# "This Old Mold House"



## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Cheese anyone?*










You would think I should know better by now.










In truth I do.










I admit it.










I guess it really doesn't matter, there is just something about woodworkers, craftsman, and those of us who spend inordinate amounts of time in dusty, cramped, often hot or cold environments which we proudly show off as our kingdoms or domains which we call our "shops".

Oh did I mention the lighting in that makes you think your headed for early blindness.

That said, up front I admit I do or should know better than to take on another impossible project.

Of course I am going to be up against the wall time wise, short on money, rely heavy on faith and have a dream falsity's that borders on delusion for the end results of "This Old Mold House".

To refresh your memory, I have purchased a nineteen twenty three stucco huge home that needs saving from being condemned because of mold infestation.

It is located five houses from *This Old Crack House.

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The house is in dire straights and in need of serious tender loving care.

This is a understatement to say the least.

Most importantly it needs a homeowner.

For me a neighbor.

Start the skill saws, turn on the pressure washers, get the bleach out the adventures of "This Old Mold House" have started.

Wheres my respirator and rubber gloves?

I guess I really never learn or know any better.

So why fight it?

For all of use who call our selves craftsman its a calling I guess.

copyright all rights reserved 10-01-07 DJerzak


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


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A calling, indeed, Dusty. Some where along the line I discovered that there are a lot of similarities betwewen tough and dumb. We tend to do the impossible because we don't know it is impossible. Aerodynamically it is impossible for the bumblebee to fly; however since nobody told the bumblebee, he flys quite nicely , thank you.

Good luck Dusty. We'll be watching.


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## Don (Dec 18, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Wow! Here we go again - another impossible adventure with Dusty. Can't wait!


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Here we go…


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

Dusty said:


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some people build small projects. Others furniture. Fewer of us tackle a house… you're building a community!

Oh boy!...


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Dusty

We took a poll and decided that we need to form a Woodaholics Anonymous.
First meeting is at your house.

Hello. My name is Dusty. I've been making sawdust for 17 years.
My family tried an intervention but I escaped.
I tried crack but that didn't help.
Now I'm hooked on mold.
I also cut glass into little pieces. Just another of my little addictions.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


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lol @ Sawdust.

Well, I guess it's ok as long as you acknowledge it 

I think of you all the time as Rick helps his boss renovates his "mansion" previously owned by druggies. He is turning this old house into the "estate" / state that it once was - and should be. The neighbourhood has the crack house, the … ladies of the night.. house and, well, a lot of troubles. There have already been a couple houses that have been taken over and renewed. And his will add to the change of the community. 
What a great investment it would be to by a house or two, or three, and do a "Dusty" on it.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Dusty, Dusty, Dusty…I can hardly wait. I wish I was closer so I could come by and give you my best bad advice!


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Dusty its your calling, for some its the priesthood, others, ranchers, firemen, cops, you decided to do impossible things. Amaze and astound people and wow us in general. Go on admit it, you love the challenge of it. jockmike


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## joey (Sep 17, 2007)

Dusty said:


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so now, do we call you moldy….lol I have been where you are going and wouldn't go back. we rehab a rental that had a mold problem while living in it. it wasn't a good time we still are renting the house and still fighting the mold, because the landlord will not address the the cause. which is poor drainage. Anyway I wish all the best in this adventure, and take plenty of precautions….joey


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Dusty said:


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I never could catch up on the This Old Crack House, but I may just be able to get this one from the start! Yee-haw!


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Wow..that house needs more than T-L-C…it needs D-E-M-O ! Good luck!


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## Drew1House (Mar 18, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Dusty… having a bit of experience with MOLD… In our dry climate even… I would suggest you actually look into a quick cheap mitigation method I have used a few times… I believe it is better than bleach… Scrubbing bubbles works great if the mold has only been on the surface and has not damaged the wood to the point it is structurally unsound. Be careful… most mold is fairly harmless to most people… but where there has been a sitting mold problem for a long time the potential for Stachy is increased… which can make you as sick as chewing on the lead you use for your windows…Scrubbing bubbles will kill the mold ( I just spray it and leave it where there is mildew in walls… I probably go over board and spray it and let it dry several times) but it is designed to kill mold and works great!


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## Obi (Oct 19, 2006)

Dusty said:


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It doesn't need D-E-M-O it needs to be ressurected by DUSTYMAN! Savior of condemned properties, and doer of good. I don't have a shop, I have a loft above the "MANCAVE", and an office right off the main room. So from the confines of the Mancave office I can give you some of what Dennis called my "best bad advice".

And somewhere in the gloom of the mold, Dustyman swoops down with his truckload of tools and proceeds to eliminate woods worst enemies. Mold, rot, termites…

*HERE HE COMES TO SAVE THE HOOOOOOUSE! OUR HERO DUSTYMAN, NOT MIGHTY MOOOUSE!!!*


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## Artist (Feb 10, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Wow, I hope you know how to protect yourself from that dangerous mold. I will surely pray that God will use you for this and protect you though the whole thing.

Diane


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## scottb (Jul 21, 2006)

Dusty said:


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great tip Drew!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Good Luck Dusty, in your new adventures.


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## shaun (Sep 16, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Yikes! I've taken on some tough ones but after looking at this and some of the pics in "This Old Crack House" I've gotta say… DUSTY IS THE MAN!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Fellow lumberjocks.

All the wonderful comments and support really helps to keep me motivated and inspired with my latest project "This Old Mold House".

I have been very busy with this house because my dead line is very tight and fast approaching.

I wish I had more time to respond to all the great comments. Right now it is simply not possible.

I am keeping a daily journal and extensive video and pictures of the progress. After the project is complete I will be bloging my experiences and sharing them here with my fellow lumberjocks.

This project is turning out to be quite a challenge.

Once again I am reminded how little I know and how much I still have to learn.

Once again I find my self beyond what I had every imagined I could do or experienced before.

Will I ever learn?

No.

That is the reason for the blog, It gives me a chance to share how little I really know and how silly I really am for taking on projects like this.

I look forward to sharing.

Thank you for all your comments. Reading these after a long hard day is really inspiring after you have just started a project and found a small problem that I was unaware existed and cost 4500.00 to fix.

There was not a dime extra in the budget for this cost overrun.

Can you say spam and baloney sandwiches for a while?

OH, and I will have a large piece of humble pie with that.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


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and then you will be blessed with the end result: one that you can be proud of.. one that we will ALL be proud of!


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Dusty said:


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I'm finally sitting down, read through your story. I'm sorry, but I've been a little busy spinning my wheels, & not accomplishing much. *GOOD LUCK !*


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Dick,

It is so good to hear from you again. I hope the Mrs's and you are well. Like you I have been very busy.

I am done with my latest project now and able to come up for air.

Regards.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*MIA UPDATE... Let the project begin..............*










After 24 grueling days full of challenges "This Old Mold House is complete and closed Friday October 26 2007.










The new owner took possession of his new house and is busy moving in to his new home.

I have just returned from a 5 day hunting trip out west and will soon began writing the story of "This Old Mold House".

I think it is a story worth telling.










You will have to decide for yourself.

As always I found out how little I know, how inept I am, how every mistake possible was made, and how over my head I was with this project.










That said; I did what ever other lumberjock would do.

We just did it.

We some how forged ahead, finished the project on time and with in the homeowners budget.

After 24 days, over 300 pictures, video, and a daily log I am ready to tell the story and share my experiences of "This Old Mold House".

Prepare to laugh, shake your head and call for the men in the white coats to come and pick me up.

Most of all I am hoping you choose to read the blog series so if you ever choose to do a project like this you can gain insight and knowledge on "how not to do a remodeling project".

This will be a clinic.










Every trade will be visited.

Every mistake will be visited, and shared.

My ego is beyond being bruised.

However for those of you who have ever taken on a project like this I think not only will you be able to relate its my hope your humility will allow you to share your comments for the benefit of the next Lumberjock who takes a project like this on.

Game on.

Start the skill saws.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Ready so start Dusty. Where do I sign Up.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

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We're ready on this end, Dusty.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Looks like you have your work cut out for you we'll be following your progress.


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## Artist (Feb 10, 2007)

Dusty said:


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You did all this in 24 days, wow, can't wait to hear the story.

Diane


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Start your engines!! Vroom Vroom.. I'm ready to go.. take my on the journey!


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Edge of my seat! Ready for the blockbuster.


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## RAH (Oct 14, 2007)

Dusty said:


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I have done projects like this, can't wait to hear your story. However mine took longer than 24 days.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


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Karson

It would be a honor to have you on my team.

As your well aware these projects not only are very capital intensive they require patience, creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to ask questions of those in the know and be open to doing things that you might not be familiar with, or ever tried.

In other words; learning.

I found the first thing check to see that it isn't in my carpenter apron is my ego.

I also find the most useful tools I have in this same apron, is a large quantity of humility.

Perhaps the most overlooked asset in any woodworking project or major remodeling project is; an sense of humor.

This of course is easier said than done.

I look forward to sharing the story of *This Old Mold House.*


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Let me get the popcorn. I'm ready for the show!


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Dusty said:


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me too…


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*

Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.

They lied.

I knew this new project with *"This Old Mold House"* was not only going to be hard work, time-wise it would be a grueling challenge with my schedule.

I also had no idea how bad the mold was going to be or to what extent would be the abatement process.

As I was loading my wagon with my tools I couldn't help but review how I had arrived at this point of beginning a project like this. In my mind, it was like it was just yesterday, but in reality it had begun almost 14 months.










Time flies.

I had been out walking the basset hounds, stopping frequently to visit with all the neighbors as I always did. Four doors down from "This Old Crack House" and across the street, was a large beautiful corner lot. This lot was home to a very big two-story stucco house, which for the most part, had been empty for over two years.

I had always admired this house. I even had commented several times how much I would like to own it and how much I would like to see inside. I saw a lot of potential in remodeling this house.










I knew this house was owned by an elderly widow in her eighties. But during the ten years I had lived on this block, I had only seen someone twice at the house.

I know everyone by name for several blocks around "This Old Crack House"; I make it my business to know everyone. My basset hounds are like ambassadors and have carved out a lucrative treat-trail during their walks, but this house had eluded us as far as meeting or knowing the owner.

I knew Pam, who lived for over twenty years across the street from this corner property. She knew the owner and her daughter and son-in-law quite well. When visiting Pam, the daughter had mentioned that the owner, Betty, now 81 years old, would like to see the house completely remodeled. She knew about the other nine houses we had purchased and refurbished over the last few years and was aware of our influence in rebuilding the entire neighborhood, rescuing it from urban decay.

Pam asked if we might be interested in this house and gave me the telephone number of the owner who was living in assisted living near her daughter some 150 miles away.

I told her I was interested in the house and took the number. When I got home I called the number and introduced myself to the son-in-law of the owner.

He knew me by reputation and was aware my work and its influence in renewing the neighborhood. He was very interested in selling the house and commented that his mother-in-law's wish was for us to buy the home. By sheer coincidence, he would be in town and staying at the house that week, so we set up an appointment to tour the house.

I was excited.

He called me when he got to his mother-in-law's house. I invited him to walk down the four doors and tour *"This Old Crack House"*. He said he would love to do this as he had heard so much about the house and was curious why everyone had always told him that if he got the chance, he should tour the house.

After the tour he said, "I now understand why everyone says what they have about your home." He was almost speechless.

He gave me a brief background as to what was going on with Betty, his mother-in-law, the owner of the house. The only owners, Betty and her husband had built the house, living in the basement for thirteen years while they slowly finished it. It had been their dream. He made it clear that she wanted to sell it and preferred that we bought it. Her age and health made it impossible to return to the house.

When I toured the house, I was shocked. Words can't really describe how much disrepair and hard times the house had suffered. Although from the outside the house looked like a castle, once inside, the disappointment was overwhelming. I tried not to show my reaction. Besides being badly dated in terms of its decorating, it was in dire straits. In short, 40 years of non-maintenance had come home to roost.





































I knew she had been widowed early in life; this fact now very evident.

However, the lack of maintenance would be a secondary issue compared to what I discovered. Mold, more mold than I had ever seen in a basement of any house. On a seasonal basis for the city, I work as a State Building Inspector and had never come across this much mold. Besides being a non-conforming and illegal suite, the two bedroom, one bath layout in the basement was full of mold.

Although it occurred infrequently, the son-in-law had set up one of these bedrooms for those occasions when he came to town to work.

Thank God this happened rarely.

I counseled him gently about the dangers and health hazards of living in this basement. The mold was present on the concrete, various surfaces and in the walls of the bathroom and wherever wood partitions were built.










I could see the major cause of the mold. I pointed out that water had been allowed to seep in through the rotted-out windows caused by a reverse grade and rusted through or missing gutters and down pipes.

He worked in construction as a black top foreman for a large company and understood the reverse grade issue and seemed to understand the other causes, but he didn't know about the possible health hazards of the mold and would move up stairs as soon as he could.

I suggested at this point he at least do the minimum necessary to stop the water flow into the basement when it rained. I also suggested he dry the basement out and gave him some other ideas how he could halt the spread of the mold. I explained that this would not be an easy task and he needed to take precautions when working in the basement.

