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Tag Archives: renovation

More About Solar

Sue Ann recently posted about whether or not installing solar panels makes economic sense—spoiler alert: it doesn’t; it’s more of a religious or magical decision than an economic one. So, I thought I’d spend some words (as few as possible) to describe the installation process with pictures. And even though a picture may be worth a thousand words, I’m not going to take that truism to the Ikea extreme. Sometimes you need words to understand the pictures.

Site Prep

a man runs a gas powered trencher

Our grid interface is dozens of yards from the building where the panels are to be installed. A trencher made short work of digging the trench. Okay, it took more than an hour, but that is much faster than digging an 18-inch deep trench by hand—especially through the compacted road base that makes up our driveway. The original trench for the power and water connections were about 36 inches, so there was little risk that we would cut power to the house.
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Q&A: OPM and Effort

Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them.

Mindset plays a big role in business. What you can do is most limited by what you think you can do.

I try to answer your questions openly and honestly. This post originated with a reader question:

Is there a way to buy into the market of homes that are up for auction an or tax liens without using my own money and doing the remodel myself and having a real estate agent do the marketing for it?

There are really three—maybe four—questions expressed here:

  • Can I have a real estate agent do the marketing for me?
  • Can I buy a house at auction or from tax liens without using my own money?
  • Can I renovate a house using other people’s money if I don’t do the renovation work myself?
  • Can I renovate a house myself using other people’s money?

The answer to each of these questions individually is a resounding “Yes!” The answer when you start stacking them becomes increasingly less certain until it finally results in, “Well…maybe?” I don’t like to argue for limitations, but it depends on your reputation and how persuasive you can be. Luck does not play a big role in business. Continue reading →

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Awesome Fireplace and Gable at Russet Valley

Marble and more marble!

And now, for the week’s Russet Valley report! Grout has been applied to the new marble fireplace surround. It looks amazing and will be a great contrast to the flooring. (Since you can’t really see the floor in the photo, check the last photo in this post for the recently installed luxury vinyl tile floors.) The gleaming tile will help keep the room looking light and bright.
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Let There Be Lights at Washington

The front lights. I tried to get a photo of what the chandelier looks like from the outside, but I got a reflection! Ha!

Lighting was the focus for this week’s Washington update. We’re getting ready for phase 3 of the project, too, so Lee and Cody met on that, which is really why we went there. We are all more than ready to see how the exterior paint comes out and to see a door that doesn’t look like burglars just left (we think a dog did the scratches).

But mostly Mandi and I hung around with James and talked about lighting, not falling off of tall towers, and people we knew who did fall down from buildings.

As for the lighting, everything seems to work, which is always a real bonus, right? Plus, we had to have a bit of fun, because it IS allowed occasionally. Continue reading →

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Doors Will Be Doors, Right?

Three interior doors in sunlight and shaddow.

Three of the new doors greeted me in the driveway.

Every renovation is different. Some are light cosmetics, others complete gut jobs. Most fall somewhere between the extremes. And while we almost always replace water heaters, doors are another thing. Usually, all doors need to be happy is a coat of fresh paint…maybe a few minor repairs.

Front doors are a special case. They take a lot of abuse from the elements and from people going in and out. They also make a statement. So, we often choose to replace front doors, even if they are in pretty good shape. Continue reading →

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