We are out of budget money and awaiting more funds. Additionally, there is a mold issue that must be resolved and we are exhausted from doing most of the work on this property. We are taking our Christmas break and showing the property to interested parties and workers/contractors for the owner to have more repairs done.
We will return to work on the property once the mold issue is cleared up. Additionally, I have not been with cold and need time to heal. Ray believes the "mold" in the dining room could be what is making me feel so sick; my cold, congestion, and allergies have lasted nearly a month!
Ray showed the house to an interested couple; we have yet to hear back from them, but they said that they love the house. Perhaps after Christmas we will hear from them and many other buyers.
More later....
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
12/10/2006 MOLD in the Dining Room.. and lots of it!!
Today we worked for over eight hours on the house; peeling wallpaper and even painting over some of the remnant wallpaper. The paint job has been really draining of our time and energy because of the exorbitant amount of wallpaper on the walls!
We painted 90% of the living room and I painted one wall in the
bedroom that is attached to the bathroom. I plan to leave the three other walls with the current wallpaper in that room. Then, in the "office" bedroom, I am eiher painting one wall of finding a window cover to cover the small area around the french doors that is lacking wallpaper, as I am guessing that is how it was handeled before.
With these changes; preserving wallpaper in all three bedrooms, it is cutting down on time and costs of paint. Now for wallpaper peeling, we just have the kitchen and dining room to complete and then paint.
I started painting some of the dining room, just to see how it will look (and also to complete some of the painting needed).
We painted 90% of the living room and I painted one wall in the
bedroom that is attached to the bathroom. I plan to leave the three other walls with the current wallpaper in that room. Then, in the "office" bedroom, I am eiher painting one wall of finding a window cover to cover the small area around the french doors that is lacking wallpaper, as I am guessing that is how it was handeled before.With these changes; preserving wallpaper in all three bedrooms, it is cutting down on time and costs of paint. Now for wallpaper peeling, we just have the kitchen and dining room to complete and then paint.
I started painting some of the dining room, just to see how it will look (and also to complete some of the painting needed).MOLD In the Dining Room??
We ran into some trouble in the dining room that we will need the owners to make decisions about before proceeding. It looks as if we have a LARGE amount of something that largely identifies with mold in the dining room; all over one wall and I cannot yet tell how much on the wall that has french doors. As we peel the wallpaper, more appears.
We ran into some trouble in the dining room that we will need the owners to make decisions about before proceeding. It looks as if we have a LARGE amount of something that largely identifies with mold in the dining room; all over one wall and I cannot yet tell how much on the wall that has french doors. As we peel the wallpaper, more appears.
The house is really starting to look good. There is a nice flow with the paint job that directs the eye to the nicer features of the house, instead of from wall-to-wall. The colors that we chose are very soft and suttle; it sets the mood and gives this house a more softened look.
NEEDS: A Household Mold test and (likely) mold remediation, Possibly a few more gallons of paint ( approx. 3 gallons more), floor stain, floor sander, floor material or concrete stain for the "master bedroom/den" and hallway to the laundry area.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
12/07/2006 ...And Still More Painting & Peeling
Today Ray and I went to the house in the evening to try to get some paining done to the areas that are cleared.
I came up with a way to cut down this painting job and get things done faster. The living room is now clear, so I taped and prepped the room, as well as the foyer. Ray painted most of the living room and foyer, as well as two walls in the "master bedroom/optional den" area. We tried to paint over the hard-to remove wallpaper to cut down on time, but it didn't appear to work well. Instead, we are preserving wallpaper in both bedrooms by clearing only one wall per room (whichever wall has the most impact and is the worst looking). That way, we only have to finish peeling those two walls in the bedrooms, plus the kitchen and dining room. We will leave the wall paper in the bathrooms. This will work perfectly; we didn't buy quite enough paint for the entire interior of the house, we only bought five gallons and I had estimated that we'd need 6-7 gallons.
The paint really brightens up the house and gives a nice look. I really loved the color of the living room walls, but the new color looks very sophisticated and luxurious. Too bad there are no moldings, that would really make this job shine! I cannot wait to see the floor all polished out and restored; it's going to look beautiful!
Also, in my estimate of the costs to restore, I forgot to add the floor in the master bedroom/den. We plan to just stain the concrete in a color that is complimentary to the wood floor color. This will cost approximately $150.00, as we will need a helper to tear out the current flooring and clear the concrete to prepare it for staining, plus materials. I can really start to see how great this house is going to look with brighter rooms and a nice, gleaming wood floor.