He then said, "I suppose you're not interested in the house then."

"Not necessarily," I told him. "But I do need to do a comprehensive study to determine what needs to be done. Certainly, if I do put in an offer the price will reflect these facts. I need the weekend to study the house."

He handed me the keys and said, "Take them".

I told him I would call him Monday when he returned.

We shook hands and I left.

Shaking my head all the way back home, I couldn't help but think about all the work that would need to be done with the house just to make it habitable.










I was even wondering why any sane person would want to tackle a project like that. I never answered this self question. My mind switched to what needed to be done.

It was overwhelming.


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## Artist (Feb 10, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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> Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.
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Thanks. Can't wait for the rest of the story.

Diane


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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> Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.
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Lets see. What do I have to do. Would dynamite help or hinder the reconstruction.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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Lordy, lordy, what a mess. Dusty, you are braver than I am and I'm pretty brave.


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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Yikes!

Keep it coming.

As I near the home stretch here. I don't know if I would do it again.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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I love that last part-- the thoughts about "why" quickly changing to a plan of action. 
Yah, that about sums you up-don't think about it, just do it 

And as for the "why", I'm thinking that you have a lot in common with Don. He loves small wooden boxes and you love big ones - the ones that come in the shape of an old wooden house.

With lots of walls down and ceilings close to falling down, the demolition part looks to be easier that some projects.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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Wow…better you than me! Glad to see you back blogging!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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> Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.
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Dennis Mitchell

Thanks it sure feels good to be back blogging after being absent between finishing "This Old Crack House" and starting a new project "This Old Mold House".

Like ever else I just have been very busy. Some times the things we enjoy and need to do the most become casualty's.

I realize no one has anymore time than I. We all have the same amount of time granted to us In a day. It ll boils 
down to how and what we fill our days.

Trust me I prefer hands down something that allows me to practice my craft.

Wood Working.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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> Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.
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Thors Angle.

Or just a lot dumber.

As I said , I should know better by now.

What ever posses us to do some of the things we do?

Jockmike2 claims its is a calling.

He is lot wiser than me. There for I will believe him, and take his word on this.

I then wonder why I feel compelled to answer all those calls ? Will the "calls" stop coming?

Perhaps I should get "call blocker" ?


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Lets make a deal....on this "old Mold House", was her wish*
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> Someone once said, 'If you do what you love and is your passion you will never have to work a day in your life'.
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MsDebbie,

Debbie you said …

*"With lots of walls down and ceilings close to falling down, the demolition part looks to be easier that some projects. "*

I think that one of the most over looked and difficult jobs in any remodeling job is the demo portion.

I see it often as being done incorrectly, sloppy ( causing a lot of unnecessary work later not to mention expense) . I often find that even though homeowners see to like this part of the job ( easy to see progress) it is underestimated in terms of time and cost. With out giving to much away I plan on blogging more about this portion of the project in "This Old Crack House".

One other timely comment was yours about comparing Don building small boxes me building big boxes.

First off Don has way more talent than I could ever hope to have. I can't build what he makes with ease.

Second with out his superior editing skills and generous help with editing my blogs this would only be mindless dribble.

My hats off to Don. I have deep respect and admiration for all of his work.

Both, in and out of the shop.

Thanks for commenting on this.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*










If there is one thing that I have learned well about home remodeling it is that the initial planning stage of the project is the most important. This includes detailed estimates, budgets, schedules, scope of work, financing, and cost-overrun contingency plans.

So many projects fail because this step is either done incorrectly or is done in denial; what I call "the dream state". So often, once you decide to do a remodeling project and move on to the next stage, the brain goes into a hypnotic, almost paralyzed, state. That's when normal functioning folk seem to turn into village idiots.

I raise my hand under this scathing indictment. In fact I could be there leader.

I have learned the hard way. For several years there were several villages looking for their idiot. I am the missing idiot these folks were looking for. I admit that I am ready to take my well earned position as chief idiot.

Let me explain why I say this.

It is very easy to become so excited, enthused or consumed with a remodeling project that one almost immediately begins to display some of the initial signs. A few of these signs are as follows:

• Denial
• Overachievement
• Unrealistic expectations
• Illusions of grandeur
• False pride
• Ignorance
• Wish full thinking
• Self absorption

This by no means is a complete list. Feel free to add any others you may have experienced. Again, it is only a sampling of some of the initial symptoms.

I learned quickly that just because I could see in my minds-eye a thing or a project, there was little connection between what I envisioned and its actual completion. This was especially true if it included the project being fully completed on time, and within budget.

I can't count the number of times I have started or seen a project in the past and got to a 'near completion stage', or the famous stage called, 'it's good enough' or, the 'it will have to do for now stage'.

I am convinced this is the reason so many projects have been killed before they even start. I can hear the words loud and clear. They go something like this, "No, you're not going to start another project. You have not finished the last three!" Then, going right for the juggler vain, "A garden hose is not plumbing for a dish washer."

Then the look follows; it's the one that's not only impossible to misunderstand but like slow poison. It stays with you like body odor.

Of course, there's the, "You have 500 projects on your honey-do-list that have you haven't even looked at for eight months."

I have often wondered why these people seem so black and white. Don't they understand we are "artists, craftsman extraordinaire in training? Well, in our minds, anyway.










These 'creative blockers', as I call them, usually are also wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, family members, who seem to delight in derailing our grand remodeling projects. Oh, the torture we endure on our way to becoming the next Norm Abrams.

I have always wondered what they don't understand about my philosophy that consists of: trust me, be reasonable, see it and do it my way. Anyone who understands what is like to be a gifted want-to-be woodworker or carpenter understands this. No explanation is necessary. And for those who don't understand this line of thinking, no explanation will ever suffice.

Now, back to the story.

As a result of being guilty of every sin possible in remodeling and a few not even invented yet, I have had an equivalent of a "spiritual awakening".

I now have a ridged outline that I follow like a well-worn path to the refrigerator when hungry.

The rules are simple; I don't deviate from them, period. They follow.

Every job or remodeling project will include the following.










1. Detail plans and an outline the scope of the project. It's unimportant whether the plans are hand drawn or done by a professional. At bare minimum, any project needs a rough plan with the overall dimensions.

2. A material list with current and realistic costs verified. (Not based on wishful thinking or prices that you paid ten years ago.)

3. Scope of work. This is an outline of the steps broken down by each room or part of the project.

4. A realistic time schedule.

5. Budget.










6. A list of all subcontractors or suppliers with all the necessary contact details and relevant information.

7. A 'Who's Responsible' list, with names assigned to who will complete the task and when.

8. Brief backup plans or descriptions of alternatives.

9. A tool-list needed to complete the project.

10. Expected delivery dates of materials and products.

11. Permits and inspections needed for project.

12. Digital camera or video along with an notebook for daily notes and journal entries.










I have learned to do all this and more, not because I like lists, but because I have made every mistake possible and more. I have extensive experience being the village idiot. This list is a good start and will cover most of the things needed to complete any project.

I use simple yellow and white legal pages and spiral notebooks.

I use yellow for estimates and white for the final draft. I use the spiral notebook for all my contacts, daily job notes and journal.

When I began my comprehensive overview of the scope of work that needed to be done for "This Old Mold House', it was an eye opener.

I didn't like the conclusion.

Long ago, I learned to trust the process.

With two days to complete the planning phase, and armed with my tape measure, several notebooks, and pencils I started the comprehensive scope of work and estimate process.

I would deliver the message on Tuesday as to the outcome.

What would it be?


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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This is a great guide for some one that wants to getinto a major reno.
You are very organised.
I find getting people to commit to time, dates and prices the most difficult part of any job.
I look forward to the next entries.

Bob


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Great information for first time remodelers or carpenters who have always worked for someone else. If you haven't done the administration work, it can be a real eye opener. My father was one for never completeing anything. His saying was,"That'll do for the time being." I have no idea what that meant except that it would never be finished .


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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a great "life" strategy-think ahead, plan, prepare for the unexpected, plan some more..


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Bob,

Thank you for the kind comments.

I can assure you only after my share of pain, failures, bone headed mistakes, money losing projects, not to mention frustration and sleepless nights I have come to the conclusion that something had to change.

That was simple part realizing it was me that had to change about the way I had approached my work.

In spite of my self, I had to get organized and find a better way or I realized I wouldn't be in business long.

This was a fact.

I have always been convinced that the actual work was the easiest part to learn or figure out.

I find woodworkers, carpenters any craftsmen, or woman for that matter are very smart, innovative, and learn easy. They are extraordinary talents as artists and craftspeople .

I also have noticed that they much prefer the actual work and detest all the other parts of the jobs such as the paper work , bigind. planing, designing, decorating and so on.

I am no different.

I hope that passing on a few of my hard leaned tips may benefit some one because I certainly could of used a few tips.

This project I think as I get into it more and more will be helpful in a number of ways for those who maybe are considering taking on a project like this or simply would like to learn.

I guess we will only know this after the blog series is done.

Every craft and trade will be represented in this blog series .

I am hoping others who are much more knowledgeable than I ,will also jump in and offer their tips and experiences and correct me when they see I have gone astray.

I hope others find it helpful.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Thos Angle,

When I teach woodworking one of the points I drive home is how important it is to maintain momentum and how to work effectively so the project can be completed on a timely basis and on budget. So many projects seem to never get done because of loss of interest, over budget, or an problem arises that they get stuck on and can't seem to solve or get around.

Then frustration sets in and they quit.

I have always said "woodworking or carpentry work is really just problem solving".

You just have to picture the end work or result and be able to work backwards to the beginning solving all the hurtles and challenges as they are presented to you to finish the project.

Quite simple.

We make it so hard on ourselves.

Skills are acquired over time and from experience doing things.

Wisdom comes from finding better ways of doing those things that didn't work out for us as well as we wanted or liked.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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So true, Dusty.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Thanks Dusty. A great start on a long process.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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I like #9. Usually there is a new tool in there somewhere.

As I am Captain Chaos, I'm very lucky that my wife is a major planner, list maker, sketch maker. Now all I have to do is listen.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Great blog! I could have used this when I bought my first 11-room farm house-- a little remodeling needed. Yeah right. By the time it was "done" not only had I learned to hang drywall, tape, mud it. But I figured out how to hang it on the celing of a 10 foot stairwell--after having been told that "no way can a woman do it" (I kid you not); 
I learned to rewire a house after I "learned" how much electricians have to charge to make a living; 
I learned to plumb a house after I "learned" that plumbers really do have plumbers butt - and charge a lot in order to make a living; 
I learned to paint a house after I "learned" that painters are expensive because they have to make a living; 
I learned how to rebuild a wall and repair built in cabinets; 
I learned how to hang trim and make it look good without caulking. 
I learned that a sledge hammer works well taking out a cast iron tub; 
I learned that drywall gets heavy carrying it up a stairway by yourself; 
I learned that if you are not good measuring for electrical boxes - use mustard instead. 
I learned that getting a cast iron tub up a stairway by yourself - can be done if you think hard enough about it. 
I learned that drywall dust never really goes away and does not really do much for the taste of pasta;
I learned that a nail puller really works well, but to save trim it's best to pull the nail through the back;
I learned that fiberglass insulation should be installed wearing long sleeves;
I learned that I'm a bit anal-all my insulation had to be hung with the writing right side up;
I learned that if you are working in a crawl space that someone should know you are there in case you get hurt (learned that the hard way);
I learned that I had no idea how much anything costs or how much it was really worth;
I learned rough carpentry was not all that difficult;
I learned that if you start a conversation of "if I do this" at the contractors desk with a contractor standing next to you-- you'll probably get some good advice. 
I learned that if you are a single woman, remodeling a house, in a small town, that you often become the talk of the town and become amusing entertainment.

I'm sure I learned more, but one thing I did not learn was - DONT buy another fixer upper. I'm on my fourth!


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## Treefarmer (Mar 19, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Awesome Dusty….My daughter graduates this spring. We are then planning on selling our current home and spending the next 10 years buying and remodelling homes. Hopefully my marriage will survive the ordeal.

I'll be following along paying close attention…..where is that legal pad?


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Douglas,



I like number nine also. Unfortunately I learned this one the hard way. 
Several times.

For example, one of the very first small remodel jobs I did I had some dry wall that needed to be hung in a small basement bedroom I was building.

No problem, I figured. Dry wall looked easy enough to do.

I figured all you need to do is throw it up, nail it, then slap a little mud on it.

Yea about that, not so much!

Lessons learned. There is a reason that trade is a trade.

There are reasons they have different several tools such as different with mud blades, banjos, hawks, drywall screw guns with clutches, so on and so fort, just to list a few. These tools not only make the job much easier they make the job look like it was done professionally. Just remember most of the tools we all take for granted today that we use were invented by someone in a trade that used them ever day in there craft.

For the record I suggest you not use a two inch putty knife to mud seams.

You wonder why a village is looking for there idiot somewhere.

I don't, I know why they were.

Oh how I know. I still have the blister scars from sanding that two inch seam with the huge center bulge.

