Ausmumof3 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 At what point does it become more viable to demolish and rebuild versus continually patching and fixing a house? This is a hugely hypothetical question, because it’s probably financially impossible anyway but if a house needs new bathrooms, new flooring throughout, has significant roof leaking issues that may be almost impossible to fix due to weird design and eventually the kitchen needs redoing is it ridiculous to think that it might be better to just start again. I guess mostly they are just cosmetic issues. We’ve already redone the guttering and timberwork on the roof but there’s probably timberwork that needs reframing round windows etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 There are several factors at play here, but typically it costs less to renovate than it does to build new. The question is if you will be satisfied with the value of renovating. Some houses are worth saving and some are not. We have done two complete renovations on houses that were over 100 years old, plus we've done partial renovations on other old houses. In all the situations, renovating was much less expensive and more worthwhile than building new, but the houses were structurally sound and had "good bones" to begin with. Also, we were able to do a significant part of the work ourselves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 This conversation has come up recently on my town's Facebook page. The answer there is: when the historical society becomes total PITAs and refuses to allow any fix that is more economical than having exact reproductions done (they have agreed, however, to modern paint instead of lead-filled). 😄 One person is letting their house actually fall down because it's a better option than what the historical society proposes, and another may be following suit. I think it would depend greatly for me. I would totally tear down my inlaws house and rebuild. Theirs was done during the housing boom after WWII and has the hasty construction to show for it. The many issues hiding in the floor, plumbing, etc. would have me gut that place entirely, keep the footprint but rebuild it as a 2 story with a garage. My house? I'd rather fix all the issues that come up and get a bit more creative about it. A wonky roof design? I'd see what I can do to put on a new roof, even if that means adding a new wall or porch. Actually, I really want a porch. I need to be rich so I can do all that without worry. I'd rip out round windows and put in square, if possible. Dh and I are saving up to redo one of the heating systems in the house and put tile down in the laundry closet. One day....one day... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Following because I've been having this same conversation in my head for weeks. (Though mine is more renovate or cut our losses and run/sell.). Our house, while only ~25 years old, was built sloppily and cheaply. Everything we do is a band-aid and the house is a money pit. We need new subfloors throughout and something done about moisture issues under the house. We need another bedroom but there's no good place to add on. All of it is hypothetical because we can't afford it, but I mull over it constantly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 You’d be surprised at what a good engineer could come up with in regard to foundation and roof issues. Almost always it’s cheaper to rehab the structure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Same questions for me... although we've already started renovations. We were under the house yesterday and discovered a significant spot of rot in a spot under where the previous owner did not have a gutter. Ugh. If I may ask @mom@shiloh - a question. Did you get an architect in before you started? Did you have someone help you with design. I've started doing it piecemeal, but now I'm wondering if I should get someone in who sees the big picture for this house. I'd like to do some changes to the outside design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, alisoncooks said: Following because I've been having this same conversation in my head for weeks. (Though mine is more renovate or cut our losses and run/sell.). Our house, while only ~25 years old, was built sloppily and cheaply. Everything we do is a band-aid and the house is a money pit. We need new subfloors throughout and something done about moisture issues under the house. We need another bedroom but there's no good place to add on. All of it is hypothetical because we can't afford it, but I mull over it constantly. @alisoncooks Do you have a crawl space or a wet basement? Fixing the moisture under the house it's fairly big job, but doable as a DIY project. Edited March 17, 2019 by PrincessMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Just now, PrincessMommy said: Do you have a crawl space or a wet basement? Fixing the moisture under the house it's fairly big job, but doable as a DIY project. We have a crawl space. My dad thinks we can lay plastic but that it may need some sort of dehumidifier. The main (overwhelming) issue is soggy subfloors. We've repaired the kitchen and one bathroom so far. Living room is next... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 1 minute ago, alisoncooks said: We have a crawl space. My dad thinks we can lay plastic but that it may need some sort of dehumidifier. The main (overwhelming) issue is soggy subfloors. We've repaired the kitchen and one bathroom so far. Living room is next... We have a crawl space and I've learned a lot in the last 18months of living here. Yes, you do need a vapor barrier. Go to youtube and look up CrawlSpace Ninja. He has a wealth of information and tips. We hired a company to remove the mold (you probably have mold under there in the joists) and lay the vapor barrier and add the dehumidifier. Ours was mostly paid for by the previous owner since we found the mold in the inspection. Anyway, we've been doing the rest of the work ourselves - which is why we were under the house yesterday. 