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So love must be blind, the husband and I didn't notice HOW bad the walls were in the house we bought, especially because there was art all over all walls. They have been patched so much the walls are nowhere near smooth and the taping at joints is visible. It's not even borderline where you could paint and just live with it not being perfect. The ceiling in the bedroom had a repair done for water damage and the paint is peeling now. The walls are like paper- we can hear the neighbors in their driveway and interior sounds go right through the walls and ceiling too. Our old co-op had plaster walls so it was far quieter than our house! We also hate the little windows in the bedrooms. I know it was likely done for privacy but I feel they are a fire hazard and aesthetically we don't like it. We installed central air so we also need to remove a few wall AC.
The plan is to go room by room and replace the windows (which need it regardless) and either:
1- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, blow in insulation and skim coat walls OR
2- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, gut walls and ceiling, install batt insulation and new sheetrock.
2A- IF we do plan two should we replace wiring while we have the walls open? We've been told our wiring is in good shape. It's more "might as well while you have the walls open" or "that's overkill and not needed in a 66 year old house"
A quote I got from one contractor to JUST close the wall AC, fix siding, skim coat the whole room, crown molding was 2200 or 2500! (I forget but it shocked me). He's an excellent contractor - we used him in a minor kitchen reno and he skim coated and painted our living/dining room and it looks all brand new. So I know I'll love the work but I'm sure someone else can do the work for less!
We also have a small second floor that's in better shape but logically we should do that area first in case we need to run new wiring through the first floor or re-doing plumbing means opening walls on the first floor but the second floor is just the master suite and we are OK with making our space pretty after the rest of the house is done. We plan to eventually gut the bath up there as it's only partially functional- we only use it as a half bath. But that's almost the bottom of the list for me. We don't even sleep up there right now. Just trying to figure out the best way to tackle our huge list of things to fix in the most logical and cost effective way. Even if it means we take longer and go slowly as we can afford it.
He's an excellent contractor - we used him in a minor kitchen reno and he skim coated and painted our living/dining room and it looks all brand new. So I know I'll love the work but I'm sure someone else can do the work for less!
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Sure they can. And they won't be licensed or insured so when they fall off the ladder you become their employer and provide the worker's comp insurance (no your HO insurance won't cover it). You also might not love it so much.
So love must be blind, the husband and I didn't notice HOW bad the walls were in the house we bought, especially because there was art all over all walls. They have been patched so much the walls are nowhere near smooth and the taping at joints is visible. It's not even borderline where you could paint and just live with it not being perfect. The ceiling in the bedroom had a repair done for water damage and the paint is peeling now. The walls are like paper- we can hear the neighbors in their driveway and interior sounds go right through the walls and ceiling too. Our old co-op had plaster walls so it was far quieter than our house! We also hate the little windows in the bedrooms. I know it was likely done for privacy but I feel they are a fire hazard and aesthetically we don't like it. We installed central air so we also need to remove a few wall AC.
The plan is to go room by room and replace the windows (which need it regardless) and either:
1- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, blow in insulation and skim coat walls OR
2- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, gut walls and ceiling, install batt insulation and new sheetrock.
2A- IF we do plan two should we replace wiring while we have the walls open? We've been told our wiring is in good shape. It's more "might as well while you have the walls open" or "that's overkill and not needed in a 66 year old house"
A quote I got from one contractor to JUST close the wall AC, fix siding, skim coat the whole room, crown molding was 2200 or 2500! (I forget but it shocked me). He's an excellent contractor - we used him in a minor kitchen reno and he skim coated and painted our living/dining room and it looks all brand new. So I know I'll love the work but I'm sure someone else can do the work for less!
We also have a small second floor that's in better shape but logically we should do that area first in case we need to run new wiring through the first floor or re-doing plumbing means opening walls on the first floor but the second floor is just the master suite and we are OK with making our space pretty after the rest of the house is done. We plan to eventually gut the bath up there as it's only partially functional- we only use it as a half bath. But that's almost the bottom of the list for me. We don't even sleep up there right now. Just trying to figure out the best way to tackle our huge list of things to fix in the most logical and cost effective way. Even if it means we take longer and go slowly as we can afford it.
Is that price for one room each or all of them. If it's for all of them then I think it's a reasonable price if it's for each room and depending on how many rooms you are re-doing then I'd say it's a little pricey. Get some more estimates then you can compare.
How long will you be at this house?
We bought our forever home and gutted the whole thing. Everything is new and we don’t have someone else’s problem.
I must say you definitely have on rose colored glasses when buying a house, so many things to look at that you sometimes don’t see other things.
We actually ended up with a mixture of both. Some of the walls of our 1960's ranch were in pretty bad shape also, some we knew needed fixing up front, others we saw once the house was empty. I was also used to pre-war construction and plaster walls. The contractor took down the worst of the walls, all interior, in a bedroom and hallway. The rest of the rooms were skim coated and primed. This was all done before we moved in and for the most part, you can't tell the difference. Luckily all the windows in our house had been replaced by the previous owners so that was a headache we didn't have to deal with.
So love must be blind, the husband and I didn't notice HOW bad the walls were in the house we bought, especially because there was art all over all walls. They have been patched so much the walls are nowhere near smooth and the taping at joints is visible. It's not even borderline where you could paint and just live with it not being perfect. The ceiling in the bedroom had a repair done for water damage and the paint is peeling now. The walls are like paper- we can hear the neighbors in their driveway and interior sounds go right through the walls and ceiling too. Our old co-op had plaster walls so it was far quieter than our house! We also hate the little windows in the bedrooms. I know it was likely done for privacy but I feel they are a fire hazard and aesthetically we don't like it. We installed central air so we also need to remove a few wall AC.
