What's your kitchen like?

[pegwinn]

I'm incredulous.

I paid $228,000 for The Dump and I considered myself lucky to find it and get it. I think you have just descibed the difference in cost of living from there to here.

I bought this house for three reasons: it had an attached garage, a level yard, and it was 15 minutes from work. Being closer to work was the main reason I moved. I commuted for 8 years and I just couldn't take it anymore.

$130,000 and two and half years later I'm still living in half a dump. The new, back part of the house, is nice. The three front rooms are still a dump. But I'll pay for all that as I go. At one point during the renovations I owed $60,000 on credit cards. Never again.

Cosmetic stuff is nothing. But any house you buy that requires any kind of major renovations? Keep looking. My situation did finally work out. But the permits, and the variances, and the construction. It was all hell. I would never do it again. Yeah. This place had major wiring issues and potential plumbing and roof issues. But the seller didn't want to deal.

What's left to do on this house is all basically cosmetic. No more structual changes. No more plumbing involved. The rest will be a piece of cake.

But I love my kitchen and it was worth every penny and every minute of hell it took to get it done.

For my area 110K gets you a new three bedrooom house on a normal sized lot or an older house on a huge lot. If the issues had been cosmetic we'd be closing in a week. Now we are taking the fall/winter off and will begin again after the new year.

 

[Annie]

For my area 110K gets you a new three bedrooom house on a normal sized lot or an older house on a huge lot. If the issues had been cosmetic we'd be closing in a week. Now we are taking the fall/winter off and will begin again after the new year.

I wish! Saw this in the dead tree edition this morning:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0609040075sep04,1,29829.story

Average families losing housing race in DuPage

By Joseph Sjostrom
Tribune staff reporter

September 4, 2006

It has just become even tougher for "average" folks to live in DuPage County.

The cost of housing in one of the nation's wealthiest counties continues to climb beyond the reach of middle-income wage-earners, according to a recently released housing organization's report.

The DuPage Homeownership Center report says that a family earning the county's median income of $72,400 can't afford a single-family home at the county's prevailing median price, which, during the second quarter of 2006, was $343,500.

The report was released just before the Labor Day weekend to highlight the year-by-year decline in housing available to families with midrange incomes, said Dru Bergman, executive director of the center, which helps low- and moderate-income families find subsidized mortgages to buy homes in the county.

"It is disheartening to see that health-care workers, police officers and other people essential to our economy cannot afford to live in the county where they work," she said.

The report says a standard rule of thumb is that a family should spend no more than 30 percent of its income on housing. And it estimates the monthly cost of buying a median-priced $343,500 home, including mortgage payments, taxes and insurance, is about $3,073.

The median-income family in DuPage County has 59 percent of the income necessary to buy a median-priced home in the county, according to the report. Last year's report said it was 63 percent.

A family earning $72,400 should be able to afford a home priced at about $202,000, Bergman said, based on the 30 percent of income rule.

Also according to the center, only about 1 1/2 percent of single-family detached homes for sale in DuPage County are affordable to a family earning the county's median income.

As of last week, there were 6,267 single-family homes in DuPage County on the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois, and just 94 of them were listed at $210,000 or less, according to Fred Hoebel of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Lombard.

Hoebel, who is part of the Homeownership Center's housing affordability task force, said 45 percent of the attached housing--condominiums and townhouses--listed for sale in DuPage County were priced at $210,000 or less. But he said that 322 of them are one-bedroom units that wouldn't be suitable for a family with children.

Size isn't the only problem with condos and townhouses, Bergman said.

"Although the sales price might be lower than a house, condos have monthly dues that bump up the actual cost of homeowners above the mortgage, taxes and insurance," Bergman said.

The center's findings indicate that high-priced housing has a negative impact on the county's economy, said Debra Olson, a DuPage County Board member from Wheaton and board president of the Homeownership Center.

 

[Mr. P]

For my area 110K gets you a new three bedrooom house on a normal sized lot or an older house on a huge lot. If the issues had been cosmetic we'd be closing in a week. Now we are taking the fall/winter off and will begin again after the new year.

Hey Peg, I don't know about your area but here Fall/Winter is a great time for a buyer. Most aren't looking with kids in school, holidays etc. So it really is a time of year sellers will deal or sit un-sold until spring.

