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Tag Archives: renovation

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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Getting the Most for Your Renovation Dollar

Bitmoji Lee writing formulae on a chalkboard

I wish there really were a secret formula to determine how much to spend on a renovation. We have systems that help, but each house is different. As you probably get tired of hearing me say, “It depends on what you want….”

The Secret Formula

We all want to get the most out of our renovation dollar.

A friend of Sue Ann’s recently sent us a couple of questions. Since these questions came from a real person, I’m going to answer in the second person. You know. Like I’m really talking to you or something. And I’m going to assume the backstory.

Is there any kind of equation for how much money one should put into fixing up a house before selling it? Like 10% of the price you hope to get for the house?

Continue reading →

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Glimpse into the Washington Project

Renovation is in full swing!

Our team led by Jennifer Young is making good progress on the Washington house in Cameron. We only have one photo (Lee says the only other one he got was a pile of debris in the garage), but it really tells a story.

The most obvious change is the lack of wall separating the kitchen and family room from the entrance. The framing is still there, but the indoor planter is out. I can’t wait to see what the new open space will look like.

Also missing are the ancient kitchen cabinets and appliances. In their place is a very large structural beam that attaches to a very thick support. My guess is THAT is going to stay, since it will be holding the house up once the rest of the wall is gone.

It also appears that paneling on the walls is outa here. I can’t wait to visit later in the week and get some more pictures!

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Reduce, Re-use, Recycle…a House

We could dress this old lady up in recycled clothes.

While we were looking at the Gillis house, Ken the architect remarked how much material we would need. All of a sudden his face lit up. “I know where we might be able to get things!” he announced.

This led to a story of something that’s become very common in Austin, and probably in other large cities where land is at a premium. In addition to designing houses, he also develops and renovates properties, in a much different market from ours, the high-end one. He found a nice house in the Tarrytown area of Austin, which is very near downtown. The house is on a beautiful one-acre lot, with a seasonal stream and many mature trees. The key here is “one acre.” That is a lot of downtown real estate.

Ken knows the area well, and right from the start, he knew he could build four multi-million dollar homes on that much space, so he was happy to buy the property at the (high) going rate for the neighborhood.

What to Do with the House?

But, the property has a very nicely maintained older house smack dab in the middle of it. What about it? He figures he has two choices:

  1. Sell the house at a low price, with the contingency that the owners would have to move it.
  2. Demolish the house.

There actually has been some interest in option 1. It would be interesting to know what the house moving estimates are. At least it’s a pier and beam house. However, it would need to be broken into three pieces (there are two additions) and the second floor would need to be detached. And trees would need to come down. And the house is on a hill. To me, this does not sound practical, even though it would save a nice house.

Option 2 is easier to achieve, for sure, but you can’t just tear it down.* That isn’t very “Austin” at all! We must recycle!

Yeah, we could use new lighting and floors in the Gillis house.

That’s why we visited the house. Ken envisioned many parts of his house that could easily be re-used elsewhere. Since the house has a lot of high-quality finishings, they might fit in well. We drooled over really fancy toilets and sinks, a new-looking Murphy bed, some gorgeous light fixtures, solid doors, and reasonable kitchen appliances. We would love to use at least some of these items, and we have space to store them, if Ken doesn’t want to put things in his own warehouse.

So, the guys are negotiating on possible ways to accomplish the removal and transfer of as much of the house as possible. It would feel good to help it live on, while its land becomes a home to four new families.

More Thoughts

I sure hope the folks who are tearing down so many old Austin houses to put in huge new ones are salvaging as much material as they can. Just look at Preservation Austin’s data on how many demolition permits in historic areas of Austin are requested. It’s a lot. But there is a huge demand for new housing close to the city, thanks to all the traffic issues.

I was encouraged, though, to read many articles saying that people in Austin are choosing the other “re-” option, which is to renovate. That’s the best way to preserve structures while creating larger, more modern spaces. Many others choose to add additional buidings without tearing down, when that option works.

*And don’t worry, you cannot “just tear down” anything in Austin. Many, many permits must be obtained, trees must be surveyed, and historical records consulted. It ain’t easy.

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Cutting Corners Shows

hotel exterior

They painted the outside of this hotel an updated gray and white. Wish the balconies were ones you can sit on.

So, our vacation’s first half has been partially business (isn’t it always). So, our hotel stay was dictated by where our friends at Hilton Grand Vacations told us to. They are building a new resort, so we agreed to see it and listen to their sales pitch in return for a pretty much free three nights at Hilton Head.

The hotel is, to say the least, interesting. It just happens to be across the street from the resort, so it’s perfect to host potential vacation club members, but apparently was in such bad shape that it was embarrassing (I’m not naming it, but let’s say the pre-renovation reviews were pretty off-putting). The Hilton folks took it over in some way (not clear), and needed a plan.

So, they renovated the place. Yep, they did. More recent hotel reviews were complaining about the renovation. We lucked out and arrived very soon after the renovation was completed.

Dark walls are not very effective when things are apt to bump them repeatedly.

First, the staff at this place is outstanding. Friendly and helpful doesn’t begin to cover it. They are like old friends, and have really made the stay worth it.

However…

It’s abundantly clear that the renovations to the hotel were done very quickly, with inexpensive materials, and on a very tight budget. We think the contractors got paid before anyone looked the work over. Sigh.

The colors are nice and modern, and the bathroom looks beautiful. But.

Here’s our evidence of poor workmanship and cost cutting:

  • The transition between the vinyl plank and wood-look tile in the bedroom wasn’t glued down.
  • The shower controls are backwards. I’m glad I eventually figured that out. That “hot” water wasn’t going to happen until

    The first thing I saw was this mis-glued trim.

    it got turned to cold.

  • The shower head guard is not exactly attached. That lets water in. Mold is coming!
  • Lee says the shower door is in backward, but it has to be or the door would open at the toilet. On the other hand, it’s a nice door and works well.
  • Most sad, to me, is the fact that they didn’t pull up the blue painters’ tape around the edges of the walls completely. There is blue tape everywhere.
  • They painted the doors and trim a black or very dark blue. It’s a great color. However, every time something bumps into it, the paint falls off. Think hotel trolleys and how well people drive them. Sigh.
  • There are no closet doors. This may be supposed to be trendy. I’m already tired of looking at my clothing. I’m sure this also saved a lot of money.

  • You really can’t miss the poorly removed tape.

  • The cabinet that is supposed to hold the fridge is empty. The fridge is sitting in an alcove that I’m pretty sure used to hold the coffee service. The coffee is on the desk, leaving little work room. I guess this saved a lot of money on cheap laminate cabinetry.

The point I want to make here is that there’s nothing wrong with doing an economical renovation. This one even makes sense, since Hilton is only going to be using this hotel until they sell out of the units in this resort (then they are going off to another SC resort they are building).

Contrast

We looked at the condo units, like good citizens. It was quite the contrast. They did not skimp. I looked pretty hard at the kitchen and bathroom finishes, and they are very well done. They even had high-end appliances. I was interested to learn that they change them out every few years as part of the ownership deal. Huh.

That shiny round thing really should be keeping water out from behind the shower surround.

Now we can vacation. So far that’s involved looking at fancy houses, reading about the vacation rental industry here, finding where on earth the regular people live on this island, and looking at nature. More soon!

 

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