anyone putting off home redos because of cost ?

[399083453]

Originally Posted by Amanda333

Definitely. I live in a high COL area (suburb of Boston), and just can't wrap my head around the estimates to renovate our master bath (about $1,000 per sq'). I'm not even talking about high end contractors with designers on staff. Kitchen cabinets alone are around $50k (with labor to remove old/install new) here, so I live with the melamine that was here when I moved in.

IKEA Stoughton, MA is pretty close to you. Check it out.

[eddie1278]

Originally Posted by Nonesuch

My problem isn't with the cost of professional tradesman, it's finding ones I can trust to do the job right.

I've used three different plumbers and two different HVAC contractors, with all of them I've discovered (weeks or months later) shortcuts and other problems, just things that make me not want to use them again.

Well if you discovered "shortcuts" then i assume you are a professional contractor yourself to be able to spot them. Why hire if you already know how to do the work?

[pumpkin5]

We bought our house 12 years ago in a great neighborhood, big house but needed work. Immediately cut down trees, replaced the roof, redid all the siding, fixed a drainage problem and replaced water damaged floors. Then we were out of money could only afford to paint.

We just never seemed to get back to doing the updates between paying for college, having to buy new vehicles and medical bills we've just embraced the fact that some areas are outdated, like the kitchen. It is large and functional so the old vinyl floor and blue counter tops don't bother me so much. I'm sure eventually we will get it done but it is livable and the older we get the less we care.

[NOLA2SGF]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

I have spent about 17k since I bought my house last summer. I was lucky, because the house was less expensive than what I had budgeted to spend so this has not been a financial hardship for me.

Now, I am doing more of this so I think the total will be around 27K. Still, it is worth the money for the reasons above.

I'm not so sure it is worth the demands on my time, though. I feel like I need to be at home when contractors are here, so my life has been on hold for a month or two and I hate this. I'll be so glad when they are done and this is all behind me. I took two weeks "off" from home improvement work but got the contractors started again last Friday. Those two weeks off were sheer bliss.

I know I will love the house when it is done. I just wish I could say, "do it right, OK?" and then vanish but instead I need to get estimates done and in hand, ride herd on them or they would never show up, find out when they are coming, set my alarm clock 3 hours earlier than I would prefer, endure the noise and general pandemonium, answer questions and approve their work at various stages and when done, pay them, move on to the next contractor doing the next thing I need done.... not my idea of a good time.

I forgot to mention that I am old and unusually crummy at DIY projects, so I pretty much have to hire people to do mine.