Hellobee Boards

Our current house was/is a fixer upper, and I will never do that again! I yearn for a house that is move in ready

we just moved into a house that needed a lot of work and while i hated having to live with family during our renovation (besides all the extra help with A ) i really like the fact that we designed our open floor plan, kitchen and bathrooms

I'd much rather make things to my own tastes, so I chose option B!

Agreed with everyone else, Id assume option b would be way way more expensive than A and for that reason, id buy A. Estimates are just that any time you open a wall you have potential for a cost increase.

After living in a fixer upper and watching it become a money pit, I will always vote for the home that needs less work! In your situation I'd buy house A or keep looking.

I'd go with option A. If you don't need the loft urgently, you can do that when you feel so inclined - same thing with the kitchen, which means you can move in and settle down for a bit before the upheaval begins, With option B though, you have no choice but to get to work straightaway and live in chaos for however long it takes to have the renos done. With a toddler, I'm all for making the move as easy as possible!

I think A, at least it is okay for now, and everything is a process so you can convert as you are able/ as you like.

We did major reno work without kids and it was brutal, expensive, and frustrating. I would never go down that path with a LO! I'd go for something totally move in ready if you could swing it!!

@Cherrybee: I have no idea what labor and material costs are like there. But I say those numbers are way off. We DIY our kitchen gut Reno and it was way more than that. Granted ours included semi pro appliances and its a gourmet kitchen so I'm sure finishes play into it.

I just don't wnt you going into it comparing similar Reno costs for A and B. I just don't think it wil be. I think B will be way higher. Do you need to bring in a structural engineer for the loft Reno? That was would def bring that up.

A only because it's taking us years to renovate!

Regardless of how small the rooms are, renovations always end up costing more than you think. So double your estimate before deciding which house to go for.

I care way more about location than anything. When we were house searching there were a TON of brand new beautiful homes on busy streets or tiny lots in our price range that i refused to even consider. I know they are on the same street, butis one on a nicer lot? That would help me make up my mind if i was okay with both reno scenarios.

Also to your point about wanting to pick the kitchen, i totally agree. It was nice to move into our home with a totally brand new renovated kitchen but I hate the countertops. Thing is, they were expensive - so we ultimately paid for them in the sale price, and i hate them so much we are about to pay double to replace them. Worth it in the end since the $ made sense and we love our neighborhood, but if you have the choice to redesign to your liking that is a bonus.

@Cherrybee: hmmm maybe it's the space factor!! our new kitchen is about 12x10 feet

UGH! Thatvvv is hard and sucks!
FWIW, DH and I have gutted two houses to the studs. Almost completely DIY in both places except plumbing, some electrical, and some drywall. We had no idea what we were doing but made (some) money and eventually bought our (still temporary) dream home. So I voted 'b.'
I say go for the fixer-upper, but here's my advice:
-budget 15-20% extra for s!#t that you don't even know could go wrong
-agree on a "line": decide the point at which, at any point, you will hire a contractor
-know how you're going to define and hire those contractors
-add 30-40% of however long it's going to take, by the estimate of the most optimistic spouse!
You've got this

@Cherrybee: My kitchen is pretty massive (It's an eat-in and the same size as our living room). I kind of hate it because I don't use most of the counter space.

In response to your question, I would go with b only if you are going to hire it out. We did our bathroom last summer and while it was a week of not being able to shower, it wasn't bad otherwise. If we had done it ourselves...we'd still not have a bathroom floor.

B renovation prices aren't really comparable in different countries/currencies so aslong as you have done the research in your area I would go with B so you can make the place more your style!

Maybe I'm crazy, but a major structural overhaul sounds more intrusive and expensive than a cosmetic change to a kitchen and some drywall (is plastering even a thing anymore?). All things being equal, I'd probably go with B as well.

And I think maybe people aren't doing the conversion to pounds. You guys are like 2:1 to us here in Canada, and $40,000 sounds totally reasonable for a modest kitchen and bathroom redo.