<p>cb, the new windows mirror the cabinets in the LR – small panes at the top and then open expanse of glass. If that was intentional, aren’t you clever! If that was unintentional – aren’t you lucky!</p>
<p>The tiles are not glass like your picture, although those glass tiles are beautiful. They are ceramic with the old glazing technique… similar to original California style tiles. The small mosaics are gorgeous with a mottled glaze. They are very thin tiles and are hard to work with. I’ll take a close up of the tile because it just doesn’t look right in the pictures.</p>
<p>Yes, the window grid design was very intentional. I measured the original cabinetry grids and they were one third of the glass insert. Using that measurement, I made the shorter living room windows exactly the same dimension as the interior cabinets. Then I agonized over whether the long windows should have one third grid or match the grid size of the shorter windows. I decided that it would look really stupid if one set of windows on the house had a very large grid pattern and the rest of the windows were the shorter grids. So, I decided to have the long windows with the same size grid as the shorter windows.</p>
<p>I was able to custom specify the length of grid that I wanted on the windows. These are Jeld Wen stationary wood windows in the front, but the side ones around the house are double hung. For some reason these sash replacement windows came with a kind of cheesy plastic side jam that eliminated the need to try to repair the original rope weights inside the windows. We pulled out some of the old weights while removing the windows and they were gross gross gross. Rusted, dirty and full of bugs. </p>
<p>But, we all hate the plastic side jambs. So, we are going to have to put trim on the inside and outside of these windows. We already trimmed in the front stationary windows because they needed trim to stay in place. The Buyer specifically requested the plastic/vinyl type trim because it will last a long time and it will not deteriorate.</p>
<p>I posted a close up photo of the turquoise blend tile on the flickr page</p>
<p>Love the tile! I am a fan of the colors. :)</p>
<p>Oh Boy, having a Buyer is becoming a royal pain in the neck. She called with a big list of changes yesterday. I now have to spend time trying to call up some specialists and get them to the house and get estimates for these changes. Also, these changes are going to add days to the schedule. One of the changes is pretty major. I’m just not sure if it is feasible to ask her for additional charges to extend the schedule. It costs me about $2,200 a month in holding costs and her work has already added a month to the schedule because she took so long ordering kitchen cabinets, etc.</p>
<p>She does not like the two windows on the side of the house that have a grid pattern on top but they are double hung so there is a bar across the middle of the window. I agree that they don’t look as nice as they should. She wants a quote from window vendor to replace top sash to clear glass. Then we are going to have to wait for these things to come and get them installed!!</p>
<p>She has decided that she wants all the interior trim paint to be scraped, sanded, caulked and primed. This was outside original scope but I sent her some pictures to explain that her bank appraiser might not like these peeling trim pieces.</p>
<p>On her kitchen order I noticed that Lowe’s had forgotten a pull out shelf thing she wants so now I need to rush around and find this thing and get it ordered so it can be installed with the kitchen cabinets next week. I was not there when she ordered the cabinets and no one gave me her cabinet list until yesterday. I had to beg Lowe’s to send it to me so that I could check off the big delivery next week.</p>
<p>But here’s the big issue… This 1926 house has vents on the crawlspace and one very small access door in the back patio. She wants us to open up the foundation and create a large crawlspace on the north side of the house because she wants to build a deck on the back patio that is going to cover the existing crawlspace access. That is going to take some major work!!</p>
<p>
Will you be building the deck, or someone else?</p>
<p>If it is someone else, they can deal with cutting a hole in the foundation, and you can just say no.</p>
<p>If the change extends your schedule and increases your carrying costs, why can’t you build that into the price for the change?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Uh – no. That’s probably a $10,000 project, no? </p>
<p>I think you need to have a serious sit-down with her and tell her your expectations – specifically, that you’ll need to charge her the carrying costs for the additional month(s), and that you’ll need to start charging her hourly for your time. Yes, she’s paying for the extras, but your time is not being compensated. Really, you need to have a heart-to-heart with her.</p>
<p>As long as you continue to work on this property, you’re not getting to move on to the next one.</p>
<p>CB, would you do it this way again? Or would you tell any prospective buyer that you’re going to fix the house your way and then sell it “as is”?</p>
<p>I do think she is treating you like a custom contractor at this point. </p>
