Weekend plans

OK, it is time to get SERIOUS about packing. I had a minor freakout last night when I looked at the calendar and realized I really only have 2.5 weeks before I have to get out of my condo. Eeeeeeek! I know what I'll be doing ALL weekend of this blistering hot three day weekend.

I got some rate quotes on storage units yesterday and I'll go look a them tomorrow since I'll be in RWC for a morning run with my Nike marathon chicas. I may even book it tomorrow just to have it done and out of the way since I'm realizing how much other stuff needs to be done in a very short time. I guess I can move some boxes and such into it over this weekend and next weekend before the actual move. If nothing else, I can move the shelving from my condo's storage locker into the unit to get it ready for the big day.

Locked and loaded!

My buyer finally removed the last of her contingencies today, which in turn enabled me to remove mine from the house, so it's now really locked and loaded. Unless we have a massive earthquake between now and then that causes the peninsula to fall into the ocean, it's a done deal. :)

Craigslist has been quite productive for me this week. My desk left on Monday and I have a buyer for the couch--bonus that he doesn't want it until Sept 15, which is right about when I'd be moving out. I've had a few nibbles on the chair, but both people flaked on actually coming to see it. I'll post it again on Friday and maybe the weekend will bring some action.

I finally went to my acupuncturist today after 3 months of some serious neck-shoulder issues that chiropractic wasn't really helping (it would feel better for about 10 days and then go back to the way it was). Dr. Sijbrant started poking around my shoulder blade and jokingly said that he thinks I'm growing a baby in there. Anyway, tiger balm, a gazillion needles and some e-stim managed to make it a bit more pliable. I'll be going back next week so he can have another crack at it. At least I had a nice 60 minute relaxation and snooze time and I should sleep GREAT tonight for the first time in quite some time.

Getting back on track

Sounds like Condo Buyer will be able to remove her financing contingency tomorrow. I'll remove mine on the house and extend the close of escrow date tomorrow as well.

The piece-of-work Listing Agent had still not changed the MLS status from Active to Pending in the hopes of getting another offer in the interim. Of course she didn't so once the paperwork is completed tomorrow, I'll be locked and loaded. She's really unpleasant, and I think I should probably burn some sage in the house once it's mine to shake off her bad juju.

I got the first construction quote today. I'll need to go over it in detail and also refine the scope of the work to be done. More on that later.

Yard sale success

Yesterday a girlfriend who has recently moved and I held a yard sale to declutter and hopefully make a little cash while we're at it. It went really well--we each made at least $100 and the stuff that didn't sell was dropped off at Goodwill afterward. I'm pretty sure I'll have another one sometime after I unpack at the house and think "Why on earth did I move this?"

After a well-deserved burrito, we went and wandered Ikea for some budget-friendly design inspiration. Char has moved into a lower-cost rental than her last place with a plan to save aggressively to buy a house next year. She doesn't want to spend a lot of money decorating this place since the stuff may or may not be what she wants in a house of her own. Me, I'm fully aware that my couch is much too large for the layout of my new living room, but that I'm not going to have a lot of money for fine furnishings after doing extensive remodeling. We both left with some great ideas and little wish lists to be executed in due time.

All in all, it was an exhausting day, but well worth it.

No new news on the transaction front. My buyer indicated she'd be removing her contingency on Monday (even though the extension form was made out for Weds), so I hope we're back on track. Close of escrow has also been extended by 9 days on the condo and 13 days on the house, so I've taken a breather from packing this week, especially since I needed to prep for the yard sale. I'll renew my efforts starting today. Need to find a storage unit too....

Hurdles

Well, yesterday was a rough day. Condo Buyer is late removing her financing contingency, which is making me late removing mine from the house. She was supposed to remove on Friday, then said maybe on Monday, and yesterday said it will not happen before next week, and oh, by the way, needs to push out the close of escrow by a week. eeeeeek!

