It's official! My Aunt Marcia is now the proud owner of Colonial House (as I've taken to calling it.)
She flew in from Boston late yesterday morning and closed on the property in the afternoon. It was a pretty easy, smooth experience. We finally got to meet Lou, the former owner's son (and executor of the estate.) Lou grew up in Colonial House, so he is a wealth of information on the house, the neighbors, and the neighborhood. Marcia and I sat and talked to him for at least 30 minutes after all the paperwork was complete. We promised to stay in touch, call when we had questions, and invite him over as work progressed to see what we were up to.
As a future occupant of the house, I was particularly excited to hear that this is what Lou called a "backyard neighborhood," meaning the neighbors are extremely friendly and like to get together a lot. It sounds like their block parties are legendary. I have always liked having that in a home, and have missed it when I didn't. The neighbors across the street let kids cut through their backyard as a shortcut to the school (something that will cut my girls' walk in half). Marcia and I had been wondering about that. Apparently all the neighbors are very anxious to meet us.
Something I would have realized at some point, but was interested to hear yesterday, was that the backyard has grape vines, strawberry plants, and a pear tree that all produce edible fruit. Not sure how much grape and strawberry jam I will be making, but we'll see.
Lou's dad was a worker and took meticulous care of the house. That much is evident in little things, like how the installation dates are written on the furnace and hot water tank in Sharpie. Things like that are really nice for the new homeowners. I had been wondering about the hard wood floor in the attic. I mean, really, when have you ever seen a hard wood floor in an unlivable attic? Lou's dad was a postal carrier based out of the old Mt. Lebanon post office on Washington Road. When they tore down the houses behind it to put in the trolley line, the discarded materials were available to take. Lou's dad brought home the wood and installed it in the attic.
Tomorrow we have an electrician and a plumber scheduled to come out to the house. The plumber needs to inspect and turn on the furnace and stop a few small gas leaks in the basement, as well as give us an estimate on other things like a sewer camera test, replacing the cast iron sewer and drain stacks, installing a gas line for the dryer, reconfiguring the powder room..... The electrician will give us an estimate on replacing and upgrading the electric service to the house and a few other minor things mentioned in the inspection report (more on that in a later post.) We also plan to go to the municipality and apply for the work permit so we are ready to hit the ground running after the holidays.
Marcia spent a few chilly hours in the house last night, getting a feel for the house, playing around with some ideas. I woke up at about 1:30 am and couldn't fall back asleep. Around 2:30, I figured out how we can reconfigure the kitchen, and where we might be able to install a laundry chute! I am anxious to get back over to Colonial House in the morning with my notebook and measuring tape.
Now the fun part begins...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Getting Organized
So. Many. Ideas.
I'd been completely unfocused the first couple days of this project. Ideas kept popping into my head. Inspiration is everywhere. I wasn't able to sleep (nothing new, but at least now I wasn't sleeping for a good reason.) Marcia and I were sitting at dinner and she'd just start throwing stuff out there and our ideas would build on each other. We were thinking of things we definitely needed to do (gut kitchen), things we hoped we could do (move basement stairs), and wild, crazy ideas (finish basement for an income property). I was driving my daughter to school and passed by a house with a front porch that I thought would be a great addition to our house. I had to make a mental note to show Marcia. We went out on Friday looking for tile and got sidetracked by vanities. Truth be told, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed about this renovation and we haven't even closed on the house yet.
So I bought a notebook. It has 3 sections (and I created 2 more) and pockets for me to store receipts, samples, and pictures. I labled the sections To Do, How To, Shopping, Measurements, and Random Ideas. (Anyone care to guess what my 2 favorite sections are?) EVERYTHING goes into the notebook.
I've started a list of what needs to be done to each room. Some are simple, like the living room. Its list says rip up carpet, paint, and replace the surround on the fireplace. A Random Idea for the living room is to maybe put an overhead light fixture up, in which case we will need to have an electrician wire for it. But I'm not sure we will do it, so it's just an Idea and not a To Do for now. Some rooms are a little more involved, like the 3rd bedroom. Its list says remove closet door and trim, patch up closet opening, build new closet in different location, move outlet, paint, replace light fixture, add dimmer switch, and window treatments (blinds or shade.) Some rooms, like the main bath, have such an extensive list that I'm not going to even try to put it all here. Let's just say the only thing that is staying untouched is the bathtub. My To Do section includes lists that I've started for an electrician (breaker box in bathroom and GFI outlets in kitchen and bathrooms) and plumber to do (nothing yet, but we may need to have a toilet moved), as well as my general To Do list (check out the process for building permits in Mt. Lebanon, start researching sub-contractors, buy a pocket tape measure that I can keep in my purse, schedule home inspection - done!) I've also started my lists of tools I need to buy, tools I need to rent or borrow, and supplies I need to get.
