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DH (Dear Husband) and I plan to buy a fixer-upper soon, so we listed our skills to see how much of the work we could do ourselves. We've got most of it covered!
We can:
paint
remove carpet
clean
basic electrical
basic copper plumbing (we tested this when our current condo's water heater died this weekend)
tile
measure correctly Thank goodness for DH
use basic tools (hammer, hand and power saws, screwdriver, drills and many more)
lift heavy objects (mostly DH)
garden and landscape
We will try soon (as we fix up our condo):
install cabinets
We can't or have no experience:
roof
lay granite/stone countertops
tape drywall
deal with oil heat
Any other skills we might need for a basic fixer upper? We have it picked out but we have to get the condo on the market before we put in an offer, so no inspection yet, so I am not sure of some specifics of what we may have to do. Any one BTDT (been there, done that) with advice?
That's a good skill set and should come in handy for a lot of the cosmetic work.
My only real tip would be to budget well as fixer-uppers (unless it's a very new house) often need more than cosmetic work - you want to be prepared for the financial possibilities of having to replumb, rewire, new AC/heat system, new roof and so on.
So hold some money aside for these possibilities if you can. Your inspection will tell you the likelihood of having to do replacement systems work.
Thank you! Great thread - I wish you the best of luck. It sounds like you are getting a pretty good house
Quote:
Originally Posted by riveree
That's a good skill set and should come in handy for a lot of the cosmetic work.
My only real tip would be to budget well as fixer-uppers (unless it's a very new house) often need more than cosmetic work - you want to be prepared for the financial possibilities of having to replumb, rewire, new AC/heat system, new roof and so on.
So hold some money aside for these possibilities if you can. Your inspection will tell you the likelihood of having to do replacement systems work.
I know that the electrical is the kind that is not grounded (2 prong) so we plan to rewire. Luckily the basement is unfinished so we can have access under the floor, which I think could make it easier. How could I figure out how much it might cost to buy supplies for rewiring? My biggest problem is figuring out how much to budget (I would of course buffer that estimate by 20-50% since costs always end up more than expected). Since I am not sure what materials we would need, it is difficult to price things out.
Thank you everyone for your ideas and support!
ETA (edited to add): There is no a/c so we plan on adding that. There is oil/baseboard heat but with prices going up, I will be trying the woodstove to see if it produces enough heat to warm the house. A new roof will soon be needed, but we will patch if not to bad because we hope to add a second story in a few years. Once we have the inpection, we will make a list of priorities and work in that order, so we only have one project going at a time...
You can learn drywall. Read some books and get some DVDs from Home Depot or someplace like that. Here's how I estimate. Figure out how much you think the materials and labor will be; then double it. That usually works well for me and every once in a while you can come in under budget.
I enjoy remodeling. Be patient, take your time, and be kind to each other. You will have your screw ups and so will your H. Good luck!
hey you are doin great.
you will need some help with this other stuff you can hire your own boss and he will direct the work with a owner builder permit.
good luck.
The best thing to budget first for is the home inspection. Do not be mislead on this point. I have been in mortgage finance business for over 12 years and the #1 point I counsel people on is a home inspection. That being said, I do know there are unscrupulous people out there doing inspections. I also know that a licensed, certified and bonded inspector will look closely. And knowing you're buying a fixer-upper, you're probably thinking that the problems are only cosmetic. What the inspector will find are those unseen problems which have the potential to completely break your budget and sink your dreams. The average cost of an inspection is $350. from my past experience. That cost is significant, but nearly as bad as a drain on your budget which you don't have the funds to fix or payoff.
Oh, we are 1000% getting an inspector. We know all of the work is not cosmetic, but since we are not sure exactly what needs to be fixed, we have no way of knowing what to budget!
We can drywall, but doing a good taping job is hard, and since a bad taping job looks bad, we may hire that part out. We'll try it first though!
Plan on everything taking three times as long (and costing twice as much) as you estimated. At almost every step of our project, once we got into it, we'd discover something else that had to be done first. (For example, we peeled up the linoleum in the bathroom, only to find another layer of linoleum on top of tile!) You'll be cussing the previous owners and the short-cuts they took - believe me, you'll find every one!
As far as landscaping, check out your county agriculture office or the state university horticultural department. Planting what's native to your area will save you lots of time, water & money!
It was extremely frustrating at times, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's also a great diet program - I lost 12 lbs. in 6 weeks!
I know that the electrical is the kind that is not grounded (2 prong) so we plan to rewire. Luckily the basement is unfinished so we can have access under the floor, which I think could make it easier. How could I figure out how much it might cost to buy supplies for rewiring? My biggest problem is figuring out how much to budget (I would of course buffer that estimate by 20-50% since costs always end up more than expected). Since I am not sure what materials we would need, it is difficult to price things out.
This is an example of something I myself would not touch. In fact, it is an upcoming project for an older home that I own.
From my own experience, some things are best left to the professionals. I have learned the hard way that handymen - whether they be friends or professional handmen - might have the best of intentions, but they are not plumbers and they are not electricians and sometimes their work does not hold up .
For anything serious - plumbing, electric, roofing (new laws in Florida have complicated roofing) - I outsource to the pros.
That's just my take on it, and I have budgeted accordingly to hire the pros, if you know electrical and feel confident, you might save quite a bit though.
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Thank goodness for DH
Check my Thread
I am in the process of acquiring a fixer-upper myself.....I made a thread on this and I think will be an excellent read here:
At almost every step of our project, once we got into it, we'd discover something else that had to be done first. (For example, we peeled up the linoleum in the bathroom, only to find another layer of linoleum on top of tile!) You'll be cussing the previous owners and the short-cuts they took - believe me, you'll find every one!
