– Waikiki Condo – Remodel Journal
As some of you know, I have been an advocate for building wealth with rental properties since the early 1990s. Recently I purchase another rental property at the Ilikai, one of my favorite condotel building in Waikiki. The unit was in original condition and needed a complete remodel.
Living room with original shoji door
It has been several years since I did my last complete remodel. This journal outlines the weekly progress including before and after pictures.
Living room / bedroom with original closet
Bathroom before
Kitchen with green oven
This is a typical 1-bedroom Ilikai layout with 500 sq ft interior area and a nice ocean facing 120 sq ft lanai. The original layout has a shoji sliding door separating the bedroom from the living room. The bedroom has a large closet that takes up some of the bedroom space. The small kitchen is separated from the living room and feels boxed-in. There is a large window AC unit that prevents one side of the lanai glass sliding door from opening all the way. A bathroom closet takes up space that makes the bathroom seem tight. Everything is outdated and needs to be replaced, top to bottom.
The purpose of the remodel is to create a friendly modern space that could generate maximum vacation rental income. Remodel decisions were based on the following criteria:
1.) Maximum visitor enjoyment
Happy visitors make repeat visitors. The remodel needs to be geared towards what is most practical for visitors. There are over 1,000 Ilikai 1-bedroom units all with the same 500 sq ft space. Most of these units either have a King bed or 2 full beds. My goal is to remove the bedroom closet and enlarge the bedroom space to fit two Queen beds, plus a pull-out couch. I am not aware of any other Ilikai 1-bedroom that has two Queen beds and plus Queen pull-out couch. The heavy duty steel bedframes have 13” high clearance for hiding / storing suitcases below.
Since visitors will most likely be staying for shorter term vacations, closet and kitchen cabinet space is secondary. To be able to fit two Queen beds I will need to remove the original shoji door. The original design was hardly offering any privacy and unnecessarily compartmentalized the space. The condo needs to look happy, friendly, bright, open and inviting. A ceiling fan and a split AC unit will need to be installed to keep everybody cool.
A large 4K TCL Roku TV will be flat mounted against the wall. A wifi modem will provide free high speed internet. The kitchen will be opened to connect with the living room. A large counter top will function as eat-in dining table.
2.) Low maintenance & high durability
What is durable enough for a car showroom is good enough for a vacation rental. Porcelain tiles are almost indestructible, better than ceramic tile, natural stone, wood floors, laminate, cork, vinyl, carpet, or any other floor I can think of. Easy to clean and maintain, there are many attractive color choices available today. The new countertop will be Quartz, heat resistant not brittle and does not stain easily. The bathroom will have a simple shower curtain that can easily be replaced over time. Visitors are not likely to squeegee a nice shower glass enclosure. An elongated but compact one piece Kohler Santa Rosa toilet with standard Kohler parts will mitigate future plumbing repair bills.
3.) Energy efficiency & cost effectiveness
Energy efficient 3” LED recessed lights with dimmers will be installed in kitchen, hallway and bath. All appliances are Energy Star rated. A large 52” ceiling fan and energy efficient split AC will minimize cooling expenses. Bright colors, cabinets and countertops plus an open layout will minimize the need to turn the lights on during the day. The toilet will be an efficient 1.2 gallons low flush design. I’m considering my favorite seamstress to modify the existing blackout curtains, the only condo component that appears to be fairly new and recyclable.
Let’s get started:
T minus 3 weeks: (2/6/2017)
I’m counting weeks backwards (T minus 3 weeks) until construction starts. The purchase recorded, the tenant moved out and I finally got the keys. Immediately I replaced both door locks with a keypad entry door lock and deadbolt lock for easy contractor access as well as for future visitors. After scouring hundreds of photos of other remodeled Ilikai 1bedroom listings posted online I formed a picture of what design, material and color selection I like.
I measured all walls, kitchen, bath, ceilings, doors, closets and did a preliminary drawing how I envisioned the final layout. The dropped ceilings in kitchen and bath are hiding plumbing, sprinkler and concrete columns. Removing the closet and opening the kitchen would allow me to also modify where the dropped ceiling ends. There are three sprinkler heads that I would like to relocate for a cleaner look.
Selecting a contractor:
Quality of workmanship, availability to get the job completed quickly, price and communication skills rank high on the list to consider when selecting the right contractor.
