Real Estate
let’s talk: PLANNING FOR A HOME RENOVATION
| Hey Guys! I went MIA last week but we are back in full swing with a big update on our latest project. As you all know we closed on a home a few weeks ago that we plan to renovate over the next couple of years. I want to lay out what we plan to do and how we plan to do it. The point of sharing all of this is to share what we learn along the way. EVERYONE and their mother seem to be doing home projects right now because what better way to occupy ourselves while staying at home, right?! May as well share best practices and learn from each other. So here we go -we are calling this one Project H! So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk PLANNING FOR OUR HOME RENOVATION… Step #1. We closed on our home! Step #2. Emptied the house! (ish) We are working to empty the house as much as possible before we move our stuff in. The owner had left behind a ton of her furniture so we put aside what we wanted to keep and sold the rest on Facebook Marketplace. Step #3: Create a PUNCH List Here is what we hope to accomplish over the next couple of years:Open up the kitchen and living areasRedo the master bath and closet Redo the floors throughout the entire homeInstall a new fence in the backyard because Booker needs to be able to run around the entire yard obviously lolRemove the wallpaper. There is wallpaper EVERYWHERE in the house right now. Paint the ENTIRE interiorStain the built-ins in the game room, dining room and officeLandscapingBuild an outdoor fireplaceUpdate the garage doorInstall new security system Update the front door Update the current light fixtures inside and outside Create a bigger laundry “room” space (this will really be a closet but we will make it work!)Cosmetic updates to the powder rooms and guest bathrooms…and I am SURE I will find a million more things to update when the time, and budget of course, permits! Step #4: Architect time We are bringing in an architect for this house because I do NOT want to screw this up. We got a few different quotes and followed our gut. SO important to get multiple quotes because they can vary WIDELY. I am talking a difference of $8,000… which felt like a lot for us! We had our first meeting with architect we chose a week ago, signed a contract end of last week, and his team was out here yesterday taking measurements! In the next two weeks they will present us with layout ideas for the kitchen and master bedroom/bathroom renovations. Step #5: Get to work! There are some items on this list that do not require a permit and we think we can do ourselves… Or at least, we are trying to do ourselves lol. Here is what we have been up to over the past couple of weeks:Painted the living area on the first floor. p.s. do NOT recommend an eggshell coat on a ceiling, it has been a nightmare. The reason I went eggshell in the first place was because I was doing the walls in Behr Ultra White – Eggshell finish and thought it was be easy if I just did the ceiling in that as well….Apparently people use an eggshell finish on the ceiling “all of the time” as it is the second most popular ceiling finish behind a flat plant…. but the “people” who do an eggshell ceiling must be some SERIOUS professionals because it is HARD to make it look perfect. I have done two coats so far and it still looks streaky in some spots. I am debating if I will give it a 3rd coat or say screw it, lightly sand it out and cover it with a flat coat. I will keep you posted on this!We started to pull up carpet on the first floor. Eventually we want to redo these floors but we need to wait to replace them until after we finish opening up the kitchen and living areas. Plus, pushing this “to-do” out a bit is good for the budget! Luckily, there are hardwoods underneath the carpet already so after we are done painting on the first floor, we will rip up the carpet that is down there and use what we got! Scheduled the floor installation for the second floor. We won’t be doing much to the layout of the second floor and I wanted to get some of the flooring in before we moved our stuff in there. SO, the flooring upstairs will be installed next week – CANNOT WAIT. We picked a floor that has been around forever so fingers crossed it will still be around when it is time to update the floors downstairs. After we are in there, I will stain the stairs to match!Removed the wallpaper in the front hall. We have wallpaper in the front foyer, upstairs hallway, game room and dining room that has been there for 30 years and has been somewhat of a nightmare to fully remove. At first it was fun, therapeutic even, but when you get down to that last adhesive sticky layer… GAME OVER, it is insane and so hard to remove. SO for full transparency, we finally decided to hire someone to pull off the rest of it as I was just ruining the drywall and it would have taken me way longer than a professional. He has only been there for 3 hours so far and has already accomplished WAY more than I did in 3 days. We started our quest to clean up the backyard. We are lucky that there are a TON of trees but there are just too many so we are working to clean it up a bit and try to build a better yard space for the pup since he basically rules our house. Walkthroughs, walkthroughs, walkthroughs! While we want to a lot to this ourselves, there is a ton on this list that we just do not have the expertise for at this point in time so we are bringing in the experts in some cases. So far we have met with a landscaping company for the tree removal, multiple fencing companies, floor specialists and tomorrow I am walking through with the contractor who helped save Project Philly for us last year! He has become our go to guy for everything and I full expect work with him on the big renovations in this house. That is all for this week! I will keep you guys posted with updates, learnings, mistakes (you know we will make a bunch lol), and how it all turns out. Meanwhile, if you are doing any home renovation projects of your own PLEASE share them with us! We LOVE to see what others are doing and draw inspiration and best practices. |
| Stay Healthy! Erin p.s. LET’S CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA Blog: www.erinkelly.org Instagram: @erin.lindsey.kelly Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ErinHomeandRE Twitter: @ErinKellyHomes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlindseykelly/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/erinhomeandrealestate/ LinkTree:https://linktr.ee/erin.home.and.realestate p.p.s. If you are comfortable would you mind leaving me a review?! Would love to know how you are liking this blog or if you have enjoyed working together! Google Business Page Zillow Business PageNEW TO OUR EMAILS?! SUBSCRIBE HERE OR, no longer wish to receive these emails?! Sad to see you go, but you can unsubscribe at the bottom of the page All data and information provided in this email is for informational purposes only. This email makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Opinions stated here are my own and not the views of eXp Realty. Data Sources for Today’s Content: Me – This is based on my own personal experiences & opinions |
Erin Kelly
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