https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 16 May 2026 18:26:42 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go/page/2#post-2679377 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 08:52:21 +0000 cat620 2679377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Myicitygirl: I did some research on this, and it probably varies by state, but what I found is that typically the contractors you hire will carry their own insurance if they act as a business and not an employee. For example, our plumber, tile guy, carpenter, etc all own their own businesses, so they are responsible for insurance and things like paying taxes. Some GCs will hire subcontractors who are businesses, so in that instance, they would not need to provide insurance. But if the GC hires employees who act as his team of people and they work for him and not themselves, then he has to have insurance. Also, we did not get a permit, because for us it wasn't really necessary. Technically, I believe in our state, you only need a permit if you're moving water lines or changing electrical, things like that. So for replacing cabinets, appliances, flooring, countertops, etc, none of that requires a permit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go/page/2#post-2679324 Fri, 13 Jan 2017 00:20:52 +0000 Mama Bird 2679324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you ever done a major renovation or remodel? My parents have.<br /> What kind of renovation did you do? They replaced carpet with laminate flooring in the entire house, and gutted and re-did the kitchen.<br /> How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? Word of mouth.<br /> How long did it take vs the estimate? It was pretty much on time, surprisingly. I've heard too many horror stories about contractors tearing up a place and disappearing for weeks.<br /> How was the cost vs. the estimate? The flooring was right on. There were some additional costs with the kitchen, I think there was more structural work than expected, but it wasn't a big cost overrun.<br /> How did you finance it? Savings.<br /> Any regrets? The timing wasn't great (some health issues going on at the same time) but no regrets about the renovation itself. I loved picking out all the finishes, the house looks much lighter, and the kitchen is a joy to be in. It was very dark and cramped before the renovation.<br /> What was the overall process like? Well, it's a pain to be without a kitchen for two months, but it went as well as it could... the microwave and electric teapot were working.</p> <p>@Anagram: If you're looking to buy and renovate, in theory you could do the work never you move in, if it makes sense financially. It's not easy, but a good renovation can really transform a space. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go/page/2#post-2679309 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 23:49:52 +0000 irene 2679309@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of renovation did you do?<br /> Master Bath, and then kitchen a few years later.</p> <p>How did you find your designer/contractor/architect?<br /> Internet search and referral. We got 3 bids and picked the one we liked best. And we picked the one we got from the internet. We used the same designer for kitchen afterwards.</p> <p>How long did it take vs the estimate?<br /> Master bath was over by a few weeks (or a month); Kitchen was over by 1-2 weeks. </p> <p>How was the cost vs. the estimate?<br /> Sigh. lol<br /> Master bath we wanted to do it within 30k? Estimate was 35-40k by designer, and it came out to be 50k or more. Kitchen. Sigh. Originally we just wanted to get the kitchen done, we were wishful thinking to have it done around 80k. We got talked into really remodeling the entire first floor, opening the walls, changing the floors and color of floors...etc. The estimate was under 6 figures (I think?). The end result was of course, over. Of course there were a few surprises, such as the water and gas line is not where they thought it should be, or they need to get a chase (?) constructed in order to fit the air conditioning vent (we opened walls and moved things around). I was/am in denial about it and I still don't know exactly how much did we spend over. DH did, and we don't talk about it lol.</p> <p>How did you finance it?<br /> Savings.</p> <p>Any regrets?<br /> I thought I would, but really no. When I was paying the bills like pouring water out I had a lot of "I wish we didn't". But now all is said and done and we are living in the beautifully renovated home, I am OK. I am glad we did what we did.</p> <p>Final thoughts: Always assume it will be 1 month over, and you make sure you stress that you need this done on time, and maybe they will take you seriously and delay by 2 weeks. If you are remodeling the kitchen, get ready for some sort of dieting / weight loss program afterwards because the constantly eating out/take out EVERY MEAL is going to cost ya. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go/page/2#post-2679287 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 23:00:08 +0000 birdofafeather 2679287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of renovation did you do?<br /> reconfigured doorways and created a hallway from two bedrooms to get to an add on which only had through access from one of the other bedrooms. took down a wall to make that add on a master with a closet to add a bedroom officially to our home's record (bought as 2 bed/1 bath, now a 3 bed/1 bath even though we added no square footage). also ripped out all knob and tube in bedrooms (1929 home) and updated electrical panel<br /> How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? figured out what we wanted to do and went to city hall to make sure we had the right idea about permits. we definitely wanted to have the permits on record as we were changing the number of bedrooms, so we wanted to increase property value. brought our baby and asked on the DL for some recommendations for architects. found one that could take on the small job from that list and he was integral to making our plans happen by pushing it through city hall and changing some ideas we had so we didn't have to have a structural engineer to save time and $$. he was the BEST!