Anyone do remodeling on their houses?
Posted by NLveganmama on Jan 26, 2010 · Member since Jan 2010 · 380 posts
I'm hoping that we can buy a house in San Antonio when we move that is older and in need of some TLC. I've heard that the city government is giving incentives if you buy in neighborhoods that are being given a rebirth. I prefer the older houses anyway for the character and history.
Hi there!
We purchased a fixer-upper about 7 months ago. The house is only about 60 years old. However, it was abused and neglected for several years. The house has potential, but we really bought it for the lovely land it sits on.
It's been quite a change for us & we have learned a lot, but I don't regret it, yet ;D
I have 2 pieces of advice for you - have a thorough home inspection by a very experienced home inspector before you buy. Have them check it all. 2nd - contractors are very expensive, unless you are handy or able to learn, don't buy a house with a lot of problems.
Good luck!
Our home is 130+ years and needs lots of love and TLC. But we knew that going in to make an offer 3 years ago. With a little work is was livable, and we are working on remodeling bit by bit. Two years ago we took out a dropped ceiling and replaced a wall that had been taken out before we moved in.
This year it is the bathroom/laundry area. My uncle, who has fixed up his home a lot, is helping us with the electrical and plumbing, the rest we are doing ourselves.
You can live with a lot if you are willing to learn to do it yourself, and not have your house be "pretty" for a while. Your home inspector should be able to let you know if there are major problems that need attention ASAP, like wiring, roofing issues, etc. Those may need to be taken care of before you move in.
Hi, our house is around 60 yrs old. We bought it 8 years ago. I too love older homes for their character & history but also for the quality of the workmanship. Houses today are thrown together in a week & are filled with flaws.
I am very lucky that my DH is the ultimate handy man. He's a mechanical millwright & can do everything including installing gaslines.
We have refinished all the hardwood floors. Last year we remodelled the main floor bathroom. We took some space from the next room to make it a little bigger....love my new bathroom.
A few years ago, we did a rec room in the basement. It was cement blocks & bare ceiling. We put up the studs, ran all the electrical, cables, insulated, then drywalled (that's a messy job). We put in a new fireplace which is so beautiful. We like things to look old & rugged. DH found a man who has a barn full of different kinds of wood & lots of it. We bought most of the black walnut that he had. We used one large piece as our mantel. The front of it still has the bark on it. The rest we used for baseboard & DH made the coolest door out of the rest. We put laminate flooring down & even installed a little kitchenette. We took our time & worked slow...it took us a year & a half to complete it but we saved thousands by doing all the work ourselves.We live down there now.
Right now, we are in the planning stages of remodelling the kitchen. New counter, paint the cupboards & walls, flooring, tin ceiling tiles. It will be wonderful to have a nice kitchen but in the mean time, we will be living in a mess.
Please post some pictures of your home renovation projects....I'd love to see them
Great replies! I'll let you know if we find one that's liveable. Luckily, my brother is an architect and he's willing to help us as he's currently unemployed due to the financial crises - he was working on a project for a bank that got canceled. My BIL is an electrician and he's offered us his help, as well.
I really hope we can find one!!