MONEY PIT (part 2)

The first floor kitchen had one metal cabinet for the sink and one metal cabinet above. It also had a stove and that was it!

Our contractor did a good job of bringing the kitchen on the first floor up to date. We only had them do the kitchen and the bathroom, the windows and the front door on the first floor. I tore down the paneling in the front room, sheetrocked the walls took down the drop ceiling, plastered and painted myself. Then in one break ass marathon evening, me and Al painted the dark floors with alkyd ivory paint, just to get it ready to show to renters. 

I BELIEVE IT WAS OCTOBER BEFORE WE ACTUALLY CLOSED AND TOOK TITLE TO THE HOUSE. SINCE T WAS A TWO FAMILY HOME IT WAS STIPULATED THAT OUR BANK LOAN WAS CONTINGENT ON US RENTING OUT THE LARGER SPACE IN THE HOUSE. 
WE KNEW FROM APARTMENT LIVING THAT WE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE LIVING ABOVE US, AND THAT WE NEEDED TO RENT OUT OUR FIRST FLOOR SPACE.
AFTER MOVING IN, IT QUICKLY TURNED COLD THAT NOVEMBER OF 1994. THERE WAS A BLUSTERY SNOW STORM AND AL WAS THE FIRST TO NOTICE THE ACCUMULATING SNOW ON THE INSIDE OF THE FIRST FLOOR KITCHEN WINDOW SILL. BETWEEN THAT, THE ANTIQUATED BATHROOM  AND THE DARK PANELED FRONT ROOM, THERE WAS JUST NO WAY WE WOULD BE ABLE TO RENT THE SPACE AS IT WAS. NOT THAT OUR SECOND FLOOR SPACE WAS IN ANY BETTER CONDITION, BECAUSE IT WASN'T. 
OUR X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS TO DO ANY KIND OF RENO HAD QUICKLY RUN OUT. WE FOUND AN ADD FOR A CONTRACTOR THAT WOULD COME IN, ESTIMATE THE COSTS AND GET US FINANCED FOR OUR 35K LOAN. EXCEPT FOR THE BASEMENT EVERY WINDOW IN THE HOUSE WAS REPLACED, AS WERE BOTH FRONT DOORS THE SIDE DOOR AND THE BACK DOOR. A DOORWAY FROM THE KITCHEN TO THE A BEDROOM WAS CLOSED OFF (I HAD DONE THE SAME UPSTAIRS), WHICH ALLOWED FOR AN L SHAPED KITCHEN. THE DOOR OFF THE KITCHEN THAT LED DOWN TO THE BASEMENT AND ALSO TO ANOTHER DOOR THAT LEAD OUTDOORS WERE FINE. THE BUTLER STAIRCASE HAD LED FROM THE THIRD FLOOR ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BASEMENT. WE DIDN'T WANT OUR TENANT TO HAVE ACCESS TO OUR SPACE AND HAD THE STAIRCASE CLOSED OFF THERE AT THE FIRST FLOOR. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SECOND FLOOR LANDING, THERE WAS A DOOR THAT LED TO THE BACKYARD, SO THAT BOTH THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOORS HAD FRONT AND REAR EXITS. THE THIRD FLOOR HAD ACCESS FROM THE BUTLER STAIRCASE AND ALSO HAD A TRAP DOOR LEADING TO THE WALK-IN HALL CLOSET ON THE SECOND FLOOR, IT HAD A BUILT IN LADDER DOWN.

OUR CONTRACTORS INSTALLED TWO NEW BATHROOMS FOR US, ONE ON THE FIRST AND ONE ON THE SECOND FLOOR. THE WORN OUT CORNER SINKS, DEPLORABLE TOILETS AND WORN OUT CLAW FOOT TUBS WERE TAKEN OUT AND REPLACED. WE HAD SLIDING GLASS DOORS INSTALLED ON THE TUBS SO AS NOT TO MAKE THE BATHROOMS APPEAR ANY SMALLER THAN THEY ALREADY WERE. 
ALL THE WINDOWS, THE FIRST FLOOR KITCHEN AND BATH AND THE SECOND FLOOR BATH WERE DONE FOR US. THE SIDE AND BACK DOORS WERE REPLACED AS WELL. THEIR WORK INCLUDED WHATEVER ELECTRIC AND PLUMBING THAT WAS NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DONE. THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE FIRST FLOOR WASTE PIPE AND WHEN THE CONTRACTOR BROKE THE BASEMENT FLOOR TO EXPOSE THE LINE, HE FOUND IT TO BE HARDENED CLAY AND UNUSABLE. i ASKED IF THEY COULD JUST RUN PVC PIPE ACROSS TO THE SEPARATE WORKING SECOND FLOOR WASTE PIPE, AND THEY COULD AND DID. THAT PART WAS THEN SOLVED. 
ALL IN ALL OUR CONTRACTORS DID A GOOD JOB AND WE DID GET ALLOT DONE FOR OUR MONEY. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD WITH THEM WAS HAVING TO ASK ON A DAILY BASIS WHERE THE DUMPSTER WAS AND WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO GET IT. OF COURSE THEY KEPT PUTTING ME OFF AND LEFT US WITH A PILE OF DEBRIS IN OUR BACKYARD, INCLUDING PIPE, PLASTER WOOD, TILE, SINKS, AND BAGS FROM WHATEVER THEY ATE ON ANY GIVEN DAY. THE CLAW FOOT TUBS, ONE OF WHICH WAS PROMISED, DISAPPEARED WHILE I WAS AT WORK. SINCE I REFUSED TO SIGN OFF ON THE WORK UNTIL THE TRASH WAS TAKEN CARE OF... THE BANK WOULD NOT PAY THEM AND AS MIRACULOUSLY AS THE TWO TON CLAW FOOT TUBS DISAPPEARED, THE DEBRIS WAS GONE... TO BE CONTINUED.  tmp