All Forum Posts by: Doug W.

Here is a photo of what I'm working with. The vertical 6x6 posts were already there, as was the ceiling. Those were repainted. All of the railings and spindles are brand new (i.e. were unpainted pressure treated). I am out of town this weekend so I cannot say exactly what the paint was, other than it is Sherwin Williams, but I can post here again on Monday with the exact type. It is a paint + primer mix.

Thanks for the recommendations so far. Here are some photos:

New paint w/ new light, mailbox, and numbers. You can also see the boxwood bushes that will be staying. Flowers will be planted in front of them and near the steps when we get closer to the date of listing the home.

New walkway -- it is grey and blue 

There will be a new storm/screen door and new hardware going on the front as well.

I have a pretty simple one story rambler, rehab and flip, that just got a fresh coat of white paint (siding and trim). I am planning on installing black louvered shutters on the three front windows. I want to paint the front door. I don't necessarily want to paint it red because I feel like that is the color that one might expect to see and it's a bit played out, in my opinion. 

Anyone have an ideas that you like you use? I am leaning towards blue myself. 

Thanks! 

I just had new railings and spindles added to a porch and the wood is pressure treated. The Sherwin Williams latex paint took to the new, and existing, wood really well. Thanks to the painter I am using I learned that the quality of the paint really makes a difference - you get what you pay for. I think he said my paint was about $30 per gallon with his discount. I can tell you that it was totally worth it. 

I record it as a holding cost in the same capacity as I do utilities (gas, electric, water). 

I am 2+ months into my first rehab and flip. I spent the first 6 weeks doing it all myself. And then I finally started calling trades. Since then the work has progressed at what feels like lightning speed. What I realized at about week 6 was that what I was saving in labor costs I was burning up in holding costs and potential resale dollar value (i.e. I knew my painting wouldn't look as good as a professional's).  

I'm in the DIY camp. That's why I got into this business. I absolutely love going to my house every day and working with my hands. I now realize that if I want to continue doing this I need to think more about the business side and less about the feeling I get patting myself on the back for all of the single projects that are part of the larger picture. So I'm picking a few small work projects and focusing on them (replacing windows and landscaping) and  have outsourced the rest (painting, plumbing, electric, hardscaping, HVAC). 

Wow, this is impressive on a $14k budget. What a night and day difference. Congrats @Jessica G. 

Oh, and I love the captions for your photos. You are right, that floor is BOSS! :)

I'm in Alexandria, VA and the market for a SFH varies significantly from zip code to zip code, neighborhood to neighborhood, and in some cases from street to street. I'm rehabbing a home right now in a neighborhood with ARVs that range from $325 - $425k but one block away the homes are $1m+.

Pick a county or city that is in your price range and find a Realtor who can help you find fixer uppers. Also, you'll want to find a place that is reasonably close to where you live. I'd hate to try to flip a home in Silver Spring, MD, for example, given how long it would take me to drive to/from during rush hour. 

I don't have photos handy but I bought a small (tiny!) can of high gloss, black oil paint from Ace Hardware and repainted the iron rains on the front porch (porch plus 2 steps) of my rehab and it looks 100x better.  Before I painted I ran a wire brush over everything. It was totally worth the cost of the paint and the 45 minutes or so that I spent painting. 

Remove the railings and decking but leave the structural parts. Run some new decking that is at an angle compared to the house. Like others have said, rebuild the steps and add some new posts and railings. Stain it a color that your wife likes.