My Remodel Thread

[black2002ls]

Well, it has been a while in the making. We are finally closing on our first house tomorrow. It was built in 1996, 3/2/2. Everything on the inside looks to be original, right down to the wore out carpet. We forced the sellers hand and had them put a new roof on before we purchased.

Our plan

New carpet in 2 bedrooms
re-tile both bathrooms and the entry
Demo tile in kitchen and breakfast nook
Wood laminate in the kitchen, nook, family room, hallway, and 3rd bedroom
All new trim. 2 1/2" casing and 5" baseboards
fresh paint

It will undoubtedly get more extensive as we go, I am sure. We have talked about adding some cabinet space, though with the space given, we don't have many options, it has a very small galley type kitchen and a tiny pantry. All I have at the moment are exterior pictures. We have future plans for improvements, which include washing and re-staining the fence, removing the existing patio (~5'x5') and pouring a much larger pad, adding gutters, repainting the exterior, etc.

I only have a few exterior pictures right now. Once we get the keys, I will get some pictures of the inside and high light the problem areas so that we can chronicle our journey.







The wood "deck" shown in this next picture is getting removed IMMEDIATELY after we close. It has caused a large hole at the foundation at the corner of the master bedroom. A lack of gutters allowed the deck to channel water into this area and wash out the dirt around the foundation. It will get removed and dirt added. Thankfully, the entire fence is set on steel posts, I am hoping a wash and stain will put some life back into it!

[ELVIS]

congrats man!

god bless.

[dsrtuckteezy]

first thing on the list, mow your yard!!

[black2002ls]

first thing on the list, mow your yard!!

Thankfully the seller had it mowed a couple of days ago. We haven't taken posession yet. Unfortunately, it is ALL weeds. So any insight on how to begin correcting that would be great.

[BMCSean]

Burn it.

[black2002ls]

Burn it.

Heh, the thought crossed my mind, though being in the city limits and new to the neighborhood, I don't think its in my best interest.

[BMCSean]

Heh, the thought crossed my mind, though being in the city limits and new to the neighborhood, I don't think its in my best interest.

[black2002ls]

We went by the house this afternoon for a final walk through. With the torrential rains, we thought it would be a good time to check the new roof for leaks, and see if there were any major water issues pertaining to the house.

Back yard...





And the main area of concern. This is the reason the deck will be removed ASAP. This is the first time we have seen the yard after a significant rain. I am curious to see how much water it is holding tomorrow afternoon when I go by. It definitely needs some work where drainage is concerned. There is still a good bit of slab showing, so there is room to build the lot up a bit to help it drain. There are 3 significant low spots that hold a good bit of water, the rest of the yard is very "marshy". Full gutters will help, I will be getting a few bids on that next week. We just need to decide what color we are going to paint the outside.



I wanted to get some interior pictures while I was there, but the electricity has been turned off. Which may lead to a miserable weekend of work if we can't get it turned on tomorrow afternoon. All I was able to get were a couple of pictures of the kitchen.





In the first picture, the kitchen wall ends just a few inches after the cabinets, so there is not much room to add cabinet/counter space there. On the opposite side, we are thinking a tall cabinet that would hold a wall oven, give us some storage above and below the oven and going with a cook top on the opposite side, closer to the pantry so that we can get some usable counter space. On the far end of the kitchen is the "laundry room". It is a pass through area right before the garage door. We are thinking about going to a stackable washer and dryer and expanding the pantry. If anyone has ideas on how to make the space more usable, by all means, throw them at me!

[talisman]

From the few pictures, it looks like it is going to be a pretty decent sized project. The backyard flooding like that is worrisome. Stackables don't do a very good job, and they usually use a lot of electricity. I would avoid if possible. Be prepared to be out a lot of free time and money for the first few years, while you find little details all over that will bug the hell out of you. It is worth it, though. My house has come a long way in 18 months.

[black2002ls]

From the few pictures, it looks like it is going to be a pretty decent sized project. The backyard flooding like that is worrisome. Stackables don't do a very good job, and they usually use a lot of electricity. I would avoid if possible. Be prepared to be out a lot of free time and money for the first few years, while you find little details all over that will bug the hell out of you. It is worth it, though. My house has come a long way in 18 months.

Not the old school single unit stackables. The newer front load units. We have just been brain storming on ways to utilize space in the smaller areas to help out in others!

I am not too worried about the yard, gutters will help, and a weekend with some sand and a skid loader and it can be alleviated.

We are putting in a lot of work from the get go, new flooring throughout, painting all cabinets, paint, can lights, etc. As small as the cabinets are, I will probably have granite put in, in the near future.

Thankfully with my current line of work and family friends in plumbing and concrete, it should help reduce costs drastically.

[talisman]

Good plan. The more you can get done before you move in the better, especially painting and floors before the furniture is in.

[black2002ls]

Good plan. The more you can get done before you move in the better, especially painting and floors before the furniture is in.

Thankfully our current living situation allows us the time to work on it. I am hoping for 3 weeks from demo to move in.

[War Machine]

Congratulations! Im having my old house remodeled right now, if you need some #'s let me know.

[black2002ls]

Congratulations! Im having my old house remodeled right now, if you need some #'s let me know.

Will do. I think I have most of it covered. I am planning on doing 90-95% of it myself. Along with friends for labor. Lots of beer ad burgr parties in the coming weeks!

Do we have a seamless gutter hook up on the board? My contractor doesn't work in Greenville..

[War Machine]

Will do. I think I have most of it covered. I am planning on doing 90-95% of it myself. Along with friends for labor. Lots of beer ad burgr parties in the coming weeks!

Do we have a seamless gutter hook up on the board? My contractor doesn't work in Greenville..

I need gutters on the house Im living in now too.