complete house remodel: recommendations?

[prairiewindmomma]

Imagine you purchased a new house that needed an entire cosmetic remodel....and you got to choose new flooring, kitchen, toilets, vanities, etc.....but you needed to stay within a reasonable budget.

 

What would you pick, and why?
What would you choose to splurge on?

 

Links are welcome!

[StephanieZ]

burn it down and start over.

 

btdt, still have ptsd,  lol

 

 

[OrganicJen]

I did something similar and drove myself crazy for awhile. Then I looked at houses in magazines and finally just picked one I liked and used it as a guide for inspiration and that made it much easier than working bit by bit. Once I had my inspiration I could use it to choose similar looking things that fit within my budget.

[BlsdMama]

Imagine you purchased a new house that needed an entire cosmetic remodel....and you got to choose new flooring, kitchen, toilets, vanities, etc.....but you needed to stay within a reasonable budget.

 

What would you pick, and why?

What would you choose to splurge on?

 

Links are welcome!

 

 

I think we are essentially doing this... Slowly.  It's been four years. LOL.

 

This is SO unique to the house that I don't know it can be figured.

 

For example:

 

The living room carpet had cat stains on it.  That HAD to go and be replaced immediately.

The bathrooms were in decent condition (flooring, fixtures, etc.) but the toilets all needed replaced and so did the a good part of the master bath floor and all the flooring.

 

That's where we started.

 

Then we just went through the house in the order of importance.  The dining room was too small AND CARPETED.  Now it's not.  We did vinyl plank because it made sense for us.

We replaced the two plastic glass "Barbie" chandeliers and put new light fixtures in the dining room, knocked out a wall, created a wider entry, removed two weird doors, created a pass through to the kitchen.  

 

Then we had to have more bedrooms.  We started on the basement, put up walls, drywall, etc.  Created two (three-ish - the middle room can't have an egress window so it has a pocket door in addition  to the regular door so that it is safe)  more bedrooms.

 

Painted the entire upstairs and downstairs.  Apparently they had had unique taste in color and so in order to sell the house, they had painters go through and paint everything in a flat vanilla.  Flat is EVIL when you have a lot of kids. 

 

Then the layout of the kitchen wasn't good.  We liked the oak cabinets but not the layout.  We reconfigured everything, tore down the soffits, put in new lighting, and then had to the floor.  We chose vinyl plank.  Huge mistake, btw.  Vinyl plank is AMAZING for our front room / dining area.  It is awful for the kitchen.  Because our girls cook a lot but they are young, they drop things.  And sharp things make gouges.  We are now going to rip it up again, use it in the entry/foyer area, and put down tile.

 

Next up?  Replace the AC and furnace. It's 22 years and I love that furnace because it still works.  L-O-V-E

 

We replaced the counters but because what we really wanted was not in the budget (quartz) we went with laminate until we can go a little more fancy.  It looks nice and it's done and much better than the blue that matches this forum that was what the previous owner chose.

 

 

But you see what I mean by it's so unique to the house?  Everything was prioritized by what we needed, kwim? 

[JIN MOUSA]

How important is resale value? Because if that's important, I think it's worthwhile to pull in a local realtor who can give you an idea of what finishes are important for your neighborhood and price range. 

 

Then look for inspiration from magazines or Pinterest, and then be realistic about your family's lifestyle and needs and your budget. 

 

Sometimes I find a thing I really love (specific mirrors in the bathroom or a special shell mosaic backsplash for the kitchen) that's rather spendy. I try to look for more budget ideas (say in light fixtures or floor tile) to balance out the expense and still end up with a space I like. 

 

I think splurges are also worthwhile for the workhorses in the house. For me, that's especially kitchen counters, and I went with quartz, which was certainly more expensive than other options, but worth it to me. 

[JIN MOUSA]

Oh and - I don't know that everyone would necessarily consider this a splurge, but it is absolutely worth the money to use a good general contractor. Someone who had been in the business for quite a while and had a good reputation. 

 

Ask me how I know ...

[OneStepAtATime]

In general things that I would want to do to keep costs down would be, during the planning stages, to focus on the kitchen and the bathrooms first since plumbing will be involved.  You don't want to have to rip out and redo plumbing later on.  Shifting the layout of the plumbing can add to cost so try to avoid it but if the layout does not meet your needs, preliminarily plan that out before planning what to do for the rest of the house.  Stick with materials that are durable and fairly easy to acquire.  Also, hopefully materials that you don't have to order from overseas or need to be custom made.  There are semi-custom cabinets available that look really nice and are cheaper than completely custom cabinets, for instance. 

