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Now, I'm excited
- Thread starter eloisel
- Start date
missmanners
grrrrrrrr...
Big old houses= money pit, but so much fun! Whatcha gonna do?
mm
mm
eloisel
Forever Empress E
Ain't that the truth.
Lots of ideas. Definitely need to repair and remodel the bathroom and the kitchen, the central heat and air and the electrical system in the house. I'd like new exit doors in front and back, finish the 6-ft. privacy fencing around the mini-forest out back, rebuild the animal's pen and run, add a new bathroom, rearrange the living space, freshen up in general. I'd really prefer to put an 800 sq. ft. inlaw suite out back, or knock this place down and put in a proper duplex, but that might not be doable because of zoning. The house was originally a 2 bedroom frame that was added onto over the last 60 years so that now it sprawls over 2500 sq. ft. but has never had an upgrade on anything but to add a central ac/heat system that was outdated 10 years ago.
It has many great features though - nice covered front porch, big screened in back porch complete with electrics (fans, lights, outlets), 1/2 an acre mini-forest out back, close to work in a neighborhood I've lived in or near most of my life so I know where everything is without wearing my glasses, down the street from every place I shop, the hospital and my doctors, close to airports and major freeways.
It is either that or move. Looking at the housing market, I can't get the location, land or trees in anything else I've seen, at least not for a price I can afford. I'd be better off remodeling and repairing what I have. Plus, I like most of my neighbors.
I'm in a good position - my house is worth much more than I paid for it, I've been in it 11 years now, my overall debt is low. I think I can do a refinance along with the remodel/repairs and wind up with pretty much what I want for about what I'm paying now.
The newer houses in my price range that I've seen, no trees, small rooms, not enough windows, not enough land. A sad thing I've seen about too many neighborhoods is the people there don't buy the houses to live in, they are just an investment. Then they get all nuts about what the rest of the people on the block are doing in and with their houses because they need to keep the market value up on theirs so they can sell it for a big profit in a few years. Not that I want to live in a raggedy crappy neighborhood, I just don't want those kinds of people spying on me all the time afraid I'm going to bring down the value of their house. I am an awful neighbor in that respect. I like bushes, trees, flowers, plants and stuff growing all over the place. Sometimes it gets out of hand and then I have to do a lot of work to get it back under control. Sometimes I rent a dumpster and clean up all the brush, pick up all the sticks and leaves, sweep the roof tops, and trim down the vines. I'm nice though and let my neighbors put their yard debris in the big 30 ft. dumpster I rent and don't charge them for the use even when it makes me go over the tonnage and I have to pay extra.
Now, I need to figure out a way for all the things I want done to happen without going nuts during the construction. I had to go through a remodel at work that took 7 months this year of banging, floors shaking, and in general loud noises that set my nerves on edge. Maybe I could go on an extended vacation or hole up in a hotel and let the kids deal with the construction crews. No. Bad idea. Kids are in to dark and dreary, metal and chrome and I'm in to lots of light and wood.
Lots of ideas. Definitely need to repair and remodel the bathroom and the kitchen, the central heat and air and the electrical system in the house. I'd like new exit doors in front and back, finish the 6-ft. privacy fencing around the mini-forest out back, rebuild the animal's pen and run, add a new bathroom, rearrange the living space, freshen up in general. I'd really prefer to put an 800 sq. ft. inlaw suite out back, or knock this place down and put in a proper duplex, but that might not be doable because of zoning. The house was originally a 2 bedroom frame that was added onto over the last 60 years so that now it sprawls over 2500 sq. ft. but has never had an upgrade on anything but to add a central ac/heat system that was outdated 10 years ago.
It has many great features though - nice covered front porch, big screened in back porch complete with electrics (fans, lights, outlets), 1/2 an acre mini-forest out back, close to work in a neighborhood I've lived in or near most of my life so I know where everything is without wearing my glasses, down the street from every place I shop, the hospital and my doctors, close to airports and major freeways.
It is either that or move. Looking at the housing market, I can't get the location, land or trees in anything else I've seen, at least not for a price I can afford. I'd be better off remodeling and repairing what I have. Plus, I like most of my neighbors.
I'm in a good position - my house is worth much more than I paid for it, I've been in it 11 years now, my overall debt is low. I think I can do a refinance along with the remodel/repairs and wind up with pretty much what I want for about what I'm paying now.
The newer houses in my price range that I've seen, no trees, small rooms, not enough windows, not enough land. A sad thing I've seen about too many neighborhoods is the people there don't buy the houses to live in, they are just an investment. Then they get all nuts about what the rest of the people on the block are doing in and with their houses because they need to keep the market value up on theirs so they can sell it for a big profit in a few years. Not that I want to live in a raggedy crappy neighborhood, I just don't want those kinds of people spying on me all the time afraid I'm going to bring down the value of their house. I am an awful neighbor in that respect. I like bushes, trees, flowers, plants and stuff growing all over the place. Sometimes it gets out of hand and then I have to do a lot of work to get it back under control. Sometimes I rent a dumpster and clean up all the brush, pick up all the sticks and leaves, sweep the roof tops, and trim down the vines. I'm nice though and let my neighbors put their yard debris in the big 30 ft. dumpster I rent and don't charge them for the use even when it makes me go over the tonnage and I have to pay extra.
Now, I need to figure out a way for all the things I want done to happen without going nuts during the construction. I had to go through a remodel at work that took 7 months this year of banging, floors shaking, and in general loud noises that set my nerves on edge. Maybe I could go on an extended vacation or hole up in a hotel and let the kids deal with the construction crews. No. Bad idea. Kids are in to dark and dreary, metal and chrome and I'm in to lots of light and wood.
