"Flipping Out" Week 2 Part 1
We made great progress in week 1 and the week ended without too many casualties for the first time flippers. I apologize ahead of time for the lack of pictures as the camera was our only true sacrifice of the week. Apparently carrying it in your pocket, next to your keys, while violently stripping tiles off the floor is a bad idea. The screen was rather unappreciative of the whole event. Here's the run down of what we completed by the end of week 1.
Project: Kitchen Gut
Tasks: Completely gutted- all countertops, cabinets, flooring, appliances, left over trash and window coverings were removed
Difficulties: None, this was cut and dry. Floor tiles were 20 years old and popped right up. There were a few tough ones towards the center of the floor but other than that, it was a breeze.
Lessons: We learned a little about hardwired appliances and how to deal with them
Project: Entryway & Utility Room Gut
Tasks: flooring removed, check water heater, electrical checked out by our friend Dennis Bataloni at Advanced Electrical Inc - 856-858-6017 (PS we always plug friends that help us out) :), water heater checked and tested
Difficulties: We assumed we had a major electrical problem but it turned out a lot of our wires were really just mixed up. (we didn't do it) After a visit from Dennis we're fixed up and moving forward with the addition of some switches for extra lighting
Lessons: The utility room was a good place to leave the shelving. We're calling it our junk shelf. Basically anything we don't want to throw away that we might need to measure, match up, or use later goes here. Kind of an organized form of junk collection. We recommend you pick a spot and do this so you don't misplace important pieces.
Project: Family/Living Room Gut
Tasks: Clean out and test fireplace, remove bad drywall, check header over sliding doors for rot, remove all carpets and trash
Difficulties: Removing rugs, deciding what to do with red brick fireplace, figuring out the wiring in the room, removing tack strips and nails from a concrete floor.
Lessons: Rugs come out easier when folded and cut, home decor experts recommend painting a red brick fireplace white, and drywall is not that hard of a thing to replace in small sections
Project: Master Bedroom & Master Bath
Tasks: Remove rugs, remove closet doors, remove bad wallboard, remove shower enclosure, sink vanity, and toilet.
Difficulties: Shower stall was concreted into the floor, toilet had cast iron main pipe, and shower stall was an odd dimension forcing us to creatively offset the drain. Vent fan so old, it was tough to match up by eye.
Lessons: The grinder is amazing for cutting out fiberglass. They actually make an offset for shower drains that are an inch or so in the wrong direction. Shower stall inserts are pretty easy to work with and make for a great looking finish. When replacing vent fans, take the whole thing with you to match up.
Project: 2nd Bathroom
Tasks: Remove vanity, change vent fan, and replace drywall.
Difficulties: Vent fan, same problem.
Lessons: None, this one was pretty straight forward.
Project: Laundry Area
Tasks: remove shelving, remove appliances, remove flooring
Difficulties: None
Lessons: Another fairly easy task
So to recap week one we completed the following: Removed all trash, rugs, bad wallboard, appliances, cabinets, one shower stall, two vanities, one toilet, all closet doors, all misc shelving. Electric was checked out. We purchased flooring (which we wont be using right away), found a great deal on a built in microwave for the kitchen (usually about $200, we got it for $120 with vents and lighting, purchased new vanities, and a new shower enclosure, a new toilet. We priced out new sliding doors for week 2, as well as pre-hung doors for the rooms. We tackled what should be are most difficult project, the master bath.
Week 2 we started Monday with the completion of the master bath shower installation, finished up the cleanout, worked on the toilet mounts, and purchased new hardware for the brand new shower. Look for another update at the end of this week along with pictures from the end of week 1 and the new camera should be in by Thursday at which point I'll visually update you as well. Almost 7 full weeks until the open house. Keep watching to see if we make our goal.