Since I need the funds from the condo sale to buy the house, I cannot remove my financing contingency until she removes hers. This whole thing could implode if Condo Buyer is not able to perform in the end. House Agent is not very pleasant or cooperative, so Nora has worked some magic to get her to be patient and continue working with us by accepting extensions on the contingency removal and close of escrow.

Needless to say, I was rather distraught yesterday when this was all unfolding. At this moment, I am trying to wait patiently for the next step from Condo Buyer. It definitely made for a sleepless night.

Inspiration

Here's a style I'm thinking about deploying in my kitchen:
I really like the simple, clean lines of the cabinet detail, and the dark wood is brightened by light color counters, floors and backsplash (not to mention adequate lighting). It's a nice blend of modern and traditional, so I think my little house will be able to pull it off. My only concern is if having the dark wood in the really small space will make it look too cramped. The kitchen is quite sunny, so it might work out fine.

Planning, planning, planning and more planning

Locked in my interest rate today, so that's one item to check off the stress-inducing tasks list. I'm not going to allow myself to fret about it anymore. The lending market is super-crazy right now and I know that it'll be better at some point in the future and when it is, I will make changes if necessary and advantageous. So there! Mortgage nightmares be gone!

This means I need to get down to the business of really planning all the work that needs to be done to my little house. I met Contestant #3 at the house last night. He's the contractor I had come out to look at the house before I even made an offer. He can talk the hind leg off a mule, but he's a good guy. However, after an hour with him, he says that he'd still need to do a walk through with all his sub contractors before he can generate a bid. Boooooo!

He'd already seen the property and we'd talked about the work necessary to bring it up to code as well as some other improvements the first time he was out there. I even sent him my RFP in advance thinking he'd review it before he got there. Not so much. I decided that he's probably not likely to be a finalist, so I told him I'd have him come back with his subs after I take ownership since it's not exactly convenient for Nora to come up from Saratoga to RWC all the time.

I have a feeling that I'm going to go with contestant #1. He has done work in Nora's house, which is a referral in itself, and his ballpark number is VERY attractive. I have yet to see a formal bid from him, so I'll decide once I do.

On a positive note, it looks like the floors are worth salvaging if they don't need to be ripped up for the foundation work. Bonus that a friend who recently remodeled her house has offered me some 1920's red oak floor planks rescued from her house. I sure hope they are the right size to do a little patching here and there. There probably is not enough to do the whole kitchen floor, but my tiny little house might be in luck!

One thing is very certain at this point: the day I get the keys will see me out there raking up apples from the back yard. The stench of rotting apples is powerful indeed, and that doesn't even begin to address the mushy mess.

Holding Pattern

It's been a few days with no real action. After a flurry of initial activity, I'm in a bit of a holding pattern until the close of escrow when I can actually start moving on getting stuff done. I'm waiting for bids from the two contractors I met last week, and am meeting a third contractor out at the property tomorrow night.

My financing plans have changed, so my plan of attack has changed too. With all the turmoil going on in the mortgage market, I decided against using the renovation financing. In addition to the various points and other fees charged by Wells Fargo, adding the $$$ to do the renovations pushed it up into jumbo mortgage territory, with really horrible consequences on the interest rate (even with the full point!). So, I'm doing conventional financing and will begin doing the critical work with cash left over from the sale of my condo. That means all the corrective work--foundation, roof, windows, electrical--necessary to bring the house up to code.

Once it's habitable, I'll partially move in (read: bed and a few essential items) and will progress with interior work like the bath remodel and kitchen expansion/garage addition after opening a HELOC in another 4-6 months. My aggressive schedule is to have it completed in 12 months, my more conservative estimate is 18 months. Either way, I know it is going to take a lot of money, patience and work, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

It would be nice to get all the work done up front, but I'm being optimistic that this will enable me to better plan the kitchen and avoid making hasty decisions. It will also give me time to look into the possibility of enclosing the full carport to make a real garage so I can do that and the kitchen expansion in one fell swoop.