 

[nt250]

Hey Peg, I don't know about your area but here Fall/Winter is a great time for a buyer. Most aren't looking with kids in school, holidays etc. So it really is a time of year sellers will deal or sit un-sold until spring.

That's probably true. Or would be if more people knew it.

I put my house on the market in the Fall of 2003. It was tough. Not only do you have the hassle of keeping the inside clean, you also have to keep the outside clean. That is much tougher to do in the fall and winter. And that's just the selling part.

I finally found a buyer for my house around late November. I was looking to buy 50 miles away. There was not a whole lot in my price range. I saw a couple of houses during working hours, but most of my house hunting was done on Sundays. One thing I learned? Buy a street atlas. And don't make any plans after 2PM. That time of the year, at least in New England, it's pretty much impossible to read street signs after 2-2:30 in the afternoon. The angle of the sun prevents it.

If I had to do it over again ( and I won't EVER do it again, I am NEVER moving again, EVER), I would have waited until spring.

 

[pegwinn]

I probably should start a new topic with this. But if the mods don't like it they can move it, no hard feelings.

WE are looking but waiting. Meaning that we are doing internet searches and scoping out the "dead tree editions" as Kathi called it. But we won't be contacting anyone unless it is really, really, too good to be true. We are very fortunate to have very good jobs as well as my USMC pension. So we are above the median and as long as we don't go waaaaaaay overboard we can get a really nice place.

Since the last place bombed out due to inspection issues, I need to learn to pre-screen better.

 

[Mr. P]

I probably should start a new topic with this. But if the mods don't like it they can move it, no hard feelings.

WE are looking but waiting. Meaning that we are doing internet searches and scoping out the "dead tree editions" as Kathi called it. But we won't be contacting anyone unless it is really, really, too good to be true. We are very fortunate to have very good jobs as well as my USMC pension. So we are above the median and as long as we don't go waaaaaaay overboard we can get a really nice place.

Since the last place bombed out due to inspection issues, I need to learn to pre-screen better.

I’m looking to down size for the retirement years. Little maintenance, ease of use etc.

My first house was 1206 sq ft brick, 3 bdrm, 2 bath ranch. I loved it.
The second was a two story 1660 sq ft 3 bdrm ,2 ½ bath.
This one is a 4 bdrm 2 ½ bath, two story 2400 sq ft. and way more than is needed now.

I want that brick 1200 (maybe 1400-1600) square footer back, in the country with a few acres to go with it, and a nice level lot for my last home.

 

[nt250]

I probably should start a new topic with this. But if the mods don't like it they can move it, no hard feelings.

WE are looking but waiting. Meaning that we are doing internet searches and scoping out the "dead tree editions" as Kathi called it. But we won't be contacting anyone unless it is really, really, too good to be true. We are very fortunate to have very good jobs as well as my USMC pension. So we are above the median and as long as we don't go waaaaaaay overboard we can get a really nice place.

Since the last place bombed out due to inspection issues, I need to learn to pre-screen better.

I don't know. I think it all kind of relates back to food. I spent $110,000 dollars just so I could have a dishwasher. I wanted a dishwasher so I could cook all the things I like to cook. I'm no gourmet cook by any stretch of the imagination, but the kitchen is THE most important room in the house. Even if you don't like to cook, or if you're single and don't ever cook much, it's really nice to have nice surroundings.

My kitchen has been done for over a year now and I just sat at the counter for the first time today. I've been looking for counter stools all this time and I could never find anything that I liked that would fit the space. Last week I typed "counter stools" in at Google and I found my way, eventually, to overstock.com. I found these:

http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1148409

I got two for $189 and $1 in shipping. I got the silver. They look fantastic with my black granite counter tops and stainless appliances. They swivel, and they're adjustable. They're perfect. I just spent the last hour sitting at my counter, drinking coffee, and admiring my kitchen.

Back to the subject of house hunting: It probably depends on how hot the housing market is where you're looking, but my experience with the internet was not a good one. By the time the best houses get their pictures up, they already have offers. And you can not rely on the pictures for even basic things.