One other reason I learned it is so important to make a tool list is if you come to that part of the job and you have not made arrangements and you don't have the proper tools to do the job not only is it very hard to do the job right it usually ends up looking like it was done by a child who was playing.

Often times your remodeling budget is very tight and there is no room for a extra say 500 dollars for a table saw.

It is hard to build and install a complete kitchen with just a nineteen dollar skill saw from Lowe's.

Oh the lessons I have learned.

If that village is still looking here I am. I am the one with the stupid shirt on over here.

Come take your idiot home please.

I'm tired.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Besty,

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo,

My hats off to you. I applaud you, good for you!

Like you, I am self taught also. Ever one of your comments I could relate to or have experienced.

Your list speaks loud and clear.

I have several others that I plan on weaving into my blog as time goes on.

When you are self taught and have no specific mentor or teacher the experience of doing something becomes your teacher.

This experience however can be very humbling, frustrating, expensive and even at times very unsafe.

I shutter to think of all the bone head things I have done.

Just one more reason I like to share my experiences. If I can just save one person, one small screw up, or help them get the job done better, less expensive ,or safer then writing this blog will have been worth it.

I look forward to hearing more and sharing more of your lessons leaned.

Thank you for sharing your humble experiences.

I was beginning to think I was the only one ever to make these mistakes.

Maybe more than one village is looking? Is that possible?


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Bob Babcock,

How exciting for you. Good luck to you and your wife.

Far be it from you to dispense anyone advice, I have trouble dispensing a glass of water.

However if there is one thing I would tell you to do it would be- HAVE FUN DOING IT.

Enjoy the journey along the way the destination is disappointing or a real let down a lot of times.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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So true Dusty. My big lesson was to just do one project at a time and finish it. Ok so I'm building my house…and a bed…and have three kitchens scattered about the shop in different phases of completion. I can do that today because I learned to finish one at a time. (I was in my thirties) I have that same tunnel vision when working so the planning is a must!


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## gene (Oct 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Very true on all of the above! I may have missed one while reading. Always have a detailed contract signed whether you are the client or the contractor. Seems that you can't normally go with just a hand shake anymore! 
And Besty, I , and I feel sure the rest here, applaud all that you have managed to accomplish. I'll bet that you are still the talk of the town. Are they calling you for advice now? "Way to go" !
God bless


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Gene,

I couldn't agree more with you on this one. In the scope of work section every thing needs to be spelled out.

This was going to be my own project so there was no need for a contract.

However, any subs I might have or hire no matter how small a job I get three things.

1. A written contract with scope of work and all details necessary including price payment terms and completion dates.

2. A copy of any state or local required licenses.

3. A current copy of all bonds and insurances the contractor has direct from there Agent or Insurance company.

I plan on saying a lot more about these and a lot of other tips in up coming blog entry s.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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thanks guys - but honestly, everything I learned was by sheer determination and a lot of "do-overs."

One thing that was to my advantage on my first house was that I lived next to the firehouse and my neighbor on the other side of me was an EMT. I unfortunately used their services several times, mostly little things, dislocated my shoulder once, numerous cuts, etc. and only 1 fractured skull. I should tell you that it's always a good idea when you run electric wire in an attic to be sure where you are before you stand up. That one really, really hurt.

Now that I think about, my second house when across the street from my best friend = a nurse-- who rescued me a few times and my third house I lived next to a nurse. Hummm that must be subconscience. I need to check with my new neighbors for their medical degrees.

Long and short though I wish I had had Dusty and his great guide on planning. It would have saved me a lot of time, money and probably a stitch or two.

Just for giggles, this is my first house - the car in front is the one I helped to build while I worked at the car plant. It is also the car that saved my life in my accident in Dallas (rest it's soul). The small building to the left is the "firehouse." The truck on the side of the house is my $1,200 3/4ton chevy that I had 4 years, changed the oil once and sold at auction for $1,150 - not a bad $50 investment!


As to being the entertainment for the town-I kept them supplied with plenty to talk about. 11 rooms takes a long, long time to remodel.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Betsy,

I can so relate to your experience and story. I still recall the pain of the comments made from the neighbor hood "side walk superintendents" - comments like - " you can't do that" "it will never work" "you won't ever finish"- " this house should be torn down" - " what a'dreamer".... and so on and on…....

The most hurtful comments were the ones that were thinly vialed as statements about only having use of only one functional hand.

I already was ashamed of my disability and never had really forgiven myself for the heavy equipment accident that caused the loss of the use of my left hand.

I used to hide the deformed hand.

I used to keep it out of sight, in my pocket or inside a glove.

In short I was embarrassed.

Today I could care less.

Today I have pride in what I have been able accomplish and learn in my various crafts I have taken up.

No more hiding the hand.

No more shame.

I forgave myself and others.

Today those comments, although very hurtful at the time, those comments serve as vivid and fond memory's. I am convinced those comments played a major role and part of my motivation and determination to learn the art and craft of woodworking, remodeling, stained glass and various other adventures I have tried .

Although at the time I just listened and kept my comments to myself, they cut deep.

They hurt.

I also can honestly look back and say they also made me more determined and taught me never to quit.

They also taught me things that I shall never forget.

Humility, Gratitude , for what I have and not what I wish I had.

Live with what you have, not what you want, is what I have come to understand and accept and be great full for.

So many others have it so much worse than me, and it is neither their fault or choosing for their conditions.

How dare I feel sorry for my self as I once did.

Live is to be lived, not an struggle to an end.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Dusty - I was just looking at your projects page. Good golly molly. All kidding aside, I am impressed. I can do work like that in my dreams! But someday, watch your back-- I'm gaining on ya.

Great work Dusty - you're an inspiration.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Betsy,

Thank you I am humbled.

I am honored to be surrounded by such talent woodworkers. I am constantly learning can always learn more.

I look forward to sharing more of your projects.

Of course I have a special pride in my project " This Old Crack House". I bloged about this project. If you would like to fast forward to the end here is the *link.*

I just haven't got around to posting the pictures on my project page yet.

There are so many talented people and projects to look at on this site I may never get around to it.

Oh well.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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A good series, keep it coming.

I renovated an "old house" for my Mother back in 1968. That was a busy summer for me.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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Thanks Dick

This one turned out to be quite a challenge also. I was up against a very unrealistic time for completion from the beginning.

Stay Tuned for more on this


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## Holt (Mar 15, 2011)

Dusty said:


> *Confession: I am the Idiot for which your village is looking!*
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You mentioned those 500 items on your Honey do list that you've never even started. My wife has coined a new phrase for those, she calls it my Honey Don't List…

Also I noticed that you listed notebooks and legal pads as part of your note taking and planning supplies. Not sure if anyone has the same issues, but I have a terrible time with pages tearing out of spiral notebooks and i work better with lots of lines, horizontal and vertical. I found those black and white speckled cover composition books at the local Staples with graph paper instead of normal ruled paper. I keep one for each major project…


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*










Of course, hindsight is genius.

Duh.

Let me take a minute to gloat.

It was July 20 2006, when I first took a weekend and worked up plans, bids and did a comprehensive analysis of "*This Old Mold House*" and a possible offer.

After extensive work I met with the owner's son-in-law to present my findings and conclusions.










I worked very hard to make the numbers work. That is, I really wanted to buy the house for remodeling and resale. However, because I didn't have a ready buyer for this house. I had to consider all of the costs in carrying the project until a closed sale.

I deemed this problematic.










Let me explain.

Sixteen months ago the beginnings of a slowdown in house sales was just becoming evident in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul market. I wasn't surprised by this. In fact, I had stood back from participating in the market.

I was totally exhausted after finishing "*This Old Crack House*" . Houses had doubled in price in five years. I was a benefactor of this. Having sold our old home for twice the amount we had bought it for five years earlier, and bought "This Old Crack House", I was a benefactor of this. Of course I was grateful and happy with the return on my investment.

Who wouldn't be with a doubling of the original investment?

However, the troubling fact was that I knew that this simply couldn't continue.










Over the last five years, I had bought and sold eight houses within a few blocks of "*This Old Crack House*" and worked hard to build a new stable neighborhood. I was able to buy houses, gut them out and totally remodel them, selling them for a fair profit. That all changed when easy money became available at record low interest rates with no down payments, and other incentives such as variable interest rates.










It was not uncommon for a house to go on the market selling in less than a day after receiving several offers over the original listing price.










As a small contractor who bought these old homes for refurbishing and resale, I could no longer compete. I had to cover the rather substantial costs of obtaining a short term mortgage as well as carrying the costs of materials, labor, and other expenses incurred with these projects. I found myself working harder and my already narrow margins or net profits were shrinking.

Rather than lose money or take those risks, I simply stepped out of the way and didn't do a single remodeling job for resale for over two years.

Of course, in all fairness, I also was busy with my own project, "*This Old Crack House*".
I also was very busy with my shop doing special commissions and expanding my furniture business and just beginning my classes in stained glass.










I am neither Einstein nor a visionary. However, I knew at some gut level that this runaway double digit appreciation we had been seeing, simply couldn't continue.

My dad used to say "What goes up must come down". I have never forgotten that simple wisdom.

After finishing "*This Old Crack House*", I felt burned-out and was moving in a different direction and was consumed with learning about a new craft; stained glass. I was still driving a bus and had a small custom furniture shop going on the side.

I had been working seven days a week for several years. I was tired.

I stood on the sidelines watching the housing market with amusement, wondering when the "shoe would drop".

The only real remodeling project I had done was to build a replacement garage and ramp for *Mz D*.

While building this replacement garage, a funny thing happened.

We had had experienced a major storm in late autumn which included straight-line winds and tornadoes. One person had been killed and several injured. There were thousands of trees down, homes damaged, roofs destroyed from the golf ball size hail. In short a mess to say the least. The local building official and his small team of inspectors were overwhelmed.

I was getting a routine footing inspection from the official local building inspector whom, with all my building projects, I had got to know quite well over the last few years.

He approached me about a temporary internship as a limited building inspector, doing mostly roofs and small residential project inspections. He would train me and supervise my inspections. He also would provide the classes necessary to become eligible after completion, to sit for the tests required for becoming a State Licensed Building Inspector.

The pay of only nine dollars an hour was very low, but he assured me, the experience would be invaluable. He also was very willing to work around my schedule and the job would only be 20 to 24 hours a week.

I was intrigued by this and told him I would consider it. I told him I never had been an inspector and felt very inadequate. He insured me with that in addition to his training my extensive hands-on experience as a contractor and having my own shop, I would be more than qualified to do the job.

In fact, one of his requirements for his inspectors was to have worked in the fields they were to inspect. He felt very strongly that the best inspectors were those with hands-on practical experience verses book-learned head knowledge.

I thought about it over the weekend. Why not? It would be a great experience.

I showed up Monday morning for my first day.

To say it was a valuable learning experience would be like saying there is a lot of water in the ocean. What an obvious understatement and tremendous learning experience it turned out to be.

What was to be a temporary 20 hour per week intern position has become a full State Licensed Building Inspector's position. It grew to involve several other duties working in a community development city position that specializes in rehabs, mortgage foreclosures and other specialty projects.

That is a whole series blog by it self. I will save it just for that to do it justice.

But I have digressed.

Fast forward eighteen months to October 2007.

It's well known and documented that the house market is in trouble. Foreclosures are in the news every day. Housing prices have plummeted, inventory increased ten fold and market times greatly extended.

In short, the housing industry is a mess.










Even though I wanted so badly to buy "This Old Mold House" and rehab and sell it again in 18 months, my hard upfront work told me to pass on this project.

The house had been valued at $190,000.00 and was taxed at close to the same value.

Initial discussions with the son-in-law about the price they wanted for the house were vague. Of course they wanted as much as they could for the house. That goes without saying.

And of course I wanted it for as cheap as I could.

Feeling them out seemed to indicate that they would accept somewhere in the 170 thousand dollar range. They were well aware of all the work that needed to be done.

My initial gut-feeling was this was far too much, but I would undertake due diligence and see where I ended up.

Long ago I found out that numbers don't lie. They are "what they are"; period.

I no longer allow myself to become emotional about a purchasing decision like I did for my personal home and current home "*This Old Crack House*". Been there did that. This house was an investment and needed to be profitable. I was not prepared to take on this kind of remodeling project just for the experience. Although I am always looking for good new neighbors for our neighborhood the projects have to make good business sense. I don't have to be greedy or hit a home run or have huge profit margins but I need a return on my investment in both time and money. Even though it is a passion it has to pay its way.

Enough said.

After spending the weekend doing "the numbers", drawing plans, getting material bids, figuring my labor costs I came to an inescapable conclusion; this house was in need of some serious remodeling. Twenty years of neglect had come home to roost.

Added to this fact was the reality of the quickly deteriorating market conditions. All the warning signs were present and the conclusion of my numbers supported this.

In the beginning I would have purchased this house and justified doing so by anticipating that I would make it up in my labor, or in time, would recover my costs as the project appreciates. Those days are behind me.

