Saved $9,000 on rehab!

My goal was and is to follow this process in as much detail as possible. With my darling, 5-year-old little girl, it is not always easy. But we all know the saying about excuses...

I initially estimated the electrical work at this property to run in the ballpark of about $9,000. This was going to be the biggest expense. The contractor, also a good friend, came out a few days ago and told me everything is in good, working order. The home is plaster and lathe throughout. Taking down walls would require much more money and time compared to removing drywall. Needless to say, this news from him made me extremely happy :)

Now where one contractor gets applause and gold stars, the other does not. Enter in the mason. I am in the construction business and I understand that it gets crazy at times. But not receiving a phone call, text, or email... as many of you know it is frustrating. One call to him today in addition to two other contractors. I need a section of waterproofing done in the rear of the house. There are other good fair masons in the area and my heart is not necessarily set on having this one.

I also secured the property with new lock sets. Cost: $0 (I had some lying around). Time: 20 minutes.

The larger unit is now kitchen-less: 75% gutted. I could not salvage the cabinets- 1000 layers of paint + decades of wear and tear has really taken a toll on them. We got a steal of a deal on some cherry cabinets. 

IMPORTANT: Always look at how long and how much cost something will take to restore compared to going with a replacement. I'm picking up a set of cherry cabinets today for $600. It took 1.5 hours to remove the old ones. It will take 4-5 hours to install the new ones (That's a high estimate). Restoring the not-so-great, old ones would look like this: 

$100 on paint and primer and rollers

$30 hardware

$320 for sanding, priming, and painting @ $20/ hr. for two days worth of work ($20x16)

+ _____________

$450 

In this case, it makes more sense to go new. 

I have been making it a point to go meet the neighbors and introduce myself. Everyone is thrilled that I am making drastic improvements already. The seller was a junk collector and had created some major eyesores on the property. It is amazing- just by throwing away old furniture and lattices, the place looks 10x better! One of the neighbors, a teenage girl, was riding by on her bike. She stopped and looked at the house, paused, and said "WOW." Adding value is a win-win for everyone!