Big news!!

Early last week, Andrew called me and said a new house had become available in Oak Forest and he was on his way to see it. We were both extremely excited about a house in this area, but knew the timing was not ideal – we are in the middle of our first flip and had planned on selling this one, maybe buying some rentals and then getting another property... but things do not go as planned. The opportunity was too good to pass up, so about 20 minutes after we hung up the phone, Andrew called me back to say “I GOT IT!” He warned me that the house needed a great deal of work and had a crazy floorplan and I made an appointment to see it that evening.

The house was built in 1953 and is 2,048 SF on a 7,560 SF lot. It has 4 bedrooms (currently), 2 full baths, a 1car garage and a carport (we’re debating on whether this will stay). It also features a huge den, spacious (but very awkward) kitchen, too many walls and smelly carpet. This one will be a fun!!

Status Update - 10/28/12

Well a lot has happened since our last entry! As of today, all of the exterior and interior painting is complete. We are very happy with the colors we selected from Sherwin Williams. On a side note, I went in to Sherwin Williams and told them what we were working on and they were amazing! I left the store with a whole booklet of colors, needless to say this was very exciting to me and I am now overflowing with color options! We wanted to stay neutral, but avoid the normal tans, so we went with:

• Snowbound - trim/doors and cabinets (kitchen and bath)
• Agreeable gray – all walls
• Mega greige – fireplace

Other things that have been done recently include all of the window bars being removed and carpet being installed in the bedrooms. After searching long and hard for the perfect mantel to complete the living room we think we’ve found it! It is called “the Auburn” (ugh), but we think it will look great! It is made by a company called pearl mantels (http://www.pearlmantels.com/auburnshelf.html). Now we just need to find some mirrors for the master bathroom…

It is really all coming together so well. Our goal is to have this house on the market November 5th so stay turned for that.

pre renovation pictures

If you want to see the house as we purchased it, click on the slideshow below... notice the beautiful bars on all of the windows (don't worry those won't be there for long)

The right contractors

We met and talked to several contractors before deciding who would be the best not only this project, but also for what we wanted to do and how much input we wanted to have - not surprisingly, we want to be involved! Our contractors, who have worked with several people that Andrew knows, have already began to work on the house. Choosing them was not difficult - we liked how detailed and easy to understand their bid was, how their bid included EVERYTHING we could imagine and how easy it was to ask them questions, make changes and get speedy responses. We are amazed at how quickly things are coming together! The fur-downs were removed (recently learned the word fur-down) from the kitchen and baths, the whole exterior has been primed for painting, the outside metal porch has been removed (I had mixed feelings about this), slate tile has been laid outside the front door, most of the ceiling has been de-pop-corned, the beams in the living room have been stained, recessed lighting has been installed, the roof of the garage has been repaired, the master bath was removed and a large shower with custom tile was installed, the cabinets in the master bath were rebuilt, granite countertops were installed in both baths and new sinks were put in. The interior doors have also been replaced by two panel doors and I am sure there are several items that I'm missing... but you get the idea - these people are doing fantastic and we are very happy so far! The kitchen is looking beautiful and will be the highlight of the house, we removed two sets up upper cabinets to open it to the breakfast room and living room, we had granite countertops installed, we had custom upper cabinets built and the doors on the lower cabinets replaced (we were able to save some money by not replacing the lower cabinets) and the tile/stone backsplash is already up.

Closing and getting started

Andrew and I closed on our first real investment property on Friday, September 14th 2012. It is very cute ranch-style home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car garage on a large lot in an established neighborhood in southwest Houston. Andrew has wanted to flip houses for years and after missing out on two other properties, he jumped on the opportunity to purchase this home. We both are very optimistic and excited about learning as we go and starting this endeavor and really a large chapter in our lives together.