Home remodel

[ChiSox_Sonix]

This may be way too general, but has anyone ever remodeled their kitchen? We are talking about taking out a wall to make the 1st floor more open, new sink, new cabinets, new counter tops. Possibly adding an island and/or a breakfast bar. First of all, do you need to get a permit for interior work only? We were hoping to get stuff done for around $10-12K. Just wondering if anyone has experience going through it and if that is a reasonable expectation. We don't need super fancy or top of the line everything, we're buying a house in pretty good shape except the kitchen is straight out of 1955. Just curious about other's experience here. Thanks!

 

Edit: We already have a brand new dishwasher and would not immediately replace the refrigerator so those would not factor in to costs.

Edited October 23, 2015 by ChiSox_Sonix

[RockRaines]

I think there are a few undergoing this right now, good start of a new thread.

 

I am in the beginning stages of architectural drawings on changing my roofline as well as adding a closet, bathroom and bedroom on my second story in a house built in 1883.

[StrangeSox]

This may be way too general, but has anyone ever remodeled their kitchen? We are talking about taking out a wall to make the 1st floor more open, new sink, new cabinets, new counter tops. Possibly adding an island and/or a breakfast bar. First of all, do you need to get a permit for interior work only? We were hoping to get stuff done for around $10-12K. Just wondering if anyone has experience going through it and if that is a reasonable expectation. We don't need super fancy or top of the line everything, we're buying a house in pretty good shape except the kitchen is straight out of 1955. Just curious about other's experience here. Thanks!

 

Edit: We already have a brand new dishwasher and would not immediately replace the refrigerator so those would not factor in to costs.

 

The house we bought five years ago had a kitchen that was literally falling apart. Luckily the dividing wall was already taken down, so that saved some costs. But we did a complete gut of the kitchen and added an island. Replaced all of the appliances but the fridge since it was pretty new. All together it was probably 13-15k including labor. This was with "semi custom" cabinets and quartz countertops, redoing the plumbing and electrical, and removing the soffit.

 

If you're removing a wall, you're probably going to need an engineering evaluation to determine if it's load bearing. This is speaking pretty generically, but a quick way to tell if a wall might be load bearing is to determine if the wall runs parallel or perpendicular to the ceiling joists above and below it. If it's parallel, it's almost definitely not load bearing. If it's perpendicular, it might be and would require someone knowledgeable (and for permitting purposes, probably a licensed Professional Engineer or Structural Engineer) to evaluate it.

 

Edit if you're taking down walls, I'd get a permit. Helps make sure the work is done properly. We didn't get a permit for any of our interior remodeling though, even though they were probably required. Not getting a permit for our she'd could come back to bite us some day because I unknowingly built it over a utility easement, but the village didn't say anything when I turned in the plans for a couple of other permits.

Edited October 23, 2015 by StrangeSox

[StrangeSox]

I think there are a few undergoing this right now, good start of a new thread.

 

I am in the beginning stages of architectural drawings on changing my roofline as well as adding a closet, bathroom and bedroom on my second story in a house built in 1883.

 

We're looking at a house on Sunday that would require something similar. We're bringing a contractor along to see how much some of the changes we have in mind are even feasible for our price range because this house is on an awesome piece of property.

Edited October 23, 2015 by StrangeSox

[RockRaines]

We're looking at a house on Sunday that would require something similar. We're bringing a contractor along to see how much some of the changes we have in mind are even feasible for our price range because this house is on am awesome piece of property.

My house has been added onto twice and the rooflines dont match in the back and they could have done a better job matching the upstairs all together so we are making the master into a suite and some of that is raising the roofline and changing it as well as raising the roof of one of the additions. We will see what it costs, I can PM you some basic info once its scoped. The kicker is that in my area is we are on a historic district block so my contractor is one who specializes in making everything look like it wasnt touched, Im sure that adds cost.

 

I always say, if you are moving into a long term place you cannot change the location or the lot, if you love both of those always see if you can make it work.

