Full Renovation job on a small 2 family brick house

Hey Everyone!

I used to post here all the time under gemini10. I see some of the old gang is still here – that’s great!

Well – I am back because we are looking for a 2 family house in Southslope/Greenwood/WT/Sunset Park etc.
We’ve zeroed in on a small (1700 Sqft) 2 family house. My mom will live in the bottom unit and we will live on top.
The house is 2 stories, not in terrible shape, but needs work: (think new electricals, maybe moving water/gas lines over a few feet /new kitchens, new bathrooms, knock down a useless wall/lighting/ create storage because there are no closets/maybe a new front door and replace the existing wooden deck with a steel deck and stairs leading to the garden. Floors and windows are in decent shape

Am a TOTAL novice to renovating at this level, we won’t pick high grade stuff, but a step above “home depot special”. I wish we could afford an extension or an additional floor.

Can the above be done for $200K? Again, not looking for viking range or a sub-zero fridge

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

hkhouselove

in General Discussion 9 years and 8 months ago

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slopefarm | 9 years and 5 months ago

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We put an ikea kitchen in the rental. Custom in our unit. The Ikea cabs were about half or less the cost to purchase than the kind of low-to-mid-grade semi custom you get at HD or Lowe’s. Maybe 20% of the cost of the cabinets we bought for our unit. It will only add to your labor costs if you are paying your contractor time+ materials. If the cost is in your contract, it is not going to be extra. Just confirm in advance your contractor has experience with ikea. There is a learning curve but experienced GCs are not thrown by Ikea. the other nice thing is you take the cabs home the day of purchase. I can;t tell you how much time my GC and I lost, and how much aggravation, waiting for our kitchen cabs to arrive, and the bathroom vanities we ordered from Lowe’s were made incorrectly twice and had to be returned.

princess-cele-celesimpson | 9 years and 5 months ago

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Though there is a suggestion in one reply on saving your bucks with Ikea, I happened to read an article which speaks the contradictory . (http://www.lancastercustoms.com/blog/luxury-upgrades/ikea-cabinetry-will-end-costing-custom/) It goes on to say that custom cabinetry from Ikea will end you up costing way above than custom. Also you will have to sacrifice on customization. Its the hidden costs which adds up the cost of Ikea. Do cross-check with other sources too. Best wishes. Also check for review sites for more info on the best cabinets trending at affordable rates.

gcp79 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Hi Gemini, have you found your home? I know this was 6 weeks ago, but I also know how hard real estate is sometimes. If you are still looking at homes that need reno please let us know. There are lots of us here with recommendations and of course the resources/service page. The budget is a little tight, but my friend did mine for less and only because he was soooooo thorough in telling me where to go for same fixtures, cabinets etc that would stay under budget. A lot of contractors don’t care too much how much they gouge you because they make money from the more expensive fixtures and the fixture companies make money from the renovators. I only work with people I trust, and know that i can safely recommend. Check in if you’d like the info on them – sara_landon@yahoo.com

slopefarm | 9 years and 7 months ago

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Sorry you lost the bid, gem. South Slope/Greenwood is a nice place to be. For the house you actually do get, one place to save some $$ on the reno is to get kitchen cabinets and other fixtures from Ikea. Less $$ per cabinet than, say, what HD would charge you for KraftMade and nicer looking, as well. Dress it up by having a few upper cabinets with glass doors and getting a nicer countertop than Ikea has to offer. Nicest is that if the cabinet surfaces start to show wear and tear, you can replace the doors at Ikea for a song.

hkhouselove | 9 years and 7 months ago

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Very helpful, indeed! Problem is we lost on the bidding process…on to the next house – Thanks!

Solomonsmines33 | 9 years and 7 months ago

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We’re just finishing up a renovation of a 2600 sq ft house (not including the basement) for $225k, including permitting and design fees and completely new plumbing and electric (though we kept most of the heating system). We replaced the roof entirely, but haven’t done anything else to the exterior. We had to be VERY involved with everything, but we’re happy with how it’s ending up. I think your budget seems feasible for a house of that size if you are ready to be very hands on, but I’m really not sure of the cost of exterior work like a new metal deck.

newtomehouse | 9 years and 7 months ago

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As others above you will likely need closer to 400k for decent work. High end work would be even more

pythagoras | 9 years and 8 months ago

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$200K sounds really light. From your description of the work, it also sounds like you might need a design professional to file with the DOB. You should be budgeting $200/sq ft at a minimum, and even that is pretty light these days – contractors are busy.

mmontana.la | 9 years and 8 months ago

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There are a lot of variables at play in the work required. Current state of walls and wiring, age of house, permits required, etc. You’d be best served by realistic, on-site visits to get estimates with integrity. Please take a look at our work and feel free to contact us: http://dinataleassociates.com

EJR | 9 years and 8 months ago

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Did you have a profession inspection done to at least get a general sense of any large issues? It may not detect any defects hidden behind the walls, but it should be able to assess big ticket items such as roof, windows, foundation and other cellar-level structural issues. In any event $200,000 seems ambitiously low unless you will provide a good chunk of the labor yourself.

hkhouselove | 9 years and 8 months ago

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Thanks, Carmen. Very true about those old frame houses. The house we are looking at was built in the 1920’s and is brick, so am hopeful it’s in better condition than the old wooden frame houses built in the 1890’s, but with that being said, am concerned that $200K isn’t enough for what we are trying to achieve…

CarmenR | 9 years and 8 months ago

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Be aware that many of the old wood-framed houses in that area of brooklyn are in very poor condition when you take the walls down. Basically all of the brick in our house needed to be redone or removed. When you start removing walls it’s hard to ignore serious structural issues. I wouldn’t go into a project of that size with a $200k budget.