 

Things to consider:

 

 

1.  Will you be living in the house while the remodel is going on?

2.  Do you have a time limit for when the job should be done?

3.  Do you care about resale value?

4.  Do you want it to be user friendly for someone that might have mobility issues?

5.  Do you have any special needs like space for an office or the need for a guest suite?

6.  Do you and your husband tend to like the same styles/colors/etc.?

7.  Are you planning on living in this house for the duration or is this for just a few years?

8.  What areas of your current home get used the most?  

 

 

Whatever your answers, for a large remodel involving the infrastructure of a home I would do the following:

 

• Walk through houses that are on the market right now and note which things you like and which you don't.
• Get magazines on remodeled homes and look carefully at what seems appealing to you.
• Get ratings on various materials.
• Go to your local stores to look at different types/styles of materials/appliances to get a feel for what is out there.
• Absolutely hire a general contractor.  Interview several general contractors.  I would look for someone with a solid reputation that can provide live references willing to talk to you about their experience.  More than one.  Preferably at least 3.  Hire someone who has been at this a while.  Make sure they have insurance that covers their subcontractors.  Make sure in the contract that they are responsible for removing debris consistently throughout the job.  Do research on what to include in a contract.  Although the contractor is not your enemy, you cannot assume that they have your best interests at the forefront of their decisions.
• Read up on general contractor jobs and the local laws in your area.  Be aware that laws frequently favor contractors over owners, especially if things are not very clearly stated in your contract.
• Hire a designer to help you determine what will meet your needs.  As with the contractor, interview several and find one that fits with your personality and will listen to you.  Truly having a very experienced and knowledgeable designer in your corner can end up saving you a LOT of money.  It is very easy to make rookie mistakes when taking on something this big.
• Plan on needing at least 15% and probably closer to 20% extra in funds beyond the original estimate.
• Plan on the job taking much longer than the original estimate.
• Make sure everything, including specific materials, is planned out as much as possible in advance and written into your contract.  Work hard not to change anything.  That will add to the cost, create delays and may cause mistakes to be made.
• On the flip side, also speak up and do it immediately if you realize that you need to or would like to change something.  Don't just settle for something you may end up hating simply because it was already agreed to.
• Plan to stay on top of this as if it were a full time + job.  This is a HUGE undertaking.  
• Don't leave anything to chance.  Research, ask questions, pay attention, stay really organized with EVERYTHING.  Keep detailed notes.  Take photos, extensive photos, through the whole process (especially if walls have been opened up so you can see wiring/plumbing/support structures).  
• Especially f the house is older have trained inspectors do a thorough check of the infrastructure to make sure wiring/plumbing/support beams, etc. are sound and do not need replacing.  
• Once you have a design planned sit on it for a couple of weeks.  Walk away from it for a bit then return to it and mentally walk through everything again.  Make sure you and your family are comfortable with the design.

This is long so I will stop here.  Good luck.

[Selkie]

Like others have said, it depends on your priorities. 

 

We're in the middle of a big remodeling project right now. We've chosen to economize on some things, like we're doing all the painting ourselves (our kids have done a lot of it - it's been great!). Also, our kitchen cabinets look old and shabby but the cabinet boxes are in good shape and we like the layout. Rather than spending $$$ on all-new cabinets, we decided to simply get new doors and drawer fronts.

 

On the other hand, we're splurging on some items that are important to us, like hickory flooring. It is way more expensive than most of the other flooring we looked at, but we absolutely love it. 

[Scarlett]

burn it down and start over.

 

btdt, still have ptsd, lol

LOL, you beat me to it. I was going to say 'just say no'.

 

However.......in all seriousness, if the location and floor plan is right I think a remodel is worth it.

 

I think your question is too broad though. You really have to have some idea of what you like. I tend to care about floors....I would take a good looking laminate countertop in order to have a mid priced wood ish floor ( laminate wood floors). Which is really hilarious when one considers I have lived with concrete floors for 5 years. But anyway.

[gardenmom5]

i would be more wiling to spend on long-term improvements.  - addition of structural beams to open a room.