Next is my How To section. I've done minor home improvements, but am a novice at heavy home renovation, so I have a lot to learn. There are some tasks that I know how to do, kinda, but wouldn't necessarily think about the proper way to go about it. Ripping up carpet, for example. Marcia sent me an email making sure I would remember to go over the floors with fine steel wool to remove any glue and then wash them with Murphy's Oil Soap. Now, that's not rocket science, but I don't know that I would have thought to do those last 2 steps after pulling all of the carpet out. It all goes into the notebook.
My Shopping section is the fun section. I've listed anything we've seen that we thing we might want to use in the house, where we've seen it, and the price and dimensions, if applicable. I've also taken to snapping pictures on my phone of these items for future reference. I've got it organized by room, so we can see where we still have some shopping to do. It's nice to have the information handy for comparison shopping. We priced out sinks and faucets at Lowe's one day and were pleasantly surprised to see that Busy Beaver was significantly cheaper. The selection isn't as great, but they certainly had enough things that we liked and won't have any problem picking out something.
Tomorrow when I am with the home inspector, I will walk around and make drawings of the rooms and take measurements of everything.... where outlets are located, height of windowsills, width and wall placement of doors, etc. This will help me know if some of the Random Ideas we come up with are even doable, not to be mention be critical information when I am Shopping. Marcia and I have been losing sleep over the steps to the basement. It is critical in our place to lay out the kitchen better and create more space. We have to make sure we can move the washer and dryer down the new doorway we will be creating out of an existing nook in the dining room. Heck, we don't even know if they'll fit down the existing stairway. Moving the laundry from the current mudroom is crucial to our plan for expanding the current powder room. This becomes my Measurements Section.
The last section in my notebook is Random Ideas. This is my favorite. I have it organized by room, including a page for the outside. Anything and everything goes in here, no matter how crazy or cost-prohibitive. I saw a picture of a chandelier hanging in a kitchen instead of a typical light fixture. I thought that was a really cool ideal and put it in the notebook. I've also started putting down potential paint colors for each room... incendentally, the only area of this whole project so far where Marcia and I have had some disagreement. Also in here, I've listed names of potential contractors that I've gathered, and websites to keep in mind for inspiration.
Marcia headed back to Boston late yesterday afternoon and has already emailed or texted me half a dozen times since then with thoughts and ideas. It all goes into the notebook. Excessive List Making... maybe it will be the next big Olympic Sport!
Actually, it's just the Project Manager in me coming out.
I'd been completely unfocused the first couple days of this project. Ideas kept popping into my head. Inspiration is everywhere. I wasn't able to sleep (nothing new, but at least now I wasn't sleeping for a good reason.) Marcia and I were sitting at dinner and she'd just start throwing stuff out there and our ideas would build on each other. We were thinking of things we definitely needed to do (gut kitchen), things we hoped we could do (move basement stairs), and wild, crazy ideas (finish basement for an income property). I was driving my daughter to school and passed by a house with a front porch that I thought would be a great addition to our house. I had to make a mental note to show Marcia. We went out on Friday looking for tile and got sidetracked by vanities. Truth be told, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed about this renovation and we haven't even closed on the house yet.
So I bought a notebook. It has 3 sections (and I created 2 more) and pockets for me to store receipts, samples, and pictures. I labled the sections To Do, How To, Shopping, Measurements, and Random Ideas. (Anyone care to guess what my 2 favorite sections are?) EVERYTHING goes into the notebook.