[Iwritecode]

We completely gutted and remodeled our kitchen about 5 years ago. We made sure to get a permit because we know our asshole neighbor would call us in the second he saw a contractor's truck in our driveway.

 

$10-12K is probably reasonable. We paid less than that but the COL in our town is probably lower. Originally we were just going to replace the cabinets and counter tops and were checking with the big box stores like Home Depot and Menards. Then we ended up going to a local kitchen and bath place and they did everything for us including rewiring the electrical, putting up new drywall, installing new appliances, etc... Worked out well in the long run.

 

We went a little cheap on our flooring and regret it. Went with linoleum and should have gone with tile instead. It already needs to be replaced.

[Y2HH]

If I could make a recommendation, remember that once it's done, it's done...so if something you think you'd really like is going to make it cost 1-2k more, SPEND IT. 3-4 years down the line, you'll look back at that 1-2k you saved and wish you would have just had it done.

[Jenksismyhero]

If you're doing major work, you'll probably need a permit. Anything having to do with electrical, plumbing and major renovation usually does. Check your local city/village website. There should be a building department page with a list of construction that require permits and the cost of each. Be prepared to spend a bulls*** amount on it, like 1-2% of the total cost of the project.

[iamshack]

I am going through this right now.

 

My cabinets are being installed as I type.

 

Here is what I can tell you...we had a kitchen that I thought was original to the 1956 build, but after demo, appears to have been a renovation from perhaps the mid-to-late 60's.

 

My kitchen was not small, especially for the time in which it was designed, but it was semi-enclosed by a wall of cabinets with a pass-through on one side, and a breakfast bar on the other side. The cooktop and oven were ancient 60's models, and the countertop, which I thought was kind of cool, was stainless steel and my wife did not care for it. Our fridge was nice but old and on its last legs (a 28 year old subzero). Basically, it was dark, kind of enclosed, in need of new appliances, the electrical was outdated, etc.

 

I originally set out on just finding a way to replace the cooktop and stove. I found a cabinetmaker on Angie's list and had him come by the house to take a look. He did come up with a design and present it to us, but then that evening, he called me back and said that he was having second thoughts. He asked me if we had any plans in the near future of doing a complete remodel of the kitchen. I told him we had gone back and forth about it, but we just weren't sure the timing was right. He said well, I will tell you this. I can do this project for you, and I would make more money if I did this for you now and then you called me back in a few years when you wanted to remodel the entire thing, but I think it is smarter for you to just wait until you are ready to remodel the entire kitchen. So my wife and I discussed it, and ultimately decided to pursue a full remodel. We had the cabinet maker provide drawings for a complete renovation. He proposed knocking out the wall of cabinets with the pass-through and the breakfast bar, and completely opening everything up.

 

My wife and I liked the plan, and decided to move forward. We started costing everything out, including floors, countertops, cabinets, appliances, demo, electric and plumbing. As we are both very busy at work, have a 4 month old son, and generally are useless when it comes to doing anything handy, we knew we wouldn't be able to do any of the work ourselves. We knew this would cost more, but at least I felt more confident the work would be done right.

 

I basically leveraged my cabinetmaker's knowledge with my project management skills to handle the general contractor role. This was a large project. Everything was so incorporated into the existing design, that changing it required us to address nearly everything, down to changing the location of HVAC vents and installing a new downdraft exhaust vent underneath the floors. Additionally, we chose to not only replace the flooring in the kitchen, but also in the dining room/den and laundry areas. We also had the cabinet maker build cabinets for the laundry area as well as one in the dining room/den.

 

We've actually stayed fairly close to our original budget, which I am pleased with. However, there were some items we forgot to budget for, basically because we simply didn't recognize the level of destruction which would occur or what exactly we would unearth in the demo.