I received three contractor recommendations with extensive Ilikai remodel experience by asking the general manager and my favorite Ilikai property manager. Contractor #1 had a strong foreign accent that made it very difficult for me to communicate. Contractor #2 seemed experienced but when asked if sprinkler heads could be relocated I received a negative response. He does not touch sprinkler heads.
Contractor #3 responded to the same question: “Yes, could be done but cost some extra money.”
The decision was made. There is something comforting in working with a contractor that can relocate sprinkler heads and has demolished and rebuilt over 100 Ilikai 1-bedroom condos over the last decade.
T minus 2 weeks: (2/13/2017)
Selecting materials:
I spent hours visiting local material suppliers Home Depot, Lowes, Golden Cabinets, Selective Stone, Daltile and Ferguson Plumbing. I narrowed material selection for porcelain tile flooring, acoustical underlayment (required for condo hard surface flooring), kitchen cabinets and colors, Quartz countertops, backsplash, one piece toilet, ceiling fan, faucets and LED dimmer switches.
I also ordered refrigerator, slide-in stove and microwave hood to be delivered in about 5 weeks, probably too ambitious of a time frame. A box with 3” recessed LED lighting kits and my favorite dimmable 6.5W, GU10 LED bulbs arrived from Amazon. Now waiting over the weekend on the contractor’s written proposal seems like an eternity. – I’m ready for the demolition phase.
T minus 1 week: (2/20/2017)
Contractor proposal signed. I have specific ideas on material selection and will be doing most the shopping. The proposal is mostly for labor, with few exceptions such as split AC, mortar and carpentry items.
Full renovation application with plans, contractor proof of insurance and underlayment sound insulation spec sheet was submitted for AOAO approval. It pays to work with a contractor that has completed many units in the buildings and knows what is needed to get the application approved.
I revisited all local stores to check again materials and prices. Home Depot had a discontinued 12×24 porcelain tile that was just reduced to an unbelievable low $1.73 per tile. That is 86.5 cents per sqft. I placed my floor tile order with HD delivery date yet to be determined.
I also purchased shower tile inserts, ceiling fan, faucets, bath vanity light, towel racks and hooks. Waiting for AOAO approval to start demolition.
Start of construction – Week #1: (2/27/2017)
AOAO approval received Monday. Made 1st payment to contractor and discussed two design changes: 1.) Include lanai tiling with the same porcelain tiles for an extended consistent look, and, 2.) add a small custom built closet in bedroom area for maximum use of space. Purchased Laticrete sound insulation flooring underlayment and bought additional porcelain floor tiles for lanai, shower floor tiles and Kohler Santa Rosa toilet. Home Depot only delivers curbside on two shrink-wrapped pallets. It took me hours to move all tile boxes up the service elevator. This is heavy stuff and back breaking work. Ordered kitchen sink, floating wall cabinet, TV wall mount, towel rack, towel bars, bathroom faucet from Amazon with eta next week. Demolition started Friday week #1.
Week 2 – demolition – kitchen, flooring and closets removed
Week #2: (3/6/2017)
Wednesday the unit shows razed. Furniture, shoji door and frame, bedroom closet, wall paper, large wall mirror, flooring, kitchen wall, kitchen and bath cabinets, shower stall, bath closet, vanity, all gone.
Week 2 – demolition – living room wall mirror removed
Week 2 – demolition – bath vanity, mirror and flooring removed
Week 2 – shower tile removed
Large Amazon boxes arrived today: Zuhne 23” kitchen sink, floating wall cabinet, TV wall mount, 2x recessed outlets / cable ports to hide wires for TV wall mount and floating cabinet. More Amazon boxes: bath faucet, vanity light, towel racks, paper holder, etc.
I bought a framed mirror from Ross for the bathroom. Not the exact size I was hoping for, but it will do. I ordered 2x Queen Olee steel slat bedframes. These have 13” clearance for suitcase storage. No need for bulky box springs. I have ideas for the headboards but want to wait until I see the frames first. There will be two recessed LED lights above the headboards and I visualize a certain look. Still shopping around for 12” memory foam mattress and beddings.
