WHAT I LEARNED FROM PURCHASING A FIXER-UPPER DURING A PANDEMIC

INTERIORS AND ARTICLE BY STEVE MARRAFFINO, MARRACAR DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE NGUYEN

The Pandemic taught us many things: How to cut our hair by watching YouTube videos, how to conserve toilet paper, contactless grocery shopping, the joy of baking, and how to be more neighborly. One lesson my partner and I learned was how to successfully purchase and renovate a fi xer-upper house from 3,000 miles away. Having our own interior design fi rm, we shifted our business model during the uncertainty of the pandemic. While adhering to the current CDC guidelines and protocols, we limited physical interaction with clients by incorporating virtual design presentations, teleconferencing, contactless sample drop-offs, and scheduling personal masked appointments to visit local showrooms. These newly applied tools and learned skills were valuable in undertaking this challenging remote fi xer-upper renovation. However, as with anything new, there was a learning curve. We are sharing our experiences and the lessons learned with you, dear reader, because you can do it too! We’ve learned through this experience that when you know absolutely no one in a particular location, you need to rely heavily on referrals to make the purchase and renovation possible. We asked a cousin who lived in Raleigh for recommendations on fi nding a Realtor. After we studied the recommended Realtor’s website and read past client reviews, we made the call. Alex Lawrence (AKA Big Al), called us back shortly thereafter. With his enthusiasm, jovial demeanor, and extensive knowledge of the Raleigh housing market, we knew we had found the right person. As we were considering which home to buy, we depended on video walk-throughs that Alex created for us. After meticulously analyzing MLS photos we came across a home that looked promising. Our fantastic Realtor once again worked his magic with his smartphone so that we could virtually “see” almost everything inside and around the property. It was enough to encourage us to move forward with an offer and eventually an accepted purchase agreement. We then fl ew from California to Raleigh, signed all of our closing documents and were handed the keys to our newly purchased home. When we opened the forest green double front doors and entered our new property for the very fi rst time, we were met with the strong stench of cigarette smoke. We’re talking Nugget Casino, Reno Nevada circa 1970 type of cigarette smell. We remember asking our Realtor during one of our virtual showings what the house smelled like. He simply replied, “Like your grandma’s house.” And, while I understand that to mean a mixture of mothballs and oatmeal cookies, I neglected to remember that my own grandmother did in fact smoke cigarettes inside her California home. So, in all fairness – our Realtor wasn’t wrong. The existing wallpaper which we thought was a beige chintz was actually a white chintz stained from decades of cigarette smoke. The buttercream doors, trim, casing, baseboards and molding were actually a gloss white that was discolored yellow from 50 years of tar build up! One important lesson we learned from this experience is that when you are house hunting “virtually” you are eliminating two vital and, arguably, most important senses: smell & touch.

During our trip to NC to fi nalize our purchase, we made sure to allow extra time to get as many things arranged as we could to begin this renovation. We ordered a debris box, a port-o-let, secured our demo crew, interviewed fl ooring refi nishers, and researched local window and door suppliers. We made sure everyone was on board and scheduled to meet the demands of our timeline. Before returning to California we took extensive measurements, captured hundreds of photographs, studied the existing layout, discussed design ideas, and drew out many different diagrams and fl oor plans. Our Realtor was again a great resource for recommendations, referring us to our soon to be plumber, who in turn suggested a contractor, who ultimately became our general contractor. Finding a contractor we could work with from 3,000 miles away was the most important piece of our impending remodel puzzle. A knowledgeable and experienced contractor is instrumental in a successful renovation, and we found ours to be not only knowledgeable and experienced but also reliable, affordable, and trustworthy. Most importantly, he listened and understood our vision. Having a wellrespected contractor made it easy for us to work with his subcontractors and recommended tradesmen. Our contractor also took on a lot of the project management BEFORE>