We've had two parties look at the house and both were turned off by the price. I truly hope that they will change their minds once the house looks good. Everyone agrees that it's a great house, they just think it needs too much work. Once we are done I hope they will see it just needs personalization, not repairs.
I came up with a way to cut down this painting job and get things done faster. The living room is now clear, so I taped and prepped the room, as well as the foyer. Ray painted most of the living room and foyer, as well as two walls in the "master bedroom/optional den" area. We tried to paint over the hard-to remove wallpaper to cut down on time, but it didn't appear to work well. Instead, we are preserving wallpaper in both bedrooms by clearing only one wall per room (whichever wall has the most impact and is the worst looking). That way, we only have to finish peeling those two walls in the bedrooms, plus the kitchen and dining room. We will leave the wall paper in the bathrooms. This will work perfectly; we didn't buy quite enough paint for the entire interior of the house, we only bought five gallons and I had estimated that we'd need 6-7 gallons.
The paint really brightens up the house and gives a nice look. I really loved the color of the living room walls, but the new color looks very sophisticated and luxurious. Too bad there are no moldings, that would really make this job shine! I cannot wait to see the floor all polished out and restored; it's going to look beautiful!
Also, in my estimate of the costs to restore, I forgot to add the floor in the master bedroom/den. We plan to just stain the concrete in a color that is complimentary to the wood floor color. This will cost approximately $150.00, as we will need a helper to tear out the current flooring and clear the concrete to prepare it for staining, plus materials. I can really start to see how great this house is going to look with brighter rooms and a nice, gleaming wood floor.
We've had two parties look at the house and both were turned off by the price. I truly hope that they will change their minds once the house looks good. Everyone agrees that it's a great house, they just think it needs too much work. Once we are done I hope they will see it just needs personalization, not repairs.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
12/05/2006 ...and Still More Wall-paper Peeling....
At the house today...peeling paper...
I finished off the living room and cleared a whole wall, part of the other two walls, and the entire border from the "master bedroom/den". I need this wallpaper cleared by the weekend so Ray can paint the entire place on Sunday!
Additionally, I had a conversation with the owner, who is also anxious to see this entire project wrapped up! I wholeheartedly agree. I have committed to finish this project by the end off the month, but I want to have the painting completed by this weekend; then we will just be waiting for more funds to finish the project.
Still needed: yard work, floor sanding + staining, trash hauling, detailing (fixtures that need to be fixed or re-attached; 1/2 bath mirror), then total house cleaning.
I am trying to only clear one wall for the bedroom attached to the bathroom and keep the rest of the paper.. I hope it will work (I am not certain if the other walls have a consistent pattern). The "office" may need complete clearing of the paper, since all walls are totally different and there is paneling on only some of the walls... I wonder if I can just get more paneling to add and then paint it white (like wainscoting), instead of removing it...?
I will be returning on Thursday to work all day on the wallpaper and hopefully finish the "master bedroom/den", dining room, and kitchen.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
More Wallpaper Removal
Pic, above left & right: The new paint, applied in a test run to the living room and foyer.
Back at the property,
removing wallpaper (no surpise there). We found hope in the form of plastic packaging and stainless steel "claws'....
THE CLAW
Guaranteed to cut the job down by 50%! We picked up a CLAW at Lowes to help the job go faster.
The claw has stainess steen claws on a wheel and a plastic protective body. It is used to score the wallpaper so that when we spray the water (through the mist sprayer we bought for the pet odor spray) or removing solution, it cal fully (or mostly) penetrate the wallpaper's seal and allow the entire sheet to lift from the wall.... that's our LAYERS of wallpaper removing technique for now!
The CLAW didn't work well in the living room or master bedroom/den, which had wallpaper that had been painted over (though it did help things go 50% faster than it was going), but it worked well in the foyer! 
Ray cleared an entire wall in the time it took me to clear the small area he is working on behind me in the photo above!
Ray cleared an entire wall in the time it took me to clear the small area he is working on behind me in the photo above!
It is such a shame to see that pretty color from the living room go, but I have a great feeling about this very neutral being color we found at Lowe's, as well as the darker accent color that will go on the back wall of the living room. It's going to look fabulously neutral! Question for the Homeowners:
Did you paint and remodel the living room or did the tenants?