<br /> How long did it take vs the estimate? we had about 6 weeks before we had to get out of our rental. took about 5 days longer than that, so we were able to keep our moving truck in storage and stay at my mom and dad's while we finished painting.<br /> How was the cost vs. the estimate? sounds bad, but we didn't have an estimate because we had to do what we had to do. DH and FIL did probably 80% of the work themselves. we farmed out the drywall/plaster because of time and expertise as well as the baseboards and 3 bedroom door installation. we would have run out of $$ if we had to pay any more people to do work!<br /> How did you finance it? cash, combo of our savings and gifts from parents when we purchased the home (they gave us $$ for downpayment and this was leftovers)<br /> Any regrets? i regret not thinking about how many decisions we would have to make: baseboards, flooring, light fixtures, etc before we could finish. since it was our first time buying a house, we were very fixed on that instead of prepping for the reno by picking these items out (not necessarily buying them in case something didn't go through!). but since we literally had the architect over a day after we bought the place and started gutting the bedrooms and working on the house 3 days after we bought it, we got the ish done! </p> <p>the other thing i wish we would have done is finished the projects we had before we started others. we got it livable, but then we started a front yard project that has dragged on for months because yard work takes forever! and our new interior doors still haven't been painted. oh well! we'll get there some day.</p> <p>but no regrets doing the work as we probably spent $15K and got $50K in equity based on comps.</p> <p>What was the overall process like? a LOT of work, but we're so proud of it and it is so much more fun to put your own stamp on your house! and we really enjoy our house too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go/page/2#post-2679193 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:57:37 +0000 jomarma 2679193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is going to be mostly negative, unfortunately...</p> <p>What kind of renovation did you do? kitchen + new floors, so relatively small</p> <p>How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? Yelp. We got 3 bids, and went with the bid in the middle.</p> <p>How long did it take vs the estimate? We started in early December and we were supposed to be done yesterday... we're not done. It's probably going to be another month. I'm due March 1! </p> <p>How was the cost vs. the estimate? About 15% higher than estimated... some due to us choosing more expensive materials, some due to hidden problems being discovered in the midst of the reno (mold in our bedroom due to moisture leakage from outside, we discovered that on Tuesday...)</p> <p>How did you finance it? Mostly cash, some credit (so far I've paid off the balance but we might leave a little on towards the end), and an emergency gift from my mom.</p> <p>Any regrets? Um YES, buying this house! I regret a lot but it's hard to put into words. Right now, after over a month with out a kitchen and two months without a floor, and 8 months pregnant, I'm really regretting starting this project. Hopefully when this is all done I won't be so regretful but right now... UGH. </p> <p>With any renovation, expect it to take twice as long than estimated and cost 10-15% more.</p> <p>Side note, has anyone see those credit card commercials with the couple talking honestly to a contractor about their renovation? "I'm going to leave your house a mess for months..." "I'm going to nod my head and pretend I understand you..." They are so true! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2679180 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:17:16 +0000 Anagram 2679180@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lioneyes: thank you! That's the kind of info I'm looking for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2679168 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 19:56:52 +0000 lioneyes 2679168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram I reread the details, and have a few more thoughts for you! (I'm a realtor in a major city, FWIW).</p> <p>It's generally a smart financial bet to buy and renovate something in a city (or a suburb, but really in a city, it's trending that millenials and young families want to stay in cities) if it's in a good location. Most bang for your buck, you can get exactly what you want, and you'll do well with resale. That's why renovated/brand new city properties are so $- someone else had to do the work, but then they reap the financial benefits!</p> <p>As far as financing- mortgage rates are still pretty low (they will go up this year, but how much who knows), so you should be able to get a very decently low rate on a mortgage. Using the numbers you provided, if you put 20% down on a house listed at 350K, and used the rest of your budget on a huge renovation,you'd have a a monthly mortgage on less than your budget, and a home worth well over what you put in and are paying.</p> <p>Paying cash and then taking out a home equity loan is less advisable- while you will have the equity in your home from paying cash, you won't get as good of a rate as you would on a mortgage, unless it's a very short term loan that you can pay back 6months-1 year.</p> <p>Sorry so long, hope this helps! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2679143 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 18:58:01 +0000 Myicitygirl 2679143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: @pinkarmadillo: I forgot to direct my above questions to you ladies in particular.</p> <p>My husband and I know nothing about renovations and we are doing such a major remodel (brand new kitchen, complete alteration of master bath, complete gut updates of other baths, new built ins, new loft addition, all new paint) that we would hesitate to act as our own GC. But the worker comp requirement was also a major factor and am curious how others handled that. </p> <p>I am currently bidding out the project and wasn't sure if every construction firm is essentially a GC with a crew? