Abandoned Houses

I never cease to be surprised by the sameness of different things.  With my real estate 'stuff', I'm finding that abandoned homes are much like abandoned animals: they each have their own story--and the current circumstance of abandonment is never a happy one.  While driving by the MD project to see if the electricity had been turned on to perform the inspection, I spied the neighbor.  I said hello and introduced myself.  I learned a bit about this house.

The woman who owned it (as the original owner) is in a nursing home.  She has MS and was unable to care for herself.  The home has a chair lift to the upstairs; and it was sad to go into this home to see this. Josephine, the neighbor, said that the home has been vacant for more than a year and a half. When the house was cleaned out, there was many personal items, to include photo albums that were left behind.  The people gave these to Josephine, who is holding them.

I asked if the woman had children. One in Dubai and one in North Carolina. I could not imagine why the daughter in NC did not claim the photo albums. Best not to speculate on family dynamics, but there was a certain amount of sadness that I felt from the recant of this home's story.


Though it is owned my Fannie Mae, it did not go through the normal channels (HomePath).  Also, there is another asset manager involved--one that specializes in reverse mortgages.  I'm not sure what to make of any of that, nor do I need to.  This house had 27 offers on it.  We were not the lowest (according to the chat), but we were cash.  This home is in a fantastic neighborhood.  The interior is dated as you would expect, but I was struck by how good a shape that it was in--particularly given the health circumstances. 

The interior shape of this house was so much at odds with my last two projects.  The interiors were as follows:  one was bad, one was horrific (by my standards).  I'm sure that there are worse, but I don't think that I would want to tackle any worse than my FD project. On the FD project, I found a cardboard "Man Cave" sign that had racially and sexually offensive stuff on it.  That poor house suffered mightily from the clowns that were living in it.

Another home I viewed and put an offer in on yesterday was another home that was owned by an estate.  From the tax record, the man died a few years ago, and then the wife died recently. The home looks and feels like it was loved and cared for.  The home has very high quality and the unusual characteristic of being brick on block.  While a solid construction, it does not bode well for heating and cooling.

Guest Night

Tonight we have guests.  Mark works with the woman, and she and her husband are joining us.  I'm excited to meet the and to welcome into our home (after EPA cleanup).   In keeping with my theme of low-key entertaining (meaning that I don't spend a fortune in time or money planning, procuring and preparing the meal.)

With my 'part-time' real estate endeavor, I'm finding that I'm doing quite a bit of running around.  I'm used to productively working at a a desk, in front of a computer:  Something is always being produced.  However, running hither and yon, feels unproductive.  I have a whole, new empathy for those that have to view, estimate work.  My husband for such a long time (10 years) did this with his electrical contracting business.  He had a cell phone when they were both clunky and expensive! Remember the bag phones? 

In my running around yesterday (to check if power was on to one home I'm in the inspection period for, to peek in at FD, to look at a new property for acquisition then lunching with my realtor, and choosing Schluter rail for my tile job), I swung by the Chinese market to procure duck legs.

There is a frenetic feel to the counter in the back.  There are all manner of fresh fish, and also pig stomachs, chicken feet and other animal parts that I wouldn't consider eating.  However, I do know that chicken feet are good for stocks--any animal part with so much connective tissue will give you a silky, rich flavored stock.  I'm just not ready to go there.  I still remember eating pigs feet with mustard as a child.  A delicacy!  I've not had it since that time, and I'm not keen on revisiting that.  Yes, I do realize that there is an irony regarding our choices of what part of the animal to eat compared to the fact that we EATING an animal.  I do consume my food with a heart filled with gratitude for the sacrifice.

So while at the meat counter, I see that ribeye roast is $4.45 a pound and duck legs are $4.95 a pound.  Hmmm....You cannot get rib steaks (my favorite) for that in the store.  This has no bone, that it is in a roast, that will make a lovely, easy dinner. A rib roast with the bones attached (which this IS NOT) is really about the most flavorful thing that you can cook to my cooking/eating eye.  It is also obscenely expensive.  I'll cut some steaks off of this roast, and make the rest for our group of four.

