House Remodeling Thread (long)

[Blueberry]

Congratulations, Tulip!!!! At least your kitchen is all ready for the spring growing season (farmer's market, etc.). Looks beautiful!

CA

[tulip]

Outlet has been moved, panel will be replaced today, and pendant lights are up. Countertops next week.

[Tuckervill]

Wow, it's amazing how finished it looks just from adding the pendants!

Can't wait to see the whole thing.

eta: Oh, the new door makes all the difference, too!

Karen

[Grog]

Beauty!

And I love the red kettle.

I've visited a house recently that had a dish heater on top of the stove. I was pretty impressed. That would make a lovely complement above your gas range there.

[tulip]

Thanks, y'all. I love my red kettle (and all OXO kitchen gadgets!) and was delighted to pull it out of my storage shed last week. It was like seeing a long-lost friend. I have a microwave/convection oven combo that is going over the range. Tomorrow, I'm told. They had to do some finagling with the electrical switches next to the door before installing it.

I found out, too, that my range has a warming drawer...ooh! I didn't know that when I bought it. All the appliances came from Sears Outlet, and luckily I was able to get them all to coordinate. All except for the dishwasher, which is a Bosch--better ratings than the rest.

I still have a bit to do, aside from what the contractor has to to. I have to put polyeurethane on the door's wood parts and paint that wood piece of the doorway frame. And then I need to tile the backsplash, but that will have to wait until after the countertops are in. Other than that and the contractor's punch list, though, it's done. I'll post a pre-final picture once the countertops are done, and then later in the spring I'll post another one when I get around to the tiling.

If anyone's delving into this and wants some info on concrete or bamboo, or heatpumps and hotwater heaters, or even old house electrical issues, just let me know.

[ny biker]

I have a question - the first of many, probably. When you're budgeting for work to be done by a contractor, how much do you estimate for unforeseen overruns?

Background - my 1BR garden-style condo was built in the '40s as rental housing for folks working in the Pentagon during WWII. It was renovated in the '70s when the neighborhood went condo. I bought it almost 5 years ago. The previous owners lived out of state and rented it out for at least 10 years. For the most part, before I moved in, nothing had been done to it since the '70s. The stove and tile backsplash in the kitchen were harvest gold. (Talk about an appetite killer.)

Since I moved in, I have replaced the windows and replaced all the appliances. I painted the gold tile backsplash white, which works as a temporary fix. I've also gotten a bunch of new furniture. Right now I'm working on replacing the water heater.

Next, it will finally be time to get a contractor in here to get some serious work done. Every room needs work. I won't bore you with the details, at least not yet. My plan is to divide the work into chunks according to what I can afford, so it will take at least a few more years to get everything done.

For starters, I would like to spend about $5,000. But I want that to be my total budget, so I need to leave room for the likelihood that once the contractor gets started, he will find something that needs more work than we anticipate at the start. It's an old building, so I'm sure there will be some surprises. For example, there's supposed to be hardwood floors under the wall-to-wall carpet, but I've heard that some people find sections of plywood when they rip up their carpet.

So, is there a good rule of thumb for budgeting? Such as, assume you'll spend X% more than the contractor's estimate once everything is final?

Also, I would love any advice you all have on how to work with contractors. I'll be working with someone who has done a lot of work in this neighborhood for decades, and several people I know recommend him.

Thanks!

[Trek420]

So, is there a good rule of thumb for budgeting? Such as, assume you'll spend X% more than the contractor's estimate once everything is final?

Yes! Your remodel will either cost twice as much, take twice as long or both

As for finding the right contractor, do your research, follow up on their references. Yes if there is someone local who you know their clients, have seen the homes, that is worth a lot.

[withm]

I have a question - the first of many, probably. When you're budgeting for work to be done by a contractor, how much do you estimate for unforeseen overruns?

!

That's easy. About 10% MORE MONEY THAN YOU HAVE IN THE BANK.

And throw in another month for each $10,000 worth of work before it's "finished finished."

[Trek420]

there's supposed to be hardwood floors under the wall-to-wall carpet, but I've heard that some people find sections of plywood when they rip up their carpet.

You mean you haven't taken a sneak peak at a corner? Judging by the age of the building you may have hardwood there.