I'm not only older and more realistic, but I have gained significant experience and from that derived a modicum of wisdom. In spite of myself, my ego is in check, as is my comprehension of reality. Although I still dream, I am long past being dreamy.

The only way this project could possibly work is if the sale price was no more than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

This was a far cry from the $190,000,000 at which it was appraised, and still a long way from the general area of one hundred and seventy the owners were expecting.

I had come to the conclusion, after my extensive work ups, that to remodel the house would need a minimum of $32,000 and might need up to $50,000. When this cost is added to the purchase price of, say even at $175,000, plus allowing for the costs of obtaining a mortgage, carrying costs, likely commission costs, and some reasonable profits upon sale it became very obvious this wouldn't work. This was even truer considering the difficult market conditions with no end in sight.

The numbers simply didn't add up. I knew this and would deliver this message at our agreed Tuesday meeting.

I put together a compressive summary to present my findings to the son in law. I opened up my numbers and showed him how I arrived at this conclusion that the house wouldn't work for me and offered suggestions as to what he might do to sell the house.

I was very honest and open with him. I pointed out all the things that would be required in order to sell the house and what I felt the costs would be to bring the house to a marketable condition. I had nothing to hide or any agenda because I had concluded that the project wouldn't work for me. I had informed him up front before I even discussed the details that I wouldn't be making an offer because the numbers didn't work.

I then gave him the option of either stopping at that point in the meeting, shaking hands and departing, or for his consideration, I would be willing to share my findings as to what I had found and how I arrived at my conclusion.

I had nothing to loose I had already invested the time and money to get to this point. Why not share this? After all, I had a vested interest as to the future owner of this house because I lived in the neighborhood. I didn't want some slum-lord to buy it and turn it into rental.

He chooses to hear the presentation. As I presented it to him, he seemed impressed and to understand how and why I came to the conclusion I did. I even pointed out such things as to how they had been paying over $1000 a year more in taxes than they should. There was a mistake on the tax assessment concerning the upper level that had never been completed that the city had calculated as finished square footage. This was a eye opener to him.










When all was said and done he asked "just out of curiosity how much would you offer if you were going to make an offer".

I said, "Well, I feel like I have been put on the spot, but it would be in the range of about one hundred and $150,000 or so. However, there would be a lot of variables to this price also".

I asked him why he had asked.

He said, "I wanted to be able to give my mother-in-law a price range and also I have been given a verbal offer of about $175,000 from a neighbor two doors down".

I looked him right in the eye and told him, "Take it and run, now".

He then confessed he had doubts that the guy could raise the money.

I then said, "It is very easy to spend money you don't have; be careful".

I wished him luck. We shook hands, I wished him luck offering help with getting the tax assessment problem taken care of and I left.

I walked back to my home "*This Old Crack House*", wondering what would he would do?

I had no clue but was convinced he would do nothing.

Was I wrong, I wondered?

"This Old Mold House" Copyright 11/22/2007 all rights reserved D. Jerzak


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is this now a done deal?
Offer him $100K and a partnership on the difference of $50K depending on when and what the house sells for.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sawdust2,

Oh come on Sawdust2, you know after struggling through 48 chapters of "*This Old Crack House*" with me you have to stay tuned for all the twists and turns.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OK, Dusty, twist it and turn it, we're listening.


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## Dadoo (Jun 23, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It was just reported on the national news last night, that renters are being forced out because the landlords got foreclosed on. I'm snug in my abode and not planning on going anywhere so I would only like to see the interest rates come way down so I can refinance…but you Dusty…This is your bread and butter. I can only now hope it gets better for you. Great blog by the way. I really enjoy reading it.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hooked again… 
how long do I have to wait to find out the man's next step?????


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dadoo.

Thanks for the nice comments.

I am not as beholden to the ups and downs of this market as when I first got into the business of buying and rehabbing homes.

Times have changed. The market has changed. My priorities have also changed.

I also have gained extensive wisdom and experience since I did my first few homes.

Hence the "*This Old Mold House*" house blog.

I do however feel for those that have been affected the most by this market. Unfortunately I see the devastating results of this every day in my job as a State Inspector on loan to the city for special projects dealing with foreclosures.

And of course being an home owner,.it affects me with the current "deprecation" market that is prevalent.

However over time that will self correct and I have no plans selling my home "*This Old Crack House*".

One big reason for writing this blog series is perhaps I can shed some light or help some one who is considering buying a foreclosed house , mold house or just a rehab home, my experiences in this area maybe able to help them.

Experiences are only valuable if you share them. If you keep them to your self, all they are is a memory and usually their not that good.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


MsDebbieP.

All good things come to those who wait.

But I promise this blog wont be as long as "This Old Crack House".

This blog series also is absent murders, kidnappings, ect like "*This Old Crack House*"., however I feel there is a lot of twists turns and practical advice that one can take from this experience.

I assure you that there are enough surprises and twists and turns to make it interesting.

At least I hope so.

Time will tell and you will be able to better let me know at the end of the blog series.

When ever that maybe.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hahaha oh the tangled web you weave … keeping me in the clutches of your unfinished words!!!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You know Dusty. Even if your words weren't so eloquent and so easy to read, we would still hang on to every last syllable waiting for the kicker.

You got us hanging by our finger nails waiting to type the magic words "*Blogs by Dusty*"


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


karson,

Although I write ever word myself, My good friend *Don* is the one who deserves a lot of credit.

His wise and skilled editing makes my dribble readable in my blogs.

Like a fine surgeon he dissects and carves out a final piece that I am able to present to my fellow lumberjocks.

I am great full for his editing and all of my loyal readers.

Humbled, to be allowed to share my writings.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dadoo,

And I am fearful my friend that the end to this mess is not yet in sight.

I work with these type of problems ever day as an Inspector and investigator.

I see it all first hand.

Its not pretty.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OK Dusty I can live without the kidnappings and murders…BUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Hind sight is genius ! My crystal ball...*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dennis,

I am writing that chapter(s) right now.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Deal or no deal ? *










Although I had spent a weekend doing an assessment, evaluation, preparing a bid and possible offer, I never heard a word from anyone connected with the house that

Not a peep.

I left the presentation open ended, though I never really put in a formal offer.

I didn't have a buyer at the time and I felt the market was unfavorable. I wasn't really looking for any work. Because the mother-in-law was very familiar with my work, I was asked by the sellers if I might be interested in buying the house to renovate and re-sell it. 
However, based on the price they were seeking and the cost entailed in renovating the house to bring it up to could, the project was not viable, so I put it behind me.










Fast forward 14 months.

The market has deteriorated and the bottom doesn't seem to be insight yet. Every day there seems to be more bad news about foreclosures, sub-prime mortgage woes, slow housing sales, and housing inventory surpluses. In short the market seems dismal and in free fall.

In the back of my mind I have been thinking to myself, all that noise I hear out their in the housing market maybe opportunity knocking.

I am cautious however. Not only am I much more disciplined these days about buying properties, I no longer wear that pair of "rose colored glasses". Any wisdom I my posses is not a result of being so smart, it's derived from a lot of very expensive "life lesson" mistakes. It's interesting how quickly a person can learn something if it hits you hard in a spot located on your back side - your wallet. Yes, it's a great teacher; far more effective than someone giving advice.










Money talks.

I listen now. That wasn't always the case. On some of my projects I was absolutely convinced that my investment, time, skills, and optimistic dreams would surely pay off.

Oh how I learned.

Reality bites. Dreams are just that.

Mortgage payments need to be made on time regardless of how the dream is progressing. How quickly the dream fades when the mortgage due-date comes around. The same can be said for how quickly the "money-tree" dries up and stops producing fruit. At this stage of my life I no longer need the practice or experience of doing a remodeling job or project. I have had a long history with these learning projects. I won't possibly live long enough to make all the mistakes on this learning curve. My money will run out long before I find and do a perfect project.

A good friend and former client, to whom I had previously sold a house which I had remodeled, was forced to sell the house back to me after he became an unexpected victim of downsizing. Without warning, his long-term job had been eliminated.

After his initial shock, denial and a bout of depression along with his house going into foreclosure, I made a deal to buy it back. I then finished the remodeling that he couldn't afford the first time around and resold the house at a profit.

He moved back home, returned to technical college, and graduated becoming an electrician.

After almost five years, which consisted of taking college courses, working two jobs, and paying off his debts, he completed his apprenticeship becoming a journeyman electrician. While doing this, he was able to save enough money for a house down payment. He was now ready to ready to buy another house. He really wanted to move back to our neighborhood.










He asked me to keep an eye out for a home in our area. He knew I would know about the houses that were, or would be, offered for sale.

Almost everyone who had a house for sale approached me before placing their home with a realtor. They knew that, not only could they save the selling commission, I would buy their house as is, at a fair price.

I had several clients who would wait until I found the perfect house for them.

With the market so down, I no longer bought and renovated houses to place them on the open market. I wouldn't start a renovation without having them pre-sold.

I had been approached by the owner of a house across the street from me who was forced to sell because of his divorce. His youngest child had graduated from high school and moved out. He planned to sell his house before winter set in.

I mentioned this to my friend who indicated his interest. The timing was almost perfect. He had applied for a new position wanting to get off the night shift after almost three years.

So I arranged for a showing of the house. I had provided the owner a rough idea of what his house was going to be worth considering the market and what I remembered the house to be like. It was simply a ball-park figured or a starting point. He knew this and was comfortable with this arrangement because he wasn't ready to sell quite yet.

We toured the house. It was disappointing for me. The house certainly had fallen on bad times. It was obvious to me that the demands of being a single father of two, one of whom was in college, didn't leave money for upkeep.

I knew that he had taken out a second mortgage just before his divorce, cemented the driveway and had done some other select remodeling like refinishing the hardwood floors.

The house was small to begin with and poorly laid out. It didn't flow well. It also was in need of updating and required a lot of maintenance. The biggest shock and disappointment was the presence of mold in the bathroom.










Certainly all these defects could be overcome in the remodeling, however this would be time consuming and costly. Based on my experience and a quick assessment, my preliminary estimate was about $25,000.

I felt this was a lot of money for what the end results would yield. Considering this, I knew the purchase price would have to reflect an adjusted value. If it did, my attitude towards the house might be somewhat different. Only time would tell. This was simply a tour.

After the tour, my friend and I had a frank discussion about what needed to be done. He seemed not in the least bit discouraged from the possibility of making an offer.

I less enthused. However, it wasn't my money or decision and I would merely be a neutral resource he could rely upon for an accurate and honest evaluation.

Before touring through the house, I had indicated that the house should be valued in the mid $160,000 range. After seeing it, I adjusted the price downwards a minimum of ten thousand dollars. This figured was really only reflective of correcting the glaring and defrayed maintenance.










I really had lost my enthusiasm for this home. I gently suggested that, because of the number of houses for sale and bargains that are available due to the depressed home market, we at least look at some of these for comparative values.

However, he seemed to dismiss the idea because this was the only house in the immediate area.

Again it was his money so I dropped the topic and focused on the task of what it would take to bring the house up to code and accomplish what he wanted in the remodeling project.

To me, this was a daunting task. We had some time because the owner wasn't ready to sell and my buddy hadn't obtained his new.

I went to work doing a comprehensive analysis and bid for the work that needed to be done. All the time I was doing the bid work I had a nagging feeling about putting in a offer for this house.

About a week later, while my buddy and I were in my driveway, the owner stopped and asked whether we were still interested in his home.

I gave him a thumbnail sketch of all that I felt needed to be done and an honest assessment of the condition of the house with a reflected "ball park" price.

He seemed a bit taken back, but understood. I was unsure where his reluctance was coming from. I didn't know if it was that he felt it was worth more or had hoped and was merely in denial. He clearly knew the state of the house market and that he was going to have to sell regardless of this, splitting any net proceeds with his ex-wife.

At this point I was unaware of the amount of his mortgage. However, I had a hunch as a result of re-financing just before his divorce, that he was very close to owing more than the house would bring in the depressed market conditions.

He informed us he was leaving for a vacation in Florida with his new girl friend and would let us know if he would be able to consider our ballpark offer.

I reiterated all of the reasons for the offer, the fact that there would be no commissions and that the house would be "taken as is" along with it being a sure sale because I had my buddy get a pre-approval for his mortgage.

He thanked us and said he would get in touch with me and let us know his answer upon his return.

My buddy had received and accepted his new job offer increasing the urgency to buy and renovate a home up several notches. He lived with his parents, so it was a great advantage to be able to live there while we finished all the remodeling before moving in. From experience, if the remodeling is extensive, I will no longer be the one doing the work. It simply is too difficult to work around all the dust, distractions, and obstacles of an occupied home.

Been there - done that; but no more.

Over the proceeding period, my buddy keep bugging me about whether I had contacted or heard from my neighbor on the status of his decision of pursuing our offer on his house. The answer was always the same. I had no contact and no new news.

Everything now had fallen in place and my buddy was more than ready to get a home an get going on the rehab project. He would do all the electrical work and whatever else he was capable of doing to save money. The clock was also ticking as summer was over and fall was fast approaching.










Late fall and early winter can be brutal in Minnesota. He didn't need to remind me of these facts. I knew this only too well after doing several projects during this time of the year. I have the frost bitten scares on my hands and feet to prove this.