<p>You are doing an amazing job and yes, you are being treated as a custom contractor. Please clear priorities and expectations with buyer, including increased costs due to these delays and extra work. </p>
<p>Think about how a man would handle this. Even if the buyer isn’t purposely taking advantage of you, that’s the end result. Know your worth and value your time. </p>
<p>Right. Where is the point where you say “this isn’t in the scope but you can certainly hire someone to do it once I am done.”</p>
<p>I had a discussion with my listing agent and she agrees that, at this point, I need to add additional charges for carrying costs and my time. The hardest thing is that she probably does not understand that every week spent doing more work on the project is another week that I cannot close the deal, get my cash and move on to the next project. There is only $XX profit in this project and the nature of my business is you have to move on quickly so that I can get the next $XX profit on another project.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, our floors are getting patched and sanded. My floor guy is a magician. I have posted photos of how beautiful the floors are turning out. But, the best patch is that there was a big hole in Living Room floor where the original furnace grille was. If you go way back through the pictures to an original picture view of the dining room and cabinets you will see a white cardboard rectangle in the middle of the floor. Original owner had put heavy cardboard over the grille. </p>
<p>In the photo you just cannot even tell where the guy patched the floor over the floor. He weaved in the wood seamlessly. He even took original wood out of a closet to do the patch so that it would be a really good match. Then he put new oak flooring in the closet where it really doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Can someone remind me how to access the pictures? I followed along with project 1 and then was able to access photos for this second project through that same flickr link but I now can’t recall what to click on once I’m there…seems like i’ve tried everything to no avail. I’m dying to see visuals of the progress made! This is the link I have:</p>
<p><a href=“Flickr: The CC Flip Project Pool”>https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/groups/cc_flip_project/pool/</a></p>
<p>Collage,
Unfortunately I pressed something along the way that made Project #2 “private”. This means you have to use a Flickr account ID or a Yahoo account to view photos. I tried to reverse to public but once you mark private it cannot be reversed. So you have to join the group. Create a fake Yahoo account if needed.</p>
<p>Its called CC Flip Project 2. Cannot remember complex link ID.</p>
<p><a href=“Flickr Login”>https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/groups/2560169@N22/</a></p>
<p>Link for Spanish Bungalow and side project #2 pictures</p>
<p>Thank you CB – the house is really coming along! </p>
<p>Have to say I agree with the buyer about those double-hung windows. Having the top grid echo the cabinets is nice, but having the window frame cut through the single pane area is weird. Our house, vintage 1913, has 8 over 1 windows (they are oversized). Could you do 6 over 1, or even 3 over one?</p>
<p>The original plan for those side windows was to have casement windows. But casement windows require that you have to buy them in block frame for the hinges to open the windows. For the manufacturers we were looking at, the block frames had a 5" depth on the side jambs. Not sure why they are so wide. We only have 3"-3 1/2" depth on the window frames. So, at the last minute while sitting there buying the windows the guy tells me that they are 5" wide. Thank God I didn’t make the mistake of buying them and then they stick out 2" from the window causing a big framing/trim issue.</p>
<p>So, I called her on the phone in Pennsylvania and told her we couldn’t have casement windows. She wanted double-hung instead. I analyzed the kitchen window and realized that the upper sash was just too small for the grids so I had to call her again and get permission to have clear glass in the kitchen (see how complicated things get when there is a Buyer involved??). This is all on the phone while sitting at the order desk.</p>
<p>If I had time to analyze it I would have realized that changing to double hung for those grid windows was going to look awful, but I was caught off guard at the order desk.</p>
<p>Each of those double hung, Low E, dual pane, custom wood with exterior aluminum clad windows cost $556. To purchase a new upper sash with clear glass is going to be $265 each. Yikes!!! But she is paying for it. Now I am going to have to wait 4 weeks for them to arrive and install. </p>
<p>I think I am going to insist that the window replacement happens after the Bank Appraiser inspection, and possibly after escrow closes. I am not going to sit here for 4 extra weeks waiting for windows 
</p>
<p>My opinion is that we should get casement windows with the correct block frame size for the existing window frame. But, that would mean going to a different manufacturer and then the interior stain (which matches gorgeous inside the house) and the exterior clad won’t be from the same manufacturer.</p>