I started this as a single entry, but it became so long that I decided to tackle it in a multiple parts.
While I’m not going to go over the complete backstory, this abridged version does help set the stage of what we were dealing with that led to the decision to just DYI things.
Ms. Tucker owns a small condo. By small, I mean small: 530-ish square feet.
While tiny, it’s a cute, modern, open space layout, with 10 foot ceilings and huge windows that is located in the heart of downtown. It’s also very nostalgic for both of us as that’s where we started to build our life together nearly twenty years ago.
As time went on and we decided to have kids, we moved out of the condo and a relative moved in.
This relative lived there from 2008 to 2017 – and when they moved out they left the place practically destroyed. Between the water damage that completely ruined the pine hardwood floors (which was caused by a broken washer/dryer unit that they never bothered to have fixed, or even tell us about) to the unbelievable smoke damage (they chain smoked and basically hot boxed this small space for nine years), we didn’t know where to start. It took nearly two months of evenings and weekends, some elbow grease, a couple of favours, and a pile of money to make it livable so a new tenant could move in… who also happened to be a relative and, at the time seemed pretty responsible.
Fast forward to this summer, nearly five years later, where we asked said relative to vacate (for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, non-payment of the already heavily subsidized rent).
After they left, we walked in and. it was like deja-fucking-vu.
The appliances were all but destroyed. The kitchen counter was warped and peeling. The kitchen faucet was broken. A sizable area of the floors are damaged and popping out. The bathroom counter has some kind of permanent, white burn mark on it. The bathroom shower curtain rod and shower head were completely rusted. The whole place smells like cigarette smoke and the custom blinds were so smoke stained and stinky we ended up having to throw them out.
At this point, Ms. Tucker was done. “Let’s get it renovated and get it on the market,” she said. No more renting.
Nostalgia or not, the condo had become a money eating albatross and she wanted it gone. Quickly.
Since this particular late Summer/early Fall happened to be super busy for us and we were starved for time, we figured it would be best to get someone else to take care of it all for us.
Enter contractors.
Continue reading “Learning New Skills, Part One: The Backstory”