One of my main criteria, that was non-negotiable, was an attached garage. The first three houses I looked at had attached garages, but none of them had a door to the house. The correct term is "integral" or "integrated" garage. That was very tough because I could no longer rely on the pictures. My agent had to look the listing up to see if it was on there, or call the other agent and ask. And again, all the best houses were already off the market by the time I saw them on the internet.

And you really can NOT go by the pictures. I saw some houses that were so bad inside that I couldn't WAIT to get out of them. Even the halfway decent ones had other things wrong with them that wouldn't show up in a picture. One house was about 6 inches from a busy road. Literally, this house had NO front yard at all. Another was about 30 yards from railroad tracks. I looked at one brand new house that was in my price range, but didn't have a garage. I figured I could build one if there was room. Not only was there no room for a garage, there was no room for a driveway. The builder had put a driveway in the front yard.

Good luck. Selling and buying a house at the same time is the most stressful thing I have ever lived through. I've done it twice now and I will never, ever, do it again. I'm never moving again. But if, for any reason, I did have to sell this house, I would put all my stuff in storage, sell the house first and move into an apartment. Never again will I ever attempt to sell and buy at the same time.

 

[pegwinn]

Sounds like you did well on the stools. Awesome. Our Mortgage agent is pushing us to find a place "before interest rates go up". Here in Lubbock there is a lot of houses on the market. The first two that we wanted, got offers before we did. Wish there was a magic website that said "todays interest rate is......." and actually was accurate.

We are looking for a bigger house. One that will allow two sets of parents to come visit or live, and grandkids to visit. Right now we are living in an apartment with a big storage building rented.

 

[nt250]

Sounds like you did well on the stools. Awesome. Our Mortgage agent is pushing us to find a place "before interest rates go up". Here in Lubbock there is a lot of houses on the market. The first two that we wanted, got offers before we did. Wish there was a magic website that said "todays interest rate is......." and actually was accurate.

We are looking for a bigger house. One that will allow two sets of parents to come visit or live, and grandkids to visit. Right now we are living in an apartment with a big storage building rented.

Good luck, again. You are actually in a pretty good position being a renter. I found my DREAM house. This house was perfect. It didn't even need a paint job. They were asking $269,900 and I offered full price for it. There were 3 other offers so I upped my bid to $280,000. I still didn't get it. They ended up selling it to a renter even though I was the highest bidder. I had a buyer for my house but he had to sell his house and it was all contingent. The renter was a much more attractive buyer even though I offered more money.

You'll be in a perfect position when you do make an offer.

 

[-Cp]

I find it a bit odd how so many folks seem to completely overlook ventilation when it comes to their kitchen - especially those whom cook with gas and have a LOT of BTU's emitting from the cook-top.

I'm sorry to say that those Microwave's w/ the built-in fans just don't cut it...

When we bought our house we went with an hood that does 400CFM - which we thought would be good enough, but I wish we had got one with over 700CFM.

Ever wonder why your kitchen smells up the house so much when you cook or sear certain foods? It's because the smoke can't leave fast enough!

 

[nt250]

I find it a bit odd how so many folks seem to completely overlook ventilation when it comes to their kitchen - especially those whom cook with gas and have a LOT of BTU's emitting from the cook-top.

I'm sorry to say that those Microwave's w/ the built-in fans just don't cut it...

When we bought our house we went with an hood that does 400CFM - which we thought would be good enough, but I wish we had got one with over 700CFM.

Ever wonder why your kitchen smells up the house so much when you cook or sear certain foods? It's because the smoke can't leave fast enough!

That's a very good point and one that shouldn't be overlooked.

See where my stove is?:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Kitchenafter.jpg

That's about dead center right in the middle of my house. Because my house is on a slab, the new kitchen was designed around the existing plumbing. My contract with the the contractor specified that he was responsible for the installation of all appliances. But it didn't say anything about any venting.

Both my stove and my clothes dryer are not vented. I could have paid extra to have that done, but by the time the appliances went in I was flat broke. I was worse than broke. I was $60,000 in debt and out of credit. I had also gone 5 months without a kitchen and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

If I were to give anyone advice about doing major home renovations, they would be in this order:

1. Don't.

2. Make sure your contract covers everything. Windows and doors? Specify the type and quality, or buy them yourself.

3. Make sure any payment plan keeps a large majority if the balance due at the end of the job. If you only owe $500 after paying $75,000, don't expect to see them again to get little jobs cleaned up. Do NOT pay them until the job is finished or you will never see them again.

