Getting a house ready to rent out... ? (vinyl, granite, laminate)

[fierce_flawless]

We bought our house 2 years ago. It's a 1916 "worker's cottage" style house, with a big front porch and lots of "character" type things we love, but a lot of "remuddling" done over the years that is not so lovely.

The things we'd planned on doing eventually:

• removing vinyl sheet flooring (possibly asbestos!?) and refinishing hardwood floors throughout
  
• replacing french doors in a doorway that once had them (now just a really wide doorway between two rooms, with no door)
  
• replacing the ugly shower surround with a clawfoot tub and shower combo
  
• ripping out kitchen cabinets that were added later and make the kitchen crowded
  
• replacing kitchen counters (they are UGLY UT Orange formica!!)

Those are the bigger things anyway.

A lot of this is a desire for historic restoration and our own aesthetic pleasure.

Well, now we are thinking about moving out of state, and we don't want to sell the house just yet. We just don't feel ready to commit to letting it go... so we're thinking about renting it out. Plus, we've only owned it 2 years and would like to ride things out to see how home prices in this area go... it was a modest purchase to begin with (72k), it seems reasonable that prices will go up if we are patient. My question is, what kinds of things should we not bother with doing in order to make it ready to rent? We of course want to make it a nice place to get the best $ for it as a rental... but I don't want to do things that are important to ME only to have renters mess it up. Like the hardwood floors, for example. My mom's rent house (where i grew up) has HW throughout and every time someone moves out, chances are good they've damaged the floors in some way and it's a big headache for her.

We've thought about slapping some other kind of flooring down (the question is, what?) on top of what is here now, which is ugly sheet vinyl that is very dated and 60's/70's looking (we use rugs!). Should we save the french door project and bath project for later on when we either move back here or decide to sell?

I'm just guessing most renters aren't going to give a hoot about historical accuracy so should we just make it look "nice" and leave the rest of the projects for later? Or should we gamble that maybe the perfect renter IS looking for a clawfoot tub and french doors?

[GirlFromJersey]

I agree that renters probably wont care too much about the architectural accuracy, unless this house is in neighborhood known for having houses of that era. If that's the case, capitalize on it, if not, don't worry about it.

I would definitely do everything you want to do but on a smaller scale. Rip up the vinyl floor, sweep and clean the hardwoods and then look into engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring that looks like wood or just carpeting. Another option is FLOR (FLOR is Modular Flooring for the Home, Office, and Anywhere).

If you can afford the new french doors, go ahead and do it. If not, put up a fancy curtain rod and get some nice curtains (or make your own) and hooks on the side of the frame. It's good to show prospective renters the possibilities.

The clawfoot tub sounds like it'd cost a pretty penny and is more about architecture than anything else. If you want to keep the shower surround, you could always get a walk in shower and separate tub. My fiance and I are moving to SC in March and things like this are really important to us. To just find something nice in our price range here in Pittsburgh is blessing so we take what we can get, but with so many places fitting our criteria in SC we have to use things like bathroom setup, countertop material and type of flooring just to narrow it down. If it's a huge renter's market where you live, I'd definitely go the separate shower/tub route, maybe even a jet tub.

Removing the unnecessary kitchen cabinets is a good move, airy and open is always a plus. Absolutely 100% replace the countertop. It doesn't have to be granite, engineered quartz is rising in popularity and it's much harder and less porous than granite.

[fierce_flawless]

Thanks for the reply.

With the floors, if we have it tested and it comes back positive for asbestos in the vinyl then it becomes a huge freakin' deal (money wise)... so if that is the case, should we just leave the vinyl even though it is kind of ugly or cover it? I was just concerned about covering it because in some rooms there's the hardwood floor then 2 layers of vinyl already. How many layers can you have before it looks bad?

The clawfoot tub itself can be found cheap (fairly)...it's the plumber costs that will be pricey (to put it in and remove what is there and all that).... the french doors we already have, bought from the Habitat for Humanity re-store and came out of an old hotel. Very cool. We would have to pay someone to put them in though as it's beyond our DIY skills.

I don't think we have room in the bathroom for a separate shower/tub actually.... I wish we could afford to make it a little bigger because it is TINY and it's the only bathroom in the house.

The neighborhood is full of old homes but not sought after for that reason.... perhaps it will be some day as it's one of the last neighborhoods in my area that is close to downtown, and still affordable. So yeah, when we were house shopping we saw a bunch around here that were so totally remodeled, you couldn't even tell they were more than 5 years old on the inside. I didn't like it but my real estate agent seemed to think I was weird for wanting a house that looked "old".

[GirlFromJersey]

I would definitely cover the vinyl. Of course, there's FLOR if there are certain rooms you want carpet in and there are some vinyl flooring out there that looks like hardwood (there's some here: Congoleum Corporation) if that's the look you want to go for. After doing some research, if appears an embossing leveler is important if you're installing new vinyl over old vinyl because any bumps or ridges on the old one could show through. That's cool about the doors! You could probably just put an ad up on craigslist for a carpenter or contractor who'll put up the doors, it shouldn't take too long.

Ooh, having only one tiny bathroom in the house could be a drawback. In that case, the clawfoot tub is the best idea. It doesn't look as heavy as a regular tub. I don't know the exact service they provide, but I know if you buy some appliances from Home Depot or Lowes they'll install for free. My friend got a new stove a couple of months ago and not only did Lowes hook it up and make sure it worked correctly, but they took the old one!

I don't know if you're planning on painting or not, but if you do, go with a light airy color and paint the ceiling if you can; it'll make a world of difference. Do whatever you can to make the bathroom uncluttered and luxurious but still feel "old". I've found that people are more willing to go with a smaller room (bathroom, bedroom, kitchen) if it feels well thought out and "cozy" instead of small.

[Ultrarunner]

A rental home should be clean and functional and set-up for easy care...

Don't put anything in a rental that will require special care to maintain or can easily be damaged.

Functional is very important because if your renter has a problem, it will become your problem.

The biggest issues seem to be appliances when renting. Many rentals in my area no longer come with appliances that are not of the built-in type.

Nothing like getting a panic call on Thanksgiving saying the oven stopped working or the refrigerator went out and spoiled $600 worth of food. Garbage disposals and Dishwashers can also be problematic.

Vinyl Floors and laminate counters are usually the most cost effective for rentals because they are easy to keep clean and lower cost to replace than alternatives.

Overlaying an existing vinyl with rated underpayment is one accepted method to not disturb the existing floor... Higher quality inlaid vinyls, such as Armstrong Solarium, can often go right over existing surfaces with little floor prep.

The less expensive Roto Vinyls are more likely to require floor prep to counter telegraphing of irregularities through to the new floor.

Very important to test each electrical out and fixture. A simple plug in tester works great for outlets. You need to know all the receptacles test good before you rent.

Windows and doors need to securely lock, smoke detectors in all sleeping rooms plus one per floor. I always install a new fire extinguisher in the kitchen to be on the safe side.

It is a good idea to include a checklist with important phone numbers and what to do should a toilet backup or the power goes out and how to light a pilot light if applicable.

Always make sure faucets aren't dripping, drains drain and under sink P traps are in good order...

Spending time on these things before renting will eliminate many potential problems down the road... especially if you will be moving out of State.