What do you wish you knew?
We’re closing soon on a brownstone that hasn’t been updated in decades. We’ve only lived in apartments and I expect it’s going to be a huge adjustment for us being homeowners and having this huge space to care for. What do you wish you had known when you first bought your house?
ahnyst.smalls
in General Discussion 3 years ago
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30 replies
cate | 3 years ago
If at all possible, set aside $300 a month/$3000 a year for minor repairs, at least, depending on the size of the house, and have a $50,000 emergency fund at all times in case of dire catastrophe such as the heating pipes springing a leak or the connection under the sidewalk to the city’s sewer main needing replacement.
Guest User | 3 years ago
you’re responsible for the sidewalk and 18″ into the street in front of your house.
randolph | 3 years ago
i wish i had known the renovation would cost 50% more than expected and take almost twice as long.
Lurker | 3 years ago
The other point I’d make about sequencing renovation work is that once you move in you need to be really disciplined to ever address the other stuff on your to-do list. I’m constantly doing work on our place, and yet have a list of to-dos from nearly a decade ago that still go untouched. Life is busy, your home requires maintenance in addition to those extra projects, and so planning on doing big jobs over the period of years isn’t for everyone, or even most people. It’s time-consuming, exhausting, and very expensive and it disrupts your life.
neilw | 3 years ago
Cate and Resident2 are spot on. We bought an 1870’s house that had the last permit pulled in the 50’s and the plumbing was mostly from whenever it was retrofitted, and everything else was original. We had smaller kids so we couldn’t quite pull off living in the place to figure it all out, but I’d have done it if I could.
The order of operations referred to makes a lot of sense – seal the envelope, deal with structural issues, then plumbing/elec/hvac (or start with all those if you can afford it since they are the most intrusive). We also had to deal with boiler, water heater, and then flue in short order. Make sure stuff is sealed up with each with each improvement (we’ve had all manner of NYC wildlife). A lot of stuff like windows you can put off or do minor repairs (and just deal with higher energy bills) until you’re ready to do it correctly. As the saying goes, you don’t own your brownstone, you’re just maintaining it for the next person.
And sweep out front!
cate | 3 years ago
What did the inspection reveal about work that must be done? If you must do a whole-house electrical, plumbing and HVAC update, floor refinishing or any plaster skim coating, you cannot live in the house while these things happen and you would be well advised to take care of them in advance. (Or live in the house for a year or two and then move out while the work is done.) If the house is in move-in condition, even if all the aesthetics are not to your liking, by all means approach with caution and live in the house first. You really do not need to fix what is not broken. Believe me, so many things will need repair, you’ll have your work cut out for you. Key to any renovation is having really good, knowledgeable, experienced, reliable people. They can be hard to find. The order of fixing things is always: Roof/exterior first, structure/cellar, mechanicals, finishes. (You should also bring in a good exterminator early on in the process and do whatever is needed to close up holes and exclude vermin of all types. If you ever have the walls open, this is also a good time to close up holes and exclude mice and such from being able to roam freely through the row.) My two cents: Do as little as possible; save as much original features, finishes and floor plan as you can; ideally do everything all at once up front and live elsewhere. If you work within the existing original historic envelope and make only targeted updates such as updating wet rooms, you will not need to file for permits and you will save a fortune in hard costs, time involved in permitting, and property taxes. So it’s very helpful to find a property whose use and occupancy is already what you want (e.g. triplex over rental apartment, for example). Once this is all done, you can expect maintenance: Regular chimney cleanings, yearly boiler or HVAC service, caulkings, gutter cleanings, regularly repointing exterior and cellar walls, etc., and so on. You will also soon discover it pays to study the sanitation rules carefully, and you must clear snow and sweep your sidewalks often to avoid hefty tickets. (You will sometimes be ticketed when the wind blows neighbors’ garbage onto your property, even if you have already swept. Take photos.) Be a friendly neighbor and say good morning and how you doing to your new neighbors. Good luck with everything.
ahnyst.smalls | 3 years ago
Thank you so much for all the kind and thoughtful advice! It never would have occurred to me to sweep the sidewalk!
resident2 | 3 years ago
Do not rush in to make major renovations etc. Move in and let the house speak to you, it will tell you what to do after a year or so.
Of course clean first, hire a deep cleaning commercial crew to clean, top to bottom.
Next thing keep the elements out: wind, rain, bugs etc.
Then just move in… As you live their and you see how the light, the neighbors noises etc will effect which rooms you use for what.
When you are ready to start renovating, spend money on mechanicals; plumbing, wiring etc., you do not want to keep going back to replace things behind the walls.
Also spend as much time as you can looking at other peoples similar houses to get ideas of what/how to do yours…
I have always found it much easier owning my own house than waiting for a landlord / super/ whoever to come fix things. Buy a good home maintenance book: Readers Digest for example published an all encompassing how to, one in the 1970’s /80’s you can often find it in used book shops or on ebay.
Congratulations , enjoy & learn to laugh at your selves.
catboot | 3 years ago
House dweller here. This is just my observation (and from a very small sample: my block) but I noticed that as folks move in, particularly those that came from longtime apartment living, they forget to do basic things like sweep the sidewalk. It’s a very small thing, but makes a huge difference. Please be courteous to your neighbors and keep your property and sidewalk tidy.
andriywww1990 | 3 years ago
I grew up in a house on a half an acre. I did a lot of work around that house until i left for college. Then i rented for 20 years. Until i got a house, i had no idea how much work it was.