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Building new or Renovating 1901 home

Ive been trying to purchase a home for about a year now. Unfortunately my budget doesnt quite match what I am looking for. So now I am faced with 2 options, I own an acre of land and can build a new house on it but would be pushing my budget and possibly wont be able to have the darkroom without compromising other areas of the house. For the cost of selling my acre I can purchase a home built in 1901 and still afford to put 140k into it (it needs new plumbing, electrical and roof and i would remove lath/plaster walls replace with drywall turn attic into a master suite, new kitchen and basically do a 100% remodel along with add a darkroom into the creepy cellar).

Does anyone have any experience with building or extreme renovations and have advice for either?

I love old homes, love the character but new homes have less you are going to have to worry about. Im not sure which way im going to go but I am hoping to be out of my rental by Feb

I would say go for new. Or you must be very handy and have a lot of time and really want an old one. Also new means for sure better isolation.

If you can sacrifice the darkroom for a short while, go with building a new home on your own property. Ask if you can extend the lease or move back in with the family, until the new house is built. Revamping an old home sounds like a headache, than it's worth.

its always been my dream to have a house that looks old with a ton of character on the outside and once you step through the door it's modern and new with almost that meatpacking d bag feel

If you choose the old house keep the plaster where you can. They don't make em like they used to. Plaster is more water/fire resistant & a better sound barrier. Also it's more durable. The only good thing about drywall is that it's cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by EXTREMUM If you can sacrifice the darkroom for a short while, go with building a new home on your own property. Ask if you can extend the lease or move back in with the family, until the new house is built. Revamping an old home sounds like a headache, than it's worth.

can not sacrifice darkroom, I can extend my lease as much as I want but I cant afford to keep paying a $1300 rent on my own which is why im trying to get out asap and unfortunately moving in with parents is not an option because of the dogs.

I am looking for a place that is cheaper without a lease but so far all i have found is only $200 cheaper unless I moved 40 miles away from work which is still an option but I really need to get this darkroom asap as the only public darkroom within 8 hours of me is shutting down in a couple months and I have a lot of gallery shows im working on for next year.

Life would be easier without dogs but i wouldnt have it any other way.

quote:

Originally posted by jonSun If you choose the old house keep the plaster where you can. They don't make em like they used to. Plaster is more water/fire resistant & a better sound barrier. Also it's more durable. The only good thing about drywall is that it's cheaper.

didnt realize plaster was better. My reason for ripping it out was I already have to redo the electrical and plumbing and I figured it would save some headache if we were dealing with open walls. something I would leave up to my contractor to decide i suppose, im not sure the cost of repairing plaster walls

Plumbing, electrical and roof... that's a LOT of work. It's not impossible but it's also not going to happen in as short a time frame as you're wanting.
Especially with the US going into winter soon, depending on where you live exactly the plumbing and roof is something you really do want clear skies and not a frozen/raining hell so the machinery (diggers, cranes, scissor lifts etc) don't get bogged and sink or they have to run temporary covers over the roof. It could literally sit there for weeks if the weather is bad enough.
Electrical, can be done anytime provided they don't have to dig.

Really depends on 'how' much needs to be done in those 3 areas and goodness knows what else they'll find while ripping everything up, can be anything from dry rot to termites, crumbling foundations, insulation to water ingress- then you're going to also be paying for all the interior damage being repaired as well.
Basically its expensive madness, which won't matter to some people if they really love the look of a place or its being kept in the family. I mean I keep a plumber and sparky on-call for my properties and have done so for many years now, we're good business partners in that regard, but the prices are still monstrous if something major goes bang.

For a dark room, if it had to be done quick I'd just build a metal shed on a concrete foundation with some plumbing and electricity run out to it.

I'm with Lilith- you could be opening a huge can of worms. Our house is almost 100 yrs old now, we've updated most of it but some things are still a bit dodgy. Our house is cute but the novelty is wearing off. Can't wait to sell it next spring and buy a '50's' bungalow.

Plumbing and electrical would all be getting completely replaced but all the walls are coming down, its basically a rebuild with current layout of an old home. The well and septic were recently replaced so only the areas inside the home would need to be replaced, i would get rid of the old knob and tube wiring and replace the plumbing with pex along with add a master suite in the attic then just update the kitchen and put some new flooring in. Oh cant forget the darkroom!

The house has been in the family for quite some time but over the last 10 years has been rented out to employees. The foundation is in good condition and the roof only needs repairs. Our family plumber and electricians have been in that house many times so I would hire them on to do the work. The house is small, 1350 sq/ft + a finished (but will be redone) attic and it sits on 2 acres and my current acre is right next to it so I would have a total of 3 acres.

I have a total reno budget of 140 but can go to 165 for unexpected surprises. It would be about 15k for electrical, 8 for plumbing and 3500 for roof. the rest would go towards the demo, possible asbestos removal if they find any and then the new drywall and remodeling. my kitchen comes to a total of 11k with appliances after the floors and walls are back up.

I cant build a house for less then 175 and thats before the cost of well and septic, landscaping and with low end flooring and appliances, that also couldnt be built until summer.

my acre has no well or septic currently and i wouldnt be able to get one in until next summer. that was my original plan but i cant afford to stay at my current rental AND build a darkroom, hell i can barely afford to live here without any debt. I am also sick of renting.

I think the new home is out of the question after my talk with a builder today... i just saw the email that if I wanted a basement (darkroom) it would be another 20k, if im spending that much money I want high end flooring and finishes and it seems id just be getting a poorly built home... the housing cost and income are so out of balance in this area.

ill be talking to a few more builders over the next few weeks and hopefully bringing a contractor into the old home shortly.