4. Vent the stove to the outside.

 

[Mr. P]

That's a very good point and one that shouldn't be overlooked.

See where my stove is?:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Kitchenafter.jpg

That's about dead center right in the middle of my house. Because my house is on a slab, the new kitchen was designed around the existing plumbing. My contract with the the contractor specified that he was responsible for the installation of all appliances. But it didn't say anything about any venting.

Both my stove and my clothes dryer are not vented. I could have paid extra to have that done, but by the time the appliances went in I was flat broke. I was worse than broke. I was $60,000 in debt and out of credit. I had also gone 5 months without a kitchen and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

If I were to give anyone advice about doing major home renovations, they would be in this order:

1. Don't.

2. Make sure your contract covers everything. Windows and doors? Specify the type and quality, or buy them yourself.

3. Make sure any payment plan keeps a large majority if the balance due at the end of the job. If you only owe $500 after paying $75,000, don't expect to see them again to get little jobs cleaned up. Do NOT pay them until the job is finished or you will never see them again.

4. Vent the stove to the outside.

Was that kithen redesigned?

 

[nt250]

Was that kithen redesigned?

It was a total gut job.

See the island? See that wall to the left with the thermostat on it? The end of that wall, where the cabinets start, is the old existing wall of the house.

I added a 12x26 foot addition to the back of my entire house. This is what the rest of the kitchen/great room addition looked like mid renovation:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/frenchdoorandwindowsmid.jpg

I don't have any recent pictures because when they bumped out the back wall they forgot to give me an outside faucet. This fact was overlooked until the plasterers showed up. I wasn't home that day, so they asked my next door neighbor if they could use their faucet.

One thing about major renovations is that when they show up the work goes really fast. The drywall and skim coat was all done in two days.

I lived with this for 5 months:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/kitchenmid.jpg

Before the plumbers came back, Lenny, the crew chief, had to cut a gaping whole in the drywall to get at the plumbing so they could run a pipe for an outside faucet. They never came back an patched it. So I haven't bothered to take any pictures of that part of the room.

It really came out great, though. Lowe's designed the kitchen. I took a pen drawing that Lenny gave me with just a rough sketch of the space and the guy at Lowe's did it all with a computer program. It took about two hours after I had picked out the cabinets, but I think he did a great job.

Lenny, and the kid he had with him, did a really great job installing the cabinets, too. I have very low ceilings in my house. They're only 7'1". There was no way around that, not without rebuilding the entire roof of the house and I just didn't have the money for that. I was hoping to get higher ceilings in the addition, but they had to install a massive beam to carry the load between the two roof lines, and it was just easier to carry the same ceilings over to the addition.

You can't see it in the picture. The addition bumped out the back wall of the house, and connected to an existing attached garage. About 60% of the garage structure was a 2 car garage, and about 40% of it was an existing family room. The beam goes from that wall between the two windows up to the peak of the garage.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Backviewafter.jpg

It was worth it in the end, as hard as it all was.

I love my kitchen. I do wish the stove was vented, though. Maybe next year.

 

[Annie]

It was a total gut job.

See the island? See that wall to the left with the thermostat on it? The end of that wall, where the cabinets start, is the old existing wall of the house.

I added a 12x26 foot addition to the back of my entire house. This is what the rest of the kitchen/great room addition looked like mid renovation:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/frenchdoorandwindowsmid.jpg

I don't have any recent pictures because when they bumped out the back wall they forgot to give me an outside faucet. This fact was overlooked until the plasterers showed up. I wasn't home that day, so they asked my next door neighbor if they could use their faucet.

One thing about major renovations is that when they show up the work goes really fast. The drywall and skim coat was all done in two days.

I lived with this for 5 months:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/kitchenmid.jpg

Before the plumbers came back, Lenny, the crew chief, had to cut a gaping whole in the drywall to get at the plumbing so they could run a pipe for an outside faucet. They never came back an patched it. So I haven't bothered to take any pictures of that part of the room.

It really came out great, though. Lowe's designed the kitchen. I took a pen drawing that Lenny gave me with just a rough sketch of the space and the guy at Lowe's did it all with a computer program. It took about two hours after I had picked out the cabinets, but I think he did a great job.

