Cover for Episode 88 of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven: "Renovation Story - From renovation disaster to building a love story". The logo of the podcast is on the lower left. On the right is a photo of a bride and groom posing excitedly as they get married in Las Vegas.

What happens when a lawyer buys a condo and tries to replace the tile floor? Maybe it was a renovation disaster. Maybe you don’t want to know. With whom does she find love? Listen and find out.

Mitra Shahri is a well-known and very successful attorney licensed to practice law in Oregon and California. After giving up on the idea of ever finding love, she bought her first ever property, a 2-bedroom, 2-bath penthouse unit in a sought-after downtown high-rise in Portland, Oregon with amazing views of the river and mountains. She hired a general contractor with a great reputation who was highly recommended by several credible friends. A project that was scheduled to be completed in 3 months and for $55,000, turned into a 2-year renovation disaster that cost her over $250,000 and invited a lawsuit against her by a flooded unit 9 floors below her. The project came to a halt after she fired the second general contractor.

Frustrated, she took over the project on her own. She hired several subcontractors to fix the mistakes and complete the project. Three months later, she owned a beautiful overpriced unit that she had to sell at a $400,000 loss a year later during the housing market crash. Why did she have to sell? Because she had fallen head over heels in love with the electrical contractor she had hired to finish the project. The two bought a house together after they were married and since have purchased several residential and commercial buildings which they have renovated, acting as general contractors.