I know old homes are full of surprises, part of that scares me part of that makes me really excited to do this. I will see where more builders and contractors come in with prices. Its a big decision either way and both have their compromises i will have to weigh out.


im just happy im finally getting the ball rolling with getting out of rentals. and darkroom. soon i will have a darkroom! woot. i could live with just a darkroom and kitchen but the dogs wouldnt be too fond.

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Originally posted by wienerschnitzel I'm with Lilith- you could be opening a huge can of worms. Our house is almost 100 yrs old now, we've updated most of it but some things are still a bit dodgy. Our house is cute but the novelty is wearing off. Can't wait to sell it next spring and buy a '50's' bungalow.

what all did you update on your home? I wasnt sure if you guys had done the renovations or if you had purchased it like that, its very cute

I'd recommend either a new house or a newer one that doesn't need an overhaul.

It's difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible to make significant changes to an existing house. You should either take the time to find a house that matches your needs and be prepared to accept its short comings or build new.

Changing the electrical & plumbing is a giant undertaking. Probably doesn't have insulation.

Bulldoze it and build a 90 unit condo complex.

Profit.

I'm from the US citizen equality enforcement agency USCEE and I'm here to confiscate your property. You've reached the 'prosperity threshold'.

You haven't enrolled for the ACA either, you must therefore submit form AS010 and a $200 fine.

Don't try to hide from us, we know your every move.

Wayy over your head. Youre going to get fucked either way. Renovations on a 1901 home sounds like a nightmare. Once you start opening up walls and start finding new problems like asbestos mould etc youre going to wish you never started lol. And by law you have to fix it.

If you go new build youre going to get ripped off because youre... Well youre you. Its hard to find honest builders. Youre going to have your deposit cheque snatched from yoy quicker than you can blink. If they dont run off with tour money wxpect outrageous mark ups on materials. I would say take cRe of the project yourself and find a reliable general contractor....but you dont have it in you

quote:

Originally posted by citric_acid what all did you update on your home? I wasnt sure if you guys had done the renovations or if you had purchased it like that, its very cute

It was partially reno'ed already, we finished updating the plumbing and some electrical and put new windows in the second story and new doors. We left the original windows on the main floor because they looked nice and we caulked around the edges to help with heat loss. We put carpet in the livingroom and dining room because having babies on hardwood floor sucks. We put a new furnace in and some flooring in the bathroom upstairs as well as a toilet. The toilet that was up there when we bought the house was the orignal wood box tank with the porcelain bowl. It was kind of sweet but then on one of the nights it hit -40 the pipes froze and the flange broke and flooded the pantry below it. We're still building a new pantry, lol. So just a few odds and ends but i looked at putting a new back up system in the basement for the next flood but the plumber said what could start as a $2000 job can easily turn into a $10,000 job. So no dice. We've been in that house for almost 6 years.. here's a few pictures:




this was 6 years ago before we replaced the doors and had nicer stuff, lol.

I personally want to buy a few acres of land somewhere around the Northern Washington/Idaho border area. Have you considered building a "tiny house"? http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/pages/cottages/
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/pages/house-to-go/

Old homes are nice, but do require a lot of upkeep.

quote:

Originally posted by EarnYourKeep its always been my dream to have a house that looks old with a ton of character on the outside and once you step through the door it's modern and new with almost that meatpacking d bag feel

Fancy!




I don't know much about the pricing on the other stuff, but I do know
that fixing a roof costs a pretty penny, so get an estimate on how much it would cost to fix that first. Might blow the 140k just on that if you're unlucky.

quote:

Originally posted by Vivid Boy Wayy over your head. Youre going to get fucked either way. Renovations on a 1901 home sounds like a nightmare. Once you start opening up walls and start finding new problems like asbestos mould etc youre going to wish you never started lol. And by law you have to fix it. If you go new build youre going to get ripped off because youre... Well youre you. Its hard to find honest builders. Youre going to have your deposit cheque snatched from yoy quicker than you can blink. If they dont run off with tour money wxpect outrageous mark ups on materials. I would say take cRe of the project yourself and find a reliable general contractor....but you dont have it in you

the whole "because you're you" doesnt work around here... quite the opposite actually... even without the family reputation we have many many friends in the construction industry builders, contractors electricians etc, ive been talking with them and picking their brains pretty heavily these last couple weeks.

im already planning on taking all the walls down doing a full gut so anything like mold or rotting studs wont be a big deal. Im basically building a new home but keeping the existing framing and its costing me half the price because there is an existing foundation, septic and well. I will be doing a lot of the work myself, it wont be the first home ive renovated, ive helped out on 3 others in the past 5 years (discovered i should have been a drywaller hahaha)


cyanghost109, tiny houses dont work for me as much as i love them, Ive got two large dogs, plus my family gets together a lot and im usually cooking for about 8 at least twice a week. my office takes up a full room, i need a studio for my photography along with the darkroom. Basically the min sq feet needed for me to live is about 1300 and 3 bed (master, guest and office/studio)

although i could do 2 of the 3bdrom (874 sq feet) and somehow find a way to connect them together, make one a complete photo studio with darkroom and the other living space... that might still be a bit cramped with family and dogs. something to think about though

Go for the 1901, imo. Old house are awesome.

Just build a really small house and do most of the work yourself. You can dig right? You can hammer? Why the fuck aren't you building your house already?

Underground RV IN Idaho

Fuck yes!

If spent less on abortions and ammo, you could stay at the same place.

depends on teh area

if the 1901 homes area is prone to a significant valuation lets say if a decent house is built to replace it, i would go with that


tear the shitty old house down and rebuild a nice new one.

conversely, if your acre property is in an area where house valuation is decent, you would save money from having to tear down the old shitty house and just would need to build a new one.

location location location.

but you will need somewhere to live during all that construction. I recommend Nou's house

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