I could tell my buddy was annoyed and anxious with the lack of an answer.

Disappointed, and a sense of frustration. I suggested we begin to check out some other homes that were being offered for sale near out neighborhood. He was clearly lukewarm to the idea.

I hung up the phone and was sitting in my formal front parlor where my writing desk is, in full view of the house he was interested in buying. I wondered out loud if I should go over to my neighbor's house and ask about his decision about selling his house.

Something told me no; don't go over there.










He clearly told us he would get back to us with his decision. But I realized that I had soured on the home and felt strongly it wasn't a good value. Additionally, with the market as bad as it was, I was convinced we could find another house that was a better value proposition for him.

As I sat looking out the window of "*This Old Crack House*, I looked across the street, four houses down, to see the corner house on which I had 14 months earlier done a comprehensive analysis. I never did hear a word from the son-in-law or anyone else for that matter. Then I remembered that I had not actually put in a formal offer 14 months earlier.

I had often wondered about the status of that house. I hadn't seen anyone at the house for almost a year and knew the owner was in her eighties. She had moved closer to her daughter several miles away. The house had stood unoccupied all this time.

I wondered out loud if the house might be available for sale now. I knew that there was an ongoing expense of having the yard mowed, snow removed, heat, lighting and other monthly expenses.

I picked up the phone and called my buddy back and mentioned that I was thinking about calling the owner of that house and seeing if it might be for sale yet or again. I gave him my reasons for doing this, including my true feelings toward the house in which he was interested. I reminded him that we had heard nothing about the owner's decision to sell or not.

My buddy recalled the corner house. He had actually given me a bid on the electrical work and helped me prepare my analysis.

Although he knew it needed a lot of work and suffered from mold, his recall of the house was surprisingly positive. I told him I had no idea if it was even available but was willing to make the call and find out.

I had to track down the number first for the lady who owned the house. I had never talked to her as I only had dealt with her son-in-law. I knew only her name and what town she supposedly lived in north western Minnesota. I got the number from information.

I dialed the number and an elderly lady answered.

I introduced myself and said, "I'm sure you don't remember me, but I'm the one who lived four doors from you and did a compressive bid on the possibly of purchasing your home in the cities."

She instantly responded in a friendly voice, "Oh, I remember you."

I made some small talk then asked if she might be interested, or would consider once again, in an offer on her house.

She interrupted me informing me that is was very hard to hear me. She was 84 now and was hard of hearing.

She then told me that, for the first time this summer, her son-in-law David would be down to the house on Tuesday. I asked her if it would be ok if I called David to discuss this with him.

She encouraged me to do so. I also asked her if she was aware how much the market had deteriorated since I had last talked to her son-in-law 14 months earlier.

She was well aware of the market conditions and shared that the reason her son in law had not been down this summer was because of the tough housing market and construction economy. He was a job foreman for a large twin cities company and there simply had been no work.

I obtained the number from her to contact her son in law and called his cell phone. I reintroduced myself and told him that I had called his mother-in-law to ask her if she might be interested in selling the house.

He was driving in his dump-truck, working doing his side-line business and told me he thought she might and that he would be down in the cities on Tuesday. He said he would talk to her and if she was interested in selling we could meet when he was here.

I hung up the phone and called my buddy and told him that I was to meet Tuesday with David after he had a chance to talk to his mother-in-law.

I began to wonder what her decision might be. I really had no clue but hoped she might sell because regardless of whether my buddy was interested in buying the house or not, I was.

I had been looking for a project for a while and had been on the sidelines.

Was this to be?

What would the answer be?

copyright all rights reserved D.Jerzak Dec 4 2007


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My Guess is Yes, And you are in deep do-do again. All this stuff to do.

Dusty you are a rich man in your efforts to help other people. I know you are blessed in many ways that you might not even be aware of.

Bless you Dusty.


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## rjack (Nov 5, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
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Dusty,

You actually have me hooked on this story! I want to know how it turns out.


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## Artist (Feb 10, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
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I think Karson it right.

Diane


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you must be proud of the respect you have earned from the people in your neighbourhood. 
Well done.

It's also fascinating to hear your "instincts" talking to you.


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
> 
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Keeping an eye out for a house that is not really the apple of your eye, eh


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## Artist (Feb 10, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
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Just came back in and noticed a strange thing with that picture of the house. Was the picture damaged, that's what I think it looks like. What I'm talking about is, there's a strange light source come in and landing on sidewalk and partially on the grass?

Diane


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
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Karson, Diane

Thank you for your kind comments. They humble me.

I am great full and thank full for the blessing I have had bestowed on me.

It comes natural for me so I have no idea if it is suppose to be that way or not.

I just do it. And when that is done.

Then do it again.

I don't really know why, nor does it matter I guess I like doing it, so I do it.

It must be the Polish in me,said my late grandmother who raised 19 children.

She also used to say, "if you have time to think about something or question why you are doing it you might have time to come up with a reason not to do it".

So, just do it, and move along to the next task.

Shrug.

Worked for her and seems to work for me.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
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Interesting story, Dusty. I'll be waiting for the other shoe to drop.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
> 
> ...


...getting smarter in your old age…maybe…


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Deal or no deal ? *
> 
> 
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dennis,

Or just lucky?

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while right?


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*










Most people I know who are contemplating a home purchase, hire a licensed inspector to analyze the house in great detail and prepare a report for them so they can make an informed decision.

I take an entirely different approach.










If it's not an old crack house, ready for condemnation, full of mold, falling down, in need of desperate repairs or a bull dozer, then I'm not interested in buying it anyway.










I wouldn't know what to do with a house that wasn't sorely in need of work. I am who I am and stick with what I know - disasters - home to me.

I buy them as is.

Yes I'm supposed to know better. After all, I am a state licensed inspector. I even specialize in advising people about these types of homes. What is the matter with me? It must be a personality flaw. I can't figure it out so hope you don't waste your time trying either.

On Tuesday, I had an appointment to meet with the home owner's son-in-law. I had previously provided him a compressive analysis on a house from which his elderly mother-in-law had moved.

Then, the timing was wrong. The market had just entered a slumping period. I had no ready buyer for the house. I wasn't willing to an offer that I thought I would have been acceptable to the owner.

How things can and do change in fourteen months. This time it seemed they changed for the worse.










The housing market was at an all-time low; foreclosures were at an all time high and there appeared no end in sight.

My buddy had completed college and became an electrician. He just landed a new job and after six years was ready to buy another home.

We had been dealing on another home but had not heard if they were interested in selling it at a fair price reflective of its value.

At the last moment I decided to once again contact the lady who owned the house four doors down and across the street from my home "*This Old Crack House*.

Tuesday arrived and her son-in-law contacted me when he got to the house after work. This was only the second week this year that he had work in the cities. It has been a tough year in construction.

We met at six o'clock. A few minutes of catching up with how his family was and his mother-in-law and other normal pleasantries and we got down to the business of why we were there.

He clearly understood the market had significantly deteriorated since fourteen months ago. The difference this time was that I had a buyer for the house who was already qualified and pre-approved for a mortgage that would cover the renovated value of the home.

I reiterated that there would be no commission charged because I would do the purchase agreement and we would take the house as is - mold and all. The "and all" part was forty years of deferred and non-maintenance.

He understood. He seemed much more engaged this time and attentive to what I was saying.

I cut to the chase and said, "David, if you and your mother-in-law want to sell this house and take a fair offer we can get this deal done tonight."

I then offered him one hundred forty thousand dollars. He asked if that was my final offer. I said I am open to a counter offer but didn't have a lot of room to budge on the price.

He knew why this was the case because we had reviewed and added to the list of things that I felt had to be done. My estimate to do just the minimum things I felt necessary was thirty thousand. To do a full renovation would cost much more.










I laid my cards on the table. No games, no double talk, just the facts.

I was honest and open. I had no agenda other than to strike a fair deal for both parties.

He then said he would like to get at least one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

I looked him right in the eye and said, "That amount wouldn't work for us."

He asked what would. I said we could split the difference, in the selling price and we could structure the purchase agreement that would allow them to pay closing costs and certain remodeling expenses.

I told him we were in basic agreement over the final purchase amount, now it was a matter of structuring the purchase agreement so it was palatable to all.

I also pointed out that being we both had others to answer to we would need their approval and agreement. I informed him I would be passing through the purchase of the house directly to my client thus saving the costs of a second closing. I would only be doing the remodeling of the project. My role would limited; I would be the facilitator and general contractor.

I also would be the "back up buyer" in the event that my buyer failed to perform for any reason. As I explained I would be putting the money up front to fund the remodeling costs.










These costs were estimated somewhere between thirty and thirty eight thousand dollars depending on the budget and choices my client made. Certainly, I had no interest in putting that much of my own cash into a project without performing a successful conclusion.

He had more than average knowledge about construction as he earned his living from it. He knew that I had performed on over 10 properties in the neighborhood and that I had a letter from my bank guaranteeing my performance along with a pre-approval letter for my client from his mortgage company.

I went prepared and ready to do business. We had presented a fairly convincing case. He knew this and could see the evidence right in front of him.

I told him regardless of what my client said my word was good and I would honor this deal. I stood up and looked him right in the eye and asked outright, "Do we have a deal or not"?

He responded, "We will make this work".

He then shook my hand and said, "Prepare the paper work and I will take it to my mother- in- law". She wants you to have the house and wants the deal to work. She left me to decide. I think it is a very fair deal and will recommend that she take it.

I told him I would prepare the paperwork and send it up to him in a day or two. I knew he was leaving again to go back home. I explained that an early start was necessary for me because of the potential for weather-related problems, not to elaborate on other scheduled commitments. I knew that we had less than six weeks to complete all the remodeling and perform the closing of the house. I also informed him that I had an annual two week hunting trip scheduled in western South Dakota, right around the corner.

He understood.

I left, walking down the street back to my house, "This Old Crack House". I was already on the cell-phone to my buddy and client informing him of the news that I had a deal and he needed to come over right away to either accept or reject the deal. Regardless, I was going to buy the house, remodel it, and put it back on the market for resale.

I made it clear that my preference was to have him buy the house for several reasons; market conditions, my timing issues and the fact that it was a much better deal for him than the other house in which he was interested.

I would reveal the details when he got to my house.

Within an hour, he was at my house and I presented the deal.

The purchase price would be 141,000.00. For starters, this was 25 thousand or so below what the 'range" was for the other home he was interested in. This house was also on a corner lot, had over 600 more square feet and offered a lot more potential than the other house.

The costs to bring both homes up to code and make the necessary changes to make them very livable and appealing were very close in estimate. Both houses would need between $30,000 and $40,000 of remodeling depending on which options he chose.










In short, it was a no-brainier.

He could see this, he knew I was passing through all the savings and he would likely be inheriting substantial equity.

I was upfront with all my numbers for doing the construction and remodeling including my fee. I am a big believer that regardless of who it is, there needs to be a fee involved for doing the work or practicing your craft of trade.

I have found that hiding these charges or fees usually leads to resentment or misunderstanding.

Being straightforward puts all the cards on the table giving the client an opportunity to reject the deal if it isn't to his liking.










My policy has been and is, "In God we trust, all the rest of you pay cash and we do a detailed written contract".

I don't care if you are my immediate family, best friend, acquaintance, client, enemy, or the king of England, I insist on a detailed contract. *No exceptions*.

Let me reiterate in case I didn't make myself clear on this;* no exceptions.*

When things are clearly spelled out, there are no ambiguities, nor misunderstandings, and "he said, we said, you said arguments.

*End of discussion.*

If this seems harsh to you or overkill, so be it. I have one word for you.

*Next!*

Move on because we won't be doing business. I could and intend on writing a whole blog on this subject - moving on.

My buddy and I got together and hammered out the details and a purchase agreement for the property. The agreement was simple, concise, easy to understand and contained enough information to make it very clear what the sale of the house consisted of and who was responsible for what and how much. This agreement was only two and a quarter pages.










I will be forever grateful for my Para- legal back ground.

We hammered out the agreement, I called David the son- in-law with the details of the agreement and explained how we structured our offer and asked three questions of him.

*They covered;

1. Do you have any questions and understand exactly what we are asking and offering?

2. Would you like to offer any additions or deletions?

3. Are these acceptable to you?
*

I then suggested for his peace of mind that he have the agreement reviewed by his attorney. He may suggest something that we had both overlooked.

I then informed him I would be sending the offer overnight with earnest money and I had highlighted where his mother-in-law needed to sign.

I like to keep things very simple. I find there is less chance of a misunderstanding this way. I have found any and all agreements can be challenged. What it really boils down to is trust understanding and honesty.

Whenever the slightest deviation in construction occurs, or when I have not used straightforward language in the contract, resulting in a complete understanding on the part of all parties, that is when I have run into trouble.

I don't allow this to happen any longer.

No good outcome for any of the parties has ever come from a misunderstanding or lack of clarity.

Be honest, up front and clear and you will be rewarded and happy.

From time-to-time a deal falls apart.

