The Hidden Facets of Bathroom Remodels

I just got off the phone with our lead carpenter who was calling from a job site where we are replacing a powder room and laundry closet combo. He let me know that in the spot where we need to locate the new toilet, we have a floor joist in the way. Here are some photos showing highlights of plumber butchery and carpentry mishaps (by others) we have seen in old houses we work on — just a few examples of the many things we need to fix behind the scenes – and walls! – to make your bathroom work well.

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Bad Renovations – A House Tour

Many folks have caught the “house as investment” bug. They might be homeowners, flippers, or investors. Some folks make money at it; many do not.

Many readers may not know that I do property investment and property-investment consulting, and I’m one of the ones who actually makes money doing it. Never trust an investment consultant who doesn’t profit from practicing what they preach.

Today, I did a walk-through on an interesting house. It was a large, impressive home on a nice lot overlooking a golf course in an affluent neighborhood. It’s been in real estate owned (REO) status for about 300 days, and is currently listed at $499K. That’s a great price, given the neighborhood, and it should have sold. But it didn’t. Why not?

Let’s take a look at the photo gallery of this house to find the answer. These pictures provide a good illustration of something I consistently tell homeowners: renovating without a good plan or a reasonable budget is a waste of money.

You can see from the images that this is a challenging house. It’s got a “Miami Vice” architect/designer thumbprint based primarily on what seems to be The Triangle. But don’t let an interesting design stump you. This house would have had an eager buyer/owner if the renovations made to it over the years were done properly.

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