The plan is to go room by room and replace the windows (which need it regardless) and either:
1- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, blow in insulation and skim coat walls OR
2- Enlarge/move windows, remove wall AC, gut walls and ceiling, install batt insulation and new sheetrock.
2A- IF we do plan two should we replace wiring while we have the walls open? We've been told our wiring is in good shape. It's more "might as well while you have the walls open" or "that's overkill and not needed in a 66 year old house"
A quote I got from one contractor to JUST close the wall AC, fix siding, skim coat the whole room, crown molding was 2200 or 2500! (I forget but it shocked me). He's an excellent contractor - we used him in a minor kitchen reno and he skim coated and painted our living/dining room and it looks all brand new. So I know I'll love the work but I'm sure someone else can do the work for less!
We also have a small second floor that's in better shape but logically we should do that area first in case we need to run new wiring through the first floor or re-doing plumbing means opening walls on the first floor but the second floor is just the master suite and we are OK with making our space pretty after the rest of the house is done. We plan to eventually gut the bath up there as it's only partially functional- we only use it as a half bath. But that's almost the bottom of the list for me. We don't even sleep up there right now. Just trying to figure out the best way to tackle our huge list of things to fix in the most logical and cost effective way. Even if it means we take longer and go slowly as we can afford it.
How long have you been living in the house?
How long do you intend to stay in the house?
If you've lived in the house for at least 1 year, you have a good idea as to how you would like it to best function for your needs. If less than 1 year, I would tell you to deal with what you have for the time being.
If you are planning to live in the house for a few years and not much longer, choose 1.
I've already lived through this, so my experience dictates choosing option 2 and 2A. My house was 68 years old when we bought it in 1996.
Interior:
Most of the walls were masonite, some drywall with patches. We gutted the house, updated the electrical and plumbing (with thoughts of future projects) and addressed any insect or water damage made visible during the gut. We insulated, used sound batts on interior walls, and added fireblocks.
Exterior:
We only replaced 2 windows at that time -- we went from two very large to two smaller windows. One was next to a bathtub making it a hazard -- heaven forbid someone slip and fall into the old plate glass. The other made a section of the kitchen wall completely unusable it started 2' off the floor and went within 1' of the ceiling. Amazing southern light, but too large for a small kitchen. Once the smaller window was installed, I was able to situate the sink under it, allowing for more counter space where the sink once was.
Siding repairs were made at the time. (We re-sided the house 10 years later.)
Ultimately:
Redid (then only) bath 2 years after purchase.
Built detached garage 3 years after purchase.
Garage conversion and added 1/2 bath 4 years after purchase.
Built small addition and added master bath 11 years after purchase.
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I strongly recommend updating wiring and plumbing while you have the walls open. Nothing sucks more than spending money to re-open walls you've paid to have sheetrocked, spackled, polished, trimmed and painted to your liking in order to upgrade, and then having to pay to have them repaired, trim reinstalled, and repainted once work was been done. Pay once now or twice later.
Great responses! I guess I didn't have e-mail notifications up so I only just saw them now searching for info on siding.
So:
-Oil tank is in basement, no cesspool. if the oil tank goes we'll be switching to gas. Already had a line brought to the house for cooking. We needed new appliances so there was no way I'd get a brand new electric stove when the plan was always to convert in the long run. For heating we're still on the fence but that's for another thread...
-The plan is for this to be the "forever" house. Yard size is the only thing it's lacking. Honestly, at this point we figure we'll just get a vacation house out of state with land or something (you know, when we win the lottery). We love our neighbors and the location. So sounds like we should stick with plan 2 and 2A. Save up a bunch of money, gut, replace wiring and insulate/sound proof, yada, yada. The only part my husband doesn't agree with is the rewiring expense. but I feel might as well. But then we'll have to go top- down and start on the second floor. Which is just a master suite and in much better shape except for the bathroom. But our 2 year house-aversary is in May so we have a better feel of how to live here and what we need. At least the older-than-us carpets are high quality so while gold isn't really my thing they don't look worn out or gross. Except the master bedroom one that has butterflies on it!! I think we'll have the patience at wait at this point. I hate how LOUD it is when someone walks upstairs. It was an extension added in the 1960's and it was done cheaply.
The 2200 or 2500 we were quoted for just the skim coating/make it pretty from the trusted contractor was for ONE room but that room also needed the ceiling skim coated. I think other rooms would just be walls. But still. That was steep when there are sound issues on top of it and the house can be drafty. Anyone I'd call for other quotes are all licensed and insured. I'm no fool. But they'd be painting contractors and not a carpenter who is also an excellent painting contractor. We have since made friends with a neighbor who is also a contractor so I'm going to bounce a few of these things off of him to see what he thinks. He's done excellent work for other neighbors so I know it's quality. And he does recommend not using him if his plate is full or it's beyond him, he's an honest guy. I'll be sad if he moves in retirement as he's planning!
Of course after the brutal winter we had I discovered some specialty architectural windows in our den extension have rotted wood around the frame. I had to fill it with caulk just to keep water out through the Spring rains. We'll deal with it later. But that is adding on to issues. Still, we love the house. I wish we could have gotten the seller down a few grand more but I don't think they would have budged anyway. The owner already moved in with his new lady and his sons are all grown up. They could wait until hell froze over waiting for the right price. I'd buy it all over again and I'd keep the plan just as it is.
Thanks for the advice- seems we are on the right track.
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