We’ve all thought about it. Some of us have done it. Buying a quaint little home somewhere remote and checking out from society. I recently succumbed to the temptation while on vacation and went as far to make an appointment with a Realtor.
It seemed perfect. A classic Cape Cod sitting on the edge of town. Sure, the garden was overgrown and the weathered yellow door needed some TLC but hey...I’m full of love. Besides, I could see a clawfoot tub through the window. I immediately called the number on the For Sale sign.
The price was more than I could afford, as anticipated, but not as high as I thought it would be. With some combined savings from my partner, a loan the size of a whale (nautical term) and finding a bunch of money on the side of the street I could maybe do this. The reason for the price? I was told it was a fixer-upper.
No problem! I can scrape, paint, spackle, scrub and plaster my way to the home of my dreams. It would be something we could do together. A “project” to keep us busy. Plus the house had a guest apartment that was licensed to rent out. So I’d never have to work again. Because a guest rental would surely cover the mortgage, bills, taxes and maintenance, right? Of course.
It was settled. I made the appointment and was at the house 15 minutes early. I wanted to show the man I meant business. The Realtor arrived, unlocked the door to my future as a homeowner/beach bum and we stepped into the set of a horror film.
I wouldn’t say anyone died here; there weren’t chalk outlines. But I’m sparing you the pictures of the hospital bed and ominous children’s crib in the attic. He first mentioned the walls were not insulated. Is that bad? I own sweaters. The entire place needed new plumbing and wiring. OK, that’s bad. The ceilings needed replacing. I’ve heard of roofs needing replacing, but ceilings? Several walls had to be knocked down because they were rotting. The fireplace was bricked-in and needed to be excavated but good news! The house had original hardwood floors.
I told him I would think about it then ran away and spent the rest of the afternoon washing my hands. But you know the sad thing? I actually am still thinking about it.
(Images: Geoff Bentz)
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it's easy, find the passion.
If you and your partner have never done a renovation before, it can be a real strain on your relationship. Some couples pull it off beautifully, but others... well, it's definitely a test of your love for each other.
If you have the time and money go for it...
If not run for the hills!
It's a very sweet house that *just* needs a little love, and a LOT of sweat equity! It's a huge decision, but...if it were me, I'd consider it! Get some people in to give you estimates for the things that you can't do yourselves, and that absolutely need to be done before it's habitable, and then crunch the numbers.
The good news is that it appears you won't need to do much UN-doing of bad renovations, etc. It looks like it has good bones and nice features.
Good luck!
I'm a very handy DIYer as is my husband, but when a realtor says out loud "fixer upper" you're talking add another $100k to the price to make it liveable. So if the asking price is already a stretch for you, this is not going to be affordable.
That said, our neighbors said when they moved into their 100 year old house 15 years ago, the walls had no insulation. Cups in the sink were freezing over night. They "fixed" that by building new walls on top of the existing walls and added insulation to those. So all of their rooms lost 4 inches on every wall. The added bonus to this solution is you can run new wiring through the new walls and just disconnect all the old.
i'm an architect. i deal with construction all day long. the last thing i want at home is another project. no. i'd run for the hills, or the nearest condo complex with a view.
We bought the cheapest house in the best neighborhood. Our house is worth 100% what we paid for it. Still isn't finished and havenot topped the market for it yet. Even in this enconomy homes on my street rarely last more than a month. Sweet if you can live tho it.
No, don't do it. If you have neither the cash nor the expertise to do it right, you are going to make your partner and yourself very unhappy. Believe me. BELIEVE ME.
I should add: you will also make your pocketbook, credit report, and savings account very unhappy.
Where is this house Massachusetts? I can tell it is somewhere in New England. My parents got a vacation home in Ma and when it is time to go back no one wants to leave. It is a slower pace there. Once you get through all of the renovating it will be well worth it.
My dad is an architect and loves nothing more than knocking down walls. The building them up again takes a while (he runs his own practice, so he's busy), but basically, renovation is a constant presence at my parent's house. They bought a fixer-upper and have been renovating it for the last 12 years.
When my parents announced that their current house was the one they were buying all those years ago, my sister and I cried. It was a dump. The yard was overgrown, the owner had painted it purple - but only as far as she could reach from the ground and around windows, the back deck was an open compost pit, and the place reeked of cat piss.
Luckily, the wires, plumbing and foundation were good, and four solid weeks of elbow grease made it possible to move in, but buying a fixer-upper means being okay with living in a crap-hole for a while, being okay with renovating in spurts and spits for 12 (or more) years, and probably never having insulation.
Can you tell I'd rather buy a condo?
I heart my handyman.
I have always wanted to, have the ideas but I don't think I have the patience. It took me too long just to finish my hallway.
