Prepping the house - aka doing all the stuff I've been meaning to for years

[BillBoost37]

Some of you may know I got engaged last Dec and had already been living with my fiancee for a while now. With both of us having houses, it's time for one to be sold or rented. The market in the area isn't as good as it could be and the renting market is booming. Renting it will be. Going to toss stuff in here that I'm doing to get it ready, and I have renters that would like to move in asap.

Deck: The decking was 22 year old 2x6's that did not appear to have any weather proofing until I did it at 8 years (when I purchased). Overall I'd say they held up well for the age, they were cracked and time to be replaced. Fairly straightforward to do as it was nailed down and I was using three inch deck screws, that way if I hit an existing nail hole the screw was plenty long to grip. Started one board before the house then the board to the house. Once that first one was in, it was smooth sailing. Replaced the decking, stair treads and rail caps. Friday afternoon I hopped on the project.

Day 1, it started raining









Oddly when it was originally build the last full length deck board had been ripped lengthwise to fit. I'd think the plan would have included all full boards. There was an ugly spot in the corner of the railing/stairway where a piece had been patched in when the board was cut short. I aimed to do slightly better.


Once the wood dries out a bit, it will be stained to match the rest of the deck.

[coolone]

Looks good! I would've turned the boards at top of stairs, looks a bit off with board ends looking at ya'. Lol, but is only a visual thing. Will not be noticed nice stained. Nice job. 3 houses to handle is going to drive you nuts... Lol, just sayin!

[BillBoost37]

They were oriented that way before..I honestly didn't think about it. That would have been nice. I sanded edges as well, there will be kids there, so I didn't want anything sharp to hurt them.

Two house.. hers and mine. Don't even think about a third.. Geez man.

[GMR Badass]

You can always put a small tread cap at the top of the stairs if you really wanted to.

Instead of staining I'd suggest the whole epoxy paint that seals like you wouldn't believe. Lower maintenance and protects better than the standard sealant......Low maintenance is always the goal for rental property.

[BillBoost37]

Hmmm nice thought. I'll look into that.

[Yarbeau]

Looks good Bill!

[idrivejunk]

Bill, you're not really gonna do ALL the stuff you've been meaning to do for years are ya? I need to motivate in the same direction, been in my house for 15 and it needs everything.

The new decking looks mighty fine. Lot of work! Maybe get fancy and go diagonal on those top of the stairs boards? Just messin, looks good as-is. What else you got planned?

[BillBoost37]

Last night I brought the new lawn edger down to help out Dad and did the driveway and sidewalk as well. Yard isn't looking good like it should, but it's reasonable.

List:
Clean out basement (Move pool table, pinballs and last three upright arcade games)
Paint basement
Clean out garage (Holy crap, I've been tossing everything though. It's better than it was)
Paint decking
Fix/clean up landscaping and windsor wall that pushed a bit
New shed doors (rotting)
Sand and paint the few spots in the house that need to be touched up
Paint both bathrooms completely
Redo flooring on both landings of stairs
Make cabinet over fridge into wine rack, with backlight tied into under counter lighting. Or get filler piece for over fridge (more likely)
Finish crown moulding in kitchen
Misc like screw dishwasher to new counter, screw down new counter on island

Complete:
Move fridge to new house
Redo deck boards

I took out some walls in the kitchen and built an island a couple of years back. Did laminate flooring etc etc. Recently I picked up fresh counter tops and overall it's looking very good. Here's a mid construction picture.


Some of the extras, look close and you can see the under cabinet heater.


House had a new roof around 2009-2010, windows are good, furnace is good. I've done a lot of little things that really added. Now it's time to get it in shape as a low maintenance rental.

[coolone]

Is this a House Mod thread? Hahahaha...

man oh man, that list is making me tired just reading it, lol

[BillBoost37]

That's nothing, I have many things I want to finish soon... I'm going to be very busy, because meanwhile I am making room at the other house and doing all kinds of stuff there.

[Sven the Sexman]

That's nothing, I have many things I want to finish soon... I'm going to be very busy, because meanwhile I am making room at the other house and doing all kinds of stuff there.

Honestly Bill, I'll miss the old homestead. You did a lot of work to that place and maintained the place very well. I still remember the wall coming down in the kitchen...

[BillBoost37]

Speaking of, I found pics when I had painted at some point.


Wall studding about to come out




As I have redone various rooms, any cable/phone went into the walls. While this isn't a big thing, it cleans up the look a lot.


It's all been fun and the future house holds a lot of potential as I have learned what I like

[Sven the Sexman]

Removing the wall for the kitchen really did open things up. Why anyone would put an unnecessary wall there is beyond me.