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| The Douglas fir is pushing up the driveway |
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| Imagine this paved |
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| The cedar's roots are already causing a problem |
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Thinking about the front yard
The big Douglas Fir next to the driveway is acting up. The roots are pushing up the crumbling asphaltic concrete driveway. Peggy suggests routing the driveway around the tree more, which would (generally speaking) cause the driveway to overlap the drainage swale.
So, I'm thinking--what if I just make the swale a pipe and provide off-street parking there?
Studs out remodel on 9th Avenue
I was surprised to see this on a short walk this morning. The address is 12042 9th Ave. NW, a 10,166 SF square lot (101' square, roughly).
They left little bits of each rafter...I don't know why. Big plate glass windows are still there, but with no protection as the ceiling and roof were removed around them.
They left little bits of each rafter...I don't know why. Big plate glass windows are still there, but with no protection as the ceiling and roof were removed around them.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Meet the neighbors
I introduced myself to the new neighbors down the street at 11804 9th Avenue NW. I met Madeleine and Ryan and their young daughter. They are just moving in over Memorial Day weekend.
Redfin says the house was 890 SF when they bought it in 2010, but Ryan says it's now 2900, including the basement. Madeleine's mother acted as general contractor. I gave her my contact information; I'd really like to talk to the mom.
Madeleine said their neighbor to the north, Mary, was from the family that homesteaded the whole area (my record shows that the 890 was the first house on the block, like 1939).
The house is very nicely done--wood casement windows with the same Craftsman trim that we did in Johnson. The kitchen, dining, living area is all laminate floor designed to look like recycled barn siding. Not sure it's the best choice, but they cleverly used it on the kitchen island (the back of the cabinets, where children's feet will kick). The railing at the stairs is also very nice--gray powder-coated steel with wire mesh squares and a stained wood handrail. They have a back den that could be another bedroom with a pass-thru bathroom, and a mother-in-law unit downstairs. They don't seem to have a garage anymore.
I like the interior colors they chose, mostly a slightly warm gray, with a narrow panel of very dark blue near the kitchen.
Redfin says the house was 890 SF when they bought it in 2010, but Ryan says it's now 2900, including the basement. Madeleine's mother acted as general contractor. I gave her my contact information; I'd really like to talk to the mom.
Madeleine said their neighbor to the north, Mary, was from the family that homesteaded the whole area (my record shows that the 890 was the first house on the block, like 1939).
The house is very nicely done--wood casement windows with the same Craftsman trim that we did in Johnson. The kitchen, dining, living area is all laminate floor designed to look like recycled barn siding. Not sure it's the best choice, but they cleverly used it on the kitchen island (the back of the cabinets, where children's feet will kick). The railing at the stairs is also very nice--gray powder-coated steel with wire mesh squares and a stained wood handrail. They have a back den that could be another bedroom with a pass-thru bathroom, and a mother-in-law unit downstairs. They don't seem to have a garage anymore.
I like the interior colors they chose, mostly a slightly warm gray, with a narrow panel of very dark blue near the kitchen.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Comparables in the Neighborhood
Update 5/27/2017: Circling back, I see that both these houses sold:
12023 9th - Ask: $1,225,000 Sold 5/18/16: $1,188,000 (3% under asking)
13017 3rd - Ask: $849,950 Sold 3/24/16: $819,000 (3.6% under asking)
13017 3rd before flipping:
I toured an open house Wednesday, 2/10/16, around the corner at 12023 9th Ave NW. It's a well-done contemporary right off the street with a driveway to a flag lot next to it. The house downhill in the back (the flag) is for sale, too, perhaps because the new house looms menacingly over it.
They did a lot of things right with this house, though--10' ceilings in the basement and first floor, 8'-9' on the second floor. Hydronic heating throughout, with mechanical air circulation to supplement. The garage opens to the great room right next to the kitchen with no steps--the realtor, Chuck Cady, pointed this out. The coming home experience is just right--park in your garage, close the door, step through a single door and put down the groceries.
By comparison, the house at 13017 3rd Ave. NW is overpriced junk. I took a lot of pictures during construction and saw shoddy work at every turn. It's a slab on grade on a busy arterial with hardly any yard. It's not surprising that it hasn't sold. Listed at $884,500 on September 12, the price dropped to $849,950 on September 30. And there it sits, 152 days on Zillow. The Zestimate is $572, 33% below asking. $347/SF.
