Home improvement questions

[Princesca]

Is there a company or type of professional who will come to your house and take a top to bottom look at everything and give you a 'honey do' list of recommended essential and/or cosmetic improvements? We live in a 1960s house and stuff is really starting to come up for repair, but I don't know the order of importance and need someone who can look at stuff and say 'Hey, that's a problem now' or 'That's going to be a problem soon' etc.

 

[NotUrsula]

A home inspection should be able to tell you about anything that is dangerous or not up to current code; they won't care about fashion.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Is there a company or type of professional who will come to your house and take a top to bottom look at everything and give you a 'honey do' list of recommended essential and/or cosmetic improvements? We live in a 1960s house and stuff is really starting to come up for repair, but I don't know the order of importance and need someone who can look at stuff and say 'Hey, that's a problem now' or 'That's going to be a problem soon' etc.

There sure is. An inspector. They'll tell you what needs fixed. They'll even tell you if the carpet needs changed out. But they won't tell you to install hardwood instead. That's a cosmetic decision. That's not their forte.

 

[piccolopat]

Good question. We're in the process of doing a bunch of things and realized that we have to first plan out an order so we know what repairs or changes will impact others. For example, we want to add air conditioning to our lower level but *think* we may need an electrical upgrade first since there doesn't appear to be any more room in the panel. We need to repave our driveway this year but think we need to address a grade/drainage issue with a landscaper first.

I would start by going room by room. List all of the repairs you think are needed and want upgrades you want to make. You can use a home inspector to help you identify needed repairs you might not spot. Perhaps use a local realtor that offers a free evaluation of your home, even if you have no plans to sell. Some of the home inspection and home improvement shows on TV can also help you spot problem areas. I would limit cosmetic changes to things you love and stay away from the latest trends. Unless you are planning to sell soon, those trends will be dated in a couple of years.

 

[_19disnA]

An inspector is a good idea since they won't be trying to sell you on the latest design trends or tell you that floors should all be hardwood. Avoid choosing any type of contractor for this advice since clearly they will try to sell you as much as possible even if you have no need for it. Decide on what your budget is and then prioritize what needs to be done vs. something that is just nice to have. Big ticket items would tend to be foundation/drainage issues, roofing, windows and things like HVAC systems. Electrical/plumbing codes may have also changed so they can advise you of any code violations. Knocking down interior walls of an older home just to create that fashionable 'open floorplan' look may not make sense in some homes. I agree that trends change every few years, so do what makes sense for how you live and use your home not because it is something you frequently see on those TV home design shows.

Consider also how long something will last, how hard it is to maintain as well as the cost. Designers really could care less about maintenance and like to sell what is trendy so in another 5 yrs you call them back to do more updating.

 

[Skippy918]

Cosmetic changes are really up to you.
Repairs and maintenance are as needed. It’s typical to replace a roof, hvac system, windows, hot water heater. An inspector can probably tell you if you need to bring certain things up to code like electrical.
Our house is almost 18yo (we are the original owners) and over the last few months we had to replace the hot water tanks (bad leak)and hvac (coolant leak)for the 2nd floor. We know the roof is coming due.
We’re currently working on a bedroom renovation and then we’re planning to do our bathroom and then kitchen. We’re working with an interior designer who really helped us figure out what we wanted and picked out coordinating colors. She will help us with the bathroom too.