Scope of Work

Michael and I put together a scope of work for our contractor.  This is needed so you and your contractor can be on the same page.  It's a check list for him and you.

Scope of Work: 201 S. Hoskins Rd #131, Charlotte, NC 28208

Kitchen

·         Plumbing for sink, refrigerator and dishwasher

·         Electrical-necessary electrical for backsplash, range, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, disposal

·         Installation of cabinets-Pick up from Pro-Stock Kitchen Greer location

·         Build pantry next to refrigerator (counter depth) with door

·         Build ledge for cabinets in front of window

·         Install outlet behind fridge with switch for under cabinet lighting; lights installed by owner

·         Install backsplash

·         Granite installed by other

Downstairs Bathroom

·         Remove flooring and secure subfloor-install concrete backer if necessary.

·         Install floor tile-match existing seams and grout width; tile furnished by owner

·         Reuse existing toilet and shower

·         Install 31” vanity by pro-stock,  vanity top furnished by owner, fixture furnished by owner

Upstairs Bathroom

·         Frame new walls and drywall

·         Run plumbing for new shower with two fixture (separate controls), toilet, and vanity

·         Run necessary electrical for bathroom including light box centered above vanity and overhead shower light; both lights provided by owner

·         Install 34”x60” shower pan from Home Depot

·         Install tile surround in the shower to the ceiling provided  by owner

·         Install shower doors provided by owner

·         Install vanity, vanity top, sink fixtures, shower fixtures, and toilet all provided by owner

Bedrooms

·         Frame new walls and drywall.

·         Extend loft floor to 2’ from window; match existing floor upstairs and existing ceiling downstairs

·         Move chase to new wall.

·         Run new electrical outlets and supply cable outlet for each room

·         Install framing and windows provided by Chuck in upstairs room centered on existing window; Install transom window on wall facing den in upstairs room

·         Build closet on upstairs  and downstairs bathroom walls; install socket and bulb in closets with switch and sliding closet doors

·         Match floor downstairs up to and inside the closet; hallway tile remains

·         Move panel to hallway wall adjacent to closet (closet is going on wall where existing panel is located)

·         Install 4 can lights in the downstairs bedroom provided by Chuck.

·         Install Single light housing with switch upstairs; light provided by owner

General Items

·         Install all doors; stainable slab doors provided by Chuck; owner will stain

·         Install can lights in downstairs hallway; Provide 3 way switches at beginning and end

·         Install light housing in kitchen, dining, and living room; owner will provide fan for living and kitchen and light for dining.

·         Turn stairs and build landing; install metal rails provided by owner

·         Save removed railings for owner

·         Extend Laundry room under landing and expose large round post to kitchen area (if possible)

·         Install necessary electrical, plumbing, and venting for washer and dryer

·         Fix broken window

·         Bring fire risers and sprinklers to code

·         Install duct work for HVAC and ensure unit is functional; if not, replace

·         Install new water heater (40-50 gallon; contractor advise on sizing)

·         Install new baseboard trim, casing

·         Remove all accumulated trash and debris

·         Repair all existing drywall

·         Reuse as much existing conduit, wire, switches, outlets etc. as possible

·         Manage sub-contractors

Questions

·         Fan for bathroom?

·         Insulate walls?

·         Make Operable windows?

·         HVAC ductwork; using downstairs duct for floor vents upstairs (combine venting for bathroom, closet , and room up and down in one artery vent; run new ductwork in living area)

·         Owner may request installation of new front door after evaluation of current door

·         Painting done by owner; Owner requests use of tall ladder to paint walls over weekend

·         Remove wallpaper.

