cost to gut reno 16.5 x 40 brownstone?
Does $500-600K sound high, low, or realistic to gut renovate a 16.5 x 40 3 story brownstone, including all professional fees (i.e. if we use an architect)? We originally thought work was mainly cosmetic but following inspection, it really does seem to be a gut reno. Currently used as 2 family (lower duplex with garden…
Does $500-600K sound high, low, or realistic to gut renovate a 16.5 x 40 3 story brownstone, including all professional fees (i.e. if we use an architect)? We originally thought work was mainly cosmetic but following inspection, it really does seem to be a gut reno. Currently used as 2 family (lower duplex with garden kitchen, and top floor rental) that’s kind of chopped up, we want to take over whole house. We thought we wanted kitchen moved to parlor but are open to keeping on garden if that’s more economical, and if the garden can be made to feel like less of the dungeon it currently feels like. We do NOT want central AC, and in general are not “fancy” types – we like simple, clean, contemporary but not super high end (i.e. we’re fine making compromises like Ikea kitchen cabinets). Also, there’s little to no detail to preserve.
Thoughts?
I am in the middle of a renovation myself, and honestly, I would follow 11:43 advice.
Based on my costs, your initial figure does not sound high at all, but the reality is that different people mean different things when they say ‘gut’, and we all have different expectations.
Only your contractor will be able to tell you accurately what things will cost. Good luck.
Why don’t you bring 3 GCs a list of all the things the architect/inspector say are needed and ask them for itemized quotes. Why are you thinking readers who don’t do this for a living and who don’t know what you specifically need can give you numbers?
didn’t you already ask this?
150-200 k would do a very good finish. anything else is a huge mark up.
I don’t think the first commenter is correct – that you should be willing to pay for the house its purchase price + your investment. It is pretty well known that renovations increase value, but cannot be immediately recaptured in a resale. You will probably spend more than you want to, but you count on the appreciation of the house over time to compensate. But it will be your home, something you put own effort into and something you will be proud of.
I thought your comment “if we use an architect” a bit odd. Are you considering gutting and rebuilding without an architect?
So what does sound realistic? 400? 450? We are about to renegotiate purchase price based on renovation needed so I’m wondering what’s safe to earmark. The house has all kinds of problems – rotting joists, shoddy workmanship, dangerous electricity (it had a fire a few years ago) – though what’s hard to tell from speaking to architect/inspectors is how much of this is pretty typical in these old brownstones. It was represented as being all new mechanicals, so needless to say, the fact that they are in such bad shape requires a major reconsideration…
Sounds very high to me based on your description of the finishes. Unless there is something very unusual about it, you should not have to spend that much.
Sounds high, but not enough info. Some ballpark figures based on work I’ve had done to my brownstone
1. 5k to 8k to rewire each floor, and another 5k to bring in new main line from street and a new main box
2. Roof, if necessary– up to 20k, maybe as low as 7-10k, depends
3. Do you need new support beams? 5k-20k
4. How are the windows– depends on quality, but you could spend $3k to 30k
5. Are you talking about gutting as in ripping down plaster and replacing with drywall? You could do a lot of demo yourself, and hire cheap labor and a dumpster yourself (plan for $600 to $800 for each of two or three dumpsters)– but it’s really a waste to get rid of plaster just because contractors don’t want to work with it. It’s better insulation, holds up better to water, etc etc. Check a guy called “Big Wally” online who appears on This Old House. Save that stuff and save yourself some money
6. A kitchen– the sky is the limit, but an ikea kitchen should not be more than 50k, and maybe as low as 30k-40k. All depends on what you want to change and the quality of what you buy, and size (ex. a nice set of cherry cabinets– $15 to 20k uninstalled)
7. Front stoop totally redone (about 10k). If the entire front surface of the building needs brownstone reapplied (about $80k)
8. and so on. I suggest getting a good, independent inspector to come in. I know two guys, both have been pretty much spot-on with what they have warned me I would need (before buying the house) and the approximate costs. For $500 you can get an unbiased opinion. watch out, though. I’ve met a few inspectors that are a little too optimistic about what things are going to cost.
I’m restoring, so I’m attacking the problem in a different way, but I hope some of these costs I’ve run into over the past year are helpful.
mikez in crownheights