I’m grateful for my guys
It’s go time! At least for me and our current project it is. That’s because it’s November in Georgia, and we have some things to do outside while the weather is compliant. Let me tell you what I mean.
We are working on a split-level house in Calhoun. This is one of those tri-level floor plans where the garage and the bonus area are on the ground floor, the kitchen and living area on the next and the beds and bathrooms are on top. This is a common floor plan in Bartow, but not something we see as much of in Gordon County. Not to mention, this house is in an established older subdivision with mainly larger ranch style or just two-story homes.
Not only is the floor plan different, but so was the siding. A lot of the homes in the subdivision are brick. This one has a combination of brick, board and batten siding, and cedar shake singles in the gables. One more thing that makes this house unique is they designed the level above the garage that goes to the floor where the bedrooms are to look like a Dutch style barn.
As such, the house was painted barn red and sticks out like a sore thumb.
The plan is to paint the siding and brick one color with some accents to give it a more modern feel. The problem is the weather has not been cooperating. Last week we had freezing temperatures followed by rain. Next week’s forecast is calling for much cooler temperatures and possible rain. So, with temperatures in the 70s this week, it’s all hands on deck (including mine) to get the exterior painted.
My nephew CJ is working for us now, and had already pressure washed the house in a break in the cold we had recently. He had even begun to caulk the exterior. But we underestimated how much prep work this house was going to take to be ready for paint this week. We had brick to repair, cedar shingles to replace, and even repairs to be made on the board and batten. Next, because of the age of the house, and the many different siding changes, a ton of time got spent on caulking. But by Thursday, it was time to start priming.
Prior to going out there, I had to repair our Graco paint sprayer. It had stopped working on the precious house, wouldn’t prime and we couldn’t figure out why. In my yard, I did the normal things like tapping the pump to try and dislodge any dried paint from any moving parts to get it to prime. I did get it to build pressure. But it built too much and blew a hose off, spraying paint all over my shoes and pants in the process
After that I decided to take it to Calhoun Paint and Decorating. They are certified Graco dealers and work on those types of machines. And the good people there helped me find the issue. There was a filter we didn’t know about that had become so stopped up that it had collapsed in on itself, causing things to go haywire.
At the project, I began spraying primer on the brick and siding. Nearly halfway done, however, the sprayer quit and started tripping breakers. Apparently, due to the machine having to work so hard when I got it to prime, something inside the motor shorted out rendering the machine useless. This was not good. It was already 1 p.m.. We only have two more workdays of good weather, and it gets dark at 5:30 p.m.
Feeling the time constraints, I ran to get a new sprayer. And less than an hour and $800 later, we were back in business.
While I was spraying, I was taking inventory of what was going on. My guys were busy working in front of me to make sure things moved smoothly. Charles, my lead guy, was finishing some trim, and caulking one of the most tedious areas on the house — the screened-in back porch. Lalo was busy repairing the last bricks on the retaining wall and steps and making sure everything fit just right. CJ was putting plastic in places and laying down paper to make sure the over spray didn’t land on things it shouldn’t.
These three are the guys behind the scenes on our projects. They take pride in what they’re doing, and as anyone who has seen one of our rentals or flips knows, they do an amazing job. They are the ones that make our houses turn into the beautiful homes that people see at the end when we list them. They’re super talented, hardworking guys. And as I was hanging off the ladder watching them cheerfully work, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly thankful for them.
They are the ones who work hard to provide quality homes for the people in our area. And because of what they do, who they are — talented hardworking craftsmen with integrity — they make what we do possible and in turn give us the good name we have. And I can’t say enough just how grateful we are for our guys.
Charles, Lalo and CJ, thank you for all you do and for being part of my team.
Joe and Ashley English buy houses and mobile homes in Northwest Georgia. For more information or to ask a question, go to www.cashflowwithjoe.com or call Joe at 678-986-6813.