That is life.
If you approach ever transaction with honesty, integrity and detail, along with thorough and simple easy to understand details, the less likely you will have a deal that falls apart.

In reality, it's better for an agreement to fall apart before you get to the closing and are in so deep that there are substantial financial losses. I find that the more thorough you are, the smoother the closing.

If you are hiding something, or not being fair and honest at some level the other party feels this and acts according.

It is amazing how human beings have an ability to sense something is "foul" without necessarily knowing what it is. They know when something "stinks" long before the smell is evident.

I then prepared the purchase agreement documentation, the construction bid and scope of work with prices and payment details for my client to take home and review with his Mother, Father, 589 attorneys, neighbors, friends and even Oprah Winfrey if he wanted.

I simply don't care who looks at these documents because whoever they are, they are easily understand.

If they come back with a lot of "legalese" and hard to understand changes, I will review but likely decline the offer to do business.

Why? My experience and maturity tells me that we won't get along very well and the deal has a high potential to go south and fall apart somewhere in the mix.










I don't need or want the headache.

I would prefer to walk away than enter an agreement with the potential to destroy a friendship.

Because, you can darn sure bet that at some point down the road, it will get ugly.

My favorite phrase - "*not interested!*"

Next!










I then will shake hands wish the person luck and move on.

And that's just what I do. I never look back. No regrets no second guessing.

One reason I am so adamant about this is that my time is worth something, as is my craft. The person helping you is worth the same amount, unless they have special skills that make theirs worth more. If one doesn't feel his time is worth anything or want to charge for you for his time, that is fine but then at least seal the deal with a cup of coffee or a dime. That way there is no future misunderstanding.

I assure you that, if one is expecting things to be "made right at the end" without a clear up front understanding, then he will inevitably be disappointed and become resentful.

I also firmly believe that if the homeowners are involved in working on the project, then they needs to account for their time and the value that they place on their skills in contributing to the project. This not only helps establish the value of their contribution to the project, it helps put their expectations into perspective.

There is no such thing as a free lunch or "sweat equity". Those are simply terms used to justify and explain working your butt off for nothing. They are warm and fussy feeling words for doing a portion of the work.

Trust me, anyone who has ever contributed "sweat equity" would tell you that, that is exactly what they did, sweat and there was no equity involved.

To avoid this, be realistic when preparing your offer or bids on any project, even if it is a small job. Be honest about your expectations for your time.

You will find the bigger the project the more likely you will be disappointed in your return on your personal investment.

This is another whole blog; I will defer that for a later date.

After preparing all the documents and papers I gave them to my buddy and asked him to take them home and do what he had to do to make him comfortable enough to sign or reject them.

Time was of the essence and with or without him; I was pursuing the purchase of this 
house for my rehab project.

I told him to call me in the morning. I wished him a good night.

Regardless of what it was I was going to sleep well.

I slept well.

What would his decision be?

copyright all rights reserved D.Jerzak Dec 12 2007


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dusty: 
Just a point of interest here. 
Why post a long protracted diatribe about how you manage your business affairs on a public woodworkers forum then suffix your remarks with a copyright notice?

I don't mean to quarrel with you but the information that the majority of us post here is given freely and without further encumbrance.

I just wonder why your posts should take on a different value from the rest of our efforts?

Bob


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The house we live in was purchased in about 3 hours and the purchase agreement was written on a piece of note paper in the owner's gas station. No problem. The ranch we sold just before we came here was purchased on a Saturday afternoon with an earnest money agreement. I hadn't talked to the bank yet but I had a lot of faith in my banker. The main part of both these deals was the hand shake. If your word is no good all the paper in the world won't fix it.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bob#2

To answer your question simply I have been approached by various publishers and company's to publish both "This Old Crack House" and other works I have.

I have declined these offers.

In order that I preserve my work I have chosen to copywrite it.

I guess it is still the para-legal in me yet.

My works are no different in value than that of anyone else here.

I just don't want anyone else using my work for finical there profit with out my permission or knowledge.

I do own several patents on my furniture designs and plans.

I simply want to have my work protected.

I don't like others profiting from my hard work with out my permission.

Case In point, some of my pictures of "This Old Crack House" showed up in a interior design article with out my permission and the writer alluded to it "being his project".


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## Jon3 (Feb 28, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bob,

I took that part to be humorous…


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Should I then consider your blogs just another form of advertizing then?

Regards

Bob


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thos,

Amen.

The problem is in today society we are considered to be dinosaur's.

Times have changed.

I have had to change with them.

But my word is still good and my hand shake the same.

I keep both of them.

The paper work is just the reflection of todays standards and expectations.

It seems things were a lot simpler in the past.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bob#2.

I am not sure what you are getting at.

I don't sell my work to the general public nor am I available for hire, unless I know you and have worked for you when I was previously doing this as an business . In other words a former client

I also do so few house projects anymore and the ones I do are for a captive clients who have sought me out.

So I am not sure how to answer that, so I will leave that as it is.

If you would like to consider my blogs as another form of advertisings then by all means do so.

They are what they are, documenting my experiences.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Dusty Great blog.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Dusty. I sure wish the contracts I've seen were in plain language. Anytime I've been asked to do a job and the contractor wanted a signed contract. The contracts where confusing and unforgiving. All of my work is done on a handshake. But please note this is with folks I have been working with for years. I'm the subcontractor pretty much under their protection.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


another great chapter in your journey. 
as always, a nice combination of personal journey, information sharing, and intrigue.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dennis,

I totally understand your frustration.

As you can tell and see this is one of my pet peeves. I have worked hard to overcome this problem and made some progress over the years.

Again, anything is only as good as the parties involved.

One thing I have noticed is absent or considerable less amount of common sense and lack of fairness and decency that is displayed between people.

I think that is the sad part of this equation.


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## mot (May 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *Making a deal on a house full of mold…what's up with that?*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*We have a deal !*










My buddy knew the deal for the house was a good one and never hesitated when deciding to put an offer in on the house.

He did just that.

I wrote the offer up along with the contract for doing all the demolition, construction and remodeling work.

The documents were clear, and concise in addition to being easy to understand.

I called the owner's son-in-law to inform him that the purchase agreement would be sent overnight in the mail. I asked him to get back to me as soon as possible after reviewing them with his attorney. He understood that we were dealing with a tight time line.

My buddy put the purchase agreements in the mail. It was a setback to learn that there was no Saturday delivery in the rural area where the owner lived. We had intended on starting the demolition process early Saturday morning in order to the completion of the project before I left on my annual two week hunting trip.

When I spoke to the Son- In -Law about no Saturday delivery in his area, he wasn't surprised.

I explained that the delay could cause an extra month or better to the closing of the house. He knew that we had structured the purchase agreement in such a way that the remodeling would be done before any mortgage company issued a mortgage on the property. The house was inhabitable due to its condition. It would never pass code inspections or any mortgage appraisal necessary to secure financing.










I had read him the purchase agreement word-for-word and informed him that it was signed with a check for the earnest money enclosed and on its way.

He had already obtained his mother-in-law's agreement to the terms and sale price on Friday night. She was so elated that I had bought the house and was going to refurbish and resell to someone whom she knew used to live in the neighborhood.

All I needed was the keys to get in the house and start the demo. Every day was critical.

When I plan a house renovation project my estimates have to be accurate and my schedules right on the money. This keeps the project moving forward, and on budget.










I pride myself for doing projects on time on budget. I am well known as an honest straightforward person who keeps his word. My word and a handshake is a contract to me.

No exceptions. None!

David, the son-in-law knew this and said, "Dusty, I know and trust you! I gave the lady across the street from the house a set of keys as she has been keeping an eye on the place. I'll arrange for her to give you the keys so you can get in right away."

I called my buddy and my business partner in the construction business and told them we would start the project Saturday morning at 8:00 am sharp.

I didn't sleep well the night before we were to start the project. Even though I have done several of these projects I still get both excited and nervous. I always wonder what I have inadvertently left out in my bid or what unplanned expenses I will find awaiting me as I get into this project. It's inevitable and expected.

The trick is to be as prepared as possible for them with a contingency fund that allows for the unexpected. The other key to dealing with this is to determine what needs to be done, put a plan in place as soon as you can, then move on.

It's a matter of taking control and not letting the problem control me. Often, those who are new to remodeling, or doing their own project, let themselves become overwhelmed or discouraged and the end result is a derailed or greatly extended project. Frustration seems to do more to derail projects than anything else, including money issues which are a large factor.

Often I've found that a lack of support and good information, or simply being in over ones head without having the required resources is another barrier to finishing a project on time and within budget. Sometimes, all that is required is to ask the right questions of the right people but pride frequently gets in the way.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help; in fact it is honorable. None of us can know everything, or are born with the skills to do the tasks which others spend years perfecting.










I have found that that through networking or simply asking, reading, researching or observing someone else do something, I often go away thinking, " I can do that".

For the most part, most people are very helpful. Just ask. There seems to be a little teacher in all of us.

If the person you ask isn't forthcoming, don't stress. Just move on; someone else will be glad to help.










Long ago I realized that I would never live long enough to make all the mistakes and learn all the trades. However, that doesn't stop me from learning something new every day and on every project.

I am a visual, hands-on learner. For me, this is the best way to learn; to watch and take part. Hands on, if you will.

Once I have tried a task, I like to read more about it. By doing this, I learn shortcuts, tricks, and hints from the advice people have to offer. I am then able to apply what I have learned, add what seems to fit or make sense from the things that I have culled from others and simply discard the rest of the information I find less helpful. It really is that simple.

My two helpers showed up early, I could almost feel the excitement of getting the project started. We stopped to eat breakfast. I took the time to do an overview of the project. I also composed a list of tools that that I needed to be taken to the house.

Several years ago some friends got together and bought me a little red wagon as a "gag" gift for my birthday. They always said I was like a kid in a sand box when I was in my shop or working on a house project.










I promptly put the wagon to use as my "mobile" tool carrier. In later years I used it in for taking my elderly male basset hound on daily walks. His bad arthritic hips kept him from making it under his own steam.

The sight of me pulling one basset hound in the wagon while walking two others was an open introduction to meet many of my neighbors. I was referred to as the "basset hound brigade". It seemed every one had to come out to the street and bring the dogs a treat.

I often wondered if my male basset hound just wanting treats simply figured out the soft spots of humans and was coning us all about his hip. He was, after all, a smart dog.

I have some simple but rigid rules that I follow when I do a remodeling project. I have learned a number of these the hard way. They say experience is the best teacher.

Boy, they weren't kidding.

I find one area of the house that I can use as a staging area for all my tools. The rule is simple. When you need a tool you go get it from that area and only that area. When done you return it to that area.

No exceptions.

This way, everyone knows where the tools are and if they aren't there then someone is using them. It also makes it easy at the end of the day to take a quick visual inventory to see that all the tools are back.

It is very easy when doing demolition work, or when amongst the chaotic atmosphere of construction, for someone else pick up one of your tools thinking that it was theirs.

Consequently, I developed another rule, I spray paint every tool I have my "color" which is a very bright florescent pink. That allows me to easily identify my tools and keep them distinct from any other subcontractors who might be sharing the job site with me.










It is amazing how few tools went missing after I started doing this. Funny how others don't find hot pink to be their color of choice. Works for me! I could care less about the color I'm more concerned about my tools remaining with me and being around when I need them.

I have also learned to bring only what I will use and need. Granted, this list has become very extensive and I have been fortunate over the years to be able to buy and assemble a compete set of tools only to be used on off site projects. None of my main shop tools are allowed off site.

This rule grew out of the frustration of going to use a tool in my shop only to find it missing or it dull, sometimes broken from the abuse they are subjected to on the job site.

No more!

We arrive at the job site and quickly do a visual overview of what needs to be done and who's going to be responsible for what.

Even though in this case the homeowner a journeyman electrician is going to be helping with all phases, it's important that he's on same page as us. I always make it clear in advance who is in charge of what part of the project. When we get to the electrical work then I follow his lead.

Someone has to take responsibly for each phase of the project. Without this clearly spelled out and understood, I have found the project is subject to the high likelihood of costly mistakes. In addition, it's a prescription for lost time.

In construction and remolding there is an order in which things need to be complete. Any deviation or departure from this can have a major ripple effect on the project.

One truth that I have come to know and understand well is, lost time will not be made up, it's lost forever.










This becomes very important when the crunch-time comes such as when closing or inspections are set up and the work isn't done to meet these deadlines. Where this can really hurt is when a subcontractor is scheduled but an earlier delay means the site is not ready. More often than not, the ripple effect is enormous because the contractor has other clients and appointments that have to be keep and rescheduling becomes a real nightmare. There is nothing more frustrating that to be at a dead stop with the project waiting for another subcontractor or inspector because of something done or not done that could have prevented this from occurring.

Of course, these things are going to happen. The trick is to look ahead and anticipate what needs to be done, keeping a watchful eye on the schedule and adjusting when you can.

There is a simple name for all this - organization!










It's a matter of experience, it's a skill learned over time. It is essential to stay within budget and on time. It's the biggest contributor to the bottom line.