I would spend less on truly cosmetic and (relatively) easy changes - counter tops/paint.

 

I would also spend more on things that made day to day functional living easier.

[prairiewindmomma]

I think I have flooring and paint picked out.

 

I need to pick out toilets next, and a bathroom vanity. Since the toilets have to go when the flooring goes, and removing and reseating the toilets is covered in the bid, we want to have toilets on hand.

 

I have five weeks where the house will be vacant before we have to move in. I need paint and flooring and basic sanitation plumbing completed.

 

Kitchen will be happening this spring. My budget for quartz countertops just got eaten up by a surprise an inspection uncovered so we'll be doing butcherblock over IKEA cabinets while we save up some more.

 

We are putting more into the house than comparables support, but we are doing so for health reasons (wood floors for asthmatic kids).

 

Anyone have a toilet they love?

[JIN MOUSA]

I think I have flooring and paint picked out.

 

I need to pick out toilets next, and a bathroom vanity. Since the toilets have to go when the flooring goes, and removing and reseating the toilets is covered in the bid, we want to have toilets on hand.

 

I have five weeks where the house will be vacant before we have to move in. I need paint and flooring and basic sanitation plumbing completed.

 

Kitchen will be happening this spring. My budget for quartz countertops just got eaten up by a surprise an inspection uncovered so we'll be doing butcherblock over IKEA cabinets while we save up some more.

 

We are putting more into the house than comparables support, but we are doing so for health reasons (wood floors for asthmatic kids).

 

Anyone have a toilet they love?

We went with this one.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-2-Piece-1-28-GPF-High-Efficiency-Single-Flush-Elongated-Toilet-in-White-N2428E/204074796

 

It's fine? I mean, it's a toilet, and it does its job.

 

I found it through Emily Henderson's round-up.

 

https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/28-simple-budget-friendly-toilets

 

Some of the options are more budget-friendly than others.

[aaplank]

burn it down and start over.

 

btdt, still have ptsd, lol

Oh my, yes!! I am still recovering over a decade later. Our marriage took quite a hit too.

 

Try to farm out as much work as possible. I love my laminate floors, so easy to clean. Much cheaper than hardwood, and we went with a high quality laminate and a very cushy padding underneath.

[fairfarmhand]

I’ve never down this but we’re mid project on remodeling our garage. I am in love with ceramic wood look tile. Wood wasn’t an option for that location but the wood look tile is gorgeous and will hold up well.

 

 

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[MBM]

I like Toto toilets with the SanaGloss finish which makes cleaning easier. I will be ordering our second one today, probably the Promenade model.

 

We have done a lot of remodeling ourselves. I prefer to put my money into flooring because it can be a bugger to switch out later. Kahr’s Grande Espace engineered wood is my favorite. Bonus: it can be sanded a few times. Not all engineered woods can be.

 

Anything dusty or strong smelling — do before you move in if possible.

[Selkie]

Anyone have a toilet they love?

 

After doing a lot of toilet research (well, dh did - not me) and reading reviews, we've decided to go with Kohler toilets.

[EMS83]

Imagine you purchased a new house that needed an entire cosmetic remodel....and you got to choose new flooring, kitchen, toilets, vanities, etc.....but you needed to stay within a reasonable budget.

 

What would you pick, and why?

What would you choose to splurge on?

 

Links are welcome!

 

 

*solid surface counter top that didn't need upkeep but didn't break the bank.  I think I'd lean toward under-mount sinks, unless there's a drawback I'm not aware of.  Simple stainless steel and porcelain.  And probably a farm sink; the divided deal drives me nuts.

*toilets with reputations for efficiency and longevity (no crappy parts in the tank)

*smooth tile for wet/messy areas.  I think I'd be tempted to go for that wood grain stuff, but things get stuck in grain.

*nice thick laminate everywhere else.  OR real wood floors; like planks.  With a really great finishing job.

*splurge on whoever I'm hiring to do it, so nothing is done sloppily.

*cabinets: honestly, at least in the kitchen, I'd probably stick with melamine.  I like the idea of real wood, but water is monstrously bad for the finish.  Unless you can get your guys to finish with spar varnish.  But then it's a custom job and more $$.

