Our Offer was Accepted --- Now I need some Help & Hints for a Home Makover

[Sugarcubesea]

@Panina this is the bathroom off the kitchen area with a tub

 

[Sugarcubesea]

@slip thank you so much for the kind words... I'm nervous and happy. I have wanted to live on this chain of lakes since I was a kid visiting my aunt and uncle who had a summer cottage on this lake. I talked to a trex dealer and they are booked up, any deposits he is taking now, he is telling people the job will not start till October. I think I need to line people up and have them start next year

 

[Sugarcubesea]

We have bought/renovated fixers.
1. Work outside/in based upon necessity--so, roof, siding, etc. that affects integrity of home, including any drainage, regrading. Decor/optional landscaping can wait.
2. HVAC/wiring/plumbing.
3. Agree, with PP, kitchen next.
note-for HW flooring refinishing/replacing (if you're sanding/staining) everything needs to be out of those areas, so it actually makes sense to do them 1st before you move anything into the house.

Elaine, thanks for the great tips and idea for a plan of action, it's truly appreciated.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

Bob Vila has a chat room/forum.
Have an HVAC company give you an estimate to replace and to examine whether you need to revamp anything to be up to code, or to work with newer system. If the old HVAC piping/connectors/routing are still OK, I'd wait until you "need" it. We got 3 extra years out of our system.
If you haven't closed, or are within 30 days of closing, I'd try to get a home warranty to cover the 1st year. If so, get the upgraded or supreme version, which covers extra items such as bringing HVAC up to code if it fails, etc. Our "Supreme" HW covered replacing furnace when AC died b/c it was 20 years old that there was not a compatible furnace anymore. Yes, they covered it-as it was fully functioning when we bought the house--just old. There are lots of tales of problems with getting service under HW, and one has to be on top of them (many phone calls-emails, etc.), but I think it's still worth it for 1st year surprises.

We have already asked for a home warranty due to the issues we found during the home inspections, just waiting to hear back from the sellers agent if they agree to it. I did not know there were different versions of the home warranty and thanks for telling me to get / ask for the supreme version.

 

[DaveNV]

I talked to a trex dealer and they are booked up, any deposits he is taking now, he is telling people the job will not start till October. I think I need to line people up and have them start next year

I think this sort of timeline is pretty common right now. As people emerge from quarantine, they want *everything* to be repaired/upgraded/replaced, and they want it done *right now*. I've found here in Nevada, the available workforce is overwhelmed with work, which I'm hearing is common across the country, not counting supply chain shortages. I've even tried offering to pay a premium to have work done sooner, but it hasn't made any difference. Most of the people I've been dealing with explain that they can't make room in their schedules unless someone cancels a project. Which did happen with me, and I think I got lucky:

I recently had my house painted. The painting company estimated it'd be two months before they could get to me. Then, miracle of miracles, they were on my street painting a neighbor's house, and knocked on my door, asking if they could start my house when they were done with that one. They said their next project had been pushed back, they were right here, and they had room in their schedule. I agreed, and they were finished within just a few days. Excellent work, and I'm really pleased. Another neighbor, two doors away, asked the company for an estimate while they were working on my house, and he was told it'd be three months before they could get to him. They're just that busy. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time pays off.

Dave

 

[Sugarcubesea]

@Panina , I'm going to see if I can hire someone to sand and refinish the woods floors...great suggestion to do before we move in..

 

[elaine]

We have already asked for a home warranty due to the issues we found during the home inspections, just waiting to hear back from the sellers agent if they agree to it

If seller's won't pay for it, you can still purchase it yourself and just pay the funds at closing. Your realtor can handle this.

If you decide on stamped concrete, make sure to check HOA, county ordinances about amount of impervious surface you are allowed to have.

 

[elaine]

duplicate

 

[joestein]

My suggestion is that before you spend any money on improvements, make sure that your home is safe from flooding or ground water. You live near a canal and I am guessing that water tables are high.

I would look into any waterproofing and gradient before spending money on capital improvements. I would also ensure that any outside projects have proper drainage.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

My suggestion is that before you spend any money on improvements, make sure that your home is safe from flooding or ground water. You live near a canal and I am guessing that water tables are high.

I would look into any waterproofing and gradient before spending money on capital improvements. I would also ensure that any outside projects have proper drainage.

Joe, great advice... Who would one call to make sure that my home is safe from flooding or ground water, would it be a special contractor that does that type of thing?