I've started a list of what needs to be done to each room. Some are simple, like the living room. Its list says rip up carpet, paint, and replace the surround on the fireplace. A Random Idea for the living room is to maybe put an overhead light fixture up, in which case we will need to have an electrician wire for it. But I'm not sure we will do it, so it's just an Idea and not a To Do for now. Some rooms are a little more involved, like the 3rd bedroom. Its list says remove closet door and trim, patch up closet opening, build new closet in different location, move outlet, paint, replace light fixture, add dimmer switch, and window treatments (blinds or shade.) Some rooms, like the main bath, have such an extensive list that I'm not going to even try to put it all here. Let's just say the only thing that is staying untouched is the bathtub. My To Do section includes lists that I've started for an electrician (breaker box in bathroom and GFI outlets in kitchen and bathrooms) and plumber to do (nothing yet, but we may need to have a toilet moved), as well as my general To Do list (check out the process for building permits in Mt. Lebanon, start researching sub-contractors, buy a pocket tape measure that I can keep in my purse, schedule home inspection - done!) I've also started my lists of tools I need to buy, tools I need to rent or borrow, and supplies I need to get.
Next is my How To section. I've done minor home improvements, but am a novice at heavy home renovation, so I have a lot to learn. There are some tasks that I know how to do, kinda, but wouldn't necessarily think about the proper way to go about it. Ripping up carpet, for example. Marcia sent me an email making sure I would remember to go over the floors with fine steel wool to remove any glue and then wash them with Murphy's Oil Soap. Now, that's not rocket science, but I don't know that I would have thought to do those last 2 steps after pulling all of the carpet out. It all goes into the notebook.
My Shopping section is the fun section. I've listed anything we've seen that we thing we might want to use in the house, where we've seen it, and the price and dimensions, if applicable. I've also taken to snapping pictures on my phone of these items for future reference. I've got it organized by room, so we can see where we still have some shopping to do. It's nice to have the information handy for comparison shopping. We priced out sinks and faucets at Lowe's one day and were pleasantly surprised to see that Busy Beaver was significantly cheaper. The selection isn't as great, but they certainly had enough things that we liked and won't have any problem picking out something.
Tomorrow when I am with the home inspector, I will walk around and make drawings of the rooms and take measurements of everything.... where outlets are located, height of windowsills, width and wall placement of doors, etc. This will help me know if some of the Random Ideas we come up with are even doable, not to be mention be critical information when I am Shopping. Marcia and I have been losing sleep over the steps to the basement. It is critical in our place to lay out the kitchen better and create more space. We have to make sure we can move the washer and dryer down the new doorway we will be creating out of an existing nook in the dining room. Heck, we don't even know if they'll fit down the existing stairway. Moving the laundry from the current mudroom is crucial to our plan for expanding the current powder room. This becomes my Measurements Section.
The last section in my notebook is Random Ideas. This is my favorite. I have it organized by room, including a page for the outside. Anything and everything goes in here, no matter how crazy or cost-prohibitive. I saw a picture of a chandelier hanging in a kitchen instead of a typical light fixture. I thought that was a really cool ideal and put it in the notebook. I've also started putting down potential paint colors for each room... incendentally, the only area of this whole project so far where Marcia and I have had some disagreement. Also in here, I've listed names of potential contractors that I've gathered, and websites to keep in mind for inspiration.
Marcia headed back to Boston late yesterday afternoon and has already emailed or texted me half a dozen times since then with thoughts and ideas. It all goes into the notebook. Excessive List Making... maybe it will be the next big Olympic Sport!
Actually, it's just the Project Manager in me coming out.
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Beginning....
My Aunt Marcia comes up with awesome, crazy ideas. Her latest was to buy a home in Pittsburgh, where she has never lived, fix it up, and rent it out. Luckily for me, I happen to live here. (Yeah, that part obviously was no coincidence.)
She found about 10 houses that met her criteria, namely located in a specific neighborhood, with central air, and at least one and a half bathrooms, and then prioritized them for me. I picked the ones that weren't on a busy street, found a few more, called a realtor she had begun talking to, and started looking at houses.
I narrowed it down to the best 4 or 5 and Marcia made plans to come in and see them. She arrived this past Wednesday (Nov. 2) from Boston and I drove her around to see all of the ones I had disregarded, seen and decided weren't right, and the ones that we would be seeing later that day. We met with Julie Courtney from Coldwell Banker (who is great to work with, by the way) and saw some great houses that were move-in ready. Then we went to look at Julie's listing, a 3 bedroom, 2 bath colonial on, fittingly enough, Colonial Drive in Mount Lebanon.
