Renovation Priority?
Spring is almost here and we are hoping to embark on some renovation work on our South Slope frame house. There are numerous projects that need to be done, but we only have the funds to take on one this spring so we are coming to you for some advice on which project to tackle…
Spring is almost here and we are hoping to embark on some renovation work on our South Slope frame house. There are numerous projects that need to be done, but we only have the funds to take on one this spring so we are coming to you for some advice on which project to tackle first (i.e. which would be the best investment in today’s economy, or which makes the most sense to add equity to our home.)
The façade. The house originally had a façade typical of Victorian frame houses in the South Slope. Beautiful cornicing, a porch running along the full length of the parlor level, ornate wood working, etc. However, the current façade is a total eyesore. It was redone about 30 years ago with aluminum siding and a concrete porch. We plan to restore the façade to its original glory based on the tax photo from 1938. This would be our first choice, but we think that it may be out of reach given our budget. Any advice from anyone who redid their frame house façade on what kind of ballpark cost we might be talking about? We need to redo the siding, the front door, the front porch & stoop steps, we want to add a cornice, and probably replace the windows.
The cellar. We have a large partially finished cellar which would turn our owner’s duplex into a triplex with a recreation room in the cellar. There is already a half bath installed down there, but the previous owner did not finish the job and so it still needs a good amount of work. We know that we could not turn this into a legal rental so it will just be a family/recreation room, but we don’t yet have kids so not sure if we should tackle this now. We do get water in the cellar when it rains heavily so waterproofing the cellar would also have to be done.
Bathrooms. We have two full baths and one half bath. All were redone fairly recently and in working order, but the style of each is plain awful (and there is no heat in the master bath) so a facelift in each of them is a firm reality at some point.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi Slopetoad!
We also think you should take care of the water in the basement first. If you want to contact me I can probably put you in touch with the right people to discuss your project and see if we can help you out. My email address is melissa@slanyc.com. Look forward to hearing from you!
Melissa
We can help you do your project if you are looking for someone to trust and produces a great product check us out http://www.mtbgroupllc.com
Geoffery
646-895-0154
Our old frame needed front and back facade completely redone. Old- torn off, insulation installed, all new windows, new stoop with iron railings (actually covered old cement stoop with precast whatever they are called). Choose cedar, about $50-60k, can’t remember exactly but def in that range. For us it meant not coming home to one of the ugliest houses ever (what we could afford) and it improved our feelings about the house. The inside was livable and we do one floor at a time. We did however do the basement right after the facade for all the reasons stated about, it’s just for storage, no bath, not planning on using it for anything else. Now the cosmetics, always a work in progress. Good luck!
1. Leaks, molds including basement.
2. Repaint
3. Bathroom.
Kitchen and bathroom sell houses. But damage scares potential buyers. Repainting is probably the cheapest way to attract new buyers.
order of priority:
1. Fix all leaks, fix roof if needed, get basement dry, remove any mold if present
2. Fix electrical and plumbing, hvac if necessary
3. Replace facade
4. interior Cosmetics last
order of priority:
1. Fix all leaks, fix roof if needed, get basement dry, remove any mold if present
2. Fix electrical and plumbing, hvac if necessary
3. Replace facade
4. interior Cosmetics last
When advising clients on choosing between projects, I suggest the following order of priorities when determining what project to tackle first:
1 – Safety and health.
2 – Building envelope.
2 – Functionality and comfortability.
3 – Everything and anything else.
In your case, minimally you should attack the water in your basement to avoid any health concerns. Mold and pest infestation can get out of hand quickly, posing great risks to a growing family.
Next would be the exterior envelope. Proper planning can restore both the aesthetic and energy efficiency values of your home.
Bathroom and kitchen renovations will obviously increase the value of your home; however a wet basement, mold growth, pest infestation and an inefficient rickety building envelope will only continue to get worse.
Good Luck!
We have a frame house that was covered with that horrible stamped asphalt siding that looks like brick-there were shingles underneath.
It was challenging to get estimates to re-do the facade, as the condition of the shingles was unknown. People tended to estimate for the worst-case situation. You’ll need to find someone (and have a financial cushion) to deal with the condition of the facade underneath the siding once you know what you have.
We were lucky in that the siding had protected the shingles and the amt of replacement we needed to do was pretty small.
We spent over $60k eight years ago (facade, rebuilt stoop, new windows), but prices are much higher now. That said, a lot of folks need work.
You should definitely find the source of the water in your basement–you might need waterproofing, or you might need new drainpipes. Water is a mysterious and confounding thing.
A master bath is also nice, but you can definitely do it for under $35k, especially since it sounds like you have newish plumbing in place. It may not be as plush as DIBS’, but still nice.
When we got our frame, we got a facade estimate that was around 70K- remove siding, put up cedar or hardiboard, revbuild the porch and stoop.
We haven’t done it yet, and have been focusing on the inside. That has been a financial decision.
I’m going to take a different tack than the posters above- If I had the money, I would do the facade as soon as possible (as long as I wasn’t planning on changing the footprint of the house).
Sounds like you’ll be working on the inside of the house for years. If you had the facade redone, your curb appeal, house value, and satisfaction with the property will be increased dramatically.
You need to do all the other stuff anyway- but your basement reno should not cost you anwhere the same amount of money that the facade will. You can get the basemement waterproofed without completely renovating it- and that is worth doing (along with installing a pump.)