Our current project / disaster in progress (non pond)

[addy1]

Messes like @addy1 is dealing with are the exception, not the rule.

We have not had these type of issues, usually. We have a hit now and then we just deal with it. We had 10 rentals, 1 in AZ, 6 in Florida, 3 in MD. Down to 6 now.

 

[sissy]

here they are the rule because a lot of section 8 people move into places here and the move in a whole bunch of people and the destroy the place and get thrown out after months of court battles by owners to get them out .I have even seen it in my neighborhood and they were not section 8 but they destroyed the place and it was fairly new and they had phony references that the realtor did not check out and it took my poor neighbor 5 months to get them out .They thrusted the realtor and guessing they should have checked her out also ..They had gotten transferred to another state 2 years after buying the new house and since they could not sell it realtor convinced them to rent .To start with they payed to much for the house .Look on youtube there are so many horror stories it scares you and makes you mad .

 

[GBBUDD]

I just spent a year down in the Baltimore area . I saw many row houses in the city Some neighborhoods were very nice but the next block over would be an eye opener. I have spent a lot of time in various areas and cities. Though I did enjoy the old port with the volley ball games along the harbor and the great restaurants like the Rusty Scupper. There are few areas I ever felt it necessary to put my guard up but if that city was the size of Chicago it would give it a good run for it's money. Roaches are The worst !!!!

 

[addy1]

I saw many row houses in the city Some neighborhoods were very nice but the next block over would be an eye opener.

Next to our old row house is a whole development of new ryan townhouses/row houses. Like right across the street. They are going for up in the 300 range. Our neighborhood is ok, clean, no gang signs. Would I ever live there? NO but I dislike city living. Our place backs up to the train tracks. The house insulation is good enough you don't really notice them going by.

The dirt pile is now new row houses, the x is our place We are near bayview, john hopkins medical

 

[sissy]

great location for doctors or nurses from johns hopkins medical center .Good selling point and rental point .I would post it to the hospitals board .The front desk can tell you where it is

 

[JamieB]

As I’ve grown up, I much prefer living out in the country instead of in any town, no matter how small. I’ve stayed in cities, and nope that’s not for me. In town means nosey neighbors, city code, rude punks, and traffic. Out here, I can do what I want how I want with my lawn, grow a garden with out having to fence it in from thieves, have a pool no one will mess with.

 

[addy1]

We are at the end of a long driveway, our driveway is at the end of a street that terminates in a farm field. Our neighborhood has one was in and one way out, 5 streets total, most are cul-de-sac.

 

[addy1]

This is a not real good shot of the cabinets, not level, no counter top, window not framed (we had to decrease the size to make the cabinets fit), but making forward steps. Trying to decide on granite vs formica. I want granite honey wants formica, maybe lol
The wall will be tiled, no backsplash, just tile, if we do granite.

The cabinet above the fridge will be level with the pantries, make it look built in. Really increases the storage space in the kitchen, there was hardly any. No place to have food dishes etc. We are adding a dishwasher in the empty space. Adding a built in micro wave. Trying to decide if we should replace the appliances or just buy a white dishwasher and micro. Or spring for all stainless. The outside doors are so small only certain refrigerators will fit through to get into the house.

The fridge is on the opposite wall of the kitchen from the other cabinets. It is a 12x12 kitchen with two doors, one to the outside, one to the basement, and the entry to the living/ dining room. This was the best layout we could come up with to add storage space. That is a blind cabinet in the corner near the window. We will move the cabinet with the drawers to the place the cabinet with the doors is, i.e. swap, the flow will be better.

Doing dry wall texturing. Down in the basement the ceiling and walls had never been finished. Honey bought it as a foreclosure, before we met, and been working on it off and on. There is a full bath down there, needs to be painted cleaned up etc.

This time, with the work we needed to do with the tenant move out, I told him lets finish all the loose ends. Probably about another month of work to be done, maybe less.

I found homax popcorn ceiling in a bucket, small popcorn, mix and roll on did a beautiful job of covering the ceiling, need to take a finish pic. The wall I used mud, put on wet, let it partially dry then drag a bit of mud, makes a knockdown pattern. Learning as I go..............lol

The blue is a door to the back yard out of the basement.

 

[sissy]

Not sure I would want to do that much work ever again .

 

[j.w]

Looks great and you guys put a lot of love into all your projects. Not just a throw it up deal, a make it like you would want it if you lived there.

 

[addy1]

Not sure I would want to do that much work ever again .

I don't want to either. But....

 

[JamieB]

Popcorn ceiling! I hope you like it, cause I never did. And I hope you get good tennents or it will be a mess, they’ll sweep cobwebs off the ceiling and take half the popcorn balls. Good luck!

 

[addy1]

Popcorn ceiling! I hope you like it, cause I never did. And I hope you get good tennents or it will be a mess, they’ll sweep cobwebs off the ceiling and take half the popcorn balls. Good luck!

I hate popcorn ceiling, this stuff has just tiny bumps (about 1/8 inch or smaller) , nothing like the real pop corn stuff. Just enough of a texture to hide the irregularities of the ceiling. And not a heavy load of it. I will take a pic tomorrow, if I remember lol.

We also found out the upstairs shower was leaking where the shower head installed into the wall pipe. it was obvious, water would run down the wall outside and inside the wall. So we have moldy dry wall to remove now. One of those corner showers. We are pulling it out, putting in hardiback and I will tile the walls for the shower. Bought a new shower base, it was leaking into the kitchen ceiling. I will be putting up glass block instead of those whimpy glass walls that come with the corner showers.

I wish they had just called us to let us know of the some of the issues we are finding. Like roaches, we would have had it exterminated, leaking pipes, we would have fixed.

 

[JamieB]

So am alternative to tile is a vertical epoxy kit. It can go on any surface, is water proof once cured, and can be textured, tiled over at a later date, can be done in any color you want, and if you just tape around the pipe, can go on with the pipe already sticking out of the wall. Just pull the tape before it cures!

 

[addy1]

Have you done it? I am taking a look at you tubes right now on how to do it.