4 BR, 2.5 Ba, 2450SF, Lot:8,158 - almost a tear-down of a 1948 house bought for $340 9/2014.
5 BR, 4 Ba, 3831SF, Lot: 7,497 - built new 2016
The new, well-done house, by the way, has a Zestimate of $958, 22% below asking. It seems like it should have a sound view, but it doesn't. $320/SF.
There's another new contemporary, 720 NW 125th Street, that isn't listed on Zillow, Trulia or Redfin. I watched them build this one, too, with radiant heat in the slab. It's extremely well done and it does have a gorgeous sound view. No yard, unfortunately, and 125th is a busier street than some--the new house is across from a bus stop. I think they're asking $1.2, but I'm not sure where I got that.
From city records, I see its an 8400 SF lot, 3765SF. The architect was Novion Group (206) 361-6188, 8634 3rd Ave NW. Structural by SSS. Built by Kohary Builders, 5600 Kirkwood Place N, Suite A, (206) 784-4505.
12023 9th - Ask: $1,225,000 Sold 5/18/16: $1,188,000 (3% under asking)
13017 3rd - Ask: $849,950 Sold 3/24/16: $819,000 (3.6% under asking)
13017 3rd before flipping:
I toured an open house Wednesday, 2/10/16, around the corner at 12023 9th Ave NW. It's a well-done contemporary right off the street with a driveway to a flag lot next to it. The house downhill in the back (the flag) is for sale, too, perhaps because the new house looms menacingly over it.
They did a lot of things right with this house, though--10' ceilings in the basement and first floor, 8'-9' on the second floor. Hydronic heating throughout, with mechanical air circulation to supplement. The garage opens to the great room right next to the kitchen with no steps--the realtor, Chuck Cady, pointed this out. The coming home experience is just right--park in your garage, close the door, step through a single door and put down the groceries.
By comparison, the house at 13017 3rd Ave. NW is overpriced junk. I took a lot of pictures during construction and saw shoddy work at every turn. It's a slab on grade on a busy arterial with hardly any yard. It's not surprising that it hasn't sold. Listed at $884,500 on September 12, the price dropped to $849,950 on September 30. And there it sits, 152 days on Zillow. The Zestimate is $572, 33% below asking. $347/SF.
4 BR, 2.5 Ba, 2450SF, Lot:8,158 - almost a tear-down of a 1948 house bought for $340 9/2014.
5 BR, 4 Ba, 3831SF, Lot: 7,497 - built new 2016
The new, well-done house, by the way, has a Zestimate of $958, 22% below asking. It seems like it should have a sound view, but it doesn't. $320/SF.
There's another new contemporary, 720 NW 125th Street, that isn't listed on Zillow, Trulia or Redfin. I watched them build this one, too, with radiant heat in the slab. It's extremely well done and it does have a gorgeous sound view. No yard, unfortunately, and 125th is a busier street than some--the new house is across from a bus stop. I think they're asking $1.2, but I'm not sure where I got that.
From city records, I see its an 8400 SF lot, 3765SF. The architect was Novion Group (206) 361-6188, 8634 3rd Ave NW. Structural by SSS. Built by Kohary Builders, 5600 Kirkwood Place N, Suite A, (206) 784-4505.
We're still here
After at least three months hiatus, I'm being forced to think about the remodeling project by Filco, the oil tank remediation people. I got the boss (Nate Montgomery) to say that they'd be done by the middle of February back in January--it seemed like an easy goal, but of course they've taken all the time.
The hiatus works because the house has been surviving the winter very nicely. The gutters are still clogged, various eave issues still exist, but there is no sign that the roof is leaking. (To be fair, I haven't looked.) I have six electric heaters (two built-in) running to convert the outside temperature of 43-55 into 65-69 inside. I put plastic over a few windows, closed off BR3 and BR2 and it's been okay. The electric bill doubled, but my gut feeling is that it's a win over $1400/year oil (but I haven't even verified that number).
Henry showed up with three big trucks this morning at about 7:20 a.m. (Nate said 8:00 a.m, but I was ready for them.) I'm prepared for "3-5 days" so I expect there will be a hole filling with rain over the weekend. Changes one's attitude about redundant front doors.
The Zestimate on the house is $594,792. I would need to spend $25,000 on a furnace, roof and gutters, perhaps, but if this inflation is true, that's a gross $127,792. I'm out of pocket for the survey, soils report, half the building permit, and structural engineering. The excise tax would be $9,517.
I need to hold it two years, to avoid capital gains, so I can't sell before October 27, 2016. Rather than sell in winter, we're talking about March 2017. The no remodeling scenario, then, is $467 + $12 (plans) + $25 improvements = basis is $504. If I list for $619 and sell for $595 my profit (minus excise) is $81,500. That's a 16% simple return, which is not bad.
