So I scored an old beater house from 1934 . I'm gonna try to do most of the remodel with my own hands. Thought I'd throw it out there and get feedback from anyone who has been through this . I am hiring a real electrician to rewire the entire house. If this goes well I may add some pics.
Bought a house
- Thread starter Dick peck
- Start date
Congrats! Good idea on leaving the electricity to a trained pro. Knob and tube wiring is not something to trifle with. Looking forward to the pics!
I never bought a house, but coincidentally, I recently bought a mouse. It's a cute little white mouse. They don't allow dogs or cats in my apt. building.
- Thread starter
- #4
Oh I did have pest control out to the house to treat inside and out. Hoping we don't house a mouse . The rattlesnakes do worry me . It's basically west Texas.
How's the plumbing, good to know before starting walls and painting, etc...
Knob and tube wiring here may make it difficult to get house insurance in these parts.
dave
Knob and tube wiring here may make it difficult to get house insurance in these parts.
dave
- Thread starter
- #6
I'm doing all the plumbing. Sewer, gas and water . I'm a journeyman plumber so it's not an issue. The exterior walls and ceiling have tongue and groove boards so I want to keep them for sturdiness. Interior walls will be redone so wiring will be a little easier I hope. Kitchen and restroom will be completely gutted and redone.
Since the interior walls are coming out, go with spray in foam insulation.
We're in our fourth house now and I've remodeled all of them so far myself, paying people to do as little of the work as possible to save money at first then just because I didn't want to pay someone to do something I could easily do myself. As a result we've done very well when we sold them. It's so much easier now to get information on the internet about the right way to do things. It's not difficult so much as it's time consuming and it gives you an excuse to buy some new tools here and there. Just prioritize the projects and tackle them one at a time.
Our first house wasn't knob and tube but I did pay an electrician to change the box and increase it to 100 amps which included the electric company having to change the meter out. You might want to increase the amps when you upgrade the electric by telling the electric company that you're planning to install a hot tub and possibly a pool as well as a reason why. I would try and replace as much of the knob and tube wiring as you can initially and then whenever the opportunity presents itself going forward. I can run electrical and have done so myself but I figured I'd leave changing the panel to a pro. To get you a better price, a lot of trades people will be happy to take it as a cash job on the weekend. I'm sure you know someone given your occupation.
Plumbing I suspect you know exactly what to do there.
Basic advice would be to research anything you do even if it seems simple as there are ways things need to be done. Most poorly done repairs are done by people either cutting corners or who haven't taken the time to research how to do it right. With the internet available now there's really no excuse to not do it right. For example, when insulating the attic it's just as important to not put insulation in certain areas as it it to put it in others. Research is to find out what not to do as well as what to do. I've seen plenty of shoddy work and I've corrected things that former owners should never have done that could have burned the house down. I suspect you may find some electrical issues here and there given the age of the home so it'll be good to go through everything and shore it up. You'll likely want to add a few more circuits as well so that you have room to expand in adding some outlets in the future as older homes never really seem to have enough.
I would likely add some insulation as well in the attic as when the house was built the utilities weren't likely as expensive as they are now so it was cheaper to pay for more gas or electricity than it was to insulate. This is not the case anymore as the insulation you install will pay for itself.
What kind of shape it the roof in. Is the basement dry (if you have a basement). Do you have any plumbing leaks? Does everything work properly. How's the furnace and air conditioning? Does the house have gas or is it all electric? City sewer or septic? How's the water heater? Consider adding a dishwasher if there isn't one already, maybe a garbage disposal and some additional plugs in the kitchen as well. Make sure you have working smoke and CO2 detectors.
Once everything is working properly and you've addressed the electrical, any leaks, and the insulation then the changes you make are cosmetic to make you more comfortable living there. Refinishing a bathroom, the kitchen and some fresh paint here and there will go a long ways. Consider refinishing some old wood floors instead of replacing them as it's not that hard to do if you rent the proper tools.
Here's some additional advice, keep in mind what type of return the neighborhood will bear when you make your upgrades. Don't over improve the home to the point where you won't get your money back. As this doesn't seem like it'll be your last house the goal here is to enjoy the upgrades while you live there, then to see profit from your upgrades eventually when you sell the house. When choosing your upgrades make color choices that'll be appealing to others besides yourself, especially when it comes to hardscape items like tile, cabinets and countertops that will last a very long time. Choose things that are neutral and timeless to avoid fad type of stuff that'll go quickly in and out of style. You should be able to see a profit fairly easily provided you do the work properly and you do the work yourself. You won't see a profit from badly done work so you have to be a perfectionist with the work you do. Follow all codes so that when you sell the home you don't have issues to deal with.
With the irrigation system consider running a system using hard PVC pipe instead of the black tubing that'll start springing leaks after several years. This will be more work initially but save you some trouble down the road. Choose plants that are hearty, attractive and low maintenance.
