Ewww.

The Backside, part 2

A really, really dirty bit of ductwork we found behind the register. Yep, it was cleaned as a part of the renovation.

When a buyer looks at one of our completed homes, what he or she may not realize is that we do not just fluff and puff a property—add some paint and pretty things up. We take the home, make it safe, and then improve it so that it can accommodate today’s lifestyle all while keeping its original character intact. 

In doing this, we start with the basics. We look to see if the home structurally sound and if not, what will it take to make it so. Holes in the walls don’t concern us, but rotten or termite-eaten floor joists or rafters do. Making these types of repairs is often both time consuming and costly. And while necessary, they don’t show up as the eye-candy that potential buyers are wanting.

The next level of must-do of repairs/improvements is not so sexy either. Call me silly, but I now have a great appreciation for a neatly labeled electrical panel and a love of permitted plumbing. Often the 100-year-old beauties we work on have knob and tube wiring that must be updated or lead pipes that have to be replaced. During the pre-purchase property inspection, we have often found many scary and dangerous owner upgrades made to homes that look just fine on first glance. Health and safety issues must be corrected, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because a future owner many not be able to purchase insurance for a home if these issues, once known, are not corrected.

One of the worst problems we have seen was lamp cord used to wire electrical outlets. It had to be replaced. Mold and mildew problems, also ventilation issues, are also common.

After making sure the home is safe, we look for ways to make it energy efficient, because we believe this is the right thing to do, and, realistically, who in their right mind would want to live in an energy hog? This means sealing up any holes or gaps in the building envelope, upgrading to LED light fixtures, installing storm windows, and adding insulation. We check and tune-up the HVAC equipment and purchase appliances with high EnergyStar ratings. 

So, before the fun work of design begins, a huge chunk of the renovation budget is invested in upgrades most buyers will never see and often don’t care about, that is, until they get their utility bill.

To help defray the misconceptions that a potential owner might form based on previous sales information available on Zillow, we keep a list of what has been renewed, restored, refinished, or replaced. We make sure this information is a part of our on-line sales promotions as it is a point of difference when buyers are comparing our homes with other listings. This listis also useful to inspectors and appraisers when the property is under a sales contract. 

We don’t post before photos for a couple of reasons. Mostly, people are interested in the property in its present state and seeing the original condition might be scary to the potential buyer. However, there are a number of folks who are really into the whole home renovation scene (thank you HGTV) and want to how the home was improved. We really love these folks because we get to tell the story of how what we had to do to make the home livable and lovable.