I spoke with someone at the county planning office on Friday and I may be in luck since the house is a "non-conforming structure" (meaning it does not adhere to the 5' setback rules) on a "non-conforming parcel" (a lot that is below a certain size). Also since the carport has a roof and pillars, it's technically a "structure" and I'd simply be enclosing it rather than constructing it. Nice little loophole, I think.

A few more random photos

Here are a few more random photos of the house that didn't fit in with the other posts from last night. Click on the photo for a larger version.

This is the hallway off the kitchen:
That door to the left is the smaller bedroom, the door to the right is the bathroom, and the larger bedroom is at the end of the hall. I'm trying to decide what to do for heating upgrade. If I tear up the floors, I'll see about putting in radiant heat. If I don't tear up the floors, I'll probably do HVAC, but all that ductwork is going to be a pain in the tush.

Here is the chimney and it's really pretty climbing rose:
The TV antenna would go. The chimney has a crack in the masonry. I think I'm going to do a gas insert instead of repairing it. I know Santa Clara County code requires a gas insert if you do any fireplace repair because they are trying to reduce the number of wood burning fireplaces to improve air quality. I don't know if San Mateo county has the same code. Regardless, I think gas is the way to go.

While we're talking about it, here's the fireplace:

On the front of the house is a little garagey-shed thing. It's not big enough to park a car in it, and it's definitely an addition. I'm not too sure what to do with it. I think garage conversions generally look like crap, but I don't think I have enough easement available to build a real garage. That's my tentative long-term plan, so I'm going to leave it as is for now. I'm definitely relocating the water heater out here, and maybe the furnace if I end up with one.

I'd like to build a garage that uses the whole existing carport slab, which is the maximum of my setback, but I think I'm too close to the neighbor's for that to get approved. I'll have to look into it since there is certainly a lack of easement going on in general. I think my neighbor's house is a mere 6 feet away (I hope they are nice!). I have seen 2 cats in the windows, so maybe Mali will make some friends to stare at across the sidewalk between our houses.

So there you have it, the expanded tour of the grounds. I should be getting bids back early next week and will likely have to adjust my plans after that, but we will see!

Bathroom

I honestly LOVE the tile in the bathroom. It's bright and cheery and super-retro cool. Alas, the sub floor is rotted, so the whole thing needs to go to the big shower in the sky. But, before it goes, here are some photos of it so you too can enjoy the retro funk:

Kitchen Detail

Here are some better photos of the kitchen space. It's hard to get good photos because the place is so small, I can't stand back far enough to get a sweeping panorama. :) I'll probably knock out that wall to incorporate the laundry room into the kitchen. It means having my washer and dryer in the kitchen, but I'll take that for now until I am able to build a proper garage and/or laundry room where the garagey-shed currently lives.

You can see the stove is quite the antique. It may even fetch some money on craigslist. I'll give that a go before posting is as a "free, you haul" item.

For the size of the house, it is definitely not lacking in windows. This is the dining area of the kitchen, which as mom pointed out, I neglected to include on the 5 cent tour:
Not much to see.

The kitchen needs serious work to upgrade it in a way that will improve the traffic flow of the house, so I'm sure it's going to take the most planning of everything.

Backyard

Here are some photos of the backyard. I spared you a photo of the hideous metal shed that takes up 25% of the yard. Instead, I give you apples:

I have no idea how a tree that is so totally butchered can produce so many apples. It is quite a nasty sight to behold. And the apples are EVERYWHERE!!!! That tree will be removed as soon as humanly possible. It hangs over the roofline, and also hangs into my neighbor's yard, so I'm going to remove it now before it has a chance to cause some more serious trouble.

That shed next to the apples is also going to be removed asap. Doing so will give me a little patio (approx 4' x 5') on which I can put my bistro table and chairs. Nice. That's the window to the big bedroom, so I'm even thinking about making that a door so I have access to my nice little patio.

There are some healthy looking camellia plants near the back wall of the house. I'll be interested to see what they do. I'll leave them alone for now.