For your suggestion of waterproofing and gradient, would that be for the outside of the house?

thanks again

 

[joestein]

Joe, great advice... Who would one call to make sure that my home is safe from flooding or ground water, would it be a special contractor that does that type of thing?

For your suggestion of waterproofing and gradient, would that be for the outside of the house?

thanks again

I would think a landscaper can examine your house for proper soil gradient. You house should be a high point (if possible). If you pour water near your house, it should move away from the house, not towards it. If gradient is not good and can't be fixed, some sort of drainage system might help..

As an example.... before we bought our current house a month ago, we were looking at a house that was around 10ft lower than the street. Water rolled down a 100ft hill towards the house. There was around 10ft of flat land before the home. I was considering building a landscaping berm the width of the house around 1 and half feet tall. I was going to put in a drainage ditch in front of it so that water would be detoured around the house.

Do you have a basement? Was it inspected? Is it finished? It is hard to inspect a finished basement as you can't see the walls themselves. But if you have a basement, you can get a person who specializes in basements/waterproofing.

I am sure that you are not the only house near the canal, maybe ask some neighbors what they have done or for ideas or referrals.

You really have to know your house and the land, which I do not. Best of luck with your new home.

 

[Panina]

@Panina , I'm going to see if I can hire someone to sand and refinish the woods floors...great suggestion to do before we move in..

New refinished floors will change the whole look immediately, then paint. A pure white paint, including moldings/doors will make the house look larger. If you still are planning to retire elsewhere don't overspend, over improving the house. You will never get it back in the short run. If you plan to keep it then make it exactly what you want. Kitchen would be my next project, can a piece of wall be taken down to open to the living area? You can go to Home Depot and they can give you design suggestions. Next I would modernize the master bedroom, pulling out all that wood of the closet and cabinets, building a new closet, changing the carpeting. Next would be the outdoor deck to enjoy. Talk to your Realtor to find out if other projects will get you more money when you go to sell.

 

[joestein]

If seller's won't pay for it, you can still purchase it yourself and just pay the funds at closing. Your realtor can handle this.

If you decide on stamped concrete, make sure to check HOA, county ordinances about amount of impervious surface you are allowed to have.

Not a big fan of stamped concrete. The house I bought has walkways and patios of stamped concrete. I dont know how old they are, but they have cracks running through them. Some of the areas have peeled on top. Also, some the edges of the individual slabs have broken off. I am going to get a stamped concrete company to take a look.

If I was doing it from the start, I would only go with pavers (my preference) or regular concrete.

 

[Talent312]

I was going to rebuild a deck with Trex, but the contractor (Trex dealer) sold me on a concrete patio.
It was L/T half the cost and, since it was ground level, concrete would be fine. I may stain it or tile it.
.

 

[elaine]

Not a big fan of stamped concrete.

We did our patio with brick laid in sand. It can move as the ground moves-no cracking or repair jobs. And easily pulled up for any patio renovations later--I did that once when I wanted a bigger patio. That was 10 years ago.

 

[VacationForever]

Not a big fan of stamped concrete. The house I bought has walkways and patios of stamped concrete. I dont know how old they are, but they have cracks running through them. Some of the areas have peeled on top. Also, some the edges of the individual slabs have broken off. I am going to get a stamped concrete company to take a look.

If I was doing it from the start, I would only go with pavers (my preference) or regular concrete.

We like stamped concrete but they do have to be refinished every few years and any cracks etc be fixed at that time.

 

[VacationForever]

Congrats on acceptance of your offer! I know you are downsizing into an interim home until your ultimate move to Florida, but since you will need to spend quite alot of money to fix up this new home, is it still worth the downsizing? In other words, does price of home + remodeling fall within the budget for your downsized home? I am not a fan of remodeling unless it is my forever home or to fix an existing issue. Remodeling is very expensive. We just moved into our forever single family home which has already had some remodeling done but we needed to fix a few items and add on things which we want. We have spent 100K already and still counting. You may want to contact a good general contractor to give you an estimate of all the work that needs to be done. While you can get it done more cheaply done with a handyman with lesser quality work, it is still a good thing to find out how much more you will need to spend on the home. All the best! Living on the water is wonderful!

 

[PamMo]

Congrats, Sugarcubesea! It looks like a sweet waterfront cabin to call home for a little while!

