Alchemy Properties LLC Recycles

Here at Alchemy Properties, our goal is to refurbish homes in an environmentally responsible manner. One thing that we do is recycle as much of the trash from the demolition as possible. In this case, we will be replacing the roof, cabinets, moulding, flooring, some of the walls and all of the asphalt shingles. We rented a 30 yard recycling container from Kurtz Bros. to save all of that material from the landfill.  All acceptable metals will be scrapped for cash.

In addition to recycling the trash, we will be installing occupancies sensors in the rooms to control the lights, a rain barrel for the yard, Water Sense faucets and toilets, insulation and programmable thermostat.

Day 1

Today marked our first day working in the house. Kitchen, trim and doors were demolished. The bathroom (picture above) was partially demolished as well but we had to stop because it filled up with trash.

Today's lesson: It is amazing how fast cabinets and trim pile up. Order more trash space than you think you need.

We will finish demolition and "clean" on day two.

Getting ready to start

We're into the house and ready to start demolition tomorrow. I met some of the neighbors on Thursday night and asked them to watch the property for us while we are away. They said sure, as long as you move your parked car from in front of the fire hydrant :) A special thanks to RBC Contracting for moving and loading the materials.

Interior demolition starts Friday morning. We will be removing the entire kitchen and bathroom, all of the moulding and interior doors, and outside landscaping. The roof will eventually be removed and replaced as well.

Lesson Learned #2

Get a quote on the roof before making an offer on the house.  A roofer can give you an estimate by looking at the size and condition of the roof.  Eliminate your variables to keep your budget under control!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Tom Petty knows how hard waiting is.

In 1981 Tom Petty released The Waiting and it's accompanying video of Tom violently ripping random colored strings out of thin air.  I thought of Tom today as we are waiting to close on the house. But as I think about it, I'm not just anxious to close on the house... I'm anxious to finish and sell the house as well.  With this being our first house, I'm worried that we aren't going to make any money or even lose money!  I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to get this house finished and sold ASAP!

And We're Off!

Well, we finally have something to post about here.  After 4 failed attempts to get a house to work on we finally landed one.  The paperwork is offer is signed and we are now waiting to close with the title company.  The closing date on the paperwork is July 12, 2011.  After meeting with Brad and Dave to go through the house, we hope to begin demolition and cleaning on July 15, 2011 and have the house back on the market by August 15, 2011.  It is a tight timeline, especially for our first house, but we should be able to make it barring any major surprises.

One initial mistake we made was not asking the seller to pay all closing costs when we submitted our offer.  We now have a variably cost introduced to our expenses that can hold up the process.  In the future, I will make all offers with the stipulation that the seller pays the closing costs.  Even if we have to pay a bit more, it will take some variability out of the equation.