Whether you renovate or relocate, expect changes, delays, and stress factors that require patience and financial fortitude. We’ve lived quite happily in our current Fountain Valley home, in the Old Farm tract, south of Slater Avenue and west of Bushard Street, for 20 years. Four years ago, while sitting in our rather small, firstfloor family room, adjacent to the kitchen, our friend Joyce Groe, her head on a swivel, turned to us and said, “You know, if you took that wall down you could open up and expand this family room.” The wall Joyce referred to was between a rarely used bedroom and the family room.
Subsequent to her visit, my husband suggested we only meet Joyce at restaurants. It took four years of thought and discussion to determine how the loss of the fourth bedroom would impact the resale value. When we considered where we live, the climate, the proximity to amenities, all Fountain Valley has to offer, and the home we love, we decided to maximize the space and renovate.
Good contractors are busy and you’ll be put on a schedule that could be months in advance, so don’t just have a vision, have a plan and obtain permits. We hired an engineer-architect. He drafted plans and submitted them to the city. Depending on the scope of the job, expect four to six weeks for any adjustments and approval.
In March, we met with Fountain Valley resident and contractor Mike Schmidt. He was referred to us by our dear friend David Truong, whose home he had remodeled last year. The plan was to remove the load-bearing wall and bedroom window, expand the family room to fifteen by twenty-five feet, and install sixteen feet of sliding glass doors to open to the back yard.
Mike and his wife Melina, the communications consultant/project manager, explained that the remodel would create havoc, and constant dust and debris. As luck would have it, we had an East Coast trip planned for the end of May through the 3rd week of June. It takes complete trust and a leap of faith to leave town while your home is torn up, but we did just that.
To replace the bedroom closet we were losing, we hired a carpenter to build drawers and shelves in the unused space under the staircase. He also built the bookcases, and extended the fireplace mantle to connect the bookcases.
Melina called and said, “We have to move the exterior wall seven and a half inches to accommodate the width of the track for the sliding doors.” Note to homeowners: purchase the products that affect the dimensions prior to submitting the plans.
Think of the contractor as the primary physician. You’ll still require specialists. After the drywall was completed, we needed a painter, carpenter, and a screen installer.
Another critical element remained and it was an eyesore. In order to install the steel posts to support the second story load, quite a bit of the hardwood flooring was torn out. We had left-over planks from 2017 when the floor was installed, but they had some moisture damage from weather exposure. Rescue came in the form of Refined Carpet/Rugs, 10561 Ellis Avenue. One phone call and Sean Kennedy sent his crew over. They reconditioned and installed the floorboards. They provided exceptional customer service.
When you decide to renovate it’s best to create a spreadsheet with all the projected costs. Unforeseen expenses and modifications to the original plan add costs. From the initial design concept, the engineer, city permits, contractor and furniture to the smallest knickknacks our renovation expenses exceeded $75,000. That’s not chump change but if we’re granted another twenty years to enjoy it, the bill averages $3,750 a year. If we had to do it again, would we? Yes, in a heartbeat, and with the same contractor and the same vendors.
My husband doesn’t say much about it, but every morning, before I climb the stairs to my exercise machine I pause, take a gander at our new open-concept space, and I offer the room my biggest smile. I thank God and our parents for a work ethic that has allowed us to provide the means necessary to create beauty and function, simultaneously. We are grateful to Mike and Melina Schmidt and their team for being such diligent masters of construction.
As for our dear friend Joyce, she is back in my husband’s good graces and the guest of honor whenever she rings the doorbell. Home maintenance is an expression of love and it pays big dividends in shelter and lifestyle comfort. Go for it!