Millie: Weeks 1 & 2

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I learn to navigate through the business of flipping houses.  This flip, Millie is the most challenging and most exciting yet!  You can find more about this house and about my 3 previous flip houses here. Although this technically was the end of week 2 of owning this house, it's really only week 1 of true progress.  With this being NOT a small ranch like the other 3 and I couldn't just autopilot, I took week 1 to primarily plan and talk to my contractors.  Week 2 has been pretty exclusively landscaping.  Landscaping is some seriously tiring work.  Luckily for me, Hubby and my parents offered to pitch in a little time on the yard this past week (Thanks!!!).  I think they're all as curious to see the house reveal itself from under the weeds as I am.

In the front yard, I've taken out 2 trees & 7 bushes (so far), relocated 2 hydrangea, mowed the lawn, and began trimming hedges.  If you follow me on facebook and/or instagram, you've already gotten a sneak peek.

Millie-front-before

 

Millie-w2-front-yard-2

The front porch is just SCREAMING for paint and a bit of contrast.  Don't you ear it?

The back is a much larger task.  Much.  It's not as easily quantifiable since it was just weeds EVERYWHERE.  It took us several days to get this

Millie-Ext-7

to look like this.  I knew there was a yard under there somewhere.

Millie-w2-side-yard

 

Millie-w2-side-yard-2

There was no seeing neighbors from the yard before- not because of privacy landscaping, but because of weeds that had gotten so tall and out of control.

Millie-Ext-10

Lets just say the neighbors are pleased to see progress.... and the yard again.  Even though these 2 pics aren't the same view, the planter in the middle of the 'before' pic is the same as the foreground of the below.  Seriously.

Millie-w2-back-yard

It looks like such a drop in the bucket, but I have 4 pretty massive piles of brush and weeds pulled in the back yard, and a full driveway from stuff pulled in the front.  ...And I'm still chugging along.  More weeds, more dirt, more stumps to discover, more bushes to trim.

millie-lawn-pile

In other non-yard news, I snuck away to Brimfield flea market for a bit with a very long shopping list.  Although I only found a few things, an antique doorbell (the house's old buzzer still works!) and random replacement hardware were worth the trip.

millie-brimfield-finds

Also, our real estate agent Amy (Hi!) will be very pleased to hear that once I am set with this house, it will be a 4 bedroom (yay higher asking price).  I'm pulling the trigger on making this room a first floor master complete with ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet.

Millie-future-master

My plans for a powder room under the stairs were foiled by building codes, so instead, that becomes a pretty decent closet.  The area in the back of the room will get doors, the claw foot soaker tub of my dreams and a toilet and sink.  I'm currently planning to keep the wood floors in the new bathroom.  Wood floors in bathrooms are sexy.  Fact.

Ok, I guess I should be off to clear out more weeds.  Wish me luck!

Have a wonderful weekend!