 

The most expensive things were as follows:

1) appliances (high-end)

2) cabinets (custom)

3) flooring (mid-range, but we're replacing 650 sq ft and we encountered a LOT of issues once the tear-out of the original floors began)

4) countertops (silestone quartz)

5) electrical (needed lots of updates)

 

Those were the major costs. We also spent about $1600 on the ventilation work, $1500 on drywall and ceiling repair, anticipating $1,000 or so for backsplash and install, I'm sure several hundred to paint, etc. Then we also bought a new kitchen table and 5 chairs, a new ceiling fan, new steel vent registers, etc.

 

You can see how the costs start adding up fast.

 

It certainly has been a major, major project. We are through the worst of it now, and I anticipate things going more smoothly from here on out. Floors go in on Monday-Tuesday. Then we will work on some finishing work while we wait for countertops to be fabricated, and then finally, appliances get installed. I am hoping to be finished by mid-November or so.

 

So can you do it for $12k? Possibly. Utilize handymen that are friends or friends of the family. Do as much as you possibly can yourself, without significantly putting the finished product at risk. However, don't overlook things like electrical, drywall, plumbing, etc., which can add up quickly.

 

Lastly, I fully agree with Y2k...you want to do it right the first time. If possible, spend a little extra if necessary to get it done right, and the way you want it. However, you will have to make decisions to stop the bleeding at some point. I've tried to push this envelope as far as I am comfortable with, and I think we will be really pleased with what our finished product will be.

 

Edit: Oh, and I did not mess with any permits. We did not remove any load-bearing walls, nor did we change the sq footage of the house or anything. However, Las Vegas is a bit more lax on those types of things than the Chicago area is, I'm sure. It's still a little wild wild west out here.

Edited October 23, 2015 by iamshack

[Jenksismyhero]

I am going through this right now.

 

My cabinets are being installed as I type.

 

Here is what I can tell you...we had a kitchen that I thought was original to the 1956 build, but after demo, appears to have been a renovation from perhaps the mid-to-late 60's.

 

My kitchen was not small, especially for the time in which it was designed, but it was semi-enclosed by a wall of cabinets with a pass-through on one side, and a breakfast bar on the other side. The cooktop and oven were ancient 60's models, and the countertop, which I thought was kind of cool, was stainless steel and my wife did not care for it. Our fridge was nice but old and on its last legs (a 28 year old subzero). Basically, it was dark, kind of enclosed, in need of new appliances, the electrical was outdated, etc.

 

I originally set out on just finding a way to replace the cooktop and stove. I found a cabinetmaker on Angie's list and had him come by the house to take a look. He did come up with a design and present it to us, but then that evening, he called me back and said that he was having second thoughts. He asked me if we had any plans in the near future of doing a complete remodel of the kitchen. I told him we had gone back and forth about it, but we just weren't sure the timing was right. He said well, I will tell you this. I can do this project for you, and I would make more money if I did this for you now and then you called me back in a few years when you wanted to remodel the entire thing, but I think it is smarter for you to just wait until you are ready to remodel the entire kitchen. So my wife and I discussed it, and ultimately decided to pursue a full remodel. We had the cabinet maker provide drawings for a complete renovation. He proposed knocking out the wall of cabinets with the pass-through and the breakfast bar, and completely opening everything up.

 

My wife and I liked the plan, and decided to move forward. We started costing everything out, including floors, countertops, cabinets, appliances, demo, electric and plumbing. As we are both very busy at work, have a 4 month old son, and generally are useless when it comes to doing anything handy, we knew we wouldn't be able to do any of the work ourselves. We knew this would cost more, but at least I felt more confident the work would be done right.

 

I basically leveraged my cabinetmaker's knowledge with my project management skills to handle the general contractor role. This was a large project. Everything was so incorporated into the existing design, that changing it required us to address nearly everything, down to changing the location of HVAC vents and installing a new downdraft exhaust vent underneath the floors. Additionally, we chose to not only replace the flooring in the kitchen, but also in the dining room/den and laundry areas. We also had the cabinet maker build cabinets for the laundry area as well as one in the dining room/den.