I picked up some plastic wire channel and Romex from Home Depot for the ceiling fan installation. There are straight groves in the ceiling between the concrete slabs (this is 1960’s construction, before post-tension concrete). I want to run the ceiling fan wire in one of the straight concrete grooves before smooth-texture finishing the ceiling. The electrician will eventually make the final connection in a junction box behind the wall. Will need to drill concrete for anchoring the ceiling fan base plate and also haul another 7 porcelain tile boxes up the service elevator this weekend. The same flooring material inside and out on the lanai will make the space look bigger and create a seamless indoor outdoor connection. Marking recessed light can locations in kitchen and bath.
I ordered ceiling curtain tracks for the living room and a ceiling mounted shower curtain track. Once I see the curtain tracks the seamstress will modify my black-out curtains to correct size.
Week 2 – condo is busted but the view is still great
Week #3: (3/13/2017)
Rescheduled HD appliance delivery to week #9. Clearly we are not ready for that. Several more boxes arrived at my house, including curtain tracks and special Queen bed frames with 13” clearance for additional suitcase storage underneath. I measured and marked locations for new electrical outlets, switches, floating TV cabinet and wall mount TV.
Contractor dropped of some electrical conduits and drywall framing material. Not much else, waiting for water shut-down next week.
Week #4: (3/20/2017)
Electrician relocated and installed brand new electrical panel. Tuesday three sprinkler heads were moved. 
Looks great. Ceiling and soffit are being rebuilt around the new sprinkler head locations and AC location. Thursday was water shut-down and all plumbing valves were replaced. Shower stall plumbing rough-in started and kitchen plumbing has been relocated to match the new sink location.
AC rough-in and conduit has been installed. Electrical conduit to new recessed ceiling lights, electrical switches and outlets are being installed. Good progress compared to last week.
Week #5: (3/27/2017)
Monday was Prince Kuhio Day, a State Holiday, no work allowed at the Ilikai. During this short work week more electrical work, e.g. electrical panel, conduits, switches and plug locations were finalized. Recessed light locations were cut into ceilings with all conduit work completed. Electricity was restored to new electrical panel.
Week 5 – some new framing, relocated sprinkler heads and electrical work
More framing and drywall work with mudding. Paint color selection completed, ready for painting next week.
Week 5 – kitchen plumbing
A month ago I mapped out kitchen layout and confirmed with Golden Cabinets that my cabinet selection is readily availability. Since new drywall is installed and measurements are now final, I went to order my cabinets today 3/31 to find out several cabinets are out of stock until 4/25, that is 4 weeks from today! Bummer. This will delay kitchen installation by more than 3 weeks! Lesson learned. When material is available, secure it. Don’t take current availability for granted.
Week 5 – AC soffit framing
Ordered and paid MSI Arctic White Quartz stone countertops from Selective Stone. These won’t be needed until cabinets are installed, but good to have them secured.
Week #6: (4/3/2017)
Week 6 – accent wall mudding and new AC soffit
Week 6 – new shower stall green board
‘Green board’ drywall installation in shower stall completed. Concrete grooves in ceiling mudded and sanded. Small new closet upper framing completed. All mudding done and painted with Kilz primer. That’s all. Looking better already but progress is way too slow for me.
Shopping for queen size mattresses and a pull-out couch this week.
Week #7: (4/10/2017)
Picked up bathroom cabinet. Kitchen cabinets won’t be ready until 4/25. More drywall work in the bathroom. Ceiling spayed with orange peel texture. Painting in living room and kitchen about completed, including living room accent wall. Electrical panel completed and labeled. All recessed lights and dimmer switches installed. We finally have lights working, including in the bathroom. Flooring acoustical underlayment installed. Old window AC unit removed. Will need to install a new glass panel in the lanai window panel where AC was located. That’s all.
Week 7 – new paint
Week #8: (4/17/2017)
Old toilet removed.
Tile floor installation in living room, bath room and lanai 90% completed with grout. Looking better. New bathroom cabinet installed.
Week 8 – new tile floor installation with acoustical underlayment
Week 8 – painted accent wall below AC soffit, – new tile floor
Waiting on kitchen cabinets. ETA was adjusted to 4/28 instead of 4/25. Living room ceiling should get one more final coat. Fridge, stove and microwave appliance delivery was Friday 4/21, but no kitchen cabinets yet.
Week 8 – appliances delivered
Week #9: (4/24/2017)
This is a work in progress, check back later.
To be continued later this week..
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~ Mahalo & Aloha
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