Our first house wasn't knob and tube but I did pay an electrician to change the box and increase it to 100 amps which included the electric company having to change the meter out. You might want to increase the amps when you upgrade the electric by telling the electric company that you're planning to install a hot tub and possibly a pool as well as a reason why. I would try and replace as much of the knob and tube wiring as you can initially and then whenever the opportunity presents itself going forward. I can run electrical and have done so myself but I figured I'd leave changing the panel to a pro. To get you a better price, a lot of trades people will be happy to take it as a cash job on the weekend. I'm sure you know someone given your occupation.
Plumbing I suspect you know exactly what to do there.
Basic advice would be to research anything you do even if it seems simple as there are ways things need to be done. Most poorly done repairs are done by people either cutting corners or who haven't taken the time to research how to do it right. With the internet available now there's really no excuse to not do it right. For example, when insulating the attic it's just as important to not put insulation in certain areas as it it to put it in others. Research is to find out what not to do as well as what to do. I've seen plenty of shoddy work and I've corrected things that former owners should never have done that could have burned the house down. I suspect you may find some electrical issues here and there given the age of the home so it'll be good to go through everything and shore it up. You'll likely want to add a few more circuits as well so that you have room to expand in adding some outlets in the future as older homes never really seem to have enough.
I would likely add some insulation as well in the attic as when the house was built the utilities weren't likely as expensive as they are now so it was cheaper to pay for more gas or electricity than it was to insulate. This is not the case anymore as the insulation you install will pay for itself.
What kind of shape it the roof in. Is the basement dry (if you have a basement). Do you have any plumbing leaks? Does everything work properly. How's the furnace and air conditioning? Does the house have gas or is it all electric? City sewer or septic? How's the water heater? Consider adding a dishwasher if there isn't one already, maybe a garbage disposal and some additional plugs in the kitchen as well. Make sure you have working smoke and CO2 detectors.
Once everything is working properly and you've addressed the electrical, any leaks, and the insulation then the changes you make are cosmetic to make you more comfortable living there. Refinishing a bathroom, the kitchen and some fresh paint here and there will go a long ways. Consider refinishing some old wood floors instead of replacing them as it's not that hard to do if you rent the proper tools.
Here's some additional advice, keep in mind what type of return the neighborhood will bear when you make your upgrades. Don't over improve the home to the point where you won't get your money back. As this doesn't seem like it'll be your last house the goal here is to enjoy the upgrades while you live there, then to see profit from your upgrades eventually when you sell the house. When choosing your upgrades make color choices that'll be appealing to others besides yourself, especially when it comes to hardscape items like tile, cabinets and countertops that will last a very long time. Choose things that are neutral and timeless to avoid fad type of stuff that'll go quickly in and out of style. You should be able to see a profit fairly easily provided you do the work properly and you do the work yourself. You won't see a profit from badly done work so you have to be a perfectionist with the work you do. Follow all codes so that when you sell the home you don't have issues to deal with.
With the irrigation system consider running a system using hard PVC pipe instead of the black tubing that'll start springing leaks after several years. This will be more work initially but save you some trouble down the road. Choose plants that are hearty, attractive and low maintenance.
The snakes will take care of the mice[emoji4].
Clayton
Sent from my LM-V350 using Tapatalk
That’s some great advice dfoulk.
Are you planning to live or flip?
- Thread starter
- #13
It will be my home. If it goes well I could be tempted to buy another to flip . The area is very inexpensive compared to where I am now. For now it is my little piece of the American dream.
Congrats - Looking forward to project updates!
Wife and I just sold our first home, moved across the country, and bought our second. I’m only good for minor repairs because I’m accident prone and an excellent conductor of electricity.
Wife and I just sold our first home, moved across the country, and bought our second. I’m only good for minor repairs because I’m accident prone and an excellent conductor of electricity.
simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
Glad you found a nice one. The one we bought here a couple of decades ago was built in the '80s. It was added onto by the previous owner. The framing, flooring, and foundation of the original structure are great, but the add on part seems to be a little lacking. Still works though.
Yup.
Huge Rattlesnake Removed From Fort Worth Home
Yup.
Huge Rattlesnake Removed From Fort Worth Home
Congratulations on the house. I’m no handyman but I do look forward to seeing your photos when you get a chance to show us.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Congrats and great advice to read by @dfoulk i appreciate the general perspective
My 2 cents. I love diy byt i try to know my limitations. I also never have enough time and projects take longer than i anticipated. Also there is usually collateral damage. I had been waiting for 4 top down blinds to arrive they came monday so i went for it after work i ended up drilling a tiny hole in a small end table that i was using as a bench to drill a starter hole in a block.
In my experience contractors largely make up prices on the fly so beware of the ones who recognize their quote was too low mid job. If you find someone half way decent keep them. Im finding its better to do additional projects now when i have someone rather than waiting.
My 2 cents. I love diy byt i try to know my limitations. I also never have enough time and projects take longer than i anticipated. Also there is usually collateral damage. I had been waiting for 4 top down blinds to arrive they came monday so i went for it after work i ended up drilling a tiny hole in a small end table that i was using as a bench to drill a starter hole in a block.
In my experience contractors largely make up prices on the fly so beware of the ones who recognize their quote was too low mid job. If you find someone half way decent keep them. Im finding its better to do additional projects now when i have someone rather than waiting.
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