 

We've actually stayed fairly close to our original budget, which I am pleased with. However, there were some items we forgot to budget for, basically because we simply didn't recognize the level of destruction which would occur or what exactly we would unearth in the demo.

 

The most expensive things were as follows:

1) appliances (high-end)

2) cabinets (custom)

3) flooring (mid-range, but we're replacing 650 sq ft and we encountered a LOT of issues once the tear-out of the original floors began)

4) countertops (silestone quartz)

5) electrical (needed lots of updates)

 

Those were the major costs. We also spent about $1600 on the ventilation work, $1500 on drywall and ceiling repair, anticipating $1,000 or so for backsplash and install, I'm sure several hundred to paint, etc. Then we also bought a new kitchen table and 5 chairs, a new ceiling fan, new steel vent registers, etc.

 

You can see how the costs start adding up fast.

 

It certainly has been a major, major project. We are through the worst of it now, and I anticipate things going more smoothly from here on out. Floors go in on Monday-Tuesday. Then we will work on some finishing work while we wait for countertops to be fabricated, and then finally, appliances get installed. I am hoping to be finished by mid-November or so.

 

So can you do it for $12k? Possibly. Utilize handymen that are friends or friends of the family. Do as much as you possibly can yourself, without significantly putting the finished product at risk. However, don't overlook things like electrical, drywall, plumbing, etc., which can add up quickly.

 

Lastly, I fully agree with Y2k...you want to do it right the first time. If possible, spend a little extra if necessary to get it done right, and the way you want it. However, you will have to make decisions to stop the bleeding at some point. I've tried to push this envelope as far as I am comfortable with, and I think we will be really pleased with what our finished product will be.

 

Edit: Oh, and I did not mess with any permits. We did not remove any load-bearing walls, nor did we change the sq footage of the house or anything. However, Las Vegas is a bit more lax on those types of things than the Chicago area is, I'm sure. It's still a little wild wild west out here.

 

Demo, drywall, flooring, cabinets (install anyway), tile work etc. can be done by anyone with some patience and a little practice. It's not difficult and, IMO, well worth the savings. The key difference between a professional and doing it yourself is time. If it needs to be done within weeks, hire someone. If you can take your time with it and tackle one project at a time, try to do as much yourself as you can. Knocking out a wall and putting a header in is going to take someone with some knowledge and experience on how to do that. Electrical and plumbing the same. But everything else can be done by the average home owner. Read up on what you're doing, go watch youtube videos and be patient about it.

 

 

 

[cabiness42]

As long as you didn't install slot machines, then I'm sure you're fine in Vegas.

[iamshack]

Demo, drywall, flooring, cabinets (install anyway), tile work etc. can be done by anyone with some patience and a little practice. It's not difficult and, IMO, well worth the savings. The key difference between a professional and doing it yourself is time. If it needs to be done within weeks, hire someone. If you can take your time with it and tackle one project at a time, try to do as much yourself as you can. Knocking out a wall and putting a header in is going to take someone with some knowledge and experience on how to do that. Electrical and plumbing the same. But everything else can be done by the average home owner. Read up on what you're doing, go watch youtube videos and be patient about it.

Agreed for the most part.

 

We've asked for a very particular look for our cabinets and how they interact with our appliances. We wanted everything to be exactly flush and precise, as if the cabinets were made to fit with these precise appliances. If I tried to install the cabinets, it would be a disaster That doesn't mean someone who is handy couldn't do it, however, I suppose.

 

We took a very aggressive approach on the schedule, because we are simply too busy to be without a working kitchen for very long. The entire project will likely take about 6 weeks, but the lion's share of the work will be done in 3 1/2 weeks. About half of the time is just waiting on countertops.