As you can see below, I desperately need a new fence on two sides, so I'll negotiate that with the neighbors after the rest of the construction is complete. At that point, I hope they'll realize that I'm adding tons of value to their property by improving mine, and a shiny, sturdy new fence will only further that trend.
Since I know your interest is so piqued, and I'm sure you're tired of seeing apples, here's little corner of the Big Ugly Shed peeking out from the left side of the photo:
I plan to post that bad boy as a freebie on craigslist. I might leave it there during construction if they want to use it for storage of equipment or materials since my garage storage it pretty small.

I'm thinking of doing raised beds along the fences, but landscaping is really the least of my worries at this point, so I have plenty of time to come up with some ideas. I'm open to suggestions!

Contestant(s) #2

I met with the second GC I'm considering. This was a pair of brothers who are in the business with their dad. They are friends of a friend of mine. They went though my RFP in detail, asked great questions, made notes, took photos of the place and measured windows. They don't do foundation work, so I'd still have to call in a specialist (I was holding off on that because all the foundation specialists charge a fee for doing a site visit to provide the quote, which I really dislike!), but they said they know someone who could come over without charging me. They'll send their roofer over tomorrow to get his quote nailed down for the entire bid.

I was really pleased that they did not offer any wild and crazy suggestions, like adding a bathroom or totally rearranging the house. I told them I have a short term plan and a long term plan, and they were cool with that.

When I asked questions about the possibility of certain things, they explained what might be a problem with doing that depending on what we discover on the other side. They always offered alternative suggestions that I could consider in the event that it's not feasible.

All in all, I liked them, so I'll be interested to see how their quote comes in.

And I took pictures while I was there! As soon as I can find my camera cable, I'll post them.

Contestant #1

I love my agent. She's awesome. I called her today to ask a question, and before I could even do that, she said, "I have a contractor coming out to look at your house today. He is someone I have used for work in my house and his work is good. I told him you don't have a lot of money to spend, so he has to do nice work for you without charging you a lot."

One of the cool things about Nora is that as a native Spanish speaker, she can access a lot of the contractors in the Latino community that most gringos would never consider. As a result she gets fine craftsmanship at fiercely competitive prices. She's amazing. And I'm sure they love her because she continues to give them projects.

So, I met Nora and Ramon out at the house this afternoon. He says I'm very brave to take on this project, but that if we do it right, it could be very cute. I gave him my RFP with my list of tasks to be done, a not-to-exceed amount and timing details. We talked at length about what needs to be done. He has some really great ideas about the things on my list and had suggestions for other stuff that I told him I might consider after I see a quote for it.

There were a couple of instances where it sounded like he was suggesting some shortcuts and cheaper approaches to doing something, so I needed to take a pretty strong stance on the fact that I'm not trying to put lipstick on a pig here. This is my HOME, and I want to make sure we do the work properly because I will be living here for the next 5-10 years. I think he got it eventually.

All in all, he was a nice guy who has some great ideas, so I'll be interested to see his quote. I have two more contractors lined up to come out to look at it. My friend Jen lives in this neighborhood and she's getting ready to do a whole-house remodel (add a second story), so she's shopping for contractors too. We've been joking that we should get a discount if we can get the same one to do the other's job, which is a mere 5 blocks away. right. Like that would ever happen.

I had my camera with me, but sadly, did not take it out of my bag to snap some pics because we jumped right into it. I promise to be better about that in the future.

The 5 cent tour

Here's a quickie tour of the place from the photos that were used to market the property on the MLS. It should be pretty clear that they did nothing to spruce up the place for the sale. There was a renter in the house for the past 18 years.

I'll be sure to bring my camera with me whenever I go so that the progress will be well-documented. Until then, these will have to do.

Front:
This is the living room as seen from the front door:

And as seen from the dining area of the kitchen:

In general, though it is small, the house is nice and bright. It has a LOT of windows (cha-ching! on the window-replacement budget).

