# Foreclosure Auction Remodel



## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

I picked this up last June after attempts to buy through the bank failed and it went to auction. Cost the bank $20,000 for their mistake. It needed LOTS of interior cosmetic work (ugly wallpaper everywhere, including the ceiling) and repairs of the previous owners' modifications, but the potential was too much to pass up on. We made a few quick repairs to make it liveable, then moved in while we continued to work on it. With 4700 sq ft, it's taking a while, but we're down to finishing the wife's sewing/craft room and remodeling the master bedroom & bath. Been using an already remodeled bedroom, so the master went to the end of the list.










Built in 82 as a square farmhouse look, but the wrap-around deck and the tower extensions were added later, when the P/O's wife had a craving for the Victorian look.



















These were from Bing maps and were apparently taken 6-7 years ago, when it was occupied and better cared for. The tennis court and pond are part of the 2.9 acres of property.










This is what we were looking at inside. That's wallpaper hanging from the living room ceiling. Kitchen had those funky posts at the entry.










This brick wall was built between the kitchen and the nook. Opening was behind the stove top. No other brick anywhere in the house. The chew marks on the cabinet door and wall were from their parrots. The nook has wrap around windows, so once we tore down the brick wall, the kithen was flooded with sunlight!





















Examples of the wallpaper throughout the house. Stripped it ALL out, then repaired walls, textured, and painted. 

With the exception of contracting out the kitchen counter tops, the wife and I have done all the repairs and mods ourselves. Will post remodeled pics shortly.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I can say you have your hands full, that is some ugly wallpaper. Looks like you are on the right track with the modifications you have made already.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

The best way to get a feel for what we've subjected ourselves to is by video. I forgot all about this walk-through video a real estate company posted on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqXe0qYqgQ

For some reason, she forgot to go upstairs to the main bedrooms and the "crafts" room. You miss out on the closed in stairwell and tight hallways. Just watching this brings back lots of memories. (few good)


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## <*(((>< (Mar 6, 2009)

Wow that is a NICE place you got there and with a good size lot! Please fill us in with lots of pictures and updates! I would love to find something like that in my area.


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## framer52 (Jul 17, 2009)

More pictures??


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Your house has some great potential, it just needs to be opened up a little more, there seems to be too many walls to me.


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## fallrisk (Nov 17, 2011)

Beautiful house and property!


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

Whew, that video about gave me vertigo! I don't mind the walking, but all that spinning around! :laughing:

Looks like a great house. Don't know what youpaid, but I would guess if you hang on to that house for a few years and the market comes back, you will d very well.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Love the look of the house.
Was the plumbing, electrical and roofing redone before you bought it?
Come on now tell us what you paid for it.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

The house is in the Gig Harbor area (voted #1 harbor in the U.S.), about 30 miles south of Seattle. A very sought after rural bedroom community, without the snobbery of Seattle. Ended up winning it at auction for $299,000. County has it taxed at twice that. Appealing that now.

Gotta have the obligatory snowy day pic.










Here are some before & after shots of the formal living room. Mantel & fireplace were located on Craigslist (gotta love it). You also get an idea of the wallpaper we dealt with. In some rooms, there was 3 different layers!





































As far as the walls go, there's not much we could do downstairs without some major remods. We joked about putting up a map by the front door for visitors. The upstairs was worse, but we made some dramatic changes that opened it up. Will post pics soon.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

Before and after shots of the kitchen brick wall. Also shows off the lovely gray tile counter tops. We replaced the counter tops with LG counter tops and picked up a couple Rustoleum cabinet refinishing kits in antique white. That's next on the to-do list, along with replacing the knobs with oil rubbed bronze hardware.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

299k for all of that. I'm jealous. Its a beaut


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

Another example of the lovely wall paper. If anyone ever suggests wall paper to me, they're gonna get a swift kick in the !!! This is the nook extending off the living room that was added by one of the P/Os.



















Some of his trim ideas, like the wide white boards around the nook opening, didn't make sense and were removed. Our last house of 18 years was a "white house", meaning every wall was painted white. We decided that there would not be any white walls in this place.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

Sice you said it first..Ya the wallpaper is hideous


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

And since I'm on my wallpaper rant, finding this picture of the kitchen ceiling is a classic example of wall paper gone wild.










While we were able to pull down most of the ceiling wall paper, then mud & sand before texture, about half way through the kitchen, they decided to use what appeared to be industrial glue to finish the job. Wound up tearing down the sheet rock and hanging new, which allowed for some needed re-wiring.


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## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

The eighties produced some horrible hair do's as well


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## <*(((>< (Mar 6, 2009)

You did very good on the purchase of that home it would seem, and it looks like you got a good start on it's updating! What size lot is it? The mature landscaping really looks like it provides great seclusion!

Is that a pond with a walkout island in the top right corner of your lot picture?

Keep the pictures coming!


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## Ironlight (Apr 13, 2011)

That is a wall paper nightmare! None of the patterns or colors even go with each other. How very odd. I guess there is no accounting for poor taste. 

Sounds like you got a great deal...a house that was structurally sound but cosmetically challenged and so did not auction well. Nicely done!


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

Yep, that's a horseshoe shaped pond in the corner. There's even power out to the island. Planning on putting up a golf flag for appearances. Unfortunately, the concrete lining is cracked & broken, so the water gradually drains out. Gonna have to come up with an affordable solution to seal it, after the house is done. (Suggestions?) The property is 2.9 acres.










One more example of the weird tastes of one of the P/Os. Once all the wallpaper was off, we discovered the original base walls in several rooms were painted red. Also discovered while tearing off the kitchen counter tops that the gray tile was installed over the original RED formica. Even noticed that the base color on the wrap-around deck was red.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Holy crap - you ain't kidding about the red!

Good luck, looks good so far.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

Been outside taking advantage of an unusually nice Pacific Northwest summer, so haven't been able to update this thread. Well, here comes the rain, so here's what's been done lately.

The one thing that was almost a deal killer when we looked at the house was the stairwell and upstairs hallways. For some reason, the walls up the stairwell, which were the inside walls of the hallways, went all the way to the ceiling. That made the stairwell like a mine shaft and the hallways narrow, claustrophobic spaces.

































This is what the hallways leading to the front bedrooms looked like.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

One of the first things we did was tear out parts of the walls to open things up.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

After lots of changes, including moving the master bedroom door, we're almost finished. Still have little touch-ups to complete.


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## bodine465 (Feb 5, 2012)

The hallways are WIDE OPEN now.









Last major project is the master bedroom and bath. Bedroom is just about ready to texture, but bath is going to involve lots of tearing out walls, moving plumbing, and building a walk in shower, Think this is the only reason the wife is keeping me around....


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## Sephora (Apr 13, 2009)

Nice job so far!


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## SuperJETT (Oct 27, 2012)

I'm a fan.

Very nice and at the price you got it for, hard to pass up.

We're dealing with the wallpaper demons at our short sale we bought as well.


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