Porcelain Owl: ZGallery

A few weeks ago I visited the ZGallery in Northlake Mall in Charlotte. One thing that caught my eye was this glossy white owl. It looks super modern but has an old classic feel. Another reason I love it is because my grandmother collected owls. She had them all over the place. This weekend would have been her 79th birthday.  I told Michael the first time I saw it that I wasn't going to get it.  But, if I kept thinking about it, and it was still there on our next trip; I wanted to buy it.  Well today, Joanna, Michael, and I made a trip up to ZGallery.  And I still love it.  It was also on sale!  My Mema was extremely stylish and would have loved it.

I feel that accessories in homes should invoke something personal; a person, a memory, an event.  It's what makes a house/condo/townhouse, into a home.


This owl was $15 at ZGallery.


UPDATE:
Found by Dayna and Mandy, the Zgallerie owl is in the Big Brother house.  I watched an episode of Big Brother to get a screen shot of it.

Kitchen Cabinet

Michael and I priced out several places.  Ikea, Home Depot, and Pro Stock Kitchens.  In my home in Greer, SC, I used Pro Stock Kitchens and thought that their service and support were superior to other places.  Also, they were extremely helpful with the layouts.

Michael and I decided to go with Pro Stocks because of price.  We just got our kitchen cabinets, both vanities, and hardware for both for $2239 (including taxes).  They will be here in a couple of weeks.  We decided on a slab door for a modern look, and a medium brown to contrast the painted white brick and the black floors.

If you would like to visit Pro Stock Kitchen here is the information:

Pro Stock Kitchen
Carrie Phillips
4800 Wade Hampton Blvd
Unit H
Taylors, SC 29687
864-451-7777 (office)

Carrie has been a wonderful help.  She has great ideas for kitchen layouts and home layouts in general.  She is fun and I love going in there and talking about the projects she has going on.  If you are doing a kitchen, I would highly recommend you paying her a visit to price out her cabinets.  She can do really custom upscale to a custom cabinet on a budget.  Here are her drawings and renderings of the cabinets.  (Just to note, the city skyline in the window isn't actually what the view is in the apt... it just looked cool)

Shower Tile Options

We need some help choosing shower tile designs. We have a good bit left over from when Alec remodeled his kitchen. Now we need to decide how to use the tile to create and interesting pattern. What do you think?


Option 1

Option 2

Counter Depth Refrigerator

So, Michael and I have been looking for appliances.  We have been going back and forth between stainless and white appliances.  We have talked about doing a counter depth, but assumed that they were double the cost and not worth looking into.  However, I found a great deal.  Free Shipping, No Taxes,... (went to retailmenot.com and saved $10 - anything counts)  And, now I have a counter depth refrigerator that will be here in 3 weeks for about $1000!  This is going to save tons of room in the kitchen.  They will be delivered right when the cabinets will be install.  Here is the website that I purchased the appliance.

Fixtures We've Purchased

So, we picked out a bunch of stuff for the condo yesterday. We bought most of the bathroom fixtures online from one manufacturer. The reviews were good, so we are confident the quality will be at least decent. I've posted some pictures of our choices so far below...

Bathroom Faucet (3 LITB)-Two for upstairs and one for down...double sink below.

Shower Fixture (2 LITB)-We plan to have 2 in the upstairs shower.

Kitchen Faucet(1 LITB)-Simple and modern.

Upstairs Bathroom Sink (1 Ikea)-Double faucet with a single bowl...love.

Dining Room Light Fixture(1 Ikea)- This will be in the middle of the long living space...31" diameter.

Home Sizes Around the World

I found a really interesting article on Apartment Therapy about home sizes around the world. Anyone surprised that the US has the largest homes? Looks like the condo will be somewhere between the average size in Spain and France. Check above link for the full post.


US: 2,300sf
Australia: 2,217sf
Denmark: 1,475sf
France: 1,216sf
Spain: 1,044sf
Ireland: 947sf
UK: 818sf

Updates and Closing....

A lot has happened since our last post. We were putting out fires to prepare for closing and didn’t have time to write about it. So, here’s a recap of our past week.