Here's our menu


Appetizers

Smoked salmon, cheeses, crackers with Sauvignon Blanc 

First Course Salad

Carmelized Pear Salad with toasted walnuts, 
dried cranberries, bleu cheese 
and a balsamic reduction

Main

Roasted Rib Eye Roast
Potatoes cooked in Creme
Croissants (purchased)

Dessert



I'm fighting the urge to make a chocolate dessert.  With all of the heaviness of the dinner, I want to have a brighter finish to the meal with a lemon dessert.  Oh...it is plenty rich enough, and it is from John Folse (click on link).  You'll find many wonderful recipes there.  This is a favorite of mine.

Now for EPA cleanup....

D-I-Y Gone Awry

Last Friday, I was informed that I had two accepted offers on foreclosed property.  My stomach was clinched as I have a current project, and now two more homes!   Here is the home that I had an offer on and am terminating today.

At first view/evaluation, the interior had some issues--I could see the unskilled DIY hand.  Crappy-finished drywall, cheap finish choices, poorly designed bathrooms, ill-fitting kitchen countertop. I felt that I could upgrade the choices and fix the issues (which I could).  However, it was the 'soft white underbelly' of this house provided the deal's downfall.

The beautiful decking that provided lovely views of the pond was basically unsupported.  Underneath the house we found ghastly things:  extensive rot on the decking boards and insufficiently supported posts; an insufficient electrical panel that had a tap off; a 4 foot section of the foundation that had been cut away; a fireplace that was sinking and pulling the main floor with it (which explains the tilting kitchen counterotp)--and ill-fated (and a frightful site to behold) attempts underneath the house to support it. We opened the door, viewed the carnage and literally ran away screaming.  The house is literally rotting away, and potentially sliding down the hill.  Someone will buy this house to be sure.  There's a reason for a "buyer beware" warning, and this house more than any other I have seen warrants that label.

None of the 500+ sqf of decking was salvageable--and even more unfortunate, there is a part of the house that sits on the deck; the foundation had been rendered unsound, and there was another large rotting structure that was supposed to be a barn--and would have been a magnificent one--had it been made soundly.  An example of  structures that were undermined by over-zealous and under-killed DIY efforts in addition to inappropriate materials.  There is a reason why decks are made from salt treated lumber.  We couldn't even fathom a value for the work required to halt the demise of this house, but that scope of work (likely requiring a site engineer) is more than I want to tackle.  The setting is so splendid; such a shame.  There was also a large barn on the property that was suffering from serial rot from the use of substandard building materials.

I'm in the inspection period of another home.  It is in a highly desirable neighborhood and has a terrific floor plan; however, it has a need for extensive updating inside.  It has Masonite siding--some of which has to be replaced due to rot.  Carpet needs to be replaced, and it needs fresh painting throughout.  Kitchen cabinets are a mess---I've seen these placed in other homes, and they do not wear well.    Bathrooms need some updating.  Waiting for the utilities to be turned on to do inspection.

Quality lasts; cheap shit...well, it is just cheap shit!  I'm grateful that when we built our own home we opted for quality rather than initial size.  Now I have a house that is far bigger than what I need as we added on.  Nevertheless, we did things the right way, and we have maintained it reasonably well.  But the wood floors need refinishing, and some paint would freshen some things up.  However, even if we didn't do those things, our home is in far better shape than most that I go look at. 



The Most Beautiful Sight in the World: OPP




OPP:  Other People Painting.    It is the most beautiful sight in the world.  A little flux in the winter painting schedule gave me three, then two handsome, charming painting professionals. I did have everything clean for them.  Cleaning 2500 sqf of head to toe crap is a tall order.  Though I had two college students to help, my arms, shoulders and back tell the tale of my own contribution.  There was a day's worth of wall patching before any painting could be put on the walls. That was okay as set up and trim sanding was in order.