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2679074 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 16:24:22 +0000 Myicitygirl 2679074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>for those who did not use a General Contractor, did you carry workers comp insurance to cover any potential injuries to workers in your home? I believe most remodel permits require proof of Workers comp</p> <p>Is there a difference between hiring a general contractor and a building/construction company? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2679055 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 16:06:39 +0000 Boogs 2679055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are discussing this now! Totally saving this thread, thanks for starting it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678953 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 14:05:16 +0000 lioneyes 2678953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@anagram very short term home equity loan. you should consider the rates with those tho- it will most likely make more sense for you to put less $ down on your mortgage and use cash to pay for the renovation, unless you can pay back the loan within 6months-year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678946 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:56:47 +0000 Modern Daisy 2678946@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of renovation did you do? Tore down a porch and built a family room/mudroom in its place</p> <p>How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? We used an architect and contractor that we knew from our social club</p> <p>How long did it take vs the estimate? Haha this is why I will never live through construction again. 8-10 weeks turned into almost 7 months.</p> <p>How was the cost vs. the estimate? We never got an estimate, just gave our builder a budget, and it turned out to be too low (he was losing money) so he put a lot of costs back on us like the purchase of our gas fireplace, bathroom appliances, etc.</p> <p>How did you finance it? We paid cash but opened up a home equity LOC just in case since we knew there would be extra costs that we hadn't anticipated.</p> <p>Any regrets? Yes. We were trying to keep the room small so our taxes wouldn't go up too high but I was too focused on this and refused to see the bigger (no pun intended) picture that the room was just too small for a family room. Now we can't change it.</p> <p>What was the overall process like? Pretty terrible and I love our builder! The worst part was having trucks in teh driveway all the time. This drove me insane. But I felt like there was a lot of downtime then all of a sudden we needed to know paint colors, tile choices, etc. within the next 5 minutes without any warning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678937 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:46:33 +0000 cat620 2678937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: We did this too! For our kitchen remodel, my husband and FIL did all the demo and they also put up the cabinets and installed the appliances. We only hired people to install the countertops and the backsplash, so it ended up being much more affordable!</p> <p>I want to add that if you don't want to use a general contractor and you want to cut out the middle man, don't listen to the naysayers who want to scare you into using a general contractor! When we were interviewing general contractors, before deciding we wanted to do it ourselves, they all would try to scare us and say that we would have trouble sticking to a timeline and finding good people to work for us. They said most of their job is policing the workers to make sure they did their job and showed up on time, so if we didn't hire them, our project would basically fall apart. Talking to the GC's made me so nervous, but my FIL has lots of renovation experience, and he said he would help us with labor and figuring things out. I haven't had a single problem with the people we hired so far! We've hired a tile guy, a carpenter, a plumber, a handyman, a landscaping company, roofers, and flooring guys so far. They have all been on time, did a great job and gave us fair prices! I think a lot of it has to do with us renovating in the winter, so there is less work right now, so they are happy we're giving them a job. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678914 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:21:06 +0000 mediagirl 2678914@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: right. I didn't see your update. I think first step is look at rates. Then move from there. Sounds like a really interesting option!</p> <p>I'm pretty conservative so with a purchase that big, I would plan to stay in the house through any possible housing bust or boom. That would probably mean expecting to stay 6-10 years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678908 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:17:45 +0000 Anagram 2678908@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lioneyes: what kind of loan? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678901 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:11:07 +0000 lioneyes 2678901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of renovation did you do? Gutted our condo (new kicthen, took down walls, new floors, new bathroom appliances).<br /> How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? We found our contractor through word of mouth- interviewed 3 and chose one. We did the design/plans ourself.<br /> How long did it take vs the estimate? We were able to move in after 3 months, as planned, but some small things (kitchen backsplash, wallpaper, punchlist stuff) still needed to be done.<br /> How was the cost vs. the estimate? We went 10K over budget.<br /> How did you finance it? Savings for half, loan for the rest.