A Big Project
Slowly coming together targeting the smaller projects on the property to be completed first. The garage door will be sanded again on Monday in preparation for another two protective finishing coats. The South African sun destroys the wood otherwise and this was only done 3 years ago so these things are ongoing and never stops. Maintenance cannot be skipped as all it does is cost you more long term.
The upstairs main entrance door is also being redone and should also be completed next week. This was never done before and was way overdue and will look like new after a few more coats and a good sanding.
This project with the covered area in between the entertainment area and the main house leaks when it rains making the tiles very slippery and hazardous. We tried a cheap fix a few years ago and it failed miserably so this entire structure has to be raised onto a separate frame with new box gutters fitted not being part of this frame. This are is ideal for hanging out washing as the clothes dry even on rainy days.
I am sure you have noticed the electric fence even on the inside of the boundary wall as every access point is covered including the garage roof. The electric fence has been quoted on and given the go ahead to be completed next week. The small rubber balls all need to be replaced as again the sun chews them up and they have a life span of around 5 years.
Plumbing is also going ahead which is not a simple cheap fix for the entertainment area bathroom so tiles and flooring are being ripped up to locate the piping. The roof is also being redone and will be coated in a rubber paint along with replacing the interior damaged ceilings and new flooring along with new down lighting.
These are the cheap items I am tackling first as this is being self funded before I do the main house which is going to be where the serious bucks are being spent. The plan is the packaging business will fund the entire project and have a company coming in on Monday to quote for the windows to all change to an aluminum frame changing the look of the property making it more modern.
I have a budget in my head on what the entire project once done will cost which includes a new expanded kitchen, new bathrooms, lounge extension plus decking and stackable doors, garden levelling with gabion boundary wall and finally the swimming pool totally redone. I would guess this investment would double the value of the property so it is money well spent and done properly would sell very quickly when placed on the market. One eye is on the move to Portugal and need to get this done or started within the next few months.
This is not going to be quick and definitely not cheap so plenty of business needs to happen to fund this and will all be paid in cash off the books. When I have timelines in place it tends to focus my thoughts and for some reason I get more done and know within the next moth or two will have the money coming in that is required. I am hoping or planning we can start tackling the bigger projects somewhere in August once the upstairs is completed just in case we have to move into that section of the property whilst this is taking place. The plan was not to gut the property, but it looks like that is what is going to happen as projects tend to become far bigger than first planned.
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Looks pretty dang good to me! You clearly have more patience for this sort of thing than I do!
Not really but I do enjoy doing properties up or like the idea of doing it. The house is fine for now but if you are going to maximise the selling price then I need to spend in areas that make the difference. Kitchen and bathrooms is what women look at so I may as well upgrade everything which was not the original plan. We bought the house for a great price and the profit is already there, but spending some more will just make it that much sweeter.
See, I am at the point where I know we probably want to move and I am not sure if putting the extra money into it is going to make much of a different or if we would be better off just using that money for a down payment on a new place.
It does seem like every step of remodel turns into more than planned. It also always seems like it's going to take forever, but then one day it's finally all done and that really feels good.
I hope it all works out like you envision it.
Its always nice when the work you put into something also increases its value, home improvements being a great example. Some work here and there allows you to enjoy living in a nicer space, and later you can get paid back from the added value of the sale. I wonder how much electricity does an electric fence like that use?
Yes you do get to benefit the upgrades as well. It is minimal electricity, I will ask my electrician when he is here working on it this week.
I just read that they use pulses of electricity rather than a continuous current, which I guess keeps the electrical output low until someone touches it.