Ranch House - Overview

When I was little I wanted many things, one of which was a tree house. I begged and begged and made drawings and my father said he would build one. But he never did and then I grew up. So when we started talking months ago about buying a house together to flip I was sort of thinking, Yeah, I'll believe it when it happens. Well, last week it happened!

Over the next eight weeks (or so; he started off saying six weeks and now we've moved up to eight to ten weeks, so we'll see how long it actually takes, though he promises it'll be done before ski season) my father and I will be renovating and restoring a ranch style, three bedroom house. I've been practically crawling out of my skin with excitement. I bought a tool bag for all my tools (because I'd never had any need to take them out of the house before), which Beans inspected and helped me pack.

Sunday afternoon my father and I drove over to check out the house because the previous owner was... how do I put this delicately... He refused to vacate the property on the agreed upon date and we weren't sure if he'd be lurking. So with my uncle in tow the three of us entered the house...

I have never been in a grosser home. This man must have chain-smoked every minute of every day to get the walls as yellow, the carpets as saturated and the entire place as disgusting smelling as it is. The bedroom wallpaper was yellowed from the smoke and peeling. Below is the disgusting living room as he left it.

It's gross. There's no other way to describe it. It leaves a stench in your nose and clings to your skin. How someone could live like that I don't know. But while being repulsed I was also itching with anticipation. Because honestly, I see it. The potential is there and abundant. It's going to look great when it's finished and I'll probably wish, much like I did with last summer's New Hampshire house, that I could transport it closer to Boston so I can live in it. 

Over the next few weeks I will post about the work I do and what I'm learning about flipping a house. So far I've learned about applying for a building permit (the previous owner had an illegal above ground pool that was full of brown, murky water and I even spotted a couple tadpoles) and ordering windows. So check back often to follow along with the progress and follow me on Instagram for more pictures and video!

Wish me luck at not hurting myself!

~Stephanie