Diary of a Thoughtful Rehab, Part 1

There are so many shoddy home flippers out there these days that buyers have learned to distrust homes that been purchased to rehab. Some rehabbers do excellent work, however... and you can feel lucky when you find a rehabbed home done right.

I would like to introduce you to Chuck Larson, a thoughtful rehabber who I met when he and his parents worked together to transform their first house nearly seven years ago. A trained carpenter and cabinet maker, Chuck stunned me with his custom made cabinets!

It also really impressed me when I learned that they moved the bathtub and closet in the main bath because the toilet was too close to the tub to be comfortable... that isn't something a typical rehabber would even think of doing, much less actually do.

Chuck's latest project is another St. Louis Park estate home, one that was in the family for decades and was solid and well cared for, although in great need of updating.

When I stopped by recently he was busy working in the kitchen, taking out the old so he could start bringing in the new. He said ideas started rolling around in his head as soon as they decided this would be their next project. Unlike many quick flippers, he thinks about the house as if he was going to live there himself and takes great personal pride in his work.

Here are just a couple examples of how he takes care of things that aren't very noticeable. Instead of just painting over the flimsy boards framing the basement steps he plans to replace them with sheetrock and do it right... and plans to add more support to the basement steps because it looks like it should be there even though they feel solid.

I am anxious to see the progress as they move forward, this is going to be a great house for some lucky buyer. They are getting close to being done with the demolition... that's the hardest part. Then the fun begins! 

Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results - Email - St. Louis Park Realtor