Welcome to our blog! If you follow along, you’ll find that we review the better renovation reality shows to help shed some light on what they can’t explain in their short time slot.
In usual Flip or Flop fashion, Tarek and Christina purchased a home that needed all the cosmetics only to find out that the concrete slab the home was built on is totally falling apart. It’s not so hard to believe in an earthquake zone that dirt moves but after taking one look at this dump, I’m surprised they bothered!
After spending $36,000 to fix the foundation, they find that the house is no longer level or square so $36k turns into $50k by the time the rest of the home is “squared up”. Whenever foundations move, they will take the rest of the home along for the ride and basically, it started ripping the house apart. This can not only lead to crooked walls and sagging ceilings, but pipes and wires get stressed which can and of often will cause plumbing leaks or electrical failures, Roof leaks are also commonly caused by shifting foundations so be aware!
Whenever looking at a home, make sure all the doors and windows open properly because if they don’t, it’s possible the home has foundation issues. Ill fitting doors and windows will often be accompanied by cracks in the sheetrock above the ill fitting door or window which again is visual evidence that the house is moving more than it should. We know this didn’t come as a surprise to the dynamic duo but the drama makes for great TV!
They eventually made a great point… finding these “hidden” expenses altered the course of their project and, based on how expensive land is in the area, they could have taken those dollars and added a master bedroom suite onto the house and essentially doubled their profits! Unfortunately, the expense and complications suffered from their foundation repairs blinded their better judgement, causing them to second guess their plans and miss this opportunity.
Because they’re talented, they were able to come out of this deal with a little profit but they were disappointed that they could have done better! But in general, many investors would have walked away from this job. Nice work guys!