Here is the kitchen:

That door on the left beyond the fridge leads to the hallway. The smaller bedroom comes next on the left side of the hallway:

Yes, that is mold on the walls. However, it's not the sort of mold that will kill you. It's the sort of mold that grows in a house that has no ventilation because the foundation has settled so much that none of the windows open. This room has a walk-in closet (at the far right).

On the right side of the hallway is the bathroom:

Note the awesome retro-funkilicious tile. Pity the bathroom sub-floor is rotted so the whole bathroom needs to be ripped out. I would have found a way to keep it--I love the retro-funky.

At the end of the hall is the larger bedroom:


Again, mold where furniture was against the wall. This room has windows on both sides. The window you can see in this picture will likely become a glass-paned door to the back yard.

The hardwood floors have popped up in places in both bedrooms due to the settling of the foundation. As much as I'd like to, I don't think I'll be able to preserve them since it will likely reduce the foundation labor bill if I agree to rip out up the floors instead of sending workers down the hatch into the half-height crawl space. They may not even be in a condition to withstand sanding and refinishing. I'll sort that out after I get some more info on the matter.

There you have it! More photos will follow whenever I pay a visit to the property.

GAME ON!!!!!!!

After several hours of dithering on the details, I have a signed contract on my own little termite-infested, sinking into the ground, uninhabitable single family home (pictured at right). It may not look like much right now, but I have a plan for it. I have vision and, shall we say, cojones that many others do not.

First action item is to have a foundation specialist come out and figure out what the heck needs to be done to correct the settling. The floor slopes in a north westerly direction (not literally. That's my way of saying the floor slopes away and to the left from the front door). I am certain that a marble placed at the front door would roll quite rapidly across the living room and rest in the far outside corner of the dining area. It feels like a carnival funhouse. No joke.

I will be calling Engineered Soil Repairs of Walnut Creek to come out this week. When I was doing some investigative work a few weeks ago to determine how much it's going to cost to make this place habitable, the folks at ESR (and specifically Chris Wilhite) were far and away the NICEST, most helpful, professional group I talked to.

I'd also like to acknowledge Ward Construction in Richmond, CA. They don't serve my area but were kind enough to give me the names of some folks who do (one of which was ESR).

Next up is to get some contractors out there to provide some quotes on the rest of the work to be done. I'll let you know how that goes.

Call me crazy...

This crazy Bay Area housing market can cause people to take some desperate measures to become homeowners. I was really lucky (smart?) that I bought a 1 bedroom condo in 2003. It's small, but it has been a great experience and after four years, it has appreciated enough to make me think about selling and trying to make the jump into a single family home. That's a BIG jump around here. However, I also wanted to jump up to the mid-peninsula area, which is also a fairly large jump as the mid-pen market is quite a bit more expensive. I am, in essence, making a HUGE leap. But I am determined. It is time.

With my budget, what this really means is that I'm shopping for a fixer upper where some TLC (in this case, that means Tender Loving CASH), sweat and patience will yield a decent ROI in several years. The property I've targeted is less of a "fixer upper" and more of a "total dump that needs to be gutted and rebuilt" If the lot were any larger, it would have sold right away to be torn down for construction of a ginormous new home. Fortunately for me, it's a teeeeeny-tiny house on a teeeeeny-tiny lot, so no one has wanted to touch it and it's rash of problems. But I see lots of potential.

The neighborhood is delightful, and the location meets my needs. This little house is definitely the ugly little sister in a neighborhood of lovely, modest homes, many of which are being expanded and updated. It's also a mere three blocks from a very chic-chic neighborhood, which is definitely helping drive the value of the area upward.

My third offer on this property is on the table and I expect a response this afternoon. The seller seems to be wearied by the fact that this property has been on the market for nearly 2 months (average in that area is 15 days),and should be realizing that he's never going to see any offers remotely close to the asking price. At two months on the market, buyers know there is something wrong with the property (MANY things wrong in this case), and their offers will reflect that. Mine certainly did.

If they don't accept my offer, I'll wait another two weeks and resubmit it. I certainly doubt they will see anything better in the interim.