Starting on Tuesday, I got a call from our realtor. He somehow misplaced Alec’s $1500 earnest money check. Yes, he misplaced a $1500 check. So, Alec had to call and cancel his check from his bank. At the same time, I had to go to my bank and get a cashier’s check for that amount. Our realtor came to my office to pick it up. This was the first time I had met him in person. I joke that it may have been a good thing that he lost the check so that I could meet him and know he was real. We kept wondering if we were somehow being scammed having only had conversations over the phone with our realtor.

After that was resolved, we got the HUD-1 Settlement Statement on Wednesday. Our realtor never bothered asking me what I do. If he had, he would’ve known that I educate people on homeownership for a living. So, I listened politely as he described pro-rated taxes and HOA. We were paying two months of HOA at closing. Somehow, the closing attorney had the HOA amount to be $295 per month, $45 more than we were told. We already dealt with the fact that the HOA was $50 more than the realtor advertised on MLS, so we were getting annoyed that the HOA was now showing almost $100 more per month than we originally thought. I’m not sure how, but it fell on me to resolve the discrepancy between what we thought it was and what the attorney had on the settlement statement. Of course the property manager for our building was out of the office; however, I did get in touch with someone else at Solid Rock Property Management that was very helpful. She emailed the head of the HOA to verify that it was the $249 that we thought, which was confirmed. We decided to go close with the incorrect amount and to just get credited for it in month three as to not delay closing.

We closed Friday at noon. A few signatures and handshakes and we were finished. One of my best friends, Tine, was going to be in town on Saturday, so we decided to have wine and cheese in the common area with friends to celebrate. We had church friends, Rock Hill friends, and a co-worker over. The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful evening on the patio with friends. After wine and cheese, we tried Savor on Morehead, which is on our new side of town. Great atmosphere, decent food, but three hours from start to finish. We’ll probably give it another try.

Life is good. Let’s see if I say that after the renovations begin…

The First Week of Blogging

The first week of blogging has in my opinion been a success.  Total view to date is 750.  Here is a graph of the blog's activity.

Who's viewing?

United States: 718

Italy: 14

Canada: 7

Germany: 2

Netherlands: 1

Preservation vs. Efficiency

Lofts of Greenville

I ran across an interesting article from Preservation NC about the cost/benefit of changing out historic windows. We were at the condo the other day and were discussing options for our less than efficient windows (doubt they are original, but they are single pane). Preservation NC gives great suggestions for increasing efficiency in existing windows, while maintaining their character. Click to read more...

SketchUp Model

I'm trying to make a SketchUp Model for the unit. This program is not so easy to use (I'm sure it is once you learn it). This is a view of the upstairs loft with a bedroom and bathroom, along with a library/guest room. I'll post more pictures once I get it finished. Making me think about dimensions.

Cool Bird: Local Art

Michael and I happened to walk through Glencairne Garden one morning while there was an art exhibit for local artists.  Mark Ellis hand makes every birdhouse in Charlotte, NC.  Check out his website to see some really cool modern birdhouses.  Email him at MEllis@Bellsouth.net to visit his shop in Charlotte.

History of the Mill and Area

We got word from the realtor yesterday that he is sending the contract to the closing attorney to do the title search. As we prepare for closing (next Friday), I thought I would put together some history of the mill and surrounding area.

The mill was built in 1903-1904. It was the second mill in the Hoskins area, which was known as Chadwick at that time. Mill villages surrounded the mills. According to the Charlotte Daily Observer, Hoskins Mill was to be “one of the best and handsomest manufacturing plants in the South.” The floors consisted of “three layers of timber, with a total thickness of about five inches. The top layer of the floors…maple.” The mill even had a stop, “Hoskins Station,” on the commuter rail line that went from Charlotte to Gastonia at that time. Unfortunately, it is only serviced by CATS buses today. Click for more information from CMHLC.