I did do some wall patching, but after watching Joe, I realize how inadequate my own efforts were.  Yes, I get a smooth finish, but I had to make too many passes and sand too much.  That is part of learning.  After all, there is an art to any of this stuff, and the professionals always make it look easy!    So easy that we mere mortals undertake it, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.  I'm willing to tackle most things; but these guys can do it faster and better than I can. 

I'm just fill-in work, and it helps them and ME out.  Winter is a typically slow time for painters.  Your interior winter projects will benefit from some budget-friendly rates from your favorite painting contractor. Give them a call now and save your back and arms and free up some of your time.

For this project, the nicotine (though I had scrubbed a good bit of it off) and the semi-gloss finish called for Zinsser Cover Stain to dispatch all traces of blech to the Netherworld. 

I received a call this morning, that I needed to get more linen white.  My friends at Virginia Paint had the stuff ready, and was wheeling it out as they saw me pull up.  Dale and John work at the Mechanicsville store, and they have been my valued partners.  They take time to answer my questions and guide me on the right finishes, techniques and tools that I need for my job.

 I also got two carpenters today and two painters.  The carpenters were pulling up baseboard downstairs to prep for laying the flooring.  They also demo'd the FRP board behind the kitchen backsplash and in the mud room.    The painters want to spray the downstairs, so I'm cooling my jets on the flooring down there until that is done and the plumbing issues are taken care of. 

The job is just 2 miles from my parents' home.  I can visit them easily, and I've been careful to do so.  With my daughter's job east (v. west), it made it hard to be a frequent visitor, or a visitor at all! I wanted to see the Cream Fleece (BM) on the walls of the master bedroom.  It was soft and beautiful.  It looked terrific with the porcelain tile.  I cannot wait to see this home finished.  I'm just loving the soft, neutral tones of the paint and the porcelain tile.  Tomorrow, I meet the tile guy to get the damages for laying the tile. 

I need to get that damned electrician moving!  I just yelled into the other room, "We need to get moving on those cans," and he responded, "Yes, now is the time!"  Now is the time, indeed.  I found out today that I was successful in getting another home.  This one is in Williamsburg.  More later on that.  It is in a lovely neighborhood and a lovely setting.  It just needs some major interior updating. 

EPA De-crudification Continues

Though I had two college students (one of whom was my son) armed with TSP, microfiber cloths and rinse water, the walls in the master bathroom of FD home project still were a dirty, and the ceiling was horrible.  More TSP, rinse and repeat a few more times to includes some steaming in between finally erase most of the nicotine stains.  Nevertheless, there were still three areas where there was double-sided tape that was holding fast.  I used some paint stripper which managed to loosen it enough to scrape away, but it was not a clean scrape.

I have  big roll of fiberglass wall repair fabric sourced from the local salvage store. It is easy to cut and apply for non-professionals such as myself.  This fabric plus the metal/mesh patch kits are a life saver. I'm hurriedly getting ready for painters who will come on Monday.  Since some of the holes are large or the areas wide, I need to make a couple or three passes to get it in ship-shape.  Yes, they can do this stuff, but I'd much rather them prime and paint.  Unfortunately, the last time the house was painted, there were some super-sloppy repairs made.  So sloppy that we've had to cut away large sections of wall.  That requires re-insertion of drywall sheets and taping.  I'll let my contractor take care of that.

My son was not much interested in helping me clean the ceilings in the great room.   Note that I'm paying him.  He just is not interested and has squirreled away some money,  thus not motivated to do this work.  I'll get the crew on Monday to wash the ceilings so they can be primed and painting.

My contractor removed the wobbly deck.  Here are some pics.  I marvelled at their efficiency and elegance. Here's a pic after they removed the rails. Essential tools:  chainsaw, tunes and sawzall. Now you see it; now you don't!.

