The biggest issue was not replacing the ceiling that had the rat infestation, but have to honor the client’s wishes. Yikes!
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The back yard (except for the rusty patio thing) looks really nice. I’m looking forward to seeing the transformation.
Why…why are they keeping that mirror and sliding whats it in the bathroom. And the wallpaper. Get rid of it now.
I think this place will be much improved with some nice features like the kitchen.
Those windows….maybe that will be in their near future.
Do you feel a little like you are putting lipstick on a pig in some of these rooms?
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She actually likes the wallpaper. She is going to waste a ton of money and time trying to design a chair rail or something around the wall paper cutout issues. There’s Swiss cheese cutouts all around the bedroom also where she’s trying to save the paper
All I can say is… god save the Queen! Lol (sad). Tell them they can have the paper as long as the vanity is gone. It is beyond butt ugly.
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Vanity is gone. She relinquished and told us to take it out. Then it went to the dump. She got upset because she was going to use it somewhere else. It really had no function. It smelled and had little 6” side doors with tiny shelves.
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Did you get her to give up that mirror and the sliding door storage whats it?
We all know that the wallpaper is going to go too…it’s just a matter of when!
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It was time to go. Where was she going to put that stinky, ugly thing? Why get upset? It’s a dollar thing which I understand is why she’s probably upset. My father-in-law’s cabinet (also was in the bathroom) is almost a copy, but it didn’t last.
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Yes, she gave up the mirror and the old style medicine cabinet. For some crazy reason she was clinging to that old medicine cabinet because it is ‘vintage’. But now she needs a 36” wide vanity and it was too long
She has photo shopped what she is going to do in there and it’s kind of cute. She’s going to put dark bead board on bottom to cover the mess and cover top with mirror. I don’t like the style of vanity, but they want a modern touch. I would have gone a little more rustic with a wood vanity
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But didn’t throw out the medicine cabinet, just put it in the back yard. She might want to use it somewhere. Who knows?
Wow! I don’t like the “look” of the future bathroom, but, I guess she likes it.
My husband and I went to Home Depot and got 2 Medicine cabinets for $46 dollars each. Worked for us. (I’ll try to get pictures up later.)
Anything is an improvement over that dilapidated monstrosity! 
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Wow, what a project!
I actually like the wallpaper design - can see the vintage appeal. But…keeping bathroom wallpaper (and smelly cabinet)?? Just ew for many reasons, lol. Would think she could replicate that paper with something new and add to the ‘future to do’ list…?
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There’s too much going on on that wall for me. Lights, mirror, patterned wall paper, bead board, vanity. (Which I agree doesn’t match the vintage vibe.)
Yeah, I can see her vision here. I think it could work. But too many square edges (light fixture has two “squares”, mirror, vanity, tile, etc. - even the wall! I think a round mirror would soften the look. It looks too tight.
That’s way better than the ugly thing. But really…the wallpaper is going to go…they will figure that out in time!
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We are in the final stretch of finishing up the little home. However, I am not sure I can work with first time homebuyers again. Their expectations are just so unrealistic. Every single day I have to hear about how much money it is costing. I’d like to see them find some other way to clear out all the rats, replace every single piece of plumbing (including most of the copper), and rewire an entire house with an upgraded panel for less than $18,000 which it has cost them. I warned them before they bought the house.
Another issue we are having is that I made it very clear it was going to take 6 weeks and $45,000 (with them purchasing kitchen appliances and cabinets on top of that). Then they added the rewiring, new panel and the drain replacement after my initial estimate. I warned them they needed to add another 3 weeks and $20,000 because there was going to be a lot of drywall repairs. “We will do all the drywall patching and mudding”. Well, that hasn’t happened!!! And, just this week they told me they have to move everything in this week (which is the end of 6 weeks!!! ) I have no idea where they think they are going to sleep or how they are going to use a toilet.
Then they decided their friend was going to do all the tiling and countertops. He just got started and he is not going to be done until next Monday. I have explained 1,000 times that we cannot install anything into bathrooms until tiled and painted. And, No, they will not have a functioning sink or appliances in kitchen without a countertop!!! So they wanted to know if we were going to work all weekend to try to get these things installed 5 minutes after tile guy done. Uhhh, No, that is an unreasonable request to my team who have already worked the last 2 weekends.
But, here’s the worst part… when we went to design and purchase kitchen we discovered that IKEA cabinets are out of stock and at least 12 weeks out. This is very unusual. IKEA usually is the ‘go to’ source for cabinets in stock. So, then I started calling around trying to find any Ready to Assemble or any cabinets in stock. Nothing except dark wood cheap cabinets. So, I told her my last resort was to call the guy I use for custom cabinets and just beg beg beg if he could get them done in 3-4 weeks. This also was a great solution because then we could get custom sizes and shapes to maximize functionality in the small kitchen.
IKEA was going to be $5,500 for the cabinets plus assembly labor. My guy came through and said he could rush the cabinets but we would have to pick them up at the factory and install ourselves to avoid scheduling delivery and installation. Cost $9,000 (which I know these would probably be about $12,000 delivered and installed). They had a fit. I left it up to them to make a decision and they really had no choice. BUT BUT BUT in their minds they spent a huge fortune and they expected everything to be absolutely perfect. I am enduring little pieces of blue tape everywhere where there is a ‘blemish’. And, I get emails and texts late at night at how unhappy they are with the cabinets. The blemishes are three tiny little dots where a spec got under the finish on the maple door fronts. But most of the pieces of blue tape is where they are all upset about the overspray on the painted cabinets which that factory rushed out in 2 weeks for me. The ‘overspray’ is on the top of the cabinet box which is going to be underneath the countertop or on the inside where noone is going to see it because there is a drawer. OMG!!! I cannot take it anymore
And, I receive a nightly text or email with a list of things they are not happy about.
Where in the world did they think they were going to find a skilled crew to come in the exact day they closed escrow and get this all done? I’m just floored they are not happy with anything. Example - "why didn’t the guys fill the concrete in the trenches perfectly so we didn’t have to lay self leveling cement to smooth it out? " Thats just an unreasonable expectation.
Some new photos laoded
BUDGET UPDATE
After Week 6 we will be at $36,000 so far. I expect we will get up to about $45,000 but that does not include the $9,000 cabinets, about $5,000 they spent for appliances and a lot of stuff they are buying themselves. They are buying most items and they are staying ahead of all the purchases and not going into Decision Paralysis, which is a good thing.
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You seriously have the patience of a saint. I would have told this couple off many weeks ago.
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I’m so sorry CB. You are dealing with an anomaly here. Haven’t these folks ever stepped into an IKEA or HD before buying the property? Geez. Snoflaky pansies!
I cannot walk off the job, although I have been tempted. This is the first time I’ve felt that it might be best if they found someone else to do the job. But the woman is my agent’s real estate partner (for about 5 years) and she knows my work and I have worked with her on several flips. And, it’s not her. It’s her boyfriend who is unhappy and he forces her to send lists of issues every evening.
My concern is the perceived ‘blemishes’ in the cabinets. They are upset because I ‘recommended’ the cabinet maker and they want me to do something about it. I am not about to call a trusted and loyal supplier that did me a huge favor and complain and ask him to remake one door. I am going to ask him to stop by and look at it to see if there is a way to fix it easily out in the field.
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