Spring the Flip – Week 1

Earlier this week I gave a brief introduction to spring.

Spring is an approximately 1000+sf split level ranch home in which the upstairs was in pretty good shape for being a foreclosure and abandoned for somewhere in the range 1-3 years.  Downstairs on the other hand is a different story.  Spring upon purchase had no running electricity, plumbing or heating.  Yes you read that correctly. If you’re asking yourself “Is she flipping crazy?” the answer is yes.

I’m considering this week as week 1 because this is the first week I can work on her as my full time job.  When in reality she was purchased a couple of weeks ago.  The week before week 1, my electrician was hard at work trying to get me some power so I can get to start using some tools, oh and run the sump pump so the basement stops flooding.  For those not living in New England, the water table here is pretty high so whenever it rains or snow thaws in certain areas the water can seep in.  No running electricity = sump pump no worky = basement flooding.  Which generally speaking is never a good thing.

Well enough of the talking and lets give you the full visual tour:

Let’s start with the exterior.

SOUTH

EAST

NORTH

 

 

WEST

 

Now to the interior

This kitchen is in really good shape.  It just needs a few new parts & finish work.

Dining Room

Living room (yes with a fireplace)

This is why this style home is called a split entry.

Bedrooms:

I don’t understand why someone would use a paint ball gun in their house ….

This is in really good shape.  Not my style per say but the tile looks almost brand new.

And then we go downstairs …..

Very illegal wiring hanging all over the place

And last but not least, the very illegal plumbing installed by the previous owner.

 

Accomplishments for this week:

• Got quotes from HVAC & Plumbing contractors in order to get competitive pricing
• Electrician finished up the service last week & National grid installed a meter (hooray!)
• My electrician hooked up my sump pump to an outlet so the basement would stop flooding (again, hooray!)
• I swept, and swept, and swept, oh yeah and I swept.  With the basement regularly filling with water from the sump hole, dirt also came along for the ride.  Every day I swept more would come off the floor.
• The floor’s last puddle finally dried out.
• Removed cabinet doors to fix the ones that need minor fixing (the stile & rails were separating)
• Last, I steel brushed the existing steel columns that run down the center of the house.  While they are structurally stable, they’re a bit rusty near the bottom and needed a cleaning.

More exciting things to come next week.  See you then.