 

 

 

[Middle Buffalo]

We completely gutted and remodeled our kitchen about 5 years ago. We made sure to get a permit because we know our asshole neighbor would call us in the second he saw a contractor's truck in our driveway.

i have the same problem. Everything I do at home has to be by the book because of my neighbors.

[LittleHurt05]

As far as permits go, every town is different. You are probably better off just asking to not have any future problems if you sell. Plus , you are not in money sucking Chicagoland so they are probably not as bad.

 

I've complained enough but our addition project is finally almost done, only about 7 months late. The house is great, despite all the headaches we went through. Biggest thing I learned was don't make any assumptions with contractors, ask about everything

 

 

[iamshack]

As far as permits go, every town is different. You are probably better off just asking to not have any future problems if you sell. Plus , you are not in money sucking Chicagoland so they are probably not as bad.

 

I've complained enough but our addition project is finally almost done, only about 7 months late. The house is great, despite all the headaches we went through. Biggest thing I learned was don't make any assumptions with contractors, ask about everything

Yeah, you've got that right.

 

My electrician, despite having the specs for all of our appliances, heard my cabinetmaker refer to our ovens as "double ovens" and only put in one power source. Well, if he would have read through all the specs more closely, he would have realized there ARE two ovens, but they are separate ovens with TWO power sources, not a double oven with one power source. I caught this after the drywall went in, but luckily before the floors or cabinets went in, and so yesterday I was literally crawling through the crawlspace underneath my house (which is not really a crawlspace in the true definition of the word), to bring cable from the power supply to the panel, because my electrician couldn't fit. Had I missed this, we wouldn't have found out until the appliances were to be installed, at which point it would have been much more difficult.

 

 

[LittleHurt05]

Yeah, you've got that right.

 

My electrician, despite having the specs for all of our appliances, heard my cabinetmaker refer to our ovens as "double ovens" and only put in one power source. Well, if he would have read through all the specs more closely, he would have realized there ARE two ovens, but they are separate ovens with TWO power sources, not a double oven with one power source. I caught this after the drywall went in, but luckily before the floors or cabinets went in, and so yesterday I was literally crawling through the crawlspace underneath my house (which is not really a crawlspace in the true definition of the word), to bring cable from the power supply to the panel, because my electrician couldn't fit. Had I missed this, we wouldn't have found out until the appliances were to be installed, at which point it would have been much more difficult.

 

Our cabinet maker had all the specs for our appliances as well. Yet the space for the double oven was about ten inches too short. Nobody checked until the appliances were being installed, so had to cut up the cabinets at the last second.

 

And the countertop guy had the cooktop in front of him when making measurements. The cooktop had sharp corners. So of course the countertop had rounded corners in the opening, so the quartz to be cut after installation as well.

 

Fun stuff!

[SexiAlexei]

I have absolutely no idea where to start, so after seeing this thread I thought I might ask here and hopefully someone could point me in the right direction.

 

My dad loves home improvement projects, but doesn't like to finish them. I'd say my parent's home is 30-40% under "renovations" right now and not getting much better.

 

It's been his plan for a long time to do these improvements so he can get the house in selling shape and move to a much cheaper area. However, recently he has mentioned just selling the house as is so my parents can just get out. This in my mind is an AWFUL idea. He'd be leaving so much money on the table. I mentioned that he should get someone in there to evaluate the house, give suggestions on improvements that would increase the value of the house, and then just get someone to do them. He seemed open to the idea, but neither of us know where to start.

 

So this is my question. Who would you hire to come in and suggest home improvements? What I'm looking for is someone to come in, say if you remodel your kitchen it'll cost you $8k, but your house value could go up $12k. Things along this line. Would this be a realtor? Does something like this even exist? Maybe I've seen too much HGTV.

 

Thanks in advance.

[StrangeSox]

Seems like a realtor may be your best bet. They would know (or could look up) comparable homes for sale and recently sold in the area. They could look at homes that are fully updated versus ones in your parents' condition and see where it might make the most sense to upgrade.

