We are 6 weeks in on the Fanchon Flip project and I feel like we are finally turning a corner. From here on out we should mainly be adding things, not ripping them out. For me, the finish work is so much more rewarding than all the rip-out and demo. So, I am very grateful to have 99% of that stuff behind us.
Two weeks ago, we were racing to get everything prepped for the painters. Jake added a closet into one of the bedrooms that was missing one. And we went through the house removing all the light fixtures and electrical covers, and doing general clean-up of walls and floors.
The paint should be finished up this week and it is just so very rewarding to see how a simple paint job seriously transforms a space. I mean, just take a look at the difference…
As I shared in the design plans post, we went with a slightly off-white for all the walls and a true-white for the trim. And then to add some interest and depth, we did the doors and fireplace in a dark gray color.
- Walls – SW Site White
- Trim – SW Extra White
- Doors – SW Iron Ore
I know a lot of people say, why would you ever get a painter? It’s something any DIY-er can do…. I am seriously glad we did hire it out. The time it would have taken us to finish the house to the level that they did would be astronomical.
We just simply are not very fast at drywall prep and painting. It could have taken us a month or more to paint this house from top to bottom given that we only have select week nights and weekends to devote to this flip. And a month of holding costs is around half the cost we are paying to have professionals do it. That alone is reason enough for me.
Beyond that, they are significantly more talented than us at this type of work. They sprayed all the ceiling, doors, and trim. I’m not sure how it would turn out if I tried to do that….
I’ve heard before that the biggest mistake you can make flipping is trying to do it all yourself. I still don’t know how I feel about that, since we are true DIY-ers at heart. But I do feel like we are learning what tasks are better uses of our time than others. I just want to go on record, that demo is not a great use of my time… So, please spare me next time, Jake!!! 😉
In the coming weeks we hope to start putting together the master bath and kids’ bath. We are waiting on permits to start the kitchen electric work. And soon the windows will be replaced.
It’s challenging to always be looking ahead. I have to order materials enough in advance so that they are here when we need them. But not so much in advance that they create a cash-flow issue….
Pretty soon we’ll be ready to order the kitchen cabinets and the 1st level flooring!