Cole the Flip House: Week 2

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I navigate through the business of flipping houses one house at a time!!  If you’re new here (Hello!!!) or just enjoy walking down memory lane, you can see my 7 previous flip houses here.  Thanks for coming along for the ride as I jump into flip #8!!!  Check out previous posts about this house here and follow along on my insta-stories for more behind the scenes goodness!  

It's Monday.  This post was supposed to be Friday.  I have no excuse except life.  I've been a bit off my game for the past few days.  Starting with discovering Thursday morning that a large chunk of my office ceiling had fallen overnight and we currently can't use the office until we get it cleaned up/fixed.  Friday I learn that my elderly office landlord passed away earlier in the week (putting the ceiling cleanup in an indefinite limbo) and I had to pick a sick baby up from daycare (just a cold which was making him wheezy, but he promptly shared his cold with me).  On Sunday, my head was finally out of it's cold fog, and I realized that I still haven't given you an update of this week's flip progress!

So for the flip!!

The job site was relatively quite this past week.  I was able to get both cabinets and appliances ordered on Massachusetts tax free weekend, so that's a bit of a cost savings (yay!).  With cabinets that needed to get ordered, I'm starting to devise a plan for this kitchen.  As far as any actual work done, a bit happened.  Outside, a few bushes got trimmed before the yellow jackets got very angry.

And inside, temporary walls went up while my contractor got the structural beam up between the kitchen and dining room.

Now, no wall!  There will ultimately be a peninsula in that spot, but the openness will remain!

I'm hoping the non-pretty, expensive-but-very-necessary things like electrical and hvac get started this week!  I'll let you know Friday!

Have a great week!!

Cole the Flip House: Week 1

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I navigate through the business of flipping houses one house at a time!!  If you’re new here (Hello!!!) or just enjoy walking down memory lane, you can see my 7 previous flip houses here.  Thanks for coming along for the ride as I jump into flip #8!!!  Check out previous posts about this house here and follow along on my insta-stories for more behind the scenes goodness!  

I love when demo happens.  I'm not Chip Gaines level giddy about demo, but it's still one of the most exciting steps of a flip.  It means that things are really starting to happen and the house is going to transform!  My contractors made quick work of some ceiling and walls in the past few days.

This is currently my favorite view so far.  They got rid of a non-load bearing wall to open up the living room to the dining room.  We will be opening up the middle wall there between the kitchen and dining to add a peninsula, but that wall is load bearing, so it will need supporting before it can go away.  I'm also going to be closing up the doorway that currently passes from the living room into the kitchen.  It will all make sense when you see it!

I am in LOVE with this wallpaper.  It was hiding under the 60s paneling in the living room.  It's adhered to the plaster pretty well, so I most likely won't be able to actually save a chunk of paper, but you can bet your britches that I'll be taking a few really good pics of this paper for posterity (and maybe to frame).

This view is from the kitchen.  The chimney will have to stay, but the hvac vent is getting relocated so I can open up that wall and have a peninsula to connect the kitchen and dining room.

The bathroom (off the kitchen) has been stripped down as well.  And because my contractors know me and don't want to make me cry, they kept all the old trim that was on the walls that got removed so that we can reuse it wherever possible.  Antique trim > modern trim.  x 1000.  That's my personal stance at least.

Still to partially come down is the wall between the stairs and living room.  It actually seems like a partial renovation was done not all that long ago (as you can see by the drywall vs plaster).  Essentially the wall is coming down where the drywall is and to the right including the doorway.  Hasta la vista!

My goals if for this to be the largest feeling 900sf home you ever saw!  No major demo happened upstairs since we aren't removing or relocating any walls.  The more exciting part up there will be when we run plumbing for the new powder room.

Aside from demo this week, I also got started on kitchen planning.  Since MA has a tax free weekend this weekend, I'm hoping to take full advantage of it and get all the cabinets and appliances ordered!  I'm going wood for most of the cabinets and white (or maaayyyybe gray) for the few upper cabinets that we have which is only 3.  Trying to re-inject some vintage charm!

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Meet Cole

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I navigate through the business of flipping houses one house at a time!!  If you’re new here (Hello!!!) or just enjoy walking down memory lane, you can see my 7 previous flip houses here.  Thanks for coming along for the ride as I jump into flip #8!!!  Follow along on my insta-stories for more behind the scenes goodness! *This post may contain affiliate links.  For more information, see my disclosures here.*

On to #8!!  Meet Cole.  This little cutie is a 900sf, 2 bedroom antique home from 1900 with a spacious yard and so much potential!!

The yard needs some major bush extraction, but it's pretty large in relation to the house.

And it keeps going

Normally with a lot of this size in this neighborhood, developers would swoop in, knock the house down, and build the largest  builder basic duplex they could.  Somehow, we were able to swoop in and get it before that could happen!!  Being just over a mile from the commuter rail into Boston, we're confident that a small condo alternative on a great lot will be awesome for resale!

Heading inside, everything needs updating per usual.  Orange kitchen cabinets will not be staying.  Especially since the seller had already taken one for posterity (not that they would be staying otherwise).

In the bathroom, I love the built-in cabinet, but that's about it.

The paneling in the dining and living room will very soon be a thing of the past.  That alone will make the rooms feel exponentially larger and brighter!

Currently there's 2 bedrooms and a closet upstairs:

We'll be building a new closet in the larger bedroom because the current green closet will be made into a jack and jill powder room with a door into each bedroom!  That's one thing that would be nice on our own antique colonial condo alternative, but sadly there's no good spot for it.

For the first time ever, I'm taking a hands-off role (she say's now...).  I'll be designing this house and making sure that my contractor is on top of the rest.  I've worked with him on the past 5 houses, so I'm comfortable that he'll help me realize my vision for this house properly.  You hear that, George??  You better do this house right!!!

Now that keys are in hand and demo is starting NEXT WEEK(!), I really need to figure out my plans for the design and style.  I'm already thinking for the kitchen, white uppers and darker wood or gray lowers.  For the downstairs bathroom, for some reason I have blue patterned tile stuck in my head, but I'm not sure how I want to use it.  So many possibilities!!  This house is such a blank slate!  Looking forward to bringing you along on Cole's journey!

Have a wonderful weekend!!