There was also an amusement park nearby. It was called Lakewood Park, complete with a lake, rides, swimming pool, and petting zoo. How cool would that be? It was open from 1910-1933. The map below is from the website lakewoodparkcharlotte.com.







The mill had a fire in 1985, which caused it to be shut down. The mill was partially converted to condos in 2005, with marketing beginning in March and the C/O given in July. CMHLC observes that the mill area, "now part of the City of Charlotte...remains a working-class residential area, punctuated by warehouses and industrial buildings." So yes, we are moving to a non-walkable, slightly questionable area. I'll give updates as I come across more information.

Closing Date Set: July 15, 2011, 12:30pm

Michael just got word from the closing attorney and the realtor, that we will be closing on the loft next Friday at 12:30pm.  One week away from owning this beautiful loft!

Sticker Shock

Michael and I have done several projects at our respective homes.  These projects are normally not schedule driven.  The more time we have the more feasible it is to do the work ourselves.  This project is somewhat different.  We have a potential renter to move in with Michael when we finish.  To do this, multiple things have to happen quickly.  Some of the renovations, if not most, will have to be done through a contractor.  We just got the quote back from a recommended contractor.  Needless to say that we are somewhat sticker shock.  The quote was higher than what we are paying for the loft.  We will need to look at the quote in detail.

Making it go there: Amy Fain

Amy Fain has started a blog on her and her husband's, Daniel, house that was recently purchased in the Dilworth area.  I'll seeing them this weekend at their new home.  Keep up with their renovations on her blog Making it go there.

Location Location Location

While Michael and I would love to be in the Uptown, Dilworth, South End, or Plaza Midwood. We have compromised on location for price and space (gasp). This mill loft is right off I-85 which is perfect location for me to drive to Greenville in the morning if I happen to stay one night during the week. It is a 5 min drive to uptown and neighboring communities. The decision to buy this foreclosure basically was due to the price and not location. We don't plan to live here forever or even more than a few years. But, we are looking at it as a investment rather than a dream permanent residence.  The name of the condo building is Fox Ridge Lofts at Historic Hoskins Mill Rd.

Location of the loft using Google maps.

The Case Against the American Front Lawn: Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy has a wonderful article on the waste of a space of front lawns.

"Anti-lawn crusaders advocate abolishing antiquated “setback” laws. They urge residents to plant trees, flowers and vegetables or simply ground cover on their grassy lawns. Ironically, perhaps we should cast our eyes back to the Old World for some inspiration. In most European towns and suburbs, homes are set much closer to the road, with a much smaller front garden dominated by functional patios, hedges and fences. In European yards, a grassy lawn is not the focus but merely a backdrop for flowerbeds, trees, lawn games and social gatherings. The spacious private yard lies in the rear, where families play, eat and socialize."

Officially Under Contract

Just got a message from my realtor to tell us the paperwork has come back sign by the bank! Making us officially under contract.  Just for reference, we agreed on their price last Tuesday. And, we had all documents sign to them by Thursday end of business. 

First Pictures

Here are my pictures from the walk through. We'll have more pictures up soon. Keep in mind, no kitchen, bathroom has soft floor, hot water heater looks like it's as big as a coffee pot... previous owners took out all the HVAC duct work and lighting. But, the window are amazing, and the price was tempting enough to get us thinking we could do this.

The Beginning

Michael (left), me (right)

I've been wanting to start a blog.  And, I have been back and forth on what to focus my blogging on.  Finally, I decided on a story of my partner and I starting a project officially together.  Yes, we have done some renovations, but ultimately, the decisions have come from the person that owns the property.  This property is something special because we are doing it together, funded as equally as possible.  We have currently agreed to a price with the bank that has foreclosed on the property and waiting to nail down the July 15th closing dates.  Everything on our end is ready... and waiting for the bank to sign a few papers.

This blog will be a story of this condo from start to finish (if there is one).  And many small projects that Michael and I do.  I hope you enjoy!