🙂 You'll need to insulate the perimeter of the house in the crawl space and completely close it off. It is hard work, but its definitely the kind of thing a homeowner can do themselves with the right tools. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 1 hour ago, PrincessMommy said: We have a crawl space and I've learned a lot in the last 18months of living here. Yes, you do need a vapor barrier. Go to youtube and look up CrawlSpace Ninja. He has a wealth of information and tips. We hired a company to remove the mold (you probably have mold under there in the joists) and lay the vapor barrier and add the dehumidifier. Ours was mostly paid for by the previous owner since we found the mold in the inspection. Anyway, we've been doing the rest of the work ourselves - which is why we were under the house yesterday. 🙂 You'll need to insulate the perimeter of the house in the crawl space and completely close it off. It is hard work, but its definitely the kind of thing a homeowner can do themselves with the right tools. We’ve recently bought a house with a crawl space and there is a vapor barrier in place. Our inspector told us to close the vents in winter but keep them open in warm weather. Closing in winter protects pipes but having the ventilation in summer is to allow circulation to avoid damp rot. Three contractors have told us the same thing. Is totally sealing off the crawl space a regional thing based on your specific climate or is it widely implemented? We’ve never had a crawl space so this is a learning experience for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I know this isn't especially helpful to you, but if you detonate will you post the video? I wanna watch that. 5 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 depends on the market you're in, how long you're staying in the house, what your budget is, etc. here - there are lots of tear downs. it's usually less about leaking roofs and more about getting what they want it's cheaper to tear it down and start over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 I have a friend in a mobile home. I am, of course, very supportive and happy for her, for the work she has had done. But every time there is a new thing to fix, I think to myself, wouldn’t it have been easier to just knock the thing down? She’s done the roof twice, and I think about 80% of the walls because they found mould, and it just kept going and going. The whole bathroom. About 50% of the subfloor, the windows, the door.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Reminds me that thirty years ago, my mom and I were driving home and a neighbors house was engulfed in flames. While crying we walked up to the road barricade to see what we could offer to our neighbors. We found them in lawn chairs with a cooler of beer. The neighbor said she couldnt keep the old farmhouse warm or clean anymore. They offered it for a training burn to the fire department and were building new. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 1 hour ago, arctic_bunny said: I have a friend in a mobile home. I am, of course, very supportive and happy for her, for the work she has had done. But every time there is a new thing to fix, I think to myself, wouldn’t it have been easier to just knock the thing down? She’s done the roof twice, and I think about 80% of the walls because they found mould, and it just kept going and going. The whole bathroom. About 50% of the subfloor, the windows, the door.... Mobile homes would be the exception. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 6 hours ago, Annie G said: We’ve recently bought a house with a crawl space and there is a vapor barrier in place. Our inspector told us to close the vents in winter but keep them open in warm weather. Closing in winter protects pipes but having the ventilation in summer is to allow circulation to avoid damp rot. Three contractors have told us the same thing. Is totally sealing off the crawl space a regional thing based on your specific climate or is it widely implemented? We’ve never had a crawl space so this is a learning experience for sure. We had a crawlspace with a vapor barrier, and it was fine for many years (eastern midwest). The previous owners had installed a french drain. Then we had a couple of wet years and some issues with a hose hookup that leaked...after that, even the littlest moisture would make its way in. At that point, we had the whole crawl space sealed with a sump pump, drainage, and de-humidifier installed. We had several super dry years followed by some really rainy ones. Everyone around started having issues with their basements and crawl spaces over the course of just a few years, though some of that might be the age of the homes. They were mostly built in the 50's or 60's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 8 hours ago, PrincessMommy said: Same questions for me... although we've already started renovations. We were under the house yesterday and discovered a significant spot of rot in a spot under where the previous owner did not have a gutter. Ugh. If I may ask @mom@shiloh - a question. Did you get an architect in before you started? Did you have someone help you with design. I've started doing it piecemeal, but now I'm wondering if I should get someone in who sees the big picture for this house. I'd like to do some changes to the outside design. The people I know that have done extensive renovations and/or additions without an architect have said “I should have hired an architect.” I’ve never heard anyone regret hiring an architect. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, alisoncooks said: We have a crawl space. My dad thinks we can lay plastic but that it may need some sort of dehumidifier. The main (overwhelming) issue is soggy subfloors. We've repaired the kitchen and one bathroom so far. Living room is next... Unless you address the cause of the soggy subfloors first, I think replacing them is going to be a pointless exercise, as the new subfloor will become soggy as well. I’d look at what you need to do to prevent that before you continue replacing floor. You may need a sump pump of some kind in addition to a vapor barrier, but that should be a priority. You might want to check with a couple of waterproofing companies to see what they recommend. You may be able to do the work yourself. Another risk with a damp crawl space is termites. They love damp wood. I had to replace the sill plate on my parents’ house before I sold it due to termite damage. It was very expensive. ETA: By very expensive, I mean $9K - don’t mess with damp spaces & termites. Soggy subfloor could become the least of your problem. Edited March 17, 2019 by TechWife 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said: I know this isn't especially helpful to you, but if you detonate will you post the video? I wanna watch that. Lol true story people we know “donated” their house to the volunteer fire brigade to practice on before they rebuilt. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Annie G said: We’ve recently bought a house with a crawl space and there is a vapor barrier in place. Our inspector told us to close the vents in winter but keep them open in warm weather. Closing in winter protects pipes but having the ventilation in summer is to allow circulation to avoid damp rot. Three contractors have told us the same thing. Is totally sealing off the crawl space a regional thing based on your specific climate or is it widely implemented? We’ve never had a crawl space so this is a learning experience for sure. @Annie G - we live in an area where summer humidity is a problem. The previous owner had the vented system (which was the rule of thumb years ago) with batting in the joists. We put in a closed (unvented) system. It will only work if you have a dehumidifier under the house otherwise you will have problems with rot and mold. The rule of thumb now is that the crawl space is part of the house= so it needs to be insulated against the outside (no batting in the floor joists!!). I would do some research for sure. We had some older contractors try to tell us we wanted a vented system, but by that time I had done a lot of research and I knew they were wrong.: The Crawl Space Ninja is very informative as is this site: https://www.buildingscience.com/document-search?topics[0]=698 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 16 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said: @Annie G - we live in an area where summer humidity is a problem. The previous owner had the vented system (which was the rule of thumb years ago) with batting in the joists. We put in a closed (unvented) system. It will only work if you have a dehumidifier under the house otherwise you will have problems with rot and mold. The rule of thumb now is that the crawl space is part of the house= so it needs to be insulated against the outside (no batting in the floor joists!!). I would do some research for sure. We had some older contractors try to tell us we wanted a vented system, but by that time I had done a lot of research and I knew they were wrong.: The Crawl Space Ninja is very informative as is this site: https://www.buildingscience.com/document-search?topics[0]=698 Thanks so much! Sending that link to dh now. What you’re saying makes sense and we were so surprised when our inspector and contractors advised vents. And batting in the joists! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Acorn said: Reminds me that thirty years ago, my mom and I were driving home and a neighbors house was engulfed in flames. While crying we walked up to the road barricade to see what we could offer to our neighbors. We found them in lawn chairs with a cooler of beer. The neighbor said she couldnt keep the old farmhouse warm or clean anymore. They offered it for a training burn to the fire department and were building new. this made me think of a joke dh likes to tell. two guys are sitting on a bench in their resort retirement community. first one tells how his business burned down, and he took the settlement, and here he is. second tells how his was destroyed in an earthquake - took the settlement, and here he is. first one thinks for awhile, then turns to him and asks: how do you start an earthquake? I'm glad the fire dept was able to use it. Edited March 17, 2019 by gardenmom5 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 21 hours ago, PrincessMommy said: Same questions for me... although we've already started renovations. We were under the house yesterday and discovered a significant spot of rot in a spot under where the previous owner did not have a gutter. Ugh. If I may ask @mom@shiloh - a question. Did you get an architect in before you started? Did you have someone help you with design. I've started doing it piecemeal, but now I'm wondering if I should get someone in who sees the big picture for this house. I'd like to do some changes to the outside design. We did not get an architect, but we did ask advice from experienced contractors from time to time. I spent lots of time thinking and sketching before we changed the configuration of things inside the house. Mostly I've been happy with the design, but there are limitations obviously. If I could start from scratch, I'd do things differently. When you renovate, you need to be more creative. Changing the outside design is pretty major though. We were able to find contractors who didn't mind if we did some of the work and let them do other parts. Maybe that would work for you? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 I have nothing constructive to contribute, but -- this thread title would make a good HGTV show. 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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