Lenny, and the kid he had with him, did a really great job installing the cabinets, too. I have very low ceilings in my house. They're only 7'1". There was no way around that, not without rebuilding the entire roof of the house and I just didn't have the money for that. I was hoping to get higher ceilings in the addition, but they had to install a massive beam to carry the load between the two roof lines, and it was just easier to carry the same ceilings over to the addition.

You can't see it in the picture. The addition bumped out the back wall of the house, and connected to an existing attached garage. About 60% of the garage structure was a 2 car garage, and about 40% of it was an existing family room. The beam goes from that wall between the two windows up to the peak of the garage.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Backviewafter.jpg

It was worth it in the end, as hard as it all was.

I love my kitchen. I do wish the stove was vented, though. Maybe next year.

I would have held out for the step up to the door. just kidding. Looks great.

 

[Mr. P]

It was a total gut job.

See the island? See that wall to the left with the thermostat on it? The end of that wall, where the cabinets start, is the old existing wall of the house.

I added a 12x26 foot addition to the back of my entire house. This is what the rest of the kitchen/great room addition looked like mid renovation:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/frenchdoorandwindowsmid.jpg

I don't have any recent pictures because when they bumped out the back wall they forgot to give me an outside faucet. This fact was overlooked until the plasterers showed up. I wasn't home that day, so they asked my next door neighbor if they could use their faucet.

One thing about major renovations is that when they show up the work goes really fast. The drywall and skim coat was all done in two days.

I lived with this for 5 months:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/kitchenmid.jpg

Before the plumbers came back, Lenny, the crew chief, had to cut a gaping whole in the drywall to get at the plumbing so they could run a pipe for an outside faucet. They never came back an patched it. So I haven't bothered to take any pictures of that part of the room.

It really came out great, though. Lowe's designed the kitchen. I took a pen drawing that Lenny gave me with just a rough sketch of the space and the guy at Lowe's did it all with a computer program. It took about two hours after I had picked out the cabinets, but I think he did a great job.

Lenny, and the kid he had with him, did a really great job installing the cabinets, too. I have very low ceilings in my house. They're only 7'1". There was no way around that, not without rebuilding the entire roof of the house and I just didn't have the money for that. I was hoping to get higher ceilings in the addition, but they had to install a massive beam to carry the load between the two roof lines, and it was just easier to carry the same ceilings over to the addition.

You can't see it in the picture. The addition bumped out the back wall of the house, and connected to an existing attached garage. About 60% of the garage structure was a 2 car garage, and about 40% of it was an existing family room. The beam goes from that wall between the two windows up to the peak of the garage.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Backviewafter.jpg

It was worth it in the end, as hard as it all was.

I love my kitchen. I do wish the stove was vented, though. Maybe next year.

Sounds like Lenny and Lowes screwed-up. No vents? Is that even code?
Edit: and the contractor if it wasn't Lenny.

 

[nt250]

I would have held out for the step up to the door. just kidding. Looks great.

There's a deck there now. That was a huge deal and why the renovations took so long. Turns out that my town has a 20 foot side set back rule. I couldn't bump the whole back wall out because the town required 20 feet between the house and the property line on the side. The house was 9'8" from it.

That took a $950 survey, $750 for a lawyer, and 3 months to get on the docket for the zoning board.

That was all before any real demo took place. The entire job came to a complete stand still because I needed a variance on the side set back rule. I lived from November 2004 until March of 2005 with an unheated, uninsulated shell on the back of my house. My electric bill everaged $300 a month because I had two heaters going 24/7 to prevent my pipes from freezing. The hot water heater was in the garage and the pipes ran through the old part of the family room into the house. They still froze. It cost me $200 to have a plumber come out and use a heat gun on them. Could have been worse. At least they didn't burst.

One thing I insisted on was extending the deck to the bedroom door. Once I had that variance, I wasn't about to let that go. I didn't want to go through that again. So the deck now goes to just past the door. I was supposed to get a lattice wall there for privacy since my neighbor on that side has an above ground pool, but they never came back and did that. But at least I got the deck.

That's what's really annoying. The stuff they left undone was really petty. Stuff that could have been done by a couple of guys in a couple of hours. Like patching the drywall in the great room. Replacing the broken window in the master bath that someone put a hammer through. Putting up the lattice screen.

