FOREST FORECLOSURES
When we first looked at these two foreclosed duplexes about three months ago there were three For Rent signs for other apartments on the street. They're all still there. Despite being close to the Tempe, ASU campus it's hard to rent anything right now because there are so many new apartment complexes all going after the same students. At this writing we are still a two weeks away from finishing the fix-up of the adjacent property, but they are all rented Our marketing plan and the oddity of the fix-up is working.
DAY 1:
Escrow just closed. Pilar wonders if we're doing the right thing.
DAY 27:
Got the steel roof deck for 90 cents a square foot.
DAY 55:
An old tire is substituted for the swing set that got stolen.
PLUMBING PROBLEMS
Before and After.
Before and After.
Found a nasty leak under the tub. Had to tear everything out. The fixtures are from our favorite store IKEA. I stole the toilet paper idea from Matt and Maria Salengers house. As I recall they had more rolls closer together and it looked better.
MONSTER TREE
The trunk of the Eucalyptus on the right is six feet across.
The trunk of the Eucalyptus on the right is six feet across.
These three foot tall concrete entry monuments are old sidewalk pieces tilted up on end. Sandblasting revealed the aggregate on what was the ground side.
The old tire hangs from a play equipment swivel and revolves in the wind. It's a memory of a swing set that was left by a previous tenant but hauled off by a junk man before we could hoist it.
INCH THICK SIDEWALK
Instead of abc we used mortar and concrete bits leftover from demolition. The concrete we put over it is only an inch or so thick. The brick is from the pathetic little veneer demo'd from the building. Their perforations were left exposed.
We filled an old galvanized tub with chunks of concrete debris before topping it off with three inches of mud. It acts as a step stone between the units. The dry ground cover is left over chunks of brick. The horizontal wood slats are salvaged from the old fence along the alley. I wanted to create a privacy panel between each tenant's front door.
SAME WALL, SAME LIGHT LOCATION
Before and After.
The cast metal jar light on the right is one of my favorites. We use it over and over.
The cast metal jar light on the right is one of my favorites. We use it over and over.
THE SIGN SAYS "BANK OWNED".
I think I took this picture on the first day we ever saw the property.
The beautiful boxed Eucalyptus trees are from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery. They have a great web site.
The painting is a black and white copy of Picasso's 1907, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