When decorating with color, it is important to stick to one base color in a room; use it throughout the room and only introduce new colors that coordinate as accents. This room has four different wall designs in wallpaper and (I think) paint, plus three different borders.
There is hardly anything salvedgable, though I am trying to keep the globe design wallpaper on the window wall where the wood-burning stove sits.
There is hardly anything salvedgable, though I am trying to keep the globe design wallpaper on the window wall where the wood-burning stove sits. Had there been a reliable pattern to the design, I could have salvadged more, maybe even the whole room, but not with the distracting & confusing decor.
FLOORS:
I have been looking at floor stain for the wood; there are so many choices! I think I will go with a medium color, although walnut has really been calling my name! I want to keep the place bright, though, so we'll see. We won't be able to do the floor with what is left, we will need enough money to rent the truck, floor sanding machine, and the sealant for the floor. We shall cross that bridge when we come to it...
The dining room, 1/2 way done in peeling the paper from this room, but now we have a wall with a strange exterior stucco texture!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Uh oh...Things are not moving along fast enough!
Ray and I have been taking any free time we might otherwise have in our schedules to work on this home... It is really taking a toll. Every wall has LAYERS of wallpaper that would have to be removed in order to paint. There is no room with 1 complete wallpaper design, so it is difficult to leave it "as is". Originally, we planned to paint over the wallpaper, but the wallpaper is mislaid, plus it's four to five layers- and more- deep. The house walls would look crooked and bubbled if we just paint over everything.
Now the real problem becomes that Ray and I are two people and this is not our part-time job. We work nearly every spare few hours we have to pull the wallpaper out of this house. This is a tremendous strain on us and is not the kind of service we offer; this is a job for more than two people- at least three or four! It is necessary that we be able to hire someone to assist us in this job, yet there is no money left in the $600 budget.
Otherwise, we have a house that is in very bad condition and we can spray paint on the walls "as is", but it may just add to the problem of looking like a "fixer upper".
We need help from the homeowners, so please comment this blog or email us with a suggestion or solution to this problem. If you say "paint over everything", then we will. However, without more funds, there is no way we can remove all of these decades worth of wallpaper, paint the walls, sand & restore the floor, clean up the yard, and clean the whole house and property; it is just not possible.
My thought is to go ahead and paint over everything; though it will only look good enough for a rental home or fixer-upper. Perhaps after spraying over everything, it will brighten the house, still. I hate to leave things as such, but we must be practical and reasonable with facts.
What do you feel is the next step that should happen?
What date is your target for having the home prepared for market?
What is your target sale date?
My goal is to get your home sold for an amount that will exceed what is owed to the bank + closing fees. That price is much too high for the condition of your home; it should be in pristine condition for $590,000 and $565,000. I feel that I am out of ideas in working with such a small budget for a home that needs so much to justify the sales price. I have my heart invested in the project, as well, but Ray & I cannot do $15,000 work of work for $600. It is so much work, I really wish you could see how hard we work on that house when we do find the time.
What is needed is two workers that can come in and peel paper, clean, etc. Two workers for five days, assisting us. Then enough to cover the cost to haul the rest of the garbage and pay a Gardner to care for the yard routinely.
I have been showing the home through all of this. I have been told countless times that this home is over priced at that homes in the neighborhood are selling for $300,000 & $400,000. This house has a panoramic view that is awesome. The lot is much nicer than the city lots an dis nearly 1/4 acre, and the porch is amazing!
The problem is: No one sees that as reason to pay $165,000 - $190,000 for the difference! I agree, there is a huge difference; perhaps if the home looked better inside and out, with nice, smooth, freshly painted walls and a "newly restored" wood floor, it will give the house a better chance at selling. Also helpful would have been removing the popcorn ceilings, as many buyers have complained about the popcorn texture and the floor plan. I am having a popcorn ceiling removed on another property and the cost is $1250 for removal and retexture; not bad, but probably not possible on this project.
Alright, Home Sellers, we need your feedback!
Homeowner: Do you know what has been altered in the house that has made the floor plan what it is now?
What changes have you personally made to the property?
Would you just as soon not put any more money into the project and have us just spray over everything?
Now the real problem becomes that Ray and I are two people and this is not our part-time job. We work nearly every spare few hours we have to pull the wallpaper out of this house. This is a tremendous strain on us and is not the kind of service we offer; this is a job for more than two people- at least three or four! It is necessary that we be able to hire someone to assist us in this job, yet there is no money left in the $600 budget.