There needs to be some painting of the exterior of the windows, currently brown.  The white replacement windows are quite "stark" and my transition color will soften this look considerably. The basement area is wonderful.  It has a 'great room', a huge laundry room and two other room that would make nice bedrooms.  There is also a full bath with a shower.   This house will have alot of appeal to a larger family as there can be 5 bedrooms.  With the downstairs, there is also a super secondary communal space, complete with a thimble, woodstove and brick firebox.  With the addition of a wood stove upstairs, this home could be very, very energy efficient.

 My contractor very neatly stacked the waste and placed it carefully into this 30 yard dumpster.  This is the second 'filling'.  We'll keep this until the job's end.  We'll just have trash from the job, rather than all-out debris!  We did reclaim the shower door to make a hot house.

Here is the neighbor on the left (right if facing home).  This home is so beautiful, and the people are just delightful, as are the neighbors on the other side. This neighborhood is spectacular in every sense.

 Here is the house across the street, nestled in the landscaping.  I've not met these folks.  The folks before moved away because of all of the wild-assing that was going on in the home that I'm rehabbing.

I have finished sourcing everything for the house with my finalizing the tile for the bathroom floor downstairs, the tile for the two foyers.  I found $.99/sqf (from $6) porcelain tile that I will use for the foyer upstairs and downstairs.

With the arrival of the painters, we will now go from 0-60 on the interior pretty quickly.  Though I'm doing so much LESS work than on the SR project, sourcing and coordinating (combined with LEARNING) is still taking up lots of time.

On another foraging front:

Though I did find and purchased a beautiful cherry drop leaf table (rectangular when opened up) in Bedford, touring a Richmond antiques area, I made a find.  I'm still in table/chair mode as not only do you need to sit, you need to serve!  I found 4 oak chairs with cane cum upholstered (ugh!) seats. I plan to make new seats that will cover the previous caning holes AND to accept new upholstery.  I found these on a Monday when the store that I had planned to go to came up closed on a Monday.  I'll take Queen Anne oak chairs in a similar finish to my Stickley cherry table.   I do not care to have matching furniture, but rather prefer to have interesting pieces that stand on their own.

While doing a recon through the antique place that was closed on the Monday of my initial visit, I saw a lovely cherry drop leaf table with turned legs.  Looked at the tag:  far too much.  I went to the back room.  There was a Queen Anne style,  beaten up, solid cherry gate-leg table.  I expected it to be at least $100.  It was $30 with 20% off.  So for $25.20 (including tax). I have acquired something that I can easily refinish (or not), and use for seating or food staging. When not in use, it will be a functional sofa or library table.  Outside of the finish issues (dings, scratches), there is a small sliver taken out of one of the edges of the leaf drops.  I call those character markings.  While I plan to refinish, to be serviceable and beautiful, it needs not a thing.

Now to fix dinner and rest from the day's activities.....




Fun!



With my visit to my sister's home weekend before last and an evening with the Women for Wine Sense crew, I came home last evening saying to my husband, "That was really fun."  I'm sorry to say that I don't do much "fun" stuff and having two such events in close calendar proximity is a rarity!  The observation of my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Mandlowitz (sp?), was partly true:  a bright child, but too quiet and serious.  I'm no longer quiet (and my bulb seems to grow dimmer with age), but I've never shaken the serious portion.  I truly have to schedule "fun" time, because there are many things that I'm just interested in that bore most folks to tears.

Having had a couple of back to back 'fun' things, I'm remembering the advice of two different people in my life who know me well who advised:  You must schedule fun.  I succeeded in scheduling 'fun' because I put it on my 2008 list of resolutions. Boy am I dull!

My new house rehab is in full swing, and I'm having some minor angst that I might be over-improving this house.  I do know this:  the bathrooms are going to be so much nicer than the ones that I have in my home!  I have opted for quality choices (sourced smartly), but....hand wringing, angst.....I've the "what if?" banging around in my head.  Maybe I should have painted the basement floor....

