Buying a preowned house is getting a fun project. The bones are what you like and buy, and the meat is what you need to hunt and procure.
Our new home is ~20 miles from our current abode. It is around two and a half decades old, and the style is dated.
The flooring is a mix of carpet and tiles. The cabinets in the bathrooms and staircase are in yellow oak finish. There are no recessed lights, and existing switches look tired and old.
On top of all that, there is stuff that did not get caught in our walk through:
- The front door is not opening well
- A window looks to be leaky
- 2-3 dual pane windows are fogging up with condensation
These overlooked items will be costly mistakes, and lessons for the future. However, skills built in a career of management and technology are coming in handy:
- Doing bake offs in getting contractor bids is reassuring on getting a good price.
- Researching solutions is both challenging and rewarding. There is a surprising amount of information available, and finding pragmatic, futuristic solutions is not easy.
- Purchasing is surprisingly straightforward and convenient, as materials get delivered straight to your doorstep.
- Designing interiors is fun and engaging as there are plethora of websites on the internet with really good guides on color and form.
- Interviewing contractors is a lot like hiring interviews. You ask about the person’s credentials, experience, and then pose problems for them to solve. They provide estimates, and before committing there is a reference check.
- Work is estimated before hand, and there are pre and post checks for each job.