As hundred year old properties are being renovated all around Kansas City, one of the biggest decision points is whether to keep the roots of the original charm and style of the home or update it to a modern vibe.  Ultimately, I decided that one couldn't have complete disregard for the origins of the building.  So vintage inspired paint colors became the goal. 

I started researching pictures of historic Hyde Park in Kansas City, and (duh) - they were all in black and white, so that didn't get me very far.  At the turn of the century, paint companies offered a very limited number of colors, mainly variations of earth tones such as sage, salmon, forest green, cadmium blue, plus off-white tones. 

When you're starting to find contractors to complete a home renovation project, one of the hardest things to judge is making sure that all the contractors are pricing the same work - especially if it's big or complicated.  Simple projects are easy, you can generally communicate through gestures, discussions, waves of the hand, and everyone is on the same page.  But multifaceted renovation projects cannot be done that way as easily.  

The more that you know about your scope, the better product you will get from your contractor because you know exactly what you are asking them to do.  Plus, it helps mitigate the fear of a contractor ripping you off.  The more educated you appear (even if it is a false front), the better the contractor will do of explaining what they are doing, why, and how much it costs.  

Enter: The Contractor Scope of Work

We bit the bullet, so to speak.

So, as some as our friends know, we've been thinking about buying a property to renovate and rent for many years now.  But between the one million other things that seem to comprise daily life, we've never found the time (nor the right property) to say yes to.  Well, I'm excited to say that we finally found the place!