All Forum Posts by: Sylvia B.

Originally posted by @Jim K.:

Originally posted by @Sylvia B.:

So we bought a project today. Built about 1960, 3/1.5, 1580 ft², good location, $29,000. But it's ugly.
Front entrance, view from drive, and back of house:

We will work on this one off and on, as we have the time and inclination. We'll probably take 6 months to a year to finish. We haven't made final decisions on exactly what we'll do to it, but one thing's for sure - we're upgrading the electrical service.

That's a 100 amp panel. It's a little hard to read the labels in the photo, but this is what they say, starting at top left:
Water heater, Bedroom receptacles, Hall & Utility lights, Living rm wall plugs, Kitchen & furnace, Lights, and Range (unlabeled).

Yes, that's one circuit for the entire kitchen and the furnace! 

Ah, well, how would we spend our time if we didn't keep buying projects?

 That's a beautiful house and I would take the same deal on a ranch. Wish there were more of those here. Single-story is great for unassisted living and long-term Section 8.

Chug on in your free time, Sylvia. It's a pleasure seeing someone buy small, smart, and tight for the long haul. But then again, that's why you're not on here every day complaining about how coronavirus and the gubmint done you wrong.

 Well, that's part of the reason. It also helps that we are in a more sensible, landlord friendly state than some.

 Yes it does, but not sure of the condition. The furnace is very old and almost certainly getting replaced. 

Nice!

Good suggestions so far! Keep them coming!

The house is getting completely rewired, so no issues with moving the stove. 

I like the pantry idea a lot.

When designing a kitchen layout, how closely do you stick to the rule of thumb that puts the sink under the window?

We will be doing a gut remodel of a house we bought, and are just starting the design phase. The kitchen needs a lot of help. Here are some photos and a rough floor plan:

The door to the outside will be eliminated and the window replaced and relocated to center it. We will close off the doorway to the hall and remove the wall separating the kitchen and dining. 

Other than that, we're having trouble deciding on the arrangement. Hubby suggested putting the fridge where the door is now, but then I'd want to put the sink somewhere else. 

Any suggestions? Absolutely everything is subject to change.

My best hack involves nail polish! 

In our little DIY team, electrical is my job. I have a bag for all of my tools, and each one has its place. Unfortunately, the men in the family can't seem to keep their hands off my bag, and have no idea what belongs in it and what doesn't. "Where is my ____?" and "Why are there 3 pairs of pliers and a hacksaw in my bag?" are the types of things I found myself saying too often.

So I got a bottle of bright blue nail polish and put a big dot on every tool that belongs in my bag. Now Hubby knows that if it has a blue dot, it goes in my bag, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. 

Son-in-law may be a different story, though.   ;-)

Well, Jim & Matt covered pretty much everything. My favorite use is making small cuts in sheetrock accurately and easily. 

Thanks everyone. Yes, real estate is quite reasonably priced here, but rents are lower as well. We plan on putting about $25k more into it and it will rent for $675-700. We could rent it out the way it is for about $350, but we are not that kind of landlords.

I love my oscillating tool! Hubby and I call it Oscar.

So we bought a project today. Built about 1960, 3/1.5, 1580 ft², good location, $29,000. But it's ugly.
Front entrance, view from drive, and back of house:

We will work on this one off and on, as we have the time and inclination. We'll probably take 6 months to a year to finish. We haven't made final decisions on exactly what we'll do to it, but one thing's for sure - we're upgrading the electrical service.

That's a 100 amp panel. It's a little hard to read the labels in the photo, but this is what they say, starting at top left:
Water heater, Bedroom receptacles, Hall & Utility lights, Living rm wall plugs, Kitchen & furnace, Lights, and Range (unlabeled).

Yes, that's one circuit for the entire kitchen and the furnace! 

Ah, well, how would we spend our time if we didn't keep buying projects?