So let's say that you're moving out of or into a new home. Besides the worry and hassle of packing all your worldly possessions, there's also the fret of finishing up or starting anew with home projects. We're talking about painting, fixing leaky faucets, installing new lighting, or repairing that creaky step.
As you check off your To Do's, we wonder what's on that list. In terms of cost and necessity...
We ask this because we're in the midst of taking a "fix it" inventory of our own home. So far, we've walked through our home and made a list of every little thing we'd like to see accomplished in this house. Now that we have our Master List, we're working on dividing the tasks into "Must Dos" and "Would Like to Dos." Where should we go next?
Now that you know what you have to do, how do you get started? Do you prioritize items according to importance, ease, or it is purely a matter of cost?
Top Photo: aspoonfullofsucre on flickr
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We had so many things on our checklist that a couple of years into owning this house, we invited a local realtor over. He was happy to come and tell us what we needed to do and what would not be cost effective.
Of course our list wasn't just things like "paint foyer" and "replace faucet." It involves things like replacing all the windows, replacing siding, replacing every appliance in the house, replacing the heat pump, etc.
The single most valuable piece of advice was that we should only improve as much as houses in the comparable price range are improved. So in our price range, no fancy cabinets or countertops, no off-beat paint colors, no expensive windows, no random-width, hand-planed wood plank flooring, etc.
view ADonuts's profile
We broke it into DIY and non-DIY jobs. Then the non-DIY jobs we tried to break down into trades, so if we had 3 electrical items, the electrician wouldn't have to come out 3 times. Then we fit the DIY jobs around whichever trade happened to be working in our house at the time. For example, when the electrician was installing switches and fixtures for the renovation, we painted the ceiling before he hung the fixtures and re-installed trim after he was done with the switches and thermostats.
view matt in kc's profile
i just came in to say.. i really like the way the walls look in that photo.
if i lived there.. i'd leave them that way.
view antimatt's profile
Oh I am struggling with this. I have a spreadsheet full of Things To Do. I have them categorized by:
- level of difficulty 1-5. 1 is can do it myself in a few hours, 5 is need a professional and a day or more.
- priority 1-10. 1 being "it keeps me up at night", 10 being "it will happen when I magically become extremely wealthy"
- cost
and of course, room, etc. You'd think all that info would make it easier, but it is just as hard. Plus I just don't have the decorating knowledge base to make decisions - e.g. is it ok to get the drapes before the couch or should I wait until the couch is in?
whew! moving into a new place just gives you So Much To Do!
view modernlogcabin's profile
I have to respectfully disagree with @ADonuts. I bought my condo to LIVE in.
Therefore, what I do and do not do to it is NOT going to be determined by whether it will or will not increase the re-sale value by as much as the fixup costs. It will be determined by what will make it more pleasant for US to live in, thank-you-very-much. I can't help feel a little sad for people that live in an investment portfolio rather than in a home. I treat my retirement accounts like financial investments for the future. I treat my home as a non-financial investment in how I want to live in the present, and how I want to live going forward.
Fix-ups for my condo-- quality and long lasting materials/craftsmanship matter. Resale value for it's own sake, not so much.
(We also don't do any fix-ups on borrowed money, and won't, unless something crucial --like fixing a roof or repairing water damage-- comes up that costs more than is in our emergency fund.)
view LindaJeanne's profile
If you're working on a large-scale renovation, I think its important to have a Plan A (dream scenario), a Plan B (some compromises on budget/scale), and a Plan C (just making the place livable). You can't expect to do everything all at once with a big savings account or a big loan. Your first priority should always be to make the place safe and livable. Water and electrical issues should not be put off... even if you can do relatively cheaper things sooner, you're better off saving up for the necessities.
In any room, I like to work from the top down, i.e. paint the ceiling (and install new lights), then the walls, THEN think about the floors. Work with gravity, not against it.
view DGen's profile
@ LindaJeanne
I don't see the problem in considering the value in certain improvements. Selling a house is difficult as it is. It's not living in an "investment portfolio" if you choose to use your budget to improve things that will keep their value when it is time to sell. If you plan on living somewhere for a long time, it's obviously important to spend money on quality stuff that you can live with. But, spending crazy on stuff that the market wont support isn't smart at all. Smart doesn't have to be bland, it just has to be flexible.
view chaseunchase's profile