Overview:  The 1.5 Storey Cape Cod

Real Estate Copy Highlights

Charming Cape Cod style, terrific view from family room, whirlpool, mostly new replacement windows, addition (10-12yrs) and entertaining deck.

We wanted this house....  So much so that we did not have a proper home inspection done.  Instead, we hired someone who used to be a home inspector to take a look at the house with us.  In his defense, most of the problems we found after moving in were covered up.

Time line

2003

Attended the open house in March.  Took a second look with the "inspector" early the next week.   Submitted our offer (after some impressive negotiation on behalf of our agent, our first offer was accepted).   Put our house on the market almost immediately.  Our house sold within a week with 30 day closing.

Had the roof and eaves troughs replaced.  Cost was about double what we had originally budgeted.  Had an air handler installed in the attic.  Discovered that the insulation was installed directly against the roof decking, with no room for ventilation.

Discovered issue in the den / computer room with some questionable wiring and improper vapour barrier.  Gutted the computer room and beefed up the insulation, installed new vapour barrier and drywall.

Had a few windows replaced and the back dormer re-sided.  Discovered issue with wood rot in the back dormer.  Beefed up the structure as best as I could (this was a "Mickey Mouse fix").


2004

Completely gutted the second floor.  Discovered issue with the way the windows were installed in the back dormer. 

Hired a professional contractor (recommended by our real estate agent) to fix the structure of the back dormer.  After talking for a while, we decided to hire him to finish the second floor for us, including building a dormer on the front of the house.

2005

All renovations are chronicled in the blog from this point on.  The contractor built the dormer, removed the chimney, finished all the framing and insulation on the second floor.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time roughing in the wiring for the electrical and for telecommunications.

Installed a new railing on our back deck.

Repaired water damage in the main bathroom.

2006

Contractor returned to install the drywall on the second floor.

Gutted ensuite bathroom, started gutting the basement.  Replaced floor joists that were cut to "sink" the tub in the ensuite.


This page was last updated on July 19, 2006  For real-time progress, be sure to read the blog.


The House from Hell!

It seems at every turn, we discover another problem with this house.  And like any old house, the majority of problems are hidden, and many of the necessary repairs require big bucks.  Virtually all the work done by the previous owner was done incorrectly.  Simply put, the guy butchered this house.

The electrical is a mess:  overloaded circuits, hidden junctions, improper junctions, poor organization and no aesthetics.

The plumbing is a mess:  radiators improperly added to the heating system, undersized hot water piping to the second floor, water supply pipes poorly organized, main vent stack moved improperly, affecting functionality and compromising the structure of the house.  Bathroom sinks vented into attic.

Structure was compromised when larger windows were installed in the back dormer (no headers, lack of stud support).  Structure was compromised when a portion of the floor in the ensuite was lowered to allow for the "sunken" whirlpool.  Structure was compromised when the top plate of a supporting wall was cut to allow the waste vent stack to be moved.  Structure was compromised when a large window was installed in the basement without a lintel.   

Nothing about the addition-- not the wiring, not the structure, nothing--meets code.

After 3 years, we still had not completely moved into the house.  Everything is so interconnected, that it has been impossible to completely finish one project at a time.  It has been a nightmare and a financial disaster, but we are really left with no other alternatives than to bite the bullet and fix things up as we can afford to.  It's either spend a lot of money now, and maybe recoup some or most of our investment down the road, or else lose our shirts and start over with nothing.