The Dork Lord
Whipping Boy
Sounds like a lot of work...
big fat eric
New member
The state of the housing market means contractors are desperate for work.
I looked into hiring contractors to repair some termite damage in my house two years ago, and all of the estimates were in the fifteen to twenty thousand dollar range and all from small time contractors. The larger contractors were to busy to be bothered with a anything as 'small' as jacking up a house and replacing sill plates, joists and beams. I decided against getting it done because: a) I didn't have the money, and b) I didn't think that any of the contractors that I had were capable of doing the work right.
I started calling contractors last month again, and this time all of the larger contractors were interested in the job, and the estimates were all in the seven to eleven thousand dollar range. That includes all of the work I wanted done two years ago, plus framing out and installing a new door and removing a couple of windows and replacing all of the basement windows with vented glass block and a new plank subfloor in the dining room and kitchen.
I don't know if I'm getting a better deal because jobs are scarce and they have to compete with one another on price, or if being able to hire large, established contractors instead of fly-by-night operations accounts for the substantial price difference, but either way, the state of the housing market is saving me at least 7 grand.
Seven grand is more than enough to pay for new wiring throughout (which we desperately need -- the house has ninety year old knob and tube wiring that's beginning to short out everywhere) and cover anything else that we come across that I'm unable to do myself.
Once the contractors finish the structural work, I'll be doing everything else. New kitchen, new bathroom, new flooring, all new plumbing and windows, a deck, etc... I'll be building the kitchen and bathroom cabinets myself, just as soon as I can get to Amish country to buy some quarter sawn maple to match the existing woodwork.
I've been doing teardown for the last month (stripping ninety years worth of wallpaper from the walls, ripping out cabinets, tearing down plaster and lathe in the rooms above the termite damage, stripping and refinishing the woodwork, etc...) It's a lot of work, but in the end we'll have a 'new' three bedroom home for less than 40 grand (including what we paid for the house).
I looked into hiring contractors to repair some termite damage in my house two years ago, and all of the estimates were in the fifteen to twenty thousand dollar range and all from small time contractors. The larger contractors were to busy to be bothered with a anything as 'small' as jacking up a house and replacing sill plates, joists and beams. I decided against getting it done because: a) I didn't have the money, and b) I didn't think that any of the contractors that I had were capable of doing the work right.
I started calling contractors last month again, and this time all of the larger contractors were interested in the job, and the estimates were all in the seven to eleven thousand dollar range. That includes all of the work I wanted done two years ago, plus framing out and installing a new door and removing a couple of windows and replacing all of the basement windows with vented glass block and a new plank subfloor in the dining room and kitchen.
I don't know if I'm getting a better deal because jobs are scarce and they have to compete with one another on price, or if being able to hire large, established contractors instead of fly-by-night operations accounts for the substantial price difference, but either way, the state of the housing market is saving me at least 7 grand.
Seven grand is more than enough to pay for new wiring throughout (which we desperately need -- the house has ninety year old knob and tube wiring that's beginning to short out everywhere) and cover anything else that we come across that I'm unable to do myself.
Once the contractors finish the structural work, I'll be doing everything else. New kitchen, new bathroom, new flooring, all new plumbing and windows, a deck, etc... I'll be building the kitchen and bathroom cabinets myself, just as soon as I can get to Amish country to buy some quarter sawn maple to match the existing woodwork.
I've been doing teardown for the last month (stripping ninety years worth of wallpaper from the walls, ripping out cabinets, tearing down plaster and lathe in the rooms above the termite damage, stripping and refinishing the woodwork, etc...) It's a lot of work, but in the end we'll have a 'new' three bedroom home for less than 40 grand (including what we paid for the house).
big fat eric
New member
Don't get me started on roofers.
If you want the flashing around your chimney installed right, you apparently have to do it yourself.
If you want the flashing around your chimney installed right, you apparently have to do it yourself.
Laker_Girl
Mrs. Big Dick McGee
It's good to live on the west coast in a condo. The weather doesn't beat up my house and the association takes care of outside maintenence.
I do however have to have my electrical re-done (a friend of the family will do it at cost, thank God) and my house needs to be re-piped and I need a water softener installed...Aaaaaaand obviously I need to replace my kitchen and bathroom fixtures and have my granite counter tops in my bathrooms and kitchen refinished. I'd also like to replace my windows but I need the association's O.K. before I do that. All of that will, of course, have to wait until AFTER the holidays.
I do however have to have my electrical re-done (a friend of the family will do it at cost, thank God) and my house needs to be re-piped and I need a water softener installed...Aaaaaaand obviously I need to replace my kitchen and bathroom fixtures and have my granite counter tops in my bathrooms and kitchen refinished. I'd also like to replace my windows but I need the association's O.K. before I do that. All of that will, of course, have to wait until AFTER the holidays.
The Dork Lord
Whipping Boy
big fat eric said:
I'm sorry, I thought you said roofies there for a minute...
big fat eric
New member
Ronan? There's a blast from the past. Did he fall off his roof or something?
jack
The Legendary Troll King
My best Commie troll. He had posted some pics of his remodeled garage and was all chatty about his chimney repair, and he had posted a pic of himself in full harness up on the roof laying bricks. He didn't post it at Commie though, he had it on his college ftp directory which I had hacked. It soon appeared at commie courtesy of MOI, and he changed the pics to porn and relinked to them in response. I deleted my posts after seeing that, and his porn quotes got him banned.
Fucking hysterical.
Good times
Fucking hysterical.
Good times