...is to take a foreclosed house and turn it into a home. Sounds simple, right? Well, no. What we think is that these people took what they could when they lost the house.The list of things that are missing:
1. About 850 square feet of flooring
2. All of the appliances except the dishwasher but including the built-in range and range hood
3. Three drawers from the kitchen cabinets
4. The lids to the toilet tanks
5. Several interior doors
6. Miscellaneous trim
7. Kitchen ceiling fan blades
In addition to that, when they took the range out, they literally ripped it out of the cabinets, not causing damage to the cabinets themselves, but taking some of the laminate counter tops off.
Other than that, the house is in great condition! ...except for the awkward double doorknobs on the french back doors, the kicked in garage door, the storm door that opens on the opposite side as the front door, and questionable paint choices throughout.
So, why am I buying this house? First: unless I handle this very stupidly, the house will increase in value dramatically with a little bit of sweat equity. Second: it's priced about $9k off the mirror house across the street which just sold and $20k lower than another listed in the neighborhood. Third: we will have the chance to start from the ground up, so to speak, and create a space just our own, not initially an attraction...but we're warming up to the idea.
So far we have:
1. purchased all the appliances (thank you Stefan)
2. decided to replace the kitchen counters with quartz
3. decided on laminate flooring throughout
Your mission: vote on one of the colors of quartz in the side bar. We've narrowed it down to two, but would like some input. Please use the comments to tell us why you chose the color. Thanks!
WOBSIE! This is so fun. You should check out Pioneer Woman's remodel of the Lodge on www.thepioneerwoman.com. Anyway, I voted for the lighter color because if you're going to use it as a neutral in the kitchen, the lighter palette will give you more options for the other colors you choose.
ReplyDeleteI voted against the grain with firm strategy as my basis, rather than purely aesthetic motives. A slightly darker color, with more particulate contrast, will mask imperfections it will inevitably pick up through normal use. Essentially, it will look newer longer, and through careful paint choice, you will be able to make the strategic choice look just like it grew there. It really just depends on which comes first in your decision stream: counter or paint. I would go with emphasis on the least changeable feature.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my wife agrees with me for once, so my vote counts twice! Waha!
Rob, the darker color would hide dirt better! That will be a concern when you start your family or if you entertain much!
ReplyDeleteI like them both, but I voted for the darker one because it has more colors in it. We have black granite with pretty gold flecks in it. the problem is that it's mostly black and even when it's TOTALLY CLEAN, it streaks. I think if it had a wider variety of colors it in, the streaking would show less. also, i agree with the above that it will look newer longer and hide scratches/imperfections that you may accumulate.
ReplyDeleteStefan,
ReplyDeleteYour wife's vote has been counted.
To paraphrase a fine and haughty lady from Kent in about the 1800--it's a prettyish little house.
ReplyDeleteLooks very nice from the street, and I like the trees in the yard.
The 2-car garage will be a great asset, I do believe.
Congratulations on rounding out the appliances so promptly, so well, and so frugally.
Well, I chose the most neutral (though both are neutral enough to go with an array of other choices) because if (as seems likely) you're planning to leave there before it wears out, it's easier for people looking at houses to imagine their own ideas against neutral backgrounds. Not that we ever had time to imagine--we were looking for shelter when we went house shopping. Still, I've HEARD it's easier. This is a difficult thing to figure out. You may have to flip a coin or something.
ReplyDeleteI think it's important to note that the toilet tank covers were FOUND! Which helps. And the water is on and the electricity and the a/c is effective! The closing was slightly late and fairly long, but we are all well educated on Texas and US requirements and Rob will likely not end up doing anything illegal. It's good to be warned.
ReplyDeleteThere is much to do! But the potential for a nice, snug little home on the high plains is there! (NB my first reaction to Little Box was to think of the Little House series--though I know Pete Seger's version of "Little Boxes" well)