 

ETA: the wood issue with cabinets is mainly under sinks, though, fwiw.  If the finish job is good, it should hold up for a long time, but wood needs periodic refinishing, and if it's veneer and isn't kept in good condition, it can sustain irreversible water damage.  All you can do then is paint or replace.  Because that didn't happen to me, or anything.  ;)

Edited December 21, 2017 by CES2005

[Scarlett]

I think I have flooring and paint picked out.

 

I need to pick out toilets next, and a bathroom vanity. Since the toilets have to go when the flooring goes, and removing and reseating the toilets is covered in the bid, we want to have toilets on hand.

 

I have five weeks where the house will be vacant before we have to move in. I need paint and flooring and basic sanitation plumbing completed.

 

Kitchen will be happening this spring. My budget for quartz countertops just got eaten up by a surprise an inspection uncovered so we'll be doing butcherblock over IKEA cabinets while we save up some more.

 

We are putting more into the house than comparables support, but we are doing so for health reasons (wood floors for asthmatic kids).

 

Anyone have a toilet they love?

We have two champion 4 toilets. I believe it is American Standard. They flush sooooo well.

[Soror]

I'd go with vinyl plank floors (I prefer our hardwood) but the vinyl plank we have in the basement is ok, without being too expensive. I've got tile in kitchen and bathrooms but wouldn't pick it again, it is crazy hard and you have grout to clean, I'd go with the tile look vinyl.

 

I'd paint cabinets and add new hardware rather than buy new ones if possible (kitchen cabinets are crazy expensive)

 

I'd do formica countertops- both times we built (2nd time due to fire) and both times I chose formica, I picked a natural stone look that doesn't show stains, it has held up well, requires no special care, and is a fraction of the cost. 

[happypamama]

We’ve been pretty much doing that for the last many years. (DH does this stuff professionally, so he’s done all of the work himself, as we’ve been able to afford it, which saves money but which takes time.)

 

Pick what you can live with and what’s essential. My kitchen really needs to be redone, but it’s been livable so we’ve redone other rooms first. We didn’t necessarily splurge on the new bathroom, but we did opt for some more expensive items (like a large vanity — single sink but lots of counter space) because they fit our large family better.

 

If any part is livable, maybe live with it for a while and see how you actually use and wish to use the space. If we’d done some of these changes earlier, we’d have made different choices, but I think we’ll be happiest with how things are going to be.

 

The kitchen remodel is in the works, but it’s a massive undertaking, completely removing everything and changing the layout heavily, which will take months of evening and weekend work (but the way we’re doing it, I won’t be without a functional kitchen for long, if at all). We opted to spend more on flooring and cabinets and to go cheaper for countertops, but ymmv. Decide what’s the biggest priority for you and your family.

 

There’s something to be said for a “quick win.†The kitchen will take forever, so in the meantime, DH is working on the family room, which is a much smaller job.

 

Talk. Talk a lot. If there is stuff that matters to you, make sure you tell your contractor or whomever. Your family’s needs are not exactly like someone else’s, so make sure you and your partner talk about what you want.

[prairiewindmomma]

Vinyl flooring is out for us due to off-gassing/PVC and the texture squicks dh out. (We have it in this temporary apartment--we're running air purifiers 24/7.) I worry about gouging and delamination wear with engineered flooring. I haven't been happy with the Bruce engineered flooring in our previous house.

[Lecka]

I picked toilets based on how easy they would be to clean.  I got ones that were smooth and had no crevices. 

 

We have moved and I am back to trying to clean around the place where the tank joins the seat and there is a crevice there, and trying to clean around the place where the seat attaches, and then especially at the base ----- at our old house the base was so easy to clean, it was all smooth.  Here it's not so bad, but it's like ----- it is just not as easy to wipe down.  I would rather have the base be as straight as possible for cleaning. 

 

I just picked something from Home Depot, though.  The plumber who installed it said that if we had ordered through the plumber we might have saved money, but he wasn't sure.  I would compare prices with them next time, I didn't realize I could have gotten a discount with the installation. 

[Lecka]

Okay, for the Glacier Bay toilet linked above, how the tank sits on top of the seat and there's a crevice..... are my boys just more disgusting than other people's?  I have to clean in that crevice.  That part was a smooth piece, in my memory at least, and there wasn't a crevice there. 

 

I mean, its not like it's horrible, but I do have to try to stick paper towels or those wet wipe things into that crevice, sometimes, and I miss how there was no crevice/gap there at our old house. 

