From Filth to Fabulous - Part 1
I thought that I would include this in my blog, because it is kind of going back to the beginning of our move from the "industrial" area duplex, to the area where we now live.
Because of the show "Fixer Upper" and the Magnolia businesses here in Waco, property costs have shot up, property taxes have had increases, and new building projects in the Waco, and surrounding areas have increased. It has kind of been like living in some kind of boom town era.
My parents worked hard to buy some rental properties and build a rental business for their retirement. My Dad loved to do all of the repair and maintenance, and he was really good at it. I learned a lot of my work ethic and persistence from him. As he passed away almost six years ago now from cancer, my mom is the owner/manager of the business now.
She sold some of their older properties, and invested into some newer duplexes in the Hewitt area.
The original idea was for her to either build a duplex or buy one that she could eventually move into. We would live on one side, and she on the other if she needed more care and accessibility to us as she ages.
She initially wanted to find a lot and build. However, her builder told her, that since "Fixer Upper", all of the available land, lots, etc. had been bought up by outside investors in the entire Waco area. so building was not an option. Most existing duplexes were already owned, and no one was selling. Her builder did give my mom a contact name of a man that might could help her, and amazingly he did know of one couple that was willing to sell one duplex out of the many that they owned.
It was a rare find, and in a desirable neighborhood and close to a park. Negotiations began in November of 2016 around the Holiday season. From the outside things looked pretty good. But my mom didn't really get a good look at the inside until closer to time to close. After she saw all the work that was needed more negotiations ensued.
Since I was to live on one side with two of my children, I was going to be largely involved in this process. Since it is my mom's property, she footed the cost of the renovation with the exception of some paint. It was up to me and the kids to clean and do whatever needed to be done on the inside and outside to prepare the place for us to move in.
We were set to take possession on April 1st, 2017. So this transition happened just exactly one year ago from this month. Our target date for hiring movers for the large furniture was May 1st. The first time we walked into our side of the duplex, it took me and my two children and one friend five solid hours, just to pick up the trash in the house and outside of the house. A huge leaking black trash bag was sitting on the front porch with sour milk and melted ice cream that had been thrown from the fridge into the trash without taking any care to seal any liquid items. The residents left a small kitty cat, that was also missing her family. My son is allergic to cats - so I knew we couldn't keep her - but we fed and watered her, and through social media found her a loving and good home.
Then came all of the other hard work. Cleaning cabinets, restaining the cabinets, cleaning every drawer and surface because the filth left behind was just unbelievable. We even found mouse and rat food in drawers and spread everywhere in the cabinets, and bags of it in the bathroom cabinet. The house was gutted except for the cabinets, and all flooring removed. I did enjoy choosing the flooring and paint colors, and making some interior decor decisions. A very dear friend of mine - Coach Sandy - came and helped with the cleaning and the painting. She did most of the painting and did a stellar job. No spray paint job here - but rolling and "cutting in". I learned a lot from her doing this together. For 30 straight days, I taught school in West, came home and changed into painting clothes, and met Sandy at the new place. We cleaned and painted and scrubbed and worked. She was still helping me to paint the doors when the moving day came. There were many trips to the paint store, flooring stores, and hardware stores. My mom hired other helpers to clean and repair the holes in the walls, damage to the back door, clean the AC unit, and and to install new commodes and appliances. The other ones were in such horrible shape, that the only thing we could salvage and clean was the oven as far as appliances went. We moved and used our own refrigerator and washer and dryer. Our refrigerator is about 30 years old, and the washer and dryer about 25 years old. But they are still running, and I'm not about to replace them until I absolutely have to.
This was one of the most demanding things I have ever done. And after all of the work of cleaning and painting the new place, I still had to pack and move, and clean the old place in order to get a deposit back. Then came unpacking and decorating the new place - all done in April and May as I was finishing out the school year at West, and also going through an interview and hiring process in a new school district closer to home. I could not have done it without the help and support of my son and daughter and close friends.
