house last week looking for a vacation home. Realtor asked how we liked the place and Gomez said, 'it'll look great after Morticia does a few feature walls.'
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
Sorry you were left with the mess. Our departed tenant was a hoarder. The next of kin have been notified via registered letters about the deadline they have to remove his belongings. There has been no response.
I've been boxing up the private papers and family photos the law requires us to hang on to for a bit longer. Its feels so sad to do this when others should be going through these private family photos.
On a brighter note, our insurance company has stepped up and is following through on getting the units back in livable condition. Our displaced tenant has renters insurance for temporary accommodations. Hopefully she can return inside a couple of weeks. We hope to wrap this up in another month.
Best wishes for a quick and beneficial sale.
:)
.
Friend had a tenant die on premises. Too MANY people showed up claiming to be next of kin and wanting to skim off any money or valuables.
None of them had ever come to visit the tenant in the year she lived there.
My friend had to get a lawyer involved to require paperwork to be filed with probate court so she didn't get sued for giving belongings away to the wrong person.
 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
Sorry you were left with the mess. Our departed tenant was a hoarder. The next of kin have been notified via registered letters about the deadline they have to remove his belongings. There has been no response.
I've been boxing up the private papers and family photos the law requires us to hang on to for a bit longer. Its feels so sad to do this when others should be going through these private family photos.
On a brighter note, our insurance company has stepped up and is following through on getting the units back in livable condition. Our displaced tenant has renters insurance for temporary accommodations. Hopefully she can return inside a couple of weeks. We hope to wrap this up in another month.
Best wishes for a quick and beneficial sale.
:)
.
Friend had a tenant die on premises. Too MANY people showed up claiming to be next of kin and wanting to skim off any money or valuables.
None of them had ever come to visit the tenant in the year she lived there.
My friend had to get a lawyer involved to require paperwork to be filed with probate court so she didn't get sued for giving belongings away to the wrong person.
.
Your friend did the right thing for everyone.
heart.gif

 
Thank you, Kathleen. I have my inner mantra running ... It's going to be great. It's going to be great. It's going to be great.
Yes, MNVineyard, this is a private home ... it had been rented to family ... and is too big and impractical for me to live in alone ... not suitable to convert into a bed and breakfast as it would need more bathrooms. I renovated a b&b up in Maine, THAT was a trip! Plan is to renovate the house and sell it IN TWELVE HOURS?? That is an amazing story. I would love details, Morticia. What features do you think made it sell so quickly?
Beach house, no one can be in the house now ... it is just a construction site. When we first started I was able to be in one corner of the living room and one corner of a bedroom. It took two months for me, working alone, to clear out all the stuff that had been left behind. I paid for a couple expensive junk pickups and various organizations came and picked donation things up. Those living in it had a year to clear but walked away as though they'd been evicted the day before. Every cupboard, every closet, every room, packed with things. Even the shower had shampoos and soaps and personal care items. Spices and dishes in the kitchen. Food in the freezer and refrigerator. And the clothes!!! Unreal. The basement is still full of things. But that can wait.
Generic, we have a big shop vac on site that also blows out but may get an air cleaner ... looking at renting or buying one. There was plastic on things for a while but the plasterers removed them. Now I guess the 'dust has settled' and there is a thin film on every surface..
Sorry you were left with the mess. Our departed tenant was a hoarder. The next of kin have been notified via registered letters about the deadline they have to remove his belongings. There has been no response.
I've been boxing up the private papers and family photos the law requires us to hang on to for a bit longer. Its feels so sad to do this when others should be going through these private family photos.
On a brighter note, our insurance company has stepped up and is following through on getting the units back in livable condition. Our displaced tenant has renters insurance for temporary accommodations. Hopefully she can return inside a couple of weeks. We hope to wrap this up in another month.
Best wishes for a quick and beneficial sale.
:)
.
Friend had a tenant die on premises. Too MANY people showed up claiming to be next of kin and wanting to skim off any money or valuables.
None of them had ever come to visit the tenant in the year she lived there.
My friend had to get a lawyer involved to require paperwork to be filed with probate court so she didn't get sued for giving belongings away to the wrong person.
.
When my brother died his ex-wife and kids all pointed to me to "take care of things". I was fortunate - his girlfriend met my plane, took me to his house and helped empty his desk of any paperwork (we were looking for Will, insurance, passwords, financials), and his mail from the table where his renter had put it.I screwed up by going to the Post office to have his mail forwarded (needed legal status) but lucked out that #1 - there was a renter whose mail was also stopped and #2 - I live in a small city so MY Postmaster talked that Postmaster to get mail reinstated to the house and I did an online change of address for my brother. This helped a lot because I got the bills to know who he owed what. Until I got legal status the banks would not tlk to me. (Could not find any passwords or IDs to access anything with his laptop.)
Had it not been for his heirs pointing at me in the first place, I would have been in serious doo-doo for what I did. Morticia, your friend did the right thing to CYA.
 
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