By Living Room Realty, September 29, 2023
I’m currently remodeling a 1910 farmhouse in SE Portland. I bought it when I was 29 for $160,000- I know, can you believe it?
That house and I have had an interesting relationship from the beginning. $160,000 for a house may SOUND glamorous, but it sure came with it’s projects.
The first immediate step was to replace the leaking roof…Check!
Then came making the layout more practical for living there. Rebuilding 2 stairwells, taking out a wall, and moving 2 others…Check!
And that was about it. We had $40,000 and it went by fast. Unfortunately, and like many people, we didn’t have the budget to do any of the “sexy” projects like the kitchen or bathroom.
And as I said, this house and I had an interesting relationship from the beginning. It was my very first house and I literally put my blood, sweat and tears into it. Soon after I finished those first projects and got to settle in, that house saw me go through a divorce. I moved out and rented it for the next 3 years. I learned the hard way that having a tenant in your house can go dramatically wrong sometimes (but I’ll save that for a longer blog at another time!)
Just a few months ago, I finally got possession of the house back and was left with a lot of damage by those tenants. At that time, I was faced with the choice of “fire sailing” it at a discounted price due to the condition or rehab it to it’s original glory. The thing is, I love that house. I mean, it’s been standing since 1910! Just think about the life it’s seen and been a sanctuary for.
So, I started peeling back any and all projects that needed updating. And when you do this, 100% of the time, you will uncover a project you weren’t expecting. Then you’re faced with another choice. The choice of…”Is this in my budget or can I get away with NOT doing it?” Now, there are very practical and real reasons why a homeowner can’t complete EVERY project that needs to be done on their house at any given time, but there are still choices that a remodeler makes every day to do a project the RIGHT way or the EASY way.
I hope you always choose the right way. This isn’t my first home remodel rodeo and I talk with clients every day about home projects, analyze inspection reports, and correspond with vendors about their work. But this time, with this house, I’ve found myself really thinking the ethics of it all.
Even as I shape up the landscaping, I find myself picking massive rocks out of the dirt because I know it won’t be best for the future grass and plants growing there. Would anybody know if I just covered them up with dirt and stuck a for sale sign out front? Nope. But would I know that I could have taken an extra couple of hours to do it right? Yep.
And as this project progresses, I’ll continue to make those decisions. If a wall is exposed and could use a little extra support, I’m putting it in. If am replacing a light and could have the electrician spend a few extra hours taking out all of the knob and tube wiring, consider it done.
The next time you’re faced with one of these decisions, you’ll consider your budget and your time. We all do. But if you’re faced with something you could do RIGHT or EASY. I hope you always choose right.