[Jenksismyhero]

I have absolutely no idea where to start, so after seeing this thread I thought I might ask here and hopefully someone could point me in the right direction.

 

My dad loves home improvement projects, but doesn't like to finish them. I'd say my parent's home is 30-40% under "renovations" right now and not getting much better.

 

It's been his plan for a long time to do these improvements so he can get the house in selling shape and move to a much cheaper area. However, recently he has mentioned just selling the house as is so my parents can just get out. This in my mind is an AWFUL idea. He'd be leaving so much money on the table. I mentioned that he should get someone in there to evaluate the house, give suggestions on improvements that would increase the value of the house, and then just get someone to do them. He seemed open to the idea, but neither of us know where to start.

 

So this is my question. Who would you hire to come in and suggest home improvements? What I'm looking for is someone to come in, say if you remodel your kitchen it'll cost you $8k, but your house value could go up $12k. Things along this line. Would this be a realtor? Does something like this even exist? Maybe I've seen too much HGTV.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I would think a realtor would be the perfect person for that. Most would know what's popular in the area, what upgrades where would be worth the cost, etc.

[Chisoxfn]

I have absolutely no idea where to start, so after seeing this thread I thought I might ask here and hopefully someone could point me in the right direction.

 

My dad loves home improvement projects, but doesn't like to finish them. I'd say my parent's home is 30-40% under "renovations" right now and not getting much better.

 

It's been his plan for a long time to do these improvements so he can get the house in selling shape and move to a much cheaper area. However, recently he has mentioned just selling the house as is so my parents can just get out. This in my mind is an AWFUL idea. He'd be leaving so much money on the table. I mentioned that he should get someone in there to evaluate the house, give suggestions on improvements that would increase the value of the house, and then just get someone to do them. He seemed open to the idea, but neither of us know where to start.

 

So this is my question. Who would you hire to come in and suggest home improvements? What I'm looking for is someone to come in, say if you remodel your kitchen it'll cost you $8k, but your house value could go up $12k. Things along this line. Would this be a realtor? Does something like this even exist? Maybe I've seen too much HGTV.

 

Thanks in advance.

Forwarning, normally doing work to your house isn't going to actually improve its value (if it was actually functional). However, if a house is in total dissaray, then someone could buy the house well below the value and then do such work (having the right connections at less than market value) and then get value out of it. In your case, it might really be the fact that if you don't finish the work, you've driven negative value (cause someone else is going to have to do the dirty work) because it is totally not functioning and split apart (vs. even an as is house), so while the net cost of the project might cost you money (vs. where you'd have been if you just sold as is prior to the projects)...it might be the only option to not have sunk that money plus whatever discount for selling an unfinished project.

 

The exception to this is basic stuff to ensure you house shows well, can help ensure that A it sells quickly and be you get the fair value (or a little premium) but rarely in general if you do big remodels (via a contractor with normal pricing) do you get it back (short-term)...long-term you very well might but that would be driven by more general market appreciation.

 

And agree with the other suggestions. Go with a couple established realtors (get a couple opinions to ensure the opinions have been vetted).

[illinilaw08]

We've been in our current house for almost two years. Right now, we're re-doing the landscaping entirely. Basically, we bought from a lady who LOVED gardening and the wife and I would rather be in the mountains or drinking good beer than working in the yard.

 

Landscaper has done great work - the outdoor seating area looks good. Everything is going according to plan. But they are the WORST at communicating. Not telling us what days they are going to be working, the timeline, etc. It's just so very, very frustrating...

 

As to re-doing stuff in the house. We left the Midwest unexpectedly a few years back - right after putting a new furnace and AC into the house. Because we didn't know we would be leaving within the year, we spent more than we would have otherwise. According to feedback from our realtor, it helped our house sell quicker than it might have otherwise - but we didn't get (or expect) more money from the sale...