<br /> Any regrets? We should have re-tiled the bathrooms while we were already doing the work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678900 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:10:03 +0000 Anagram 2678900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pinkarmadillo: yup. I just had a friend who had built in bookshelves/cabinets put in her living room. She used a local contractor who had a lot of reviews from local friends--he quoted her a price and said it would only take 1 day to measure, then maybe a 1 week period for them to get all supplies and cut everything, and then only 1 afternoon in her house to install. And in the end, it took like 6 weeks, with them coming over a period of 2 weeks to install the shelves, leaving construction dust and open baseboards (with nails sticking out) for the two weeks. And she has 2 toddlers and this was in the living room. nightmare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678892 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:07:32 +0000 pinkarmadillo 2678892@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I hate to stereotype them but we didn't have a single positive experience with one. One was even a "friend" he was the worst! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678888 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 13:05:12 +0000 Anagram 2678888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pinkarmadillo: I'm worried about contractors, too. Before we sold our rental house, we needed to completely tear off a 2nd story balcony and rebuild it (it wasn't safe), and do some interior water damage repair and the quotes we got were so all over the place--from 30k to 10k. And then contractors wouldn't call back! I had to call/email several times to even get a quote, and then several times after that to have work finished. That was a "small" repair and it took so much time and effort to get it all done. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678881 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:57:57 +0000 pinkarmadillo 2678881@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was technically a full house flip while living in the house. I was 4 weeks pregnant when we moved in and we just sold the house yesterday. So we did it all while having a baby too. </p> <p>We gutted the kitchen and rebuilt it, painted the whole interior, replaced light fixtures, crown molding and baseboards. We re did two bathrooms and also tiled our large playroom/sunroom and re did the ceilings in there too. We turned an odd room into a large butler pantry, replaced the pool liner and also replaced all the siding on the exterior with hardy board and new shutters and new exterior doors. </p> <p>We did 80% of the work ourselves. My husband is in insurance and a lot of his clients ended up helping us when needed. </p> <p>Well the little one made it harder to work on for sure but we had no set timeline. It took us exactly two years.</p> <p>Ended up costing around 25k which was estimated but seriously a good deal for the amount of changes. DIY is the best way to go.</p> <p>We paid as we went and did one room at a time. If we couldn't afford it then we had to wait.</p> <p>Nope!</p> <p>It was hard. The kitchen was the hardest. Also when we did get help from others we found contractors are extremely unreliable and frustrating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678880 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:57:45 +0000 Anagram 2678880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: but what about the scenario I gave where you *could* buy the house cash. If we want to renovate before moving in, what do you think is the best way to finance the reno? Buy the house cash and then do a home equity loan? Or put less on the house (like only 50%) down and then use the rest of the money to pay cash for the reno?</p> <p>I guess I should compare mortgage rates and terms to HEL rates and terms... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678875 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:49:05 +0000 mediagirl 2678875@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@teawithpaloma: I work full time and am a parent so I figure if I can do it, anyone can. :) I'd say the toughest parts were taking the time off work to be there and micromanage the workers when they were at the house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678874 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:48:09 +0000 teawithpaloma 2678874@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: thank you, this is really helpful. this actually sounds like something we could manage! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678863 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:35:49 +0000 oskarsmommy 2678863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of renovation did you do?<br /> we did a whole house gut renovation. we were naive, and bought our house which was a 1920's home owned by basically one Italian family since the 40's, that liked to fix things themselves (I love Italians, but I have been to italy - to me it spoke volumes!). when we bought it we first thought we would be able to live in it with minor clean up for a while, maybe just knock down one wall to open up the kitchen. ha! that one wall turned into the whole house.. the electrical was the old knob and tube wiring, there was no central air, bathrooms had major mold and broken shower pans - it was a MESS!</p> <p>How did you find your designer/contractor/architect? through my mom - which till this day causes friction between her and I. We didn't really have a contractor - just this do it all guy who did the framing work, painting/windows/plumbing/tile work/appliance installation/etc. then I hired out all the sub contractors (floor guy, hvac people, countertop guy, kitchen cabinet guy, electrician)</p> <p>How long did it take vs the estimate?<br /> Estimate was 8 weeks + whatever timeline kitchen cabinets took.<br /> It took 3.5 months - with the last bathroom not getting finished until the 5th month - AFTER I came home from the hospital with a newborn baby and basically had a breakdown with the contractor that he had to finish!</p> <p>How was the cost vs. the estimate? HA! well we started thinking we were just gonna take out a wall, and update electrical - original estimate for that was 17k.. by the time we were done it was 115k..