At this point in my life I would keep it simple and would rather travel then endless hours running back and forth to the hardware store.
Buy the house only if it has good bones, you can easily afford to pay 50% more than the initial quotes to renovate the house, are very good with a budget, are willing to make design and material compromises to your initial "vision," have a good sense of delayed gratification, the project is not an investment only, and you have a completely unromanticized view of DIY projects (when you go to work on Monday, it will feel like you had no weekend; victories are small and rare). If this describes how you approach the project and your resources of time and money, go for it.
Talk to peope who've done renovations in the neighborhood. Take their advice with sources and contractors.
Understand that if it's a historic neighbohood, half of your neighbors will love what you do to the inside of the house and half of them will hate it unless it's 100% original materials, top-sourced antiques, and done all at once. Don't let it bother you. Also, get very good at knowing the additional construction rules, permits, and delays of historic work.
Splurge on an good architect; even if it means waiting a few years for custom, designer cabinets in the kitchen.
It's never "done" with a historic house...something falls apart as soon as something else is finished. It's a journey. Demanding perfection will drive you mad; accepting quirks with a laugh will keep you sane.
It's not a terrible thing or people like me wouldn't keep doing it. :) Good luck!
Learn from my experience. Keep running.
I admire people who have the drive, patience and determination to renovate an antique home. I've never done it, and most likely never would...unless I hit the lottery big time and hired people to do it for me...or buy a house already renovated. ;) I would never have the patience, but if you think you can do it, and have the funds to fix it properly, then go for it. Just expect the unexpected and take it slowly....try to keep the original character of the home. If you decide to go forward, post some photos on occasion to show your progress. Just think of the rich rewards of your work in the end, and how satisfying that must be. Good luck!
Ha! In the past month I have discovered a lovely old affordable house in a very idyllic area. The town is historic w/old Victorians lining Main St..., but it's a completely nonsensical decision for so many reasons, I can't begin to enumerate...yet I keep thinking of driving out there to check it out. The funny thing is that the pics are on line and it very obviously is a gutted fixer upper. My first home was a fixer upper and I think I vowed never again ~ but still...
We had this dream once, we thought about buying land, very expensive! and going pre-fab. The land alone was a budget breaker!
I bought a fixer-upper three years ago. It's been both very rewarding and incredibly frustrating. I'm not a DIYer, so I've become friends with the owners of the local appliance/fix-it store and have interviewed more than my share of contractors. During a torrential rainstorm today, I discovered my sump pump wasn't working -- my basement is now flooded. However, I still don't regret my decision to sell my suburban starter home to buy a rural rancher that needed love and affection.
I always wanted to do a fixer-upper, but nothing too radical to start with (new carpets/flooring, maybe a new kitchen, you know, things you can tackle gradually just to get practice). We finally found a house that was ideal and put an offer in on it. We reckoned it would cost $60k to renovate, but you could make at least $100K on the price afterwards.
We lost that house, but while researching the area to find out what a 'reasonable' price for the house was, found another one for the same price which needed no work at all. OK the kitchens and bathrooms are 20 years old but they are in fantastic condition and don't really need replacing. So we bought that one.
I'm kind of annoyed though, because I really thought the fixer upper was our thing, and now I've gone and bought one where it's all done for us.
I'm marrying into a fixer-upper...husband-to-be found the house and rented it out. Now we are moving back to his hometown with renovation of this beast as an excuse. All of the home renovation shows prepare you for the budgeting woes, but they only include small quips about the stress of the project on the relationship of the couple involved. I'm sending this article for the HTB right away.
In addition to the things mentioned above, I've heard it's best to research prices in the area, get the house appraised, then try to figure out which fixes are your indulgences (AGA cooker) and which will add value (finishing the basement). Want more reno nightmares? Watch Holmes on Homes.
If I loved the outside of the house and if it had good bones (and already liked most of the layout), yeah I'd be willing to fix it up. Too many houses sit because no one wants to fix them up. Just don't buy an expensive one.
the other thing to consider is the town bylaws and zoning ordinances before contemplating extensive work, especially to an old home in Massachusetts. there could be restrictions on what you can do and the permit process could be a nightmare. Also, these old towns are quick to reassess property that's been improved as a way to get around the prop 2 1/2 property tax limitation. These are costs that no one ever seems to remember when they're picking out paint colors.
GREAT CONTRACTOR! We just finished our renovations and we're really happy with our contractor. After hearing countless horror stories, we interviewed nearly 3 dozen in the hopes of finding a gem. We think we did. We redid our apt from top to bottom. The work was great and the prices reasonable. We are so happy to recommend NEXUSS CUSTOM INTERIORS-JAY WALDOWSKI-718 924 9302. They're licensed and insured and do both commercial and residential.