This house is a true diamond in the rough. It was designed, built, and originally occupied by local architect Charles Z. Klauder. He was the architect who designed the nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt. The only other owner was a man who lived there with his family and recently died at the age of 90-something.
Lots of people walk into a house and can only see what is there, not potential. Marcia and I are in the second camp. It's a good thing, because the house is a disaster. Everything needs to be updated. We can not only see decorating potential, but how we could demolish closets and build new ones, or move staircases, to maximize space. It has good bones, as they say. I think she instantly fell in love with it. I should mention this house is in a prime location, on a very quiet street, but two blocks from the Beverly Road shops and my kids' elementary school. Aren't the 2 rules of real estate that you should buy the worst house on the street and location, location, LOCATION? This one certainly fit the bill and we became more and more excited about it as we thought about it. Neither one of us slept well Wednesday night.
I should also mention that Julie had convinced the sellers to drop the price on the house by about $35,000 about 2 days before Marcia arrived in town, and already had presented 3 offers to the seller before we saw the house. Julie was able to hold them off while we took a day to look at a few more places, which really only served to confirm our decision and give us ideas (we were able to figure out how to move the stairs leading down to the basement from one house, for example.) Even as we were there last night signing the offer contract, 2 other couples came through looking at it. This house was an incredible bargain.
This morning we found out that Marcia's offer was accepted and we have a winter project! At dinner last night we starting making the list of all the things that need to be done, prioritized them, and came up with other ideas. We lined up the home inspection today and will continue driving around to flooring, tiles, cabinet, and bath stores to get inspired. We are challenging ourselves to be creative in renovating this house nicely on a strict budget.
I can't wait to share how this progresses. Marcia and I both needed a project to keep us busy this winter. Call us crazy... we just might be.
She found about 10 houses that met her criteria, namely located in a specific neighborhood, with central air, and at least one and a half bathrooms, and then prioritized them for me. I picked the ones that weren't on a busy street, found a few more, called a realtor she had begun talking to, and started looking at houses.
I narrowed it down to the best 4 or 5 and Marcia made plans to come in and see them. She arrived this past Wednesday (Nov. 2) from Boston and I drove her around to see all of the ones I had disregarded, seen and decided weren't right, and the ones that we would be seeing later that day. We met with Julie Courtney from Coldwell Banker (who is great to work with, by the way) and saw some great houses that were move-in ready. Then we went to look at Julie's listing, a 3 bedroom, 2 bath colonial on, fittingly enough, Colonial Drive in Mount Lebanon.
This house is a true diamond in the rough. It was designed, built, and originally occupied by local architect Charles Z. Klauder. He was the architect who designed the nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt. The only other owner was a man who lived there with his family and recently died at the age of 90-something.
Lots of people walk into a house and can only see what is there, not potential. Marcia and I are in the second camp. It's a good thing, because the house is a disaster. Everything needs to be updated. We can not only see decorating potential, but how we could demolish closets and build new ones, or move staircases, to maximize space. It has good bones, as they say. I think she instantly fell in love with it. I should mention this house is in a prime location, on a very quiet street, but two blocks from the Beverly Road shops and my kids' elementary school. Aren't the 2 rules of real estate that you should buy the worst house on the street and location, location, LOCATION? This one certainly fit the bill and we became more and more excited about it as we thought about it. Neither one of us slept well Wednesday night.
I should also mention that Julie had convinced the sellers to drop the price on the house by about $35,000 about 2 days before Marcia arrived in town, and already had presented 3 offers to the seller before we saw the house. Julie was able to hold them off while we took a day to look at a few more places, which really only served to confirm our decision and give us ideas (we were able to figure out how to move the stairs leading down to the basement from one house, for example.) Even as we were there last night signing the offer contract, 2 other couples came through looking at it. This house was an incredible bargain.
This morning we found out that Marcia's offer was accepted and we have a winter project! At dinner last night we starting making the list of all the things that need to be done, prioritized them, and came up with other ideas. We lined up the home inspection today and will continue driving around to flooring, tiles, cabinet, and bath stores to get inspired. We are challenging ourselves to be creative in renovating this house nicely on a strict budget.
I can't wait to share how this progresses. Marcia and I both needed a project to keep us busy this winter. Call us crazy... we just might be.
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