Rumor What's going on in Portland?

Poll finds Portlanders are frustrated by homeless response, unlikely to reelect commissioners.

 

What gets measured, gets done!

 

That’s how we felt. Put a lot of time/energy/money stress into remodeling our wino country house (I think I pointed out during your remodel we had some similar household features). Family decided with the globalization of the world, we’d like to “expand our horizons”. Bought the Hawaii house. Then later decided to simplify by buying new about 3/4 of a mile away. Shit. Walked away with a house of conveniences, money in the bank, a great neighborhood with great neighbors. Same amount of total debt. Life is easy to be mobile/nomadic now, and go to nice, clean homes wherever. Still plan to add another property or two and just enjoy being whichever home I’m at in the moment. But both homes feel like home and I’m sad to leave and happy to arrive every single time. But I won’t ever quit Oregon completely.

btw, the housing market is out of control for many reasons, some already expressed. but labor/material shortages are a big part, too. I’m seeing it everyday in our new neighborhood. We got into our home because a buyer fell through halfway thru construction. So we’re one of the first into our neighborhood. But to even purchase our model now is $40K more than we paid two months ago.

 

1” is still a measurement, but it doesn’t get it done for Mrs. HCP!

 

Thats fantastic man

 

First draft done ……

 

Do we have a house remodel thread I can ask questions to the experts here?

 

Yes, but you have to be pretty poor to be that immobile. My parents didn't have a pot to pee in when they moved from Marietta, Georgia and rural Northern Alabama (Eva) to Oswego, Oregon. Of course my father wanted to get the hell out of the deep South although there were things about it that he loved.

 

its not just the financial aspect. It also means moving away from family, for many.
For example i get to see my brothers and sister and nieces and nephews many times a year. I might be lucky to see them once a year if i move back East.

Some people think Money is the end all to decision making and it isnt. Some people consider the distance from loved ones etc.
Some peope have an established family doctor they don't want to change up.
Many, many reasons beyond the financial aspect to not just up aNd move.

The narrative, “if you don't like it, why not move” is simply ludicrous and thoughtless…

 

My father loved his mother very much yet moved 2,500 miles away.He was also very close to his five sisters and one of his two brothers who were all in Alabama at the time. My mother left her mother, one of her two sisters and her two brothers in Georgia.

 

you ever ask him how hard it was to do?

And in todays covid climate people are looking to move closer to family from what i hear.

point being is money isnt the sole factor in ones hesitation to move away.

 

F’n A!!!

 

I know it was hard for him to do but among other disadvantages he considered the deep South to be a dead end street. He also yearned for a more enlightened environment. He made the move in a heart beat and my mother concurred. So, they wanted the Portland metro area that bad.

 

We did some major remodeling (new kitchen, bathrooms and some minor odds and ends) 5-6 years ago and in general it went fairly well. But as BG notes, this is a crappy time to be doing it. Case in point; we bit the bullet on the kitchen and went with Neil Kelly. They are pricier than most contractors, but (at least back then) you get what you pay for. They ripped our kitchen completely out the week of Thanksgiving. By Xmas Eve, the job was about 85% done and we had a fully functional kitchen. That they did that in a month is generally unheard of, but again, you get what you pay for. We had heard too many contractor horror stories and we made it clear we weren’t going to accept that. And NK came through big time and their crews were top notch. Fast forward to now……our neighbors are currently doing a major remodel (kitchen, etc, etc) and they decided to go with the “best” and hired Neil Kelly. Their experience isn’t even in the same ball park as ours was and it’s been nothing but a nightmare. NK is struggling to find and retain employees that meet their standards, supply chain issues have messed up completion schedules and project managers come and go. So my neighbor have lived in construction chaos for months, the work has been shoddy, and no definite completion date is yet in sight. And if NK is struggling, that’s bad. I’m hearing the same kind of stories from other folks too (working part time at a hardware store you hear all kinds of tales of woe every day). So be prepared for remodeling in times of Covid. Good thing you don’t have any hair left to tear out…….also make a pledge with your wife that no matter what, you’ll still love each other when the ordeal is over………cuz it ain’t gonna be fun……..

 

I've got a contractor horror story, in fact, I've got two of them. The first one makes the second one look like a delightful day at the beach.

 

looks solid. Might want to wait a few.

The AC unit we were looking at…. That was $4100 a year ago is $7500 now. My point that I can’t express enough: materials are cray right now.

 

Wood is about to drop finally i just got word from a supplier.
You are right to advise waiting a bit.

 

Tell me about it. I just paid $13.5 K to fix a plumbing problem. Ugh.

 

We remodeled the Kitchen 2 years ago. It was a pain in the butt, but we got a beautiful, very useful kitchen out of it.

We are in the middle of a main bathroom remodel now. It is fucking expensive - but we are going to have a Japanese talking toilet + bidet in the end - so it's probably worth it if I feel lonely.

(I am joking, it is a Japanese toilet + bidet, but we did not spend another $1,000 for the Japanese talking option).

The point is, I unfortunately, know more than I ever wanted about kitchen and bathroom fixtures / appliances etc... - so if you need some help - there is a chance I might know something up to date about it.