 

Edit:  I looked and what we got was a "1 piece toilet."  The kinds with a crevice are "2 piece toilets." 

 

I have no idea if there are any other pros and cons, but the 1 piece toilet is a lot easier to clean in my opinion. 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2017 by Lecka

[prairiewindmomma]

1 piece is a good point... I think I will go for comfort height in the master and powder room...and leave the "regular" height for the children.

[Seasider]

We worked public areas to private areas. thatbmade me feel better when having visitors. Others may prefer to do exactly the opposite.

 

Whatever you do, keep repeating to yourself that things typically end up takin longer and costing more than originally anticipated. Helps you budget properly and stay sane in the process.

 

I agree with scouring magazines and web sites for ideas. Model home tours are also helpful. Much easier to work with contractors/suppliers when you can provide a good visual image as a goal.

[SamanthaCarter]

This is us. We bought a house with good bones in a great location, but every room needs work, and old worn out stuff needs replaced. More so than we realized, since it’s clear ther was some slap-dash work done on the house to sell it. Our first goal was to make it more energy efficient. We replaced the old 100 amp electric cable into the house with a code compliant 200 amp, which meant new breaker box properly grounded and while we were at it some good outlets in the basement. Work on the front door and replaced the back door. Replaced the HVAC, cleared the ducts and had a better fix for the Jerry-rigged filter in the ac unit. We’re saving a good bit of money now. When we finally sold our previous home in SC, we remodeled the upstairs bathroom, which was so small and such a dump, no one would use it. We enlarged it. We tore out and fixed the ceiling in my bedroom that had water stains from the bathroom above. Added a ceiling fan, took down the chair rail and painted. Theres a room upstairs that was a kitchen used as a laundry room by former owners. We tore it all out, patched the dry vent hole and now it sits, the next big project. We’ll turn that into a den open to the dark, narrow stairs and move the tv up there. Once we do that, we’ll paint the living room and get more suitable side doors to the side porch. The side porch also needs restored, as someone seems to have gotten a good deal on cheap sliding glass doors and glassed it in. Even though there’s a sun room on the back of the house. We also have a good bit of painted over wallpaper to get off one day.

 

 

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[SamanthaCarter]

I picked toilets based on how easy they would be to clean. I got ones that were smooth and had no crevices.

When I’m allowed to pick, I pick everything based on how easy it is to clean. [emoji23]

 

 

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[Soror]

Vinyl flooring is out for us due to off-gassing/PVC and the texture squicks dh out. (We have it in this temporary apartment--we're running air purifiers 24/7.) I worry about gouging and delamination wear with engineered flooring. I haven't been happy with the Bruce engineered flooring in our previous house.

 

Well, in that case, I'd splurge for real hardwood, we love our hardwood and are very pleased with it.

[prairiewindmomma]

Amen. The house we are trying to close on right now needs work of varying sorts in every room, and this is a timely thread. Biggest money savers are not moving plumbing or electrical. You can have pay for s lot of lipstick jobs with the cost of moving just ONE major plumbing line and drain.

 

Yes, unfortunately.

 

I'd love to make the u shaped kitchen into an L shaped with an island, but the cost of moving the plumbing for the sink and the dishwasher is killer.

[fairfarmhand]

I'd go with vinyl plank floors (I prefer our hardwood) but the vinyl plank we have in the basement is ok, without being too expensive. I've got tile in kitchen and bathrooms but wouldn't pick it again, it is crazy hard and you have grout to clean, I'd go with the tile look vinyl.

 

I'd paint cabinets and add new hardware rather than buy new ones if possible (kitchen cabinets are crazy expensive)

 

I'd do formica countertops- both times we built (2nd time due to fire) and both times I chose formica, I picked a natural stone look that doesn't show stains, it has held up well, requires no special care, and is a fraction of the cost. 

Just fyi, my wood look tile has less than a 16th of an inch in a dark grout. It's some sort of expoxy grout that never has to be sealed. I'm hoping its as low maintenance as my tile guy said it would be! 

[Ottakee]

When I’m allowed to pick, I pick everything based on how easy it is to clean. [emoji23]

 

I totally agree. There is an older book called How To Make Your House Do The Housework by Don Asslett

 

I am sure the styles are a bit dated now (unless he has an updated version) but he had a lot of great ideas in using the easiest to clean and maintain materials and design elements.

 

 

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