The handyman

Alexei is a middle-aged man with short, thinning hair. He is dressed in blue coveralls embossed with his company logo, and a short Hispanic man stands behind him in similar clothes.

"Lev?" he asks, as you open the door.

"Alexei! Thanks for coming on such short notice. Come inside."

Alexei enters your house, the other man trailing behind in silence.

"So, this is the house? Tell me again what you want to have done. Remember, I'm a general contractor, not a miracle worker." He looks around the house and takes in the details. Old, flaking paint. Worn hardwood floors. Holes in the walls. Shit, in other words.

"Well, as you can see, the house is in rough shape. I want to fix it up for my family and make it somewhat nice again. Nothing fancy, just clean and new."

Alexei nods his head as you speak. "Sure, fair enough. Let's take a tour and have you point out everything. My associate, Manuel, will take measurements as we go."

"Alright. Well, first thing is that I think the entire house needs to have new drywall and paint. That includes this floor, the second floor, and then the renovation in the attic that we'll get to last. The hardwoods need to be resurfaced as well, where applicable, and new ones need to go in the attic. Again, will get to it. Let me show you the living room first."

You guide the men into the living room and give them a few moments to take it in. The kitchen is next. "I'd like to replace the cabinets and appliances as well. Again, just new and simple, nothing fancy."

Alexei nods along still, saying, "these look to be twenty years old. They don't make them like they used to."

"Isn't that the truth," you agree, then guide the men upstairs. You show them both of the bedrooms, the bathroom, and then the entrance to the attic, between the bathroom and your bedroom door, on top of the other staircase.

"We don't often go up here, so no promises on the condition you'll find it in. But, here's the door." You open it to reveal a dusty staircase that leads up to another floor.

The men follow you upstairs until you break into a somewhat large, open space. Dust coats every surface, and you sneeze.

"Not much up here, eh?" Alexei asks, noticing the nearly empty room. "That's good. Makes it easier for us. What do you want to do?"

You look around the room. It has a vaulted ceiling, ending at the ridge of the house, with large circular windows at each end to allow some natural sunlight to enter. The rear wall also features a normal window. You point to that section and draw a line in the dusty floor.

"I'd like to make the area behind this wall an additional bedroom. The other side, we can leave open for a family space."

Manuel takes more measurements while you speak and notes them on a piece of paper. Alexei walks around the space, looking at the floor and inspecting the walls. There isn't much there, but maybe that's a good thing. Less to tear out.

"No bathrooms or anything?"

"No, we'll continue to share the one downstairs. It isn't an issue for us."

"Alright. Pretty basic remodel, as far as things go. It is a lot of square footage, though. But I think we have what we need. Let's head back downstairs and figure out the cost."