Progress Report...

This House is Going to look great when we finish.. I just know it.


For exterior paint, we chose Pony Tail as the base color and Crescent Moon for the Trim, from Olympic Paint. Painting will start @ December 15th for the exterior.

The ceilings are finished!
Here are pictures while work was going on:

The walls have been repaired and re-textured for painting, thanks to Jimmy Watkins drywall. Jimmy also rounded all of the corners and scraped the ceilings; he did an excellent job and gave us a warranty on his work. We chose a smooth hand texture for the ceilings and a smooth orange peel for the walls (though we would have loved the re-texture with the hand trowel, it's a costly job).

This is the granite we looked at having installed. For $2,000 we can have the whole kitchen in granite with a 6" backsplash... Still a bit pricey, we may need to just do the island in granite and the other countertops wood OR vice versa. I personally think it is better to get good cabinets over flashy countertops, though the kitchen does need some eye appeal. The GRANITE we like is in the 3rd row (middle) and the second from the left-hand side. Its called Santa Cecilia and it's warm and nice looking. We also like the one at the bottom right corner, Baltic Brown.


We are working right along, now needing to get the termites and windows taken care of, which requires paperwork. My Terminex rep is really slacking, which is annoying me. I think I will get another quote while I wait for him to get his act together; he is not following up fast enough for my timeline...


Choosing a Kitchen Design...
White Cabinetry with Stainless Steel creates a tidy look...

...Or MIX white cabinets with a dark walnut-stained island to give dimension and add warmth to an all-white kitchen.






...Or go with all dark-stained cabinets with
Stainless Steel and solid surface like white laminate or sandstone (a softer stone).

I really like the walnut stained cabinets, perhaps I can find some unfinished cabinets and treat them with a dark color to save money...

Before Photos (interior)

Budget Reevaluation

So far, we have the following MUSTS in the budget before move-in:

* means work already has begun

PHASE 1

Popcorn Ceiling Removal + Paint $ 2000 saved $ 300 *
Paint Interior $ 900 saved@ $ 600 *
$ 300 wall prep
$ 100 Paint Sprayer
$500 Interior Paint
Termite Work $ 1992 saved $ 3000
Bullnose Corners $ 800 *

Carpet $ 1800
--------------------------------------------------------------
Phase 1 Total $7942

PHASE 2

Kitchen Cabinets $2500
Counter tops $1000
Kitchen Appliances $2000
Vinyl Windows $ 3558
___________________________________
Phase 2 Total $17000

PHASE 3 (est. costs)

Exterior Paint $1000 Save $500
Yard $3000
Pergo Floors $2000
Misc. (lighting, fixtures, etc) $1000

Cabinet & Flooring Choices

Tundra Floors

from Ikea $1.29/sq. ft.!!

(From Top Left: Maple, Med. Brown, & Antique).

I like the antique finish (right), but I worry it is too "country-style". I love the deep medium brown floor with white kitchen cabinets and wood countertops...

Kitchen Cabinets:

Choice 1

AKURUM/ ÄDEL
Kitchen
$1,756.92 / size shown

Choice 2:
AKURUM/ ÄDEL
Kitchen
$2,058.92

Choice 3:

AKURUM/ FAGERUM
Kitchen
$1,627.92 / as shown

Countertop Options:

NUMERÄR
Countertop

(From top Left: Beech, Antique Oak, Birch)

$169.00 / 96 7/8" x 25 5/8"

So many choices on this kitchen, we would like to know what the Homeowners think of the available choices before we decide....

Popcorn Ceilings No More!

I went to the property today to check on the progress.

Jimmy Watkins Drywall is doing the drywall work. His prices are very fair and he does quality work. So far, I am very satisfied with his professionalism and work ethic.

Jimmy agreed to scrape the popcorn ceilings, re-texture the ceilings, and paint the ceilings white for a great price that came in just under our $2300 budget for ceiling scraping!

So,that's $300 in savings.

Then, Ray and I purchased a paint sprayer for another house we are working on. The paint sprayer costs$199.00, so we split the cost between the two houses and are able to save the cost of a painter (unless we cannot paint the cathedral ceiling, then we will pay Jimmy to paint only those walls). That means we can most-likely save @ $1,000 on interior painting. Ray may also be able to pain the body of the house's exterior, hiring a painter to paint only the remaining exterior trim. That can mean a savings of $1,500 off the painting budget (total)!

With that extra $1500 and the $3,000 we are saving from termite repairs, we have decided to then put in the vinyl windows $3755.00. Also, we are having Jimmy round all of the interior corners into bull-nose corners, even the windows (it looks great!!); giving the home a newer look $800. Finally, we hired jimmy to also prep & repair all interior walls for painting $300; giving Ray the opportunity to paint much more area in a faster amount of time; if the wall underneath doesn't look good, the paint won't look it's best!

101 Rodney Project!!

This house is oozing character! The charming Mediteranean Exterior is visually soothing. I want to bring this look and feel throughout the home; perhaps paint the baseboards dark, instead of white, then the walls a cream color. This look could even be inverted throughout the residence.

The Plan:

Preliminary Budget + Timeline
Repair Item Breakdown/ Est. Cost(s) Budget Time to Complete

Termite Inspection & Termite Work
$ 5,000.00
Week 1

Paint
$ 3,000.00
Week 2

Interior Paint
$ 1,500.00
Exterior Paint
$ 1,500.00

Flooring:
$ 3,800.00
Weeks 3-6

Carpet
$ 1,800.00
3-4 days

Tile/Pergo floors kitchen, liv rm, dining , hallway
$ 2,000.00
2- 3 weeks

Kitchen
$ 5,000.00
weeks 4-7

Kitchen Cabinets: Restore or Replace
$ 2,500.00

Countertops
$ 1,000.00

Newer, Matching Appliances + Installation
$2,000

(Replace Faucet w/ pull-out
$ 100.00 )

Yard & Lawn
$ 1500.00
Weeks 7& 8

Plant trees & plants, and Roto-till + seed grass
Remove concrete & sheds
Repair Sprinklers
Miscellaneous
Ongoing

Repair ceiling fan cords
$ 500.00

Replace light fixtures
$ 500.00

Scrape Popcorn Ceilings, Re-texture, & Paint
$ 2,300.00 COST $2000.00 SAVED $ 300.00

Shower heads (2)
$ 100.00
Master Bathroom Framed Wall Mirror
$ 100.00
Master Bathroom Sink cabinet+ fixtures
$ 500.00
Master Bedroom Closets (rods/organization)
$ 150.00
Replace Slider - Bedroom + Dining area
$ 1,500.00
3 days
2 Broken Windows
$ 250.00
1 day
Total
$ 24,700.00
8-9 weeks