But they did a really great job overall. And they didn't really screw me that much. It could have been a lot worse.

I never could have paid for it if it weren't for that contractor. I probably paid way more than I could have otherwise, but I got what I wanted.

 

[Mr. P]

There's a deck there now. That was a huge deal and why the renovations took so long. Turns out that my town has a 20 foot side set back rule. I couldn't bump the whole back wall out because the town required 20 feet between the house and the property line on the side. The house was 9'8" from it.

That took a $950 survey, $750 for a lawyer, and 3 months to get on the docket for the zoning board.

That was all before any real demo took place. The entire job came to a complete stand still because I needed a variance on the side set back rule. I lived from November 2004 until March of 2005 with an unheated, uninsulated shell on the back of my house. My electric bill everaged $300 a month because I had two heaters going 24/7 to prevent my pipes from freezing. The hot water heater was in the garage and the pipes ran through the old part of the family room into the house. They still froze. It cost me $200 to have a plumber come out and use a heat gun on them. Could have been worse. At least they didn't burst.

One thing I insisted on was extending the deck to the bedroom door. Once I had that variance, I wasn't about to let that go. I didn't want to go through that again. So the deck now goes to just past the door. I was supposed to get a lattice wall there for privacy since my neighbor on that side has an above ground pool, but they never came back and did that. But at least I got the deck.

That's what's really annoying. The stuff they left undone was really petty. Stuff that could have been done by a couple of guys in a couple of hours. Like patching the drywall in the great room. Replacing the broken window in the master bath that someone put a hammer through. Putting up the lattice screen.

But they did a really great job overall. And they didn't really screw me that much. It could have been a lot worse.

I never could have paid for it if it weren't for that contractor. I probably paid way more than I could have otherwise, but I got what I wanted.

Who was the contractor?

 

[manu1959]

Who was the contractor?

gas cook tops are required to be vented by code.....100 bucks she didn't use an architect

 

[Mr. P]

gas cook tops are required to be vented by code.....100 bucks she didn't use an architect

100 bucks she was the contractor too.

 

[nt250]

Who was the contractor?

You want the actual name?

I tried doing it the way everybody says. Get recommendations from friends and co-workers. The problem is that those contractors don't need the work. You can wait two years for those contractors to get to you. I called 3 or 4, and only one bothered to come out and give me an estimate. $80,000 to $100,000 he said. He was very... dismissive. I had held back $36,000 from the sale of my house. Not enough.

I finally ended up looking in the Yellow Pages and I found Jeff. He came out, looked at the house, and gave me an estimate of $45,000, but I was going to have to pay for almost all the materials. Even the plywood. His contract would pretty much only cover the labor. The concrete slab, framing, basic plumbing, basic electrical, and labor was covered. But everything else I would have to pay for. Anything that was part of the structure was included in his price. But anything that was attached to it, I would have to pay for. Oh, he did say he would spring of the nails, but the plywood was a big thing. I guess plywood is pretty steep.

No floors. No cabinets. No fixtures of any kind. Jeff told me to apply for credit at Lowe's and Home Depot. I did. I was desperate. I wanted a nice house.

He hooked me up with a designer who wrote up the plans. The plans alone cost me $1250. But he did a nice job. He gave me everything I wanted. He even gave me 2 full bathrooms. The existing house had a very small 5X8 bathroom. No window. I didn't expect a full bath in the master bedroom addition. But he said he didn't want to give me a house with two bathrooms with no windows, so he he gave me a full bath in the master. A small full bath, but a full bath. It came out really great.

I got an inside utility room. I can actually do laundry without having to go outside, or down into a basement. It's great. Before the renovations the washer was in the kitchen and the dryer was in the garage. Now I have a utility room just off the kitchen. Washer and dryer right next to each other. It's great.

I was pissed off at the small stuf that was left undone, but that's mainly because I was a great customer and I have a lot more work left to do on The Dump. Jeff could have had steady business from me for the next five years. I did the old bathroom this past spring and that cost me $10,000 but it was worth it. But I'll never hire that guy again, either. For differnent, but similiar reasons.

Petty shit. Things that would really only take an hour or two. But now I have to hire someone else to try and get them done.