</p> <p>How did you finance it? I really don't know how! My husband had about 35k in savings we dipped into (we had more - and it was VERY hard to not go beyond that into our savings) My parents paid for the electrical (12k) And I think his parents gifted us the HVAC (6k) We were also pregnant and getting married at the time. My parents had given me 25k to plan my wedding - we only spent about 5k of that (eloped in hawaii with small group of friends and family - NO frills, on the beach - not even flowers - no cake - nothing! it was amazing!) So we used about 20k of that.. Then I was busting my ass freelancing, taking on all the extra work I could - wrapping up my last job the day my water broke! So that's how we came up with the rest.</p> <p>Any regrets? LOTS!</p> <p>Not starting off with a formal budget</p> <p>Not finishing.. We never did our kitchen backsplash because "you can easily do it later" We never painted our house, so it looks awful on the outside still. We didn't finish out our basement because "it could be done later"</p> <p>Not adding easier access to our backyard</p> <p>I easily could saved about 6-10k in silly upgrades and used that towards painting the exterior (my kitchen faucet for example.. I HAD to have this Newport Brass faucet - its was $850!!! I HAD to have a rain shower and a handheld shower head (never use the rain shower) I HAD to have a nice tile inlay in my shower($750+ labor)</p> <p>Not planning space better - we had 3 bedrooms and we planned to use one for an office.. Well three years later we need that for baby number two - and I could have done a built in office in my kitchen, but instead I used the space for a breakfast nook (which we never use!)</p> <p>What was the overall process like? Even though it was stressful, I actually liked it. I NEVER imagined I'd be designing my own bathrooms or kitchen - so it was super exciting. It was also hard, because man EVERYTHING needs a decision - and without a contractor to make those basic decisions (how thick of baseboard molding, what kind of outlet covers, what kind of grout, what kind of pipes, how high do you want the lip of the shower to go - etc) I was very overwhelmed. I learned so much, and would LOVE to do it again, with my learned knowledge though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678846 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:25:52 +0000 looch 2678846@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: It is times like this when I wish I had a crystal ball! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678842 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:24:53 +0000 mediagirl 2678842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@teawithpaloma: I found all of the workers. I booked the cabinet people, the countertop people and the backsplash guy. We didn't do floor but I would have found the flooring people, as well. Then, I talked to all three about when each part of the job should be done. They are the experts. They have done their jobs forever. They know who comes first. Example: the countertop people told us that once we had an install date for the cabinets, we could call them and schedule our tentative onsite date. Once the cabinets were in, they would come out and measure, then cut and then come back out a few days later to install. </p> <p>We did our own demo, as well. I would guess in your case, you would demo, then do floors, then cabinets, then counters. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678839 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:21:55 +0000 Anagram 2678839@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I don't think there's any way to know how house values will go in the next 4-8 years. As you know, there's been quite a boom in the last 4. Hard to say if it will continue, if it will stall, or if rising interest rates will make house prices come down.</p> <p>But in all the fixer-upper cases, there are homes in the neighborhoods that are going for much much higher. Like the standard price for 1 town is about $340/sq foot. But one of the fixers is listed at $200/sq foot. Although the be fair, it kind of looks like a hoarder lives there. A clean hoarder, but still.....everything is terribly cluttered, nothing is updated. Without an inspection it's hard to know what big items have to be done (roof, electric, internal stuff...who knows), but in terms of cosmetic fixes, I think all floors, paint and 2 of the 3 bathrooms would have to be done before we moved in. But the low price sure gives us some room to play, in terms of finances. Just not sure about the stress and how we'd finance. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678837 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:21:45 +0000 teawithpaloma 2678837@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: I need to do the kitchen only and the kitchen flooring. How did you act as middle man specifically? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678820 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:09:29 +0000 looch 2678820@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I think the best house to renovate is a cape...you can build around and up very easily. </p> <p>I really think, in this part of the country, the question is the neighborhood you're buying into. If you buy a $350k house and upgrade it to $500k, will you be the biggest house in the neighborhood? Are other people doing the same thing, and if not, why? When you go to sell, would you recoup the costs? It's my major issue right now, in our home/neighborhood. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-done-a-major-renovationremodel-how-did-it-go#post-2678816 Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:05:25 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2678816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: great thread! We will probably have to make a decision soon about remodeling our house. It's tiny with a pretty large lot, so so we have space. Even though houses in the area have gained a ton in value, I feel like we are still priced out of an upgraded size wise home. The market is so competitive. So we consider our options. </p>