Keeping up with the Van Voorhises

There are two kinds of homeowners: the ones who buy fixer-uppers and the ones who create them. Then again, there are people who fixer--up the same house more than once. Reading about Scott and his Natick home inspires me to give some advice based on my annual “what does the house need now?” project.

When we bought our two-family fixer-upper, there was a long list generated by our home inspector. Some of the projects at the top of the “to do” list were cosmetic, some were not. Some things that we expected to fail soldiered on, some did not.

Tip #1: Review your inspection report annually. Add in some of those recommendations as you do other improvements.

In the last few years, our home improvements have been about insulation, ventilation and temperature control. This year, we tackled my home office. (Am I being too competitive, Scott?) My home office is in an extension built in the 1960s. This year we added insulation in the floor, resided the walls and insulated around the (good, but poorly installed) windows.

This year’s project was completed on June 24th. The contractor estimated 3 or 4 day’s work. He started June 10th. But, it wasn’t all his fault; this was an outside project. You all know the weather this June. But I was pretty fried by June 24th because I was planning a big party at my house for June 27th. It got a little tense that week.

Tip #2: Double the time estimate of any contractor. I knew that. So, I have new advice.

Tip #2A: Triple the time estimate for any outdoor project.

Am I over-reacting?