In this era of and harsh competition, it is very easy for a good job to go "south" in a hurry. Regardless whether the work is done to earn living or by a owner/builder working on his own home, time is money. It is important to keep the project moving forward. So many projects never get finished because of costly mistakes, loss of interest, frustration, or lack of funds. Most all of this is preventable.

Having a realistic schedule is important. Staying on schedule and moving forward will assure that one stays interested in the project. It seems that if one start letting up, before long the project just starts dragging. In turn, this usually leads to a loss of enthusiasm. Other priorities seem to take president, and the conclusion of the project is interminably delayed.

The plan of attack was to start demolition in the basement. The existing bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom were a disaster. They were not built to code. They were crumbling or rotting and mold was present. The rooms were well over forty years old and had outlived their useful life.

The simplest solution was to demolish all these rooms and take everything back to the bare walls.










We began in the back bedrooms that were in the basement. The walls that separated the rooms were only two by two's. The wiring was inadequate. Mold was everywhere and the rooms were small and dark.










The new plan was to demolish the basement and to build back only one legal bedroom with an egress window and closet along with a new three quarter bathroom. The other area simply would be closed off until some day when the budget allowed for finishing off some sort of family or recreation room.

The utility room had to be rebuilt replacing the plumbing with a complete new electrical service installed.










This was in the budget and part of the plan. These items were a large part of the approximately twenty eight thousand dollars set aside for this remodeling project.










The heating system was one variable that had not been determined. We could not fully access our needs until the basement demolition work was completed. The existing heat system was hot water heat with a newer boiler that had been installed less than ten years earlier, and had seen limited use. We were unsure what condition the pipes and radiators were in and until the demo was completed we couldn't make a final decision.

This was one of the budget considerations for which contingencies had been set aside. From the beginning, I was convinced that the whole system would have to be replaced. One compelling reason for this was the fact that the homeowner wanted central air conditioning. The cost of adding a unit from top down was more money than to replace the heating system with forced air, central air, and new ductwork built and installed.

The logistics of installing an air conditioning system in the unfinished area above the living space would have been complicated and expensive. One oblivious difficulty was to cut vent and ductwork through the existing beautiful old plaster ceilings and walls with unique cove work.

All of these things had been taken in account when the first offer was put in and the budget presented to the home owner. These were going to be choices he had to make. I had prepared bids with costs for each one of these choices. It was up to him to select which options he wanted.

That is the beauty of having everything in writing in advance with hard costs and a clear understanding.

No surprises, no mystery or disagreements later. None of this, "Oh you didn't tell me that … or I can't afford this" when the project is torn apart and wide open.

It is funny how, to this day, I see the same things start to happen early on in a project. For example, it's always exciting to tear something down with all the adrenaline running high. However this cannot only be unsafe it can cause a lot of extra work and often non-budgeted costs that aren't necessary.

It is easy to get caught up in the moment and just start wrecking things. It's all junk and has to be demoed right?

Wrong!

What good does it do to just tear out the walls and leave the debris to stumble over or nails stick out to step on.

You have to keep it organized and work smarter not harder.

After my two helpers got going at it for a few minutes they had a small pile of demolition debris that they were already tripping over with wires still connected, dust still lingering and sweat running down their faces.

I said, "Now what? You going to file for unemployment?"

Of course they new I was being sarcastic.










However this was a teaching moment. I pointed out that they just created a safety hazard with the nails and pile of debris blocking the door. The mess they had created would have to be untangled and hauled up the basement stairs to the dumpster outside.

Teaching moment! I pointed out that if they had taken the doors off the hinges and cut the opening out first in a organized way, not only would they have more room to move the rest of the debris from the other walls in the room, they would have gained some light.

Also, if one did the demolition while the other one hauled away the debris, this would result in a cleaner job site and reduce the risk of injury.










I also reminded them this was the first hour of a very long day. They needed to pace themselves. I suggested they take turns carrying the removed material upstairs and pointed to the two large plastic garbage cans that I supplied for this purpose. If they filled these up and helped each other carry them out, this would result in fewer trips and a job more quickly completed.

I also suggested they take the two buy two and two by four studs, lay those on a tarp and when they had several placed on the tarp simply each take an end carrying the tarp up rather than only two at a time.

Normally, I like to handle something only once. For instance, if I am removing demolition debris, I like to be able to throw it directly into a dumpster and be done with it. It makes no sense to me to move it to a pile outside then have to move it from the pile into the container. From my perspective, this seems like twice the work.










However, I made a conscious decision not to do this for two reasons. First and foremost, I was unable to secure a dumpster with the delivery dates I wanted. Too many times I have ordered a dumpster for a job site having it delivered a day or two in advance only to arrive at the job site finding it half full of everything from sofas to old TVs and other neighborhood junk.

Lessons learned.

I now plan so I use the whole dumpster right away or as in this case pile it up, then spend the time to move the debris into the dumpster when I have enough to fill it and have the dumpster picked up right away.

Although, this requires more work, the cost of a dumpsters outweighs the expense of labor to move the material from a pile into the dumpster. I have found no shortage of either enterprising young adults or day labors willing to work for cash. At $400.00 to hire a dumpster that ends up being filled with neighborhood refuge material that often costs a lot more to dispose of because it can't be mixed with demolition material, this is the best solution. This is using resources wisely, and cost effetely.

Every part of the job needs to be done with thought. Mismanagement inefficiencies with cost overruns will kill a project as quickly as unexpected and non-budgeted surprises. Every phase of the project needs close attention and management. It's important to exploit labor strengths to their best advantage even if they it's family or friends. Use them wisely. This alone will pay significant dividends.

Before each day started, every member of my team knew what had to be done that day. 
We all knew exactly what had to be completed for the project to move forward. The deadline on this project was tight because I was going out west for my annual two week hunting trip. The project had to be completed before I left. This only left thirty days. Not a lot of time for the scope of this project. Certainly, I couldn't afford to lose any time.

Another huge motivator was the fact that my agreement stated that I would carry the project until closing. Having up to thirty thousand dollars of your own money stuck in a project makes you very aware of deadlines.

This meant I had to pay for all materials and labor and complete the project before I earned a penny.

Enough said!


































The scope of this project was extensive and at this point included several phases such as, the complete demolition of the exiting basement, a new electrical upgrade and service, extensive plumbing upgrades, a new remodeled upstairs bathroom, and wallpaper removal and painting of every room. Several floor covering had to be replaced. These ranged from carpet to tile. Part of this project was refinishing nearly 1200 square feet of hardwood floors.










There was substantial work that needed to be done on the outside such as the entire old fence torn out and replaced with a new six foot wood fence enclosing the yard.

Additionally, in the basement we had to frame and build a new bathroom and bedroom with an outside egress window cut in and installed. All the wiring, sheet rock, painting, duck work and floor covering also had to be done. Considering we all had full time jobs with only weekends and evenings to do the work, we had a lot of work cut out for us and very little time to complete it.

Our hands would be full for a month. Being well organized was essential in order to complete this project. Although adequate but limited, the budget was very tight, allowing for very few cost overruns and certainly no unnecessary expenditures.

Everyone had to be on the same page every day. No exceptions. This was my responsibility. I take this very seriously. However you still have to keep the working environment fun and productive. This is always a challenge.

I certainly have learned a few things along the way. The more I do the more I learn. Every job is always just a little bit different and serves, not only as a new teacher, but as an opportunity to apply what I have learned from other jobs. The short term for this is; applied and learned experience.

Priceless!

Soon things fall into place and the crew develops a rhythmic pace. That is my job to keep this pace and theme throughout the remodeling project.

Our agreement was simple for all my labor hours and those of my business partners, we would charge only what we had paid him for his electrical services he provided us on our other projects. In other words, our labor rate would be paid at the same rate he was paid.

My overall fee for finding and negotiating the price and preparing the purchase agreements along with managing and taking the lead role in construction would be a set fee of seven thousand dollars.

Compared to what my standard fee would be, this fee was reduced for several reasons.

I am a firm believer that no one in business should ever give away their services or work.

Let me explain why. In my opinion, the best way to ruin a good friendship or spoil a family relationship or cause unnecessary stress is to put yourself in a situation in which someone stands to gain on the fruits of your efforts without fair compensation. In other words had I not found the house, and prepared the purchase agreement without a commission involved plus agreed to do all the contracting work at a much reduced price, he stood to gain a significance increase of equity.

These types of one-sided arrangements tend to end badly with a lot of resentment. The fact remains he would have had to hire someone to do all the work at considerably higher prices.

This highlights why I insist on written agreements regardless be they relatives, friends or whomever. This way, there are no surprises, and everything is out in the open and up front. Both parties know what the expectations are and what the outcome will be.

One advantage with doing this is that when crunch-time comes and you are being pushed to the limit, you can simply remember you agreed to this arrangement. It is very hard when you have been putting in all you have, for nothing in return and you're being pushed by the owner of the project to finish it on time and within budget. I can't think of a better recipe for resentment than this scenario.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned in life is have to work for what you get and you get what you work for. It is entirely a different arrangement and your personal choice if at the end of a project you say "no charge" or tear the contract up and choose to give your services away. This is your own decision and choice. I have done this often but still used the written agreement to guide the process.

One other compelling reason for some charge is doing your craft or trade free is to cheapen the profession.

It also seems the more you do for friends or family the more they expect; and why shouldn't they? After all, it seems your time or trade isn't worth anything because you don't charge anything for the work you do.

Again if you choose to do it for free after you have completed the work at least you have set a base line price for your craft and trade.

If someone balks at what you would charge, that usually is the first sign of what is to come. Project costs frequently go over and beyond budgets. This fact causes more misunderstandings, hard feeling, and lawsuits than any one other single factor in a project.

Why not reduce the risk of this happening and address the problem in advance with the client and enter into a written agreement? This way, if the project turns sour, at least you have a starting point to begin to work out the problems.

There is one word for this - business. Conduct your affairs like you mean it.

After two exhausting days of steady and hard demolition work, we reached out goal.

The old basement was completely demolished and ready for the next phase of construction.


































We could now assess what additional work needed to be done.

One thing became evident. We needed to replace the water heater. This came to light when it was discovered that the water heater had been leaking but this was hidden by a wall in the bathroom. In turn, over time this leak had caused a lot of the mold to form in the wall. It also became clear that we had a problem much larger than just the water heater and the potential for thousands of dollars in non-budgeted expense.

What we found was a very serious and potentially dangerous condition. The short term outlook was not good. The long term fix was being summed up in a word.

Ka-ching!

copyright all rights reserved D. Jerzak Dec 22 007


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
> 
> 
> 
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This is a bigger project than I'd ever consider taking on.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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What serious and potentially dangerous condition? I'm thinking it is that wall paper on the center beam of the basement…pretty scary!


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## rjack (Nov 5, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Great blow by blow description!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Rikkor,

The scope of the project was fairly extensive.

The fact that we had less than six weeks from the beginning of the project until closing from the get go made it a real challenge.

Later this date would even change to less time to complete the project.

Stay tuned!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Dennis,

You are correct you have to be careful and follow good safe practices when abateing and working in and around mold.

You have to first identify what type of mold(s) you have and the proper way to abate them.

Some types of mold are harmless and can easily be taken care of with bleach.

The trick is to know which ones you are dealing with and the right way to take care of them.

This is where my training and job as a building inspector comes in as being invaluable.

Your also correct about that being wall paper on the center beam.

In short the place was a disaster.

With out giving away to much of the story yet to come see the following picture. There were 5 rooms with several layers of wallpaper that was never sized or improperly sized that had to be taken off one layer at a time.

By hand.


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Dusty - wow - what a project. I wish I had your organizational skills when I did my first house in Indiana. I think you are dead on right about having a written contract with even friends and family. Resentment is so easy to build up when everyone is not on the same page, the time it takes to rebuild a relationship is a lot longer than it takes to break it down.

Seeing these pictures sure brings back memories of my Indiana house. Tearing out plaster and lathe was a job to be sure. In my little town I could not get a dumpster to come out - this created quite a problem for getting rid of debris. I had an old Chevy truck that I could take to the dump, but I could only do this on weekends. And as I'm sure you know, it does not take much debris to fill a truck. You also can't use plastic bags to get rid of the debris. I was stuck until I went to a Sac-n-Save store and realized that paper grocery bags were the answer! The garbage company had a limit on the weight of any bag that it would pick up, but no limit on the number of bags. Sooo as I demolished the house it all went into paper bags and out onto the porch. You can imagine how many paper sacks I used to demolish an 11 room house. It was substantial. But the size of the bags kept the weight down so the garbage company could not complain and they were not so heavy that I could not carry them up stairs, etc. It worked out great. And to boot the bags were paper so they are environmentally friendly which made me feel a bit better sending all that debris to the landfill.

What will you be doing with closet space in the house? Seems like these older houses lack storage/closet space.

have enjoyed this post. I always learn something reading them.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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lots of demo tips!

hey Dennis.. I thought the wallpaper was really cool  
tarzan/jane jungle look


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


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Thanks Dusty. Good planning and philosophy.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Besty,

My hat is off to you for figuring out how to get rid of the demo. You certainly didn't have many let alone any good alternatives.

