<p>We will be setting up some kind of loud alarms before the weekend. We have all the windows screwed shut but if someone really wanted to get in they could just break the glass.</p>
<p>Just post a big sign that the place is booby-trapped with a spring gun. B-) </p>
<p>NEW FLICKR PHOTO GROUP</p>
<p>I was finally able to get a Yahoo Account connected to Flickr. For some reason I can only get back to Flip #1 and Flip #2 as Administrator. So, I had to create a new Flip #3.</p>
<p>NEW PHOTO GROUP FOR GOING FORWARD</p>
<p><a href=“Flickr: The CC Flip Project #3 Pool”>https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/groups/2750844@N22/pool/</a></p>
<p>Note that I only loaded a limited number of Before photos - after all the trash was cleared from house. For those that are joining us, please find the original Flickr group link on Page 23 - that shows the horrific condition of house and the hoarding trash.</p>
<p>I will use this one going forward.</p>
<p>There is a new little nugget in the photos. We discovered an original 1936 Milk Box in the kitchen. The metal box has an exterior door and an interior door in the back courtyard with a interesting dial where you would ‘order’ the products that you wanted delivered. Can you imagine the poor milkman dragging bottles of milk up those stairs, going around South Side of house and delivering into back courtyard??? </p>
<p>cb, the milkbox is adorable. Those were the days when people had to perform physical activity to do their jobs. </p>
<p>I’m really really excited about this house. See something go from so horrible to something that is going to be beautiful is tremendously satisfying. I can only imagine how you feel!!</p>
<p>BUDGET UPDATE</p>
<p>Well, only one week ago I thought it was going to take $86,500 to renovate this house. But, I cannot contain myself on some really cool things I want to do with this place. Soon I’m going to try to draw out current floor plan and share the layout changes that I’m doing. But, I’m realizing that I am going to go over the top with my budget, cross my fingers that it is all going to be profitable.</p>
<p>EXPENSES TO DATE $8,728 </p>
<p>DEMOLITION AND TRASH $3,600 against $4,000 budget. Going to go way over on this again!!!</p>
<p>CLEARING LANDSCAPE $850</p>
<p>ELECTRICAL $1,900</p>
<p>PLUMBING $550</p>
<p>GENERAL $1,828 (includes new garage door which was $900)</p>
<p>I would guess that 70-80 years ago you could drive all the way down the alley, and the milkman got to the back of the house from there.</p>
<p>Interesting that you could get raw milk… these days people get arrested for selling raw milk.</p>
<p>coralbrook, I am finally caught up on this thread and I am familiar with the area of flip #3. A college friend of mine lived around the corner from there. I can’t wait to see the “after” pictures and show DH. I love your idea of converting the shed.
He and I are thinking of downsizing to a small house on a larger lot. It will mean renovating and I’m not sure I can handle that. It takes DH and I months just to agree on paint colors. Looking forward to your next post!</p>
<p>Aah, Coralbrook – The potential of this house makes me wish to move back to SD.</p>
<p>That house has so much built in charm. </p>
<p>@lilmom, your avatar kills me. I just want you to know! X_X </p>
<p>Coralbrook, I love the look of the open niche next to the large arch. It would be wonderful if you could open both of them and leave them, or just carry the opening down to the floor. That would give you the open feel while retaining the charm of the house.</p>
<p>And I adore the milk box. I hope you are leaving it there!</p>
<p>^^^ That was exactly what I thought when I saw the pictures!</p>
<p>Yes, please keep the milk box! It is such a neat little element that adds to the charm of the house. I’m not sure I agree with Consolation on the arches (I am just not a fan of arches as indoor architectural elements, especially several of them so closely positioned next to each other), but the milk box is precious.</p>
<p>Can’t wait to see what kind of layout for the kitchen and living areas you will end up with. :)</p>
<p>PROGRESS UPDATE</p>
<p>It has been officially three weeks since the Hoarder House was purchased. But, my crew was not able to really move over to this house until Wednesday Sept 3 to get started. I had a bunch of college students working at project for 1 1/2 weeks doing the trash out</p>
<p>Week 1
Removed all trash bags and loose trash from house
Cut down all trees and bushes from around the entire house
Cut down all vines and brush that was climbing the house and back fence
Go through everything in the house and decide what to throw away and what to keep for Estate Sale
Get car out of garage, install battery and sell car
Clear out debris from garage
Power wash garage and scrub with TSP and grease cleaner</p>
<p>Week 2
Try to grind down stumps from trees and big bushes (not successful)
Remove kitchen cabinets, walls, ceiling and floor from kitchen
Remove paneling and corner cabinets from dining area
Remove toilet, vanity, walls from bathroom
Remove all contents from back shed
Move everything for Estate Sale to garage
Organize everything for Estate Sale
New electric panel and roof post with main feed to house
Dig trenches around old sewer line
Estate Sale </p>
<p>Week 3
New wiring into bedrooms
Tore out old knob and tube electric panel in bedroom closet - probably should sell it to an antique store!