 

 

[RockRaines]

Forwarning, normally doing work to your house isn't going to actually improve its value (if it was actually functional). However, if a house is in total dissaray, then someone could buy the house well below the value and then do such work (having the right connections at less than market value) and then get value out of it. In your case, it might really be the fact that if you don't finish the work, you've driven negative value (cause someone else is going to have to do the dirty work) because it is totally not functioning and split apart (vs. even an as is house), so while the net cost of the project might cost you money (vs. where you'd have been if you just sold as is prior to the projects)...it might be the only option to not have sunk that money plus whatever discount for selling an unfinished project.

 

The exception to this is basic stuff to ensure you house shows well, can help ensure that A it sells quickly and be you get the fair value (or a little premium) but rarely in general if you do big remodels (via a contractor with normal pricing) do you get it back (short-term)...long-term you very well might but that would be driven by more general market appreciation.

 

And agree with the other suggestions. Go with a couple established realtors (get a couple opinions to ensure the opinions have been vetted).

Of course that value increase depends on what you are actually doing. If you add a bathroom to make a master suite or completely gut and expand a kitchen those are HUGE at adding value or improving negotiation position. Changing from hardwood to bamboo flooring or adding different countertops or something of that sort can be a wash.

[iamshack]

Of course that value increase depends on what you are actually doing. If you add a bathroom to make a master suite or completely gut and expand a kitchen those are HUGE at adding value or improving negotiation position. Changing from hardwood to bamboo flooring or adding different countertops or something of that sort can be a wash.

Yeah, kitchens and master suites sell houses.

 

We're putting about 15% of the value of our home into this kitchen renovation, and while I wouldn't expect it to increase the value of our home by 15%, I suspect it will increase it by 10% or so. Bottom line though, the kitchen needed an upgrade in functionality simply for us to continue living here, especially with a young child.

 

That being said, I have a particular vision for our property, and this was the first step in fulfilling that vision, both for our enjoyment, but for resale as well. We were very careful to choose high quality materials and equipment based on what is commonplace in our general location. I hope that will pay off if something happens which causes us to need to sell.

Edited October 27, 2015 by iamshack

[RockRaines]

On another note, today continues the saga of fixing the "self remodeler" problems that we've been doing since we moved in. The guy two owners ago was an electrician and decided he was also a remodeler, a plumber, a mason etc. The electric is good but the rest is just lazy. I'm slowly fixing everything with a huge project next summer including ripping off the roof, adding a bathroom and closet and repurposing a closet into a bedroom as well as fixing all of the HVAC and finishes on the first floor. The plumber today who just began some of the work just laughs every time he finds something else.

 

I feel like im on an episode of Holmes makes it right at times.

[iamshack]

On another note, today continues the saga of fixing the "self remodeler" problems that we've been doing since we moved in. The guy two owners ago was an electrician and decided he was also a remodeler, a plumber, a mason etc. The electric is good but the rest is just lazy. I'm slowly fixing everything with a huge project next summer including ripping off the roof, adding a bathroom and closet and repurposing a closet into a bedroom as well as fixing all of the HVAC and finishes on the first floor. The plumber today who just began some of the work just laughs every time he finds something else.

 

I feel like im on an episode of Holmes makes it right at times.

Hah. That was my motivation behind not doing any of the work myself

 

My renovation has been interesting. It isn't that any of the work was really done poorly before I bought the house, it's just that so much of it is from a different era. Most of the contractors I have brought in have been sort of marveling at the way most things were done.

 

I'm in a similar boat as you though, Rock. I've got so many massive projects lined up over the next several years:

 

1) remodel master bedroom and bath

2) remodel guest bath

3) install new fence and electric gate

4) large in-ground pool

5) build garage with apartment above it

6) potential addition to house

7) install large sport court

 

I can only imagine all these things are going to cost me somewhere in the range of $300-350k over the next 6-8 years.

 

Then the day we'll get done we'll probably decide we need to remodel the kitchen we are remodeling at the moment.