BEFORE>

responsibilities. He scheduled and was present during inspections, made sure the project stayed within budget, and adhered to our project timeline. We were also lucky enough to have several family members who live within hours of Raleigh. This allowed us to have additional support in making our project run smoothly. We relied on family not only to report on progress at the jobsite, but also to receive samples, lighting, plumbing fi xtures, and materials needed for the renovation. They also traveled to local showrooms to assist with tile and countertop selections, and were extra “eyes” to review paint colors and wood fl oor stain samples on-site. If you don’t have family or friends in the nearby area of your renovation, this would be a good reason to hire a design professional. They will be able to make frequent project visits to the job site and ensure that your vision and goals are being carried out. Being extremely organized, very detailed, and thorough in all aspects of home renovations allowed for less bumps in the road. As interior designers, we have familiarity and experience gained from working on multiple renovations, remodels, and new construction projects. As with any design project, we researched materials and products to come up with a design plan and budget that would work for us. Kitchen cabinets, hardware, lighting, paint colors, light fi xtures, appliances, wallcoverings (to name a few) were all selected and thought out well in advance. With these plans in place, we managed to materialize our renovation goals.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION – Being able to communicate your vision clearly to your general contractor is necessary. Since we are interior designers, we have experience with and access to architectural software programs. We relied on these tools to create digital renderings, fl oor plans, electrical plans, elevations, and schematics to illustrate our vision to the people involved in our renovation. If you do not have the means or skills for these applications, we strongly recommend you enlist the help of an interior designer or architect. KEEP IT SIMPLE – Don’t over-design or over-complicate the renovation especially if you have limited availability to be at the project site. Leave certain decisions until later when you can be there in person.

BE FLEXIBLE – The best advice we can give you, reader, is that there will be surprises. Allow extra time and room in your budget to tackle the unexpected. For us, not only was the cigarette smell a surprise but we also had a lot of rust build up in the original 1966 iron and galvanized steel plumbing. This prompted a replumbing of the entire house – a cost we were not initially anticipating. HAVE A REASONABLE TIMELINE – Work with your general contractor to come up with a realistic timeline for the renovation, then allow additional time for the unexpected. Since we were renovating during an uncertain time with the pandemic, we knew that supply chain and manufacturing practices were unreliable. While our general contractor was given a 10 month timeline to complete this renovation, we really allowed ourselves a total of 12 months. LIVE OFF-SITE – As much as we wanted to be in Raleigh during the house remodel, we were often thankful to be away from the construction mess. Having a sanctuary, an off-site living space creates the necessary calm when you are in the midst of a major renovation. It also allows the contractor and your team of experts to complete tasks more effi ciently, and typically in a shorter period. BE DILIGENT – If you are not there in person, there is even more need for scrutiny during every aspect of your renovation. Examine and re-examine progress photos and videos. We noticed in one of the progress videos that the wall sconces in the dining room were too close to the window, even after we had specifi ed their desired location in our lighting plan and wall elevation. Catching this early prevented us from spending more money later in the renovation to correct the issue.

ENLIST HELP FROM A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL – We strongly encourage you to work with an interior designer or architect. Their knowledge of current design trends will allow you to discover a multitude of design ideas you may never have thought of on your own. We were able to masterfully remodel our 1966 brick colonial all while maintaining the integrity of the home and reusing several original elements. An interior designer will advocate your vision throughout the renovation to ensure the end result meets your expectations. GO FOR IT – The best way to make your renovation a success is to believe in yourself and stay committed to the project. With a well-organized plan you, too, can virtually renovate a fi xer-upper from afar. Maybe it’s a vacation home, a second home, an income property, or your forever home. The pandemic has shown us many new ways to live. Perhaps giving yourself a haircut is something you might want to leave behind. However, the pandemic did show us that we can virtually and successfully purchase a fi xer-upper and beautifully complete its renovation. If we could accomplish this in the most challenging of circumstances from 3,000 miles away, then you too, can achieve such a feat. And that is a feather you can place in your cap and wear proudly! (And it will also cover that self-taught haircut- win-win!)

With over 15 years of experience, Marracar Design has been helping homeowners