Quick remodel update

Haha, I’m surprised I put the words “quick” and “remodel” in the same title. This update is the only thing that’s quick about the remodel. John is in charge of the project nowadays, and he has zero extra time because he puts in so many extra hours at work. So the progress has slowed considerably. But I am SO grateful to not be in charge of this remodel anymore. Sometimes I think that is the MAIN REASON I decided to go get a job – because I couldn’t stand being project manager on this remodel any longer. This is our 3rd remodel and I’ve decided I hate them.

I blamed the difficulty of our first remodel, in California, on the fact that we were both working full-time, and it was a really big remodel, and we’d never done one before. I blamed the difficulty of my second remodel on the fact that it was my dad’s property in Oregon, and I was living in California, so I was managing it from long distance.

I don’t have anything to blame for the difficulty of this remodel.  I live within walking distance. I’m not working except for my coaching clients. It really should have been fine, but I really hated it. I think I’m not very good at remodels. So I’m finally learning – no this doesn’t get much better with practice.  I am going to be so much happier working on my paperwork in an office. I’m actually good at that 😉

I think part of the problem too is that I had spend hundreds of hours – weeks – months – designing an addition and higher-end remodel that turned out to not be affordable. So that was a big disappointment as well as a waste of all last fall. I somehow should have gotten a better handle on the numbers before investing so much time and emotion into the project design, but I thought I was ok because I was working with an architect who knew my budget. I didn’t realize that architects don’t really know much more than I do about what construction really costs. I needed to have a builder involved. So the architect’s fee was the first (of several) big wastes of money with this project.

I would probably be comfortable doing a small amount of minor remodel and upgrading in the future because I really have learned a lot. But I hope I don’t take on a full gut-job ever again. (Notice I’m not promising I’ll never do it again. I don’t know what I’m going to be able to find in Santa Fe on my budget – it very well could need some upgrading.) John and I tend to buy yard spaces and neighborhoods and views, rather than interior upgrades. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

We actually did a good job of buying rentals that were in good shape. But still, all the rentals will need upgrades over the years. But it will just be one thing at a time. New floor tiles in the Eagle Crest house. Replace the evaporative coolers with central air in the other two houses. Interior painting as the tenants cycle out. But these things are single projects and I’ll only have to be working with one provider at a time. That’s not nearly as complicated as a full remodel where you have electricians and plumbers and stucco guys and drywall guys and window guys and tile guys and framers and painters and everyone has to be coordinated.

Anyway, the guy who is supposed to lay the brick floor was supposed to start on Sept. 2. It’s now Sept. 16 and we haven’t seen any sign of him. I hope he is not planning to disappear with our deposit.

The wood floor guy is good. He’s plugging away steadily. It’s going to be very nice when it’s done. It looks funny right now because he is patching the cracks and knot holes with filler. But it will look normal once it’s been sanded.

John has decided to replace the kitchen cabinets rather than just paint them. He’s pulled some of them out.

The sink and countertop are already installed, so he’s going to hold it all up with  adjustable sawhorses while he removes the rest of the cabinets. I think the new cabinets on top of the new brick flooring will end up as a different height, so he will probably need to redo the countertop and sink installation, and raise it all by an inch or so.