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| Henry, the foreman, drives the Volvo Compact Excavator |
Henry showed up with three big trucks this morning at about 7:20 a.m. (Nate said 8:00 a.m, but I was ready for them.) I'm prepared for "3-5 days" so I expect there will be a hole filling with rain over the weekend. Changes one's attitude about redundant front doors.
The Zestimate on the house is $594,792. I would need to spend $25,000 on a furnace, roof and gutters, perhaps, but if this inflation is true, that's a gross $127,792. I'm out of pocket for the survey, soils report, half the building permit, and structural engineering. The excise tax would be $9,517.
I need to hold it two years, to avoid capital gains, so I can't sell before October 27, 2016. Rather than sell in winter, we're talking about March 2017. The no remodeling scenario, then, is $467 + $12 (plans) + $25 improvements = basis is $504. If I list for $619 and sell for $595 my profit (minus excise) is $81,500. That's a 16% simple return, which is not bad.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
They're baaack...the Oil Tank investigation
Filco (Seattle Tank) removed the oil tank on September 3rd and immediately reported that they had found evidence of a leak. A small leak, but one that needed to be investigated further. Because I'm insured against oil leaks by the state's PLIA agency, this is a mere inconvenience to me.
One could conclude: a) Filco, knowing how the game works, always "finds" leaks when they remove a tank and then gets money from the state for the "fix." Or, b) the 67-year-old tank really did have a few pinholes that contaminated the soil under the tank. They pulled the tank out and filled in the hole without calling me out to see the holes or the oil-stained dirt so I would bet it's the former explanation, but the latter is plausible, I suppose.
I filed the forms with PLIA and Filco came out "immediately" 8 weeks later, on October 28. Three men spent six hours, starting at 8 a.m., drilling test holes at the tank site, closer to the street, and around in the backyard. We discovered that the rectangle with the string in the backyard is actually 2" of red cement--there's probably a patio slab out there.
Today, November 3, they just showed up at 12:15 and knocked on the door. A geologist-type named Richard Simpson came with two of the guys insisting that they needed to drill deeper at the oil tank site than they did last week. He mentioned a stratum of bentonite clay when he thought I wasn't listening. I suggested that he should see the Zipper Geo soils report if he wants to understand my strata. Zipper used an auger drill, Filco has a rented hammer-type drill.
Nate Montgomery, Gen. Mgr., Filco Company (nate@filcoenviro.com) (206) 547-8347
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| 18 man-hours of work drilling for oil on October 28 |
I filed the forms with PLIA and Filco came out "immediately" 8 weeks later, on October 28. Three men spent six hours, starting at 8 a.m., drilling test holes at the tank site, closer to the street, and around in the backyard. We discovered that the rectangle with the string in the backyard is actually 2" of red cement--there's probably a patio slab out there.
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| They asked permission before punching through the 2" concrete slab they found |
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| The guys re-drill on November 3. Mr. Simpson is in his car, presumably perusing the Zipper report. |
Richard Simpson, , LG, LHg, Filco Company. (Richard@filcoenviro.com)
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Refrigerator Replacement Therapy
The Hotpoint CTX21DA refrigerator that came with the house began making very loud my-compressor-is-failing noises. I pulled it away from the wall, vacuumed the coils and tried to make the compressor as comfortable as possible, but it was moribund.
I had two choices: Buy the new fancy refrigerator and protect it during construction, or--thanks to Tanya for the suggestion--buy a modest refrigerator that can serve in the garage once the remodeling is done. I took her suggestion and bought a nice white General Electric model from Albert Lee on October 16. This matches brand and color with the range and microwave.
With tax and delivery, the new refrigerator was $603. They delivered it October 20.
The new unit is a GE GTS16DTHWW, serial number SF834982. The door swing can be reversed. The Hotpoint was 20.6 cu. ft., 6.3 of which was freezer. The new one is 15.5 cu. ft., 4.01 in the freezer.
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| Ready to go--food in the cooler |
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| Dirt in places that can't be cleaned |
I had two choices: Buy the new fancy refrigerator and protect it during construction, or--thanks to Tanya for the suggestion--buy a modest refrigerator that can serve in the garage once the remodeling is done. I took her suggestion and bought a nice white General Electric model from Albert Lee on October 16. This matches brand and color with the range and microwave.
With tax and delivery, the new refrigerator was $603. They delivered it October 20.
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| Out with the old |
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