Day 4 - A Closet to Explore
Nelson sanded and painted the closet with Carrie's 'oops' paint turned right. You can still see old carpet.
The guest bathroom got an upgrade, as well.
Speaking of bathrooms, I never posted a picture of our finished bathroom did I?
Normally, it's not full of all of the stuff from our bedroom.
Normally...
Day 5 - New floor
The master bedroom and the closet all have new laminate flooring.
Nelson also laid baseboards and shoe molding.
Carrie went into project mode the moment she got home from work. She cleaned, moved furniture, built IKEA furniture, and we moved back in to our bedroom that night. We had been sleeping on the floor on a mattress in the living room.
Day 6 -The second to last day
Nelson re-patched and painted the dining room ceiling. The house flippers we bought the property from had done a crappy patch job from when they forgot to tighten the bolts on the toilet reservoir above. Then Nelson started to put crown molding up everywhere.
You can see it in the kitchen in the background of the dining room and living room pictures.
The house was a bit cluttered and I didn't want to potentially upset my wife by posting pictures of a mess. We're going to need to go into recover mode after day 7. Nelson will, too. He's going to have his tonsils removed. Ouch.
I talked to Nelson while Shane napped. He's got a son in middle school and a daughter at a university back home in El Salvador. He's been in the states for 13 years supporting them. He has a pension in El Salvador from his time in the army. Originally, I thought he said he served in the US army. He's working on his citizenship now.
Speaking of working, I'm beginning to think Nelson is a workaholic. After he works for us, he drives up the road to a pet boarding facility. He's working nights on a project there. When I asked what he does when he's not working, he said he sleeps, and Skypes his family. Other than that, he wants to work every day of the week. I admire a good work ethic and I trust the man never to slack at someone else's expense, but rest is required! If I understood him correctly, he spent several months back in El Salvador in the summer. He could just work his butt off while he's stateside and breathe easy once he's with his family again.
Day 7 -The Final Day
Today was the day to wrap up all the odds and ends. Nelson is scheduled for a tonsillectomy on Tuesday, and Carrie and I's closet funds are at their end.
Nelson added the crown molding in our main entrance hallway...,
Nelson added the crown molding in our main entrance hallway...,
...and he finished the molding and wainscoting in the upstairs guest bathroom.
Today was a teacher workday, so I got home early at 3:00 PM. Nelson had already cleaned up, locked the door, and slipped out the garage. I still need to pay him for today.
I think hiring Nelson was a win-win. For only a couple hundred more than we were quoted for the closet, we had everything done you've seen. Nelson got a week's employment that was 5 minutes down the road from his night project, plus he picked up a job or two with our neighbors (we recommended him strongly!).
We're going to take a break from any more home investments for a while. Carrie is thrilled with the work done. I enjoy knowing we got a good deal.
Whenever we go go to sell, our competition will be all of the new houses going up right across the county border. The area transforms every time I drive to the grocery store. New townhouses are up for sale each week and I'm not exaggerating. Their asking price is about $400,000. I thought they used to be going for more, but it could be they're glutting the market.
'Tis a thought for another day. We're happy with the improvements. Carrie shops smart, so I know we got a great bang for out buck. I learned a few things from watching and talking to Nelson, too. Carrie probably already knew it all before (she's pretty handy).
And it was a good story!
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