 

[slip]

I try to stay away from the term “Forever Home”. It really kind of sets you up for failure. Not many things in life are forever. Life happens and things change. Think of the house as short term or long term for your decision making. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Big Matt]

Big Matt, thank you for the suggestions of the order in which to tackle the projects...Do you think we should start on the inside or outside first? Since this house has no garage, I need some sort of shed, do you have any recommendations?

I can't tell from your picture how much space you have, but it's easy to buy a shed and have it installed. I used Costco and I've been very happy. If not, I would just use one of the rooms as a place to store everything. Put a tarp down on the floor and just be careful.

BTW, the house looks great.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I would think a landscaper can examine your house for proper soil gradient. You house should be a high point (if possible). If you pour water near your house, it should move away from the house, not towards it. If gradient is not good and can't be fixed, some sort of drainage system might help..

As an example.... before we bought our current house a month ago, we were looking at a house that was around 10ft lower than the street. Water rolled down a 100ft hill towards the house. There was around 10ft of flat land before the home. I was considering building a landscaping berm the width of the house around 1 and half feet tall. I was going to put in a drainage ditch in front of it so that water would be detoured around the house.

Do you have a basement? Was it inspected? Is it finished? It is hard to inspect a finished basement as you can't see the walls themselves. But if you have a basement, you can get a person who specializes in basements/waterproofing.

I am sure that you are not the only house near the canal, maybe ask some neighbors what they have done or for ideas or referrals.

You really have to know your house and the land, which I do not. Best of luck with your new home.

Joe, thanks for all of this good info...I wanted to start with the inside first but my contractor can not come out till October to give me a quote because he is so booked up. So I'm going to see if a landscaper and come out and give me an estimate for the backyard

 

[Sugarcubesea]

Not a big fan of stamped concrete. The house I bought has walkways and patios of stamped concrete. I dont know how old they are, but they have cracks running through them. Some of the areas have peeled on top. Also, some the edges of the individual slabs have broken off. I am going to get a stamped concrete company to take a look.

If I was doing it from the start, I would only go with pavers (my preference) or regular concrete.

We have brick pavers in our current house and I'm on a non stop weed brigade with these pavers...I like the concrete idea.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

New refinished floors will change the whole look immediately, then paint. A pure white paint, including moldings/doors will make the house look larger. If you still are planning to retire elsewhere don't overspend, over improving the house. You will never get it back in the short run. If you plan to keep it then make it exactly what you want. Kitchen would be my next project, can a piece of wall be taken down to open to the living area? You can go to Home Depot and they can give you design suggestions. Next I would modernize the master bedroom, pulling out all that wood of the closet and cabinets, building a new closet, changing the carpeting. Next would be the outdoor deck to enjoy. Talk to your Realtor to find out if other projects will get you more money when you go to sell.

@Panina, what color would you recommend refinishing the floors? Should I stay with the current color or should I do a grey? Do you think a company could do a grey color?

 

[Sugarcubesea]

Congrats on acceptance of your offer! I know you are downsizing into an interim home until your ultimate move to Florida, but since you will need to spend quite alot of money to fix up this new home, is it still worth the downsizing? In other words, does price of home + remodeling fall within the budget for your downsized home? I am not a fan of remodeling unless it is my forever home or to fix an existing issue. Remodeling is very expensive. We just moved into our forever single family home which has already had some remodeling done but we needed to fix a few items and add on things which we want. We have spent 100K already and still counting. You may want to contact a good general contractor to give you an estimate of all the work that needs to be done. While you can get it done more cheaply done with a handyman with lesser quality work, it is still a good thing to find out how much more you will need to spend on the home. All the best! Living on the water is wonderful!

We feel that if we do some small remodeling, especially the kitchen we will recoup our money back and even with the cost of our remodel budget, it will still be cheaper then we we currently live.

We looked 2 months ago at a home in this sub, two blocks over that was 500 sq feet more than our house and it had a remodeled kitchen, repainted and updated backyard, freshly painted with all new vinyl plank floors and it sold for $150K more than our new home

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I can't tell from your picture how much space you have, but it's easy to buy a shed and have it installed. I used Costco and I've been very happy. If not, I would just use one of the rooms as a place to store everything. Put a tarp down on the floor and just be careful.

BTW, the house looks great.

We have a very small footprint, which is what we wanted as we want low maintenance. I'm hoping to put the shed on the side where the boathouse is.

I looked on line at Costco, (which is always my first choice for these types of things) and the sheds I was looking at did not come with the option for them to install.