Right now I am just hoping for $950k sale price.
At the original 1700 square foot, 3 bed/2 ba renovation I was hoping to sell for about $850k.
With the additional square feet, 4 bed / 3 ba I’m hoping that I can fetch another $100k.
It all looked good on paper 
BTW, I watched a couple of Flip or Flop Where are They Now shows the other night (which started our whole Flip This House odyssey). They actually revealed a couple of projects where they lost money. I give them kudos for being realistic and I don’t feel so bad now. But they’ve turned themselves into a big company and can do a quantity of projects to justify the sting of some losses.
I did notice that, lately, they start the show with a unrealistic budget of say $45k for renovation and end up spending $80-$100k. Gee, that sounds familiar (I probably mentioned this before). However, for someone that doesn’t have big pockets it is really dangerous… where is a first timer that doesn’t have investors available going to come up with that extra $45,000 in cash to finish the project? Not to mention the ongoing closing costs. I just had to go out and borrow another $40k in private loan to finish this project… which of course added to my daily holding cost.
Here is a sobering number… it costs me $170/day just to hold this property until it gets sold !!!
The Flip or Flop Follow Up shows are interesting. I think they do a very nice job with their renovations. When you ask, “Where is a first timer that doesn’t have investors available going to come up with that extra $45,000 in cash to finish the project?” – they won’t. Instead, they’ll just finish it quickly and cheaply. That’s why your flips are so special, cb. You do it right.
On one of the Flip or Flop shows, they had to ask Tarek’s mom for the additional money.
Keeping fingers crossed, cb, that your inspections will be ok, and that you can move on with the finishing touches.
Sorry, have not had Internet at home office for 2 days.
Staircase, landing and final stairs down into Family Room is finally done. It took 2 guys about 6 working days to finish those stairs. We built some posts and header underneath the stairs about halfway down underneath the staircase to provide stability. We have framed out everything underneath, including a 28" door to enter for a storage area.
We framed in a storage area above the bathroom also, but you have to use a ladder to get to the door to store things on the ceiling above the bathroom.
All framing upstairs is complete with closets and walls built in.
We started tearing the rest of the stuff out of the front yard to get ready for the tiered planters. A mason was supposed to show up this morning and spend 2 days building the planter, but of course he didn’t show up. I had the first concrete contractor come to measure for an estimate to do the following:
Pour Parking Patio with square lines to form ‘paver’ type look
Saw cut a channel at bottom of slope for an open U drain with grate that will direct water coming down driveway into a pipe for drainage
Concrete pour the tiered planter walls
Concrete pour new walkway to front door with 3 steps
Concrete pour sloped walkway to landing from driveway
And, of course, our main sewer line box is right in the front walkway and he needs to reroute the sewer line around walkway
Photos loaded
any word on whether you can cut in “peep holes” in the staircase to make it less claustrophobic?
Will there be wall lights in that stairwell?
Coralbrook, one of our prior houses had a staircase not quite as long as yours but it was also mostly enclosed except at the very bottom near the landing. The builder cleverly installed lights along one wall – just a foot or so above the steps. IIRC, there was a light every 3 steps or so and it was a nice design touch as well as providing the needed illumination where it can be most useful. There were also overhead can lights in the ceiling above the staircase but the person going downstairs casts shadows where the foot falls.
These lights are almost exactly like what we had in the staircase in that house:
Perhaps you want to consider them.
I could put in some lights down low along the stairs - it would be easy to add at this point (not very easy later )
There is an issue with the open niches that we discovered. First, the structural engineer has never gotten back to me. But also, if you can see in the photos there is a lower long piece of wood. That piece of wood represents where the ceiling of family room is. I have a requirement that the ‘hole’ has to be at least 42" high from a stair, and the ‘hole’ has to be below that piece of wood. As you can see, there are not very many stud bays left after we get to that requirement. We could probably only have two holes spread in the last 4 bays - down where there is a lot of natural light already from the big window at the bottom.
In the upper view of the staircase you can see that we are going to have a tall wall above the staircase. I am planning on hanging a large showpiece light there. There is also going to be a recessed can at the top of staircase and a recessed can over the landing at the bottom. But, you are correct, if the light is slightly behind you there would be a shadow on the staircase.
Even better, they now have led step lights that are motion sensor. They come on even if someone has not turned the stairwell light switch on. Hard for someone to sneak up or down the stairs
Do you mean a wall-mounted sconce? Or something else? Just remember to consider the ease of changing out bulbs later on whichever you choose. 
Thinking big chandelier style light but it will have long life led bulbs
^^I don’t understand the logic for this, quite frankly. If I’m understanding you correctly, I don’t see any area leading to a long staircase as the place for a chandelier-style statement light fixture.
If it were I making the decision, I’d pass on the light fixture and just install these step lights, mounted distinctly - crisp and clean:
With the motion sensor lights there is always a 1-2 second lag time between when motion is detected and the light goes on.
Frankly, I would NOT want to start to descend down a long staircase without the steps being illuminated beforehand.
I suggest you install the wall mounted fixtures that can be turned on by a 3 way switch at the top or bottom of the stairs.
You are asking for trouble otherwise.
An additional overhead light would ALSO be a good idea, but will NOT take the place of having the lower steps being illuminated with the wall mounted fixtures.
I like the step lights attorneymother found, or something similar.
Sorry for the idea of the peep holes- didnt think about how that could or might not work in the deadspace above the lower level ceiling…
Those step lights are cool!
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I also think the step lights with a switch at top and bottom of stairs is a fabulous idea.
I’ve been on staircases with those motion sensor lights. I hated them. And as you already know, I’m not chandelier fan…at all. I think the lights at the stair level, with a switch, would be great. You could always put a motion sensor switch at the top and bottom that would automatically turn on and off the lights.
That will be fine…unless the new family has a dog…or cat.