Written by Our family has enjoyed owning and renting out one one of the duplexes in the Highlands. While it sounds strange to say we’ve enjoyed being landlords, it’s because this building has attracted the nicest tenants for all the years that we have owned it.
Most of our renters have lived with us for many years, and then gone on to purchase homes of their own.
The last renters from the unit we’re working on in the picture below leased from us for fourteen years, and then went on to purchase a home.
In the other unit, we had a tenant that had been with us five years, and previous tenants had resided in that unit for seven years, and another for three. One couple left many years ago, but they remain cherished friends and they are doing a wonderful job fixing up a beautiful home they purchased in Everett.
In addition to long term tenancies, we’ve never had a day of vacancy in these units. This is something that the building’s previous owner, former Renton Mayor Don Custer, told us was true for him as well. Don Custer’s remodeling skills are a great part of why the units have been fun and popular….Don did a first class job updated the building, all the way down to the wall studs, in 1980.
We’ve now entered a new chapter of our lives, as we’ve moved our own grown children into these units. To prepare for my son’s move in, I finally took out the once-stunning orange counter top that Don Custer had installed. Don’s craftsmanship was great, and the material held up very well over the years, but the color was no longer working. Long-time readers may remember me discussing this before in a highlands blog here
Cathy, Andy, and I work on the counters. Cathy irons on the Formica edge piece, while I install the new faucet. (Councilman King Parker might recognize the nice Whirlpool appliances under the counter, which came directly from his little red store!)
The kids test out the new carpeting
What!?!?!
Nice work… but get that outlet near the kitchen sink replaced with a GFCI!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device
$15 at McLendon’s
http://mclendons.com/item.asp?sku=10874400&from=search
Re: What!?!?!
Turns out it is covered…it is downstream (on the load side) of a GFI outlet in another box.
Re: What!?!?!
You said all the code word, so I know you know what you’re doing!
For the rest of us – use one of these to test a downstream plug from a GFCI.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2665480
Basically, for every plug that’s even remotely close to water – plug this in. If it fails, you need to add a CGFI outlet directly or upstream. IF you have no idea what I’m talking about, an electrician can do it in about fifteen minutes per outlet – and will protect the average house for around $250 in labor and materials.
I’m not one for useless safety equipment: I’m the kind of guy that removes the chip guard from table saws. BUT GFCI’s are cheap and have saved many lives. Electrocutions are something that you can’t just be careful with and escape harm – electrocutions come as a surprise.
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Too bad the old Boeing surplus closed – I use to grab Safty Glasses by the handful and give them away for free. The meager investment helped save two eyes that I know of.