Otherwise, we have a house that is in very bad condition and we can spray paint on the walls "as is", but it may just add to the problem of looking like a "fixer upper".
We need help from the homeowners, so please comment this blog or email us with a suggestion or solution to this problem. If you say "paint over everything", then we will. However, without more funds, there is no way we can remove all of these decades worth of wallpaper, paint the walls, sand & restore the floor, clean up the yard, and clean the whole house and property; it is just not possible.
My thought is to go ahead and paint over everything; though it will only look good enough for a rental home or fixer-upper. Perhaps after spraying over everything, it will brighten the house, still. I hate to leave things as such, but we must be practical and reasonable with facts.
What do you feel is the next step that should happen?
What date is your target for having the home prepared for market?
What is your target sale date?
My goal is to get your home sold for an amount that will exceed what is owed to the bank + closing fees. That price is much too high for the condition of your home; it should be in pristine condition for $590,000 and $565,000. I feel that I am out of ideas in working with such a small budget for a home that needs so much to justify the sales price. I have my heart invested in the project, as well, but Ray & I cannot do $15,000 work of work for $600. It is so much work, I really wish you could see how hard we work on that house when we do find the time.
What is needed is two workers that can come in and peel paper, clean, etc. Two workers for five days, assisting us. Then enough to cover the cost to haul the rest of the garbage and pay a Gardner to care for the yard routinely.
I have been showing the home through all of this. I have been told countless times that this home is over priced at that homes in the neighborhood are selling for $300,000 & $400,000. This house has a panoramic view that is awesome. The lot is much nicer than the city lots an dis nearly 1/4 acre, and the porch is amazing!
The problem is: No one sees that as reason to pay $165,000 - $190,000 for the difference! I agree, there is a huge difference; perhaps if the home looked better inside and out, with nice, smooth, freshly painted walls and a "newly restored" wood floor, it will give the house a better chance at selling. Also helpful would have been removing the popcorn ceilings, as many buyers have complained about the popcorn texture and the floor plan. I am having a popcorn ceiling removed on another property and the cost is $1250 for removal and retexture; not bad, but probably not possible on this project.
Alright, Home Sellers, we need your feedback!
Homeowner: Do you know what has been altered in the house that has made the floor plan what it is now?
What changes have you personally made to the property?
Would you just as soon not put any more money into the project and have us just spray over everything?
Saturday, November 25, 2006
11/25/2006 A Buyer Tours the Property
Today we received a call froma woman named Sherry that is interested in the home. Sherry is a historic home lover and seems to adore the house. She toured the home today and asked questions:
1. What year was the home built?
2. Where were original walls and what has been changed?
3. With the historic home registration, what cna be changed?
4. How much is the mortgage payment?
5. How much per month? She offered $1000 per month and she fixes the house herself. This will not likely work at all. Also, she wants to buy for $530,000 or much less. She mentioned seeing another that she liked that was smaller and without the view or large lot for only $300,000. It is becoming clear to me that she is not the one for this hous eif those things are optional to her. Sherry would like to spend as little s possible, by her own admission. She also later admitted that her daughter is in high schooland she wants to wait until she graduates.
The house smelled pretty good today, I am still amazed at how well we got the smell out of the house. However, the garage is now awful-smelling; like pet urine because the trash is in the garage! We definitely need more funds to get that trash hauled ASAP, but at least we can always spray down the garage with the AIP spray once we do find a way to haul the trash.
1. What year was the home built?
2. Where were original walls and what has been changed?
3. With the historic home registration, what cna be changed?
4. How much is the mortgage payment?
5. How much per month? She offered $1000 per month and she fixes the house herself. This will not likely work at all. Also, she wants to buy for $530,000 or much less. She mentioned seeing another that she liked that was smaller and without the view or large lot for only $300,000. It is becoming clear to me that she is not the one for this hous eif those things are optional to her. Sherry would like to spend as little s possible, by her own admission. She also later admitted that her daughter is in high schooland she wants to wait until she graduates.
The house smelled pretty good today, I am still amazed at how well we got the smell out of the house. However, the garage is now awful-smelling; like pet urine because the trash is in the garage! We definitely need more funds to get that trash hauled ASAP, but at least we can always spray down the garage with the AIP spray once we do find a way to haul the trash.
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