My real estate agent is a wonderful young woman who graciously takes my calls and listens considerately to my worries.  I must remind myself that the house that I'm selling is NOT the house that I bought by a long shot.  Further, the house that I will be selling will be, relative to other inventory, almost like a new house (save the exterior).  I did source the appliances.  Yes, they were from Sears outlet, but they are quite nice, and no one could have a possible quibble. I also bought a new GE drop in range.  I purchased "bisque" appliances in keeping with the softer tones, more 'natural' tones of the cabinets.

I've been very inspired by the crafts(wo)men era where natural elements took precedence.  I'm a bit of a hypocrite as I'm painting all of the dark wood!  Nevertheless, by painting the dark trim, I'm neutralizing and softening the lines of the room by not creating "outlines".  With that, I'm able to let the cabinets, in their knotty-pine glory, the porcelain tile and wood flooring reflect earthy, natural elements.  Oh, plus, I bought some kick-ass knobs to replace the white knobs.


They are super-cool-neato, and look terrific. (Amerock BP4484RBZ Ambrosia Knob, Euro Stone, Square, Rustic Bronze)
 
Why don't I have these in MY kitchen?  Now let me tell you about a little trick that I learned about de-crudi-fying kitchen cabinets...but naturally it requires a small diversion....

In the kitchen, there is no greater enemy to your cabinet rehab efforts than grease AND contact paper. There is a weapon.  You must wield it with impunity:  Steam on demand.  Mike is my favorite go-to expert.  He is a knowledgeable craftsmen, and he is patient enough to listen to me prattle on about this and that. He is in perpetual motion, so for him to take 5 minutes out of his day to listen to me and better yet, to help me is a great gift.

I was using a clothes steamer to remove the contact paper.  It works great for removable shelves, but not so much for horizontal surfaces.  Think!  Think!  Think!  Oh yes....what if there is a wall paper steamer.  Call to Mike.  Yes...he has a wallpaper steamer.  Actually, it is a Wagner, Steam on Demand, model 915.  You can look at it here on Amazon. 

On my SR project (code, don't overthink it), I thought that nothing could be nastier than the backsplash that I thought was faux painting, but was really grease buildup.  On the FD (code again!)  project, the backsplash was pristine, but the cabinets had both moldy food and grease.  That would be cogently labeled the obverse of SR.  In addition, there was an entire section of cabinet that had some food hazard, that I cannot even begin to guess about.  At the SR project, while I was heating water on the singular, working burner on the cook top, I noticed that the steam caused some grease dripping.

Perhaps my bulb is not so dim. I elected to try the steamer on the cabinets.  My serially applied, toxic cocktail of TSP and  Mr. Clean Industrial (purple) and steam (I did have the since to where a respirator).  Where one or the other did not work, the serial application worked wonderfully.  I'm not sure how many years of grease, mold and other unidentified putrifications were dispatched to the Netherworld, but the cabinets look great. 

Grease is the great enemy of painting cabinets (though I'm not painting, and I'm hoping that I'll stick to that resolve).  And if you have a raised panel application, coupled with an indeterminate time period of putrification, contaminations, and general abomination then you can never get a 'clean' surface, without some high-powered INVASION.  Yes, steam on demand is your friend.

That's my long-winded tip.  If you are going to do house rehab, get yourself a high powered steamer.  It will clean 'stuff' that needs to be cleaned that you cannot clean well otherwise (trim, toilets, cabinets, appliances, walls, ceilings and et-cet-er-ra!)

I received my  Danze plumbing accoutrements....oh, they are beautiful.  I'm think (v hope) that my nice rehab will blow away prospects who will value having not just a move in ready home, but rather, I MUST move in to this house buyer.  Make no mistake, I think that the market is still tough and that it will remain so for a while.  That notwithstanding....I want this home to be irresistibly appealing to the major buyer in this current market:  the first time homebuyer with an eye to future.