8. A Schedule Begins

I had planned to begin this project with the exterior of the house, in light of the grant money that I thought was available.  Now that has changed, and here's the new TO DO list:  I'll be concentrating more on the inside once these first few things are done.

1.  Call to schedule surveyor to do survey
2.  Finalize Jake's inspections and send to Allstate
3.  Call ADT (for monitored security system) to meet at house on day of closing
4.  Complete permit for removal of front door
5.  Complete permit for fence
6.  Install fence
7.  Install (4) motion sensor security lights
8.  Build door to basement
9.  Clean out basement
10.  List for Rob (my builder friend):
    Front doors
    Side (coffin) door
    Kitchen walls
    Back porch

It's a simple list because I will be describing the process in detail for you as the work gets going.  I've already called the surveyor and they will have a survey for me by next week.  I was happy to hear it would only cost $350 because I paid $600 for the last survey on my house.  A survey is always required by the lending institution if you are applying for a mortgage.  Since this is a cash deal I won't need it for closing, but it's important for a couple of reasons.  Number one, so I know what my property's boundaries are, and the location of any easements that may affect how I use the place.  An easement is an area that is reserved for something like power lines or some other official business, and you can't obstruct it in any way.  Number two, a survey is required when you apply for permits, and I will need permits right off the bat for the front door replacement and the fence.

I did an initial drawing of where I want the fence, you can see it in this photo.   I printed out a copy of the outline of the house from the County Property Appraiser's website.  The bottom is the front of the house, the top is the rear, where you would drive in to park a vehicle.  The orange line around the left side is where I want 6' stockade fence (there is chain link already between the properties, so I will tie into that to cut expenses.  On the right you can see a small fence with a gate - that may be a 4' fence.  The sides of the house need to be closed off to foot traffic - it seems to be a popular cut through since it's been unoccupied.  The area enclosed by the stockade fence will have access from the driveway, as well as from the side door and back porch.  This is where the dogs can be let out without supervision.

Of course I will be looking for used stockade fencing.  The 8' panels are around $35 each, and it would cost me about $600 in materials to do what I want to do if I buy it new.  I have seen used fencing, that people remove for a variety of reasons, that's not in bad shape - and I'm planning to paint it white which will cover a multitude of flaws.

The front yard already has a picket fence - needs a little work, but cute anyway. 

Item number 10 - the list for Rob, is a short list for my builder friend (it's OK - Rob the Builder - he gets that all the time)  He is a general contractor, and I met him in 2008 when he was referred by another friend to do a screened back porch and new roof on my house.  He did such an amazing job - and was one of those people I could trust to get the job right.   I couldn't imagine using anyone else for this project.  He helped me during the process of bidding on this house - to know what the costs would be and help me decide how much I could pay for it.  I originally thought to contract all the repair work out to him, but when we realized the price of the house was going up, we came up with an alternative plan to save me some bucks, which I really appreciated.  He offered his services (along with his very talented brother) at a weekly rate for just those jobs that really required a skilled hand.  I can do a lot of carpentry, but when it comes to hanging doors and leveling second stories, and things of that nature, I just don't have enough experience and it would take me for EVER to get it right.  In these cases it pays to bring in the big guns.

Rob is going to do the repair work on the two doors that I mentioned in my previous post.  This is the other door, also entering the house from the porch, that I want to close up.  This will free up wall space in the living room, and it just makes sense.  In order to do that, Rob will need X amount of lineal feet of this lap siding and it needs to match exactly, so it doesn't look like there used to be a door there.  Well I just happened to meet a guy at a big sale on Saturday that has a company that makes doors and millwork.  We discussed this siding, and he offered a solution.  He has the machines to mill the lumber, and if I get a piece of the siding for him, he will make a blade for the machine that will cut the wood to exactly match the siding on the house.  The blade costs $150 but the siding itself isn't that expensive.  I'll probably need more siding when I proceed to doing the rest of the house exterior anyway!

I've located some more stuff I already had that will be going to Grandview:

(4) wrought iron patio chairs                 needle nose pliers
carpenter's square                                  measuring tape
hose end sprayer                                     spade shovel
flat shovel                                                 trowels/hand rake

Balance forward:  $461

Purchased today at St. Vincent's Thrift Store:
$10  round mirror
$1   wood-handled carving set

From Home Depot:
$3  (2) drawer pulls
$5  (4) casters (all for the dresser)
Remainder:  $442