Photos don't really show how bad it was - but I think they do help to tell the story. I will include the before and after photos in the next post.
Because of the show "Fixer Upper" and the Magnolia businesses here in Waco, property costs have shot up, property taxes have had increases, and new building projects in the Waco, and surrounding areas have increased. It has kind of been like living in some kind of boom town era.
My parents worked hard to buy some rental properties and build a rental business for their retirement. My Dad loved to do all of the repair and maintenance, and he was really good at it. I learned a lot of my work ethic and persistence from him. As he passed away almost six years ago now from cancer, my mom is the owner/manager of the business now.
She sold some of their older properties, and invested into some newer duplexes in the Hewitt area.
The original idea was for her to either build a duplex or buy one that she could eventually move into. We would live on one side, and she on the other if she needed more care and accessibility to us as she ages.
She initially wanted to find a lot and build. However, her builder told her, that since "Fixer Upper", all of the available land, lots, etc. had been bought up by outside investors in the entire Waco area. so building was not an option. Most existing duplexes were already owned, and no one was selling. Her builder did give my mom a contact name of a man that might could help her, and amazingly he did know of one couple that was willing to sell one duplex out of the many that they owned.
It was a rare find, and in a desirable neighborhood and close to a park. Negotiations began in November of 2016 around the Holiday season. From the outside things looked pretty good. But my mom didn't really get a good look at the inside until closer to time to close. After she saw all the work that was needed more negotiations ensued.
Since I was to live on one side with two of my children, I was going to be largely involved in this process. Since it is my mom's property, she footed the cost of the renovation with the exception of some paint. It was up to me and the kids to clean and do whatever needed to be done on the inside and outside to prepare the place for us to move in.
We were set to take possession on April 1st, 2017. So this transition happened just exactly one year ago from this month. Our target date for hiring movers for the large furniture was May 1st. The first time we walked into our side of the duplex, it took me and my two children and one friend five solid hours, just to pick up the trash in the house and outside of the house. A huge leaking black trash bag was sitting on the front porch with sour milk and melted ice cream that had been thrown from the fridge into the trash without taking any care to seal any liquid items. The residents left a small kitty cat, that was also missing her family. My son is allergic to cats - so I knew we couldn't keep her - but we fed and watered her, and through social media found her a loving and good home.
Then came all of the other hard work. Cleaning cabinets, restaining the cabinets, cleaning every drawer and surface because the filth left behind was just unbelievable. We even found mouse and rat food in drawers and spread everywhere in the cabinets, and bags of it in the bathroom cabinet. The house was gutted except for the cabinets, and all flooring removed. I did enjoy choosing the flooring and paint colors, and making some interior decor decisions. A very dear friend of mine - Coach Sandy - came and helped with the cleaning and the painting. She did most of the painting and did a stellar job. No spray paint job here - but rolling and "cutting in". I learned a lot from her doing this together. For 30 straight days, I taught school in West, came home and changed into painting clothes, and met Sandy at the new place. We cleaned and painted and scrubbed and worked. She was still helping me to paint the doors when the moving day came. There were many trips to the paint store, flooring stores, and hardware stores. My mom hired other helpers to clean and repair the holes in the walls, damage to the back door, clean the AC unit, and and to install new commodes and appliances. The other ones were in such horrible shape, that the only thing we could salvage and clean was the oven as far as appliances went. We moved and used our own refrigerator and washer and dryer. Our refrigerator is about 30 years old, and the washer and dryer about 25 years old. But they are still running, and I'm not about to replace them until I absolutely have to.
This was one of the most demanding things I have ever done. And after all of the work of cleaning and painting the new place, I still had to pack and move, and clean the old place in order to get a deposit back. Then came unpacking and decorating the new place - all done in April and May as I was finishing out the school year at West, and also going through an interview and hiring process in a new school district closer to home. I could not have done it without the help and support of my son and daughter and close friends.
Photos don't really show how bad it was - but I think they do help to tell the story. I will include the before and after photos in the next post.
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