Eleven rooms! Wow!

Another tip of the hat!

I find it intresting how ever how creative woodworks can be to get a job done. It never ceases to amaze me how creative and persistent fellow lumberjocks can be.

As far as closet space in this house it is a non issue. There seems to be plenty along with a whole floor that is unfinished. Your right most older homes lack this precious space. I was able to build a new large closet for the new bedroom in the basement.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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MsDebbie,

Trust me the best thing about that wall paper was the fact it ended up on the floor and then in the garbage.

You have no idea how sore you fingers can be until you scrape several layers off five rooms.

Ouch!

Plain and simple it is hard work.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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karson,

Thanks for the comments.

I learned the "*Good planning and philosophy*". the hard way.

It is funny, how experience not only becomes your teacher it becomes your compass and safe harbor.

You have to do something to gain experience, but it is that experience that will guide you not to do something in the future.


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## Caliper (Mar 12, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Thanks for another informative installment, Dusty.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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wallpaper: mix some water into liquid fabric softener and squirt it on the paper.. wait about 5 minutes and peel it right off. 
My daughter told me of that trick and when we struggled with the border removal in our bathroom, I remembered it as we removed the final 3 feet….... she kicked herself for not remembering it when we started the job!


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Dusty said:


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When I was akid the movie house had a new chapter of the serial every Saturday.
We couldn't wait.

Same here.

Looking forward to another learning experience.


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## JonJ (Nov 20, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Did the old sink meet a unfortunate end? It's just like the one I used for my icebox vanity…


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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MsDebbie,

That works great if it is sized correctly. One other big difference is the glue they used to use and how it reacted with the paint that was lead based.

One other thing I found out the hard way- (of course) - the older and dryer the wall paper (from the house being unoccupied) the more likely it comes off in very small pieces…....

Oh what fun…..

NOT!

Thanks for the tip.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *We have a deal !*
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Sawdust2,

Thanks,

I have the next chapter almost ready.

JonJ,

Yea sure did. That old cast sink took two of us to carry it out of the basement.

Can you say sore back.

It however was recycled. An art professor wanted it for her art students to melt down for a class on casting.

I said have at it….

Next morning it was gone! Yea I didn't have to load again in a dumpster.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

*The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*










After demolishing the basement and cleaning it out, I had a chance to assess the real condition of the plumbing, electrical, heating, and various other parts of the house.










Not good!










I confirmed pretty much what I expected and that for which I had planned, and budgeted.










This included breaking up the floor and replacing all the floor drains and pipe, the plumbing needed to be redone.










The electrical wiring was in dire shape.










The heating plant (hot water heat boiler) although less than 10 years old, was in bad shape. The boiler had been replaced however the bathroom shower stall had rotted out and had been spraying water on the side of the boiler where it also rusted out.










The old radiators were outdated, improperly installed, and had over sized pipe that was unsightly and very inefficient. Several of these old cast iron relics were rusted and full of sediment and was surely trouble waiting to happen.










You could add all of the following to the list of "needing immediate replacement".

1. The existing water heater that was full of sludge and had been leaking for a long period.
2. The newspaper that was dated in the nineteen forties that was used as insulation for the ceiling and walls.
3. The lead laundry tub.
4. The washer and dryer.
5. All of the basement plumbing fixtures in the former bathroom.
6. The well had to be abandoned.
7. All the basement windows besides being inoperable were rotted and contained only single-pane glass.
8. All fuse boxes and wiring.
9. The crawl space that lead from the basement to under the porch was not closed off from the outside elements. 
10. The old heating system piping had been oversized and built in to all the former spaces. These pipes now stood out in the open and took up valuable space. Not only was this unsightly, it was impractical to build around.
11. The gas lines no longer met code, nor did anything else for that matter.
12. The floor covering was asbestos containing floor tile that had been breaking up for years.

There really wasn't anything I had not planed for from my initial assessment. You always hope you find something that didn't need replacing or was in better shape than first thought.

I can dream right?

The next step would be to break up the floor and replace the plumbing.










This would need to be done along with pouring a new floor before we could finish frameing out the new bathroom and bedroom.










There is only one way to describe what breaking up concrete and replacing the existing plumbing is like.

It sucks and is hard work.

Period!

Oh, did I mention also expensive, dirty, smelly and time consuming?

Enough said, and suffice to say not my favorite work to do. It had to be done and the sooner I got going on it, the faster it would be done.

It is funny how any talk of demolition work being fun abruptly stops when it comes to breaking up a concrete floor with a sludge hammer and bars. I have also notice how quickly laborers start bitching when tearing out old smelly rusted pipes leaking toilet sewage all over while struggling to carry them up a flight of stairs to an outside dumpster. I was that laborer.

It is part of the work in any rehabilitation project and certainly I had no budget to hire a professional plumber. You also begin to better understand why and how they charge the rates they do.

After spending a day breaking up the floor and digging out the old plumbing, it was time to start the rough-in of the new plumbing.










Not only did I have sand piled up from the sub floor under the concrete, I also had the smell and old residue from the rusted-through drain piping to deal with and replace.

I know why I never wanted to become a plumber.

One other very important consideration at that point was I had to not only replace all the existing plumbing, but also bring it up to code. There is no margin for error. I either did this or they would make me replace it.

I had to plan the work well taking into account any future improvements or additions that I might want to add. I had to do all of this without going over budget. It's at this stage where the importance of a budget and all the work that goes into preplanning becomes evident.

I learned this all the hard way. It only took one experience of having to break up a concrete floor after I had replaced the plumbing and the cement after I failed to get a rough in inspection for me to learn that lesson.

I have never forgotten that "teachable moment".

Never!










After replacing all the plumbing in the floor and while waiting for the plumbing inspector I stared my framing and insulating work. On this job, I didn't have the luxury of completing one phase, get it inspected and then proceed to the next phase.










Time was critical.

Certainly it would have been much easier not to have to frame walls around large trenches in the floor and sand piled on the existing concrete. This never mattered because I had a tight time line and couldn't afford to loose a single day.

When I make a trip to the lumber yard or big box retailer I make the most of it.

I buy and have on hand what I need, or will need in the very new future, without having items that can be lost or misplaced or not need at this phase of the project.

Planning!

Being organized is essential.

Having what is needed, when it is needed, is very important.

I take my "preplanning notes" that are complete with model numbers, stock keeping unit numbers, colors and whatever else is essential and fax this over to the store so that it can all be pulled in advance and waiting for me when I arrive.

All I have to do then is to pay for it and check that what they pulled was on my list and is undamaged.

This is a huge time saver.

I also stage these materials as close to where I will need them without causing other problems. I then make sure my crew knows where these materials are located so no time is wasted looking for them










There were only three of us on this job and with them being my helpers this was easy.

It's also important to understand the capabilities and limitations of the crew to make the most productive use of their skills. I write in much more detail about this later in another blog.

Before the installation of the insulation could proceed, framing of the new bedroom and bathroom had begun in earnest, along with the outside wall mold abatement, cleaning, and surface prep. This process is somewhat cumbersome and time consuming and had to be done with care and in order.










There are very specific and detailed methods for removal of mold from porous material such as concrete walls or block. The details and steps are too varied and complex to attempt in one paragraph.

I would suggest that anyone who undertakes this process knows what they are doing and uses the latest safety equipment and methods with qualified inspectors at their disposal to confirm the absence of mold when completed.

Removing mold from porous materials such as cement is relatively easy when the proper steps are followed.

This was day four of the project. So far, everything was on time with no real budget surprises other than the need for a new water heater. I had overlooked this in my assessment.

What makes me angry at myself was I knew better. Because the water heater was leaking, I should have planned on replacing it and budgeted accordingly. Had it turned out to be something less serious not requiring replacement, then it's a bonus.










At the same time, in order not to interfere with the framing process and hold up the project in other ways, I started cutting the block and digging the outside hole for the egress window.

I had to really watch the weather forecast so that I didn't get caught with a big hole in the side of the house during a downpour of rain.

I really had to know project instillation times, available work hours and help, when several parts of the project are going on at the same time.

One good part of this project was the fact that the homeowner was a journeyman electrician. This made it so much simpler because I never had to babysit his work. He was able and kept himself busy doing this at the same time all the framing and other work was being done.

All that was needed was coordinating so we weren't all trying to work in one area. This is one of my pet peeves; something that although at times unavoidable, is more than likely just poor planning. More often than not, when this happens it becomes a time killing and frustrating ordeal.

After the first week, all the week's goals and benchmarks for the project had been met on time and within budget.

It was time to start reviewing what had to be done the second week and to be sure the crew was on the same page.

It seemed that things had went extremely well and without a hitch.

Could this be true?

Yes it was!

The other shoe was about to fall.

And boy was it a loud thud when it hit!


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Great blog Dusty. A nice list of work to be done and then completed.

Waiting for more.


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## rjack (Nov 5, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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And the saga continues….


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## TomFran (Jun 19, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Dusty,

You sound like your having, as Rush Limbaugh says, "more fun than a human being should be allowed to have."

You certainly are a man of great vision. I admire your perseverance and have no doubt that you'll "get the ball in the end zone."

Happy New Year!


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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and again more tips re: coordinating a demolition/renovation.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Holy Smokes! There must be light at the end of this tunnel … right? Hey, at least you don't have to worry about having nothing to do. ;-) I sure that when you're done it will be a sight to behold, not unlike your previous work.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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TomFran,

Thank you for your flattering comments.

I will say this, I love what I do,yes, and I try do what I love.

I like building things (well ok wrecking them to) demo, and the challenges of remodeling certainly are hard work but rewarding.

Every time I do a project like this I learn something.

I am great full for that.

Each and every job is different in many ways yet the same in a lot of ways.

I am never bored and always challenged.


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## Chip (Mar 13, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Your blogs leave me in wonder Dusty (as in "I wonder what I'm doing in this business" ;-) Always informative and entertaining. And they always show your organization, passion and integrity. Thanks for taking the time to share.


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## David (Jan 26, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Dusty -

While I don't always have a chance to comment, I do follow your blog closely. Always entertaining and interesting! I like your organizational tips . . . something that will come in handy for me in the future. I am notorious for making more than one trip to the big box store or lumberyard. Don't tell my wife but I kind of like all those trips . . . although I could stand to be more efficient and organized!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Chip,

Thank your for your kind words and support, I have no doubt you do a bang up job in your business and I would stand to learn a lot from you.

In this business as you well know, there are more surprises than not, less room for error than previous projects, and competition that seems to come out of no where.

All in all there is a name for this and a description.

It is called work.

It is that sence of accomplishment, challenge, and lure of "I wonder if", that keeps our passion for this work so high, and rewarding.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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David,

Thanks for the comments.

I completely understand not having time to comment on blogs, projects, forums ect.

There are so many posts to follow that it simply isn't practical. I know that is also the case for me.

A while back I was forced to curtain my comments simply because of lack of time on my part.

I like you read several blogs projects and review all the content when time permits.

Just because I don't comment like you doesn't mean I wouldn't like to or am not interested.

In fact just the opposite, I have found the web site has really expanded and offers so much that I am at times overwhelmed with all the great info.

Thanks for taking time to comment.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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That organizational stuff is the key. I just miss ordered two cabinet doors and that just takes a big bite out of the "profit".


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Dennis,

You are so right!

I am constantly reminded and mildly amused at how many times I have to reteach my self the simple truths about this business.

A short recap reminds me of these truths…

1. Usually we "beat each other up" over the right to take a job at the low price.
2. We constantly underestimate even after years of experience how much labor it takes and the cost.
3. We all think we can make it up because we are "more productive" or have a special crew or skill, tools and knowledge that can perform miraculously.
4. We never seem to have time to do it right the first time however we seem to have the time to do it over again.
5. We all have that " come back bus" that magically is suppose to pick us up at a later time and "bring us back " to finish the job we never were able to do the first time because we were short materials, missing parts or what have you.

I could go on and on, no doubt you and many others could add a lot to this list.

Even though I still run into all these problems the biggest difference for me is ; IE "*smarter not harder*" at being organized. That in and of it self doesn't guarantee a profit or success, however I know that by not being organized it pretty much guarantees I won't be.


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Hay Dusty…Have you been spying on me. You sure have got my business style down pat!


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Dennis,

No I wrote and rewrote this book. Trust me if there was a way to screw it up or blow it I probley have done it.

Experince teaches they say, but I say, there is no teacher like Mr Lost Profit.

Best teacher I ever had!

Have you had him yet?


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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He is on the paid staff at my shop.


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## Dusty (Jan 8, 2007)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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He seems to be well paid.

Come to think of it hes on most staffs I know.

Time for him to retire isn't it?


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## dennis (Aug 3, 2006)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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I'd like to retire him, but right now he's teaching me to run my business with the computer.


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## ZachM (Apr 3, 2008)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Love this series, hope some updates will be forthcoming.


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## willmego (Mar 27, 2008)

Dusty said:


> *The first "surprise" arrives...Let the work began*
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Enjoying this new series, hope some updates will happen!


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