Rehab #1 Update

After the last rehab update we were waiting for the electrical inspector to show up. Since then we have pulled the remaining permits including a General permit and a plumbing permit.

The city requires me to get a plumber to make sure everything is up to code even though I haven't done any rough in plumbing. Now that the electrical inspector has approved the electrical work done so far ... we can continue work. Plumbers come in and approve or make changes then the plumbing inspector comes in and ok it. Once he's done we can hang and tape the sheetrock (3 days). The plumbing and electrical inspectors come back and give the ok to finish. Then we can prime the walls (1 day), hang the cabinets (1 day), paint the walls (1 day), install the appliances, finish the floors and clean up (1 day). Somewhere in here the building inspector will come and approve all the work then we can apply for the C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy).

Lessons learned:
1. Pull all permits day 1 and set up inspection dates. Your contractors need to finish their rough ins and preliminary work before the first inspection date. This will make work easier for your contractors as it will allow a more continuous workflow.

2. Know what you want ahead of time. Unfortunately I only had an idea of what I wanted. Had I spent a day or so doing research, I would have found out that only 1 vendor carries pre-assembled cabinets in stock. With this information I would have planned accordingly and ordered exactly what I needed instead of running back and forth several times.

3. Have all your materials/appliances/etc. delivered by the time your contractors start. This way they can work straight through until the job is done.

Kitchen Rehab #2 underway

The kitchen for rental unit number 2 is as gutted as its gonna get. Finally all the wallpaper is removed and most of the demo is done.

The layout is completed and the cabinets have been picked out. I went with the in-stock Oak model at Lowe's although I liked the maple a little better. Its a rental unit and the Oak looks good enough for people who only want to stay 1 or 2 years then transition to a bigger rental or purchase. Plus I didn't want to spend the extra money.

The electrician was in here and started the wiring for the new range and microwave. Now that we figured the layout, he can complete the job. I have to clean up tomorrow and we're done for week 1.

I'm in Florida next week so I'm trying to work out the actual purchase of the cabinets since Lowe's can't guarantee they will have the items in stock when I pick them up even if they are in stock when I buy them. Strange policy but hey.