Remove bathtub to dumpster
New garage door with code keypad opener
Remove concrete and floor tile out of bathroom
Open up kitchen wall with header
Open up living room wall with header
Rebuild original niche on right of new living room wall opening
Remove wide stucco walls from front porch
Demolish old hall closets - create new hallway
Remove all doors and door hardware and save
Clear all debris from under house
Inspect foundation and fix six piers and posts under house
Remove all old cast iron sewer and drain lines from under house
New 4" main sewer line connected to City main
Two new drain lines into back shed (temporary)
Scrub and clean back shed
Install toilet for project use in back shed
Kitchen design!!! finally</p>
<p>And, of course, spent a lot of time getting distracted by researching the interesting items found in the house. Haven’t had time to sell any of the interesting items, but we have finally meticulously cleaned Napoleon and Josephine, the French guards and the bookends. Haven’t figured out how to clean ballerinas because their skirts are very old mesh/lace material and I’m scared to dunk them in warm water to clean because the skirts will disintegrate.</p>
<p>I’m very excited about the kitchen design, I have decided to purchase interesting colors for cabinets. Calculated risk. I’ll share with everyone to get your opinions</p>
<p>Living Room Shelf Niches</p>
<p>The shelf niches that are in the living room have an interesting thin painted panel behind them. The entry wall has been opened up much wider and the niche on the right was removed. I wanted to open up the wall all the way from corner to corner but after close inspection, there is too much roof structure and weight on the corner post where the kitchen wall is. Because that kitchen wall was opened up, there is a new large header spanning across the top of that opening. It is resting on a beefed up post and we really cannot open the living room wall past that post. So, to ensure that our engineering and structure are solid, the living room wall will still have about 4 ft on the right. </p>
<p>We decided to rebuild the niche on the right of the living room opening, at exactly same location that the left one is from the wall. My lead saved the wood structure and replaced it into a new opening (with header) on the right of the living room wall. Because this niche will be behind the kitchen wall, and that portion of the kitchen wall has cabinets, we cannot open up the back of the right hand niche.</p>
<p>I think it will look strange to have the left niche opened up (no panel on back) and then the right one has to be closed up because the back of the kitchen cabinets are there. Unfortunately these niches are set low. If they were set higher, it would be really cool to have them opened up so that you are in the kitchen looking through it - but it would have to be at least 36" from floor to be above the cabinets and countertop. They are about 30" from floor. Don’t want to open up the left one and move it around</p>
<p>Lots and lots of work done to date. Thank goodness now the “fun” stuff can begin! </p>
<p>Do you have an idea yet of what you’d like to sell the house for?</p>
<p>DESIGN ISSUES</p>
<p>I am finalizing a kitchen design and I have to be done by Sunday morning. If I can get the kitchen cabinets ordered by Sunday night I will get an extra 10% off my cabinet order. I have decided to go higher end on this house because I think that I need to ‘wow’ with the kitchen to make up for some other downfalls in the house.</p>
<p>Going with KraftMaid because they have big sale right now. This means very high quality solid wood cabinets. </p>
<p>I’m going to take a calculated risk… the lowers will be pale gray with a slightly rounded simple shaker style. There are not going to be many uppers. Since it is a galley style kitchen, it is important to me that the entry area is very open and the large things are down at the end of the kitchen. The uppers are going to Midnight Blue!!! I think the combination will be beyond gorgeous!! My other choice is to go all white cabinets. But I cannot resist how fun this is going to be!</p>
<p>My other design issue is I need to re-tile the fireplace and I just don’t know whether to go slightly contemporary with glass mosaic or traditional Mission style. The selection of the fireplace tile is really going to set the tone for the rest of the house</p>
<p>Somewhat like this, but the appearance will be less grey because there are no upper cabinets in my kitchen design except at back of galley kitchen</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.houzz.com/photos/2667740/Kitchen-with-island-transitional-kitchen-new-york”>Kitchen with island - Transitional - Kitchen - New York - by Maggie McManus Kitchens & Baths | Houzz;
<p>I have KraftMaid cabinets and I’ve been very happy with them. (Just a year and a half old, though.) I think the gray – which, in the Houzz pic you showed has a blue tone to it – will be lovely with the few blue upper cabinets. Designing a kitchen is one of the most fun activities I can think of. </p>
<p>My vote for the fireplace tiles is to go somewhat modern. Given the views, I think a clean, glass-y look will be complimentary. </p>
<p>I like your cabinet choices, I think they will look great.</p>
<p>I confess I am not a fan of the potential backsplash/fireplace tile. Too old style for my taste.</p>
<p>What was the purpose of pointing the joists in the bathroom floor? </p>
<p>I have loaded photos of the kitchen design, cabinet choices and potential backsplash tiles to our new Flickr group.</p>
<p>The joists in the bathroom are very interesting. When we started to demolish out the old tile we found the same style concrete bedding as the Spanish Bungalow. Evidently in this era of building, the bathroom tile had an underlayment of almost 4" of concrete. These floor joists were actually hand chiseled (or axed) to a point. The concrete was laid down 4" between these chiseled joists. It’s very strange and interesting. We did not see these ‘chiseled’ points in the original floor joists in our last two old houses.</p>
<p>We are going to have to pull out those floor joists and replace with new floor joists because the chiseled pointed floor joists are not supporting the floor properly (without the 4" of cement)</p>
<p>I am not loving the tiles either. Great choice of cabinetry! </p>