Home repairs & upgrades

[mommajo143]

We had to get a new roof this summer - insurance paid a lot of it (yay!) but it got us looking around our house at things we need to do. We need to make some major repairs to our barn - around $8K. We need to make some smaller repairs inside ~ leaky faucets, wall dings (boys wrestling) & such. We want to do some upgrades - our short list includes new kitchen counters, update bathrooms (at least the master) and then possibly looking at finishing our 2nd floor or getting a pool. Our home is a little over 10 years old & we don’t plan on selling / moving. We have a small savings ~ not enough to cover these things. Not to mention my paid for 09 Highlander is starting to need minor repairs so a new car may be in our not so distant future... All that said, what approach would you take - Hold off? Get on big Loan? Save & do one project at a time (hard to find contractors in our area for small to medium jobs)? We are fiscally conservative & try to keep a decent savings acct though we periodically have had to is most / all of it when major issues have happened - which of course is exactly what savings are for.

 

[gottalovepluto]

One at a time would be my approach. I would order them out with what needs to be done soonest and when you need the project to be done by on a list. Then make a list of what you want to do. Start working through the needs, wants come after. If a need requires you to take on debt only you can determine if that is financially appropriate. If a want requires you to take on debt I would take a much harder look at the necessity of the want and I would look at what else I could cut from a budget to avoid debt (for instance- you want the pool while the kids are still around to enjoy it but you don’t have the cash for it. However, if you cut out a couple years of vacations you would have the cash for it so maybe you make that call and do your “want”.) It’s all a balancing act and on a budget you can’t* have it all. Pick and chose wisely.

*with a Big Loan you can have it all. I don’t think that sets you up for financial success in the future. If financial tragedy strikes that loan will still be hanging over your head.

Fwiw a rule of thumb on Emergency Savings is 3 months minimum worth of living expenses, 6 months if you’re more conservative.

 

[wenrob]

We break things down into projects and tackle them as we have the time and funds. When I’m throwing money into my savings account there’s a portion for emergencies, a portion for vacation and a portion for home projects. We are do it yourselfers so that saves a ton right there. We average one project a year. Last year we did the stairs, the year before the downstairs bathroom, this year the backyard. It takes longer but it’s not breaking the bank. We did refi and pulled some equity to remodel (again, did it ourselves) the “great room” ie; family room, kitchen and downstairs living space but that was in the plan when we bought the house. Our Master Bath will take a contractor and most likely a loan but that won’t happen until there are no more things like braces or truck payments to pay for.

TL;DR- Small projects we do in small bites and save up to do them. Large projects a loan within our means. Will never go house poor for a pretty kitchen or bathroom.

 

[barkley]

we do one project at a time as we've saved up for them BUT if we are having a project done that is in proximity to a future one we consider if having a portion of that done with the current will save us money in the long run. example-we put in a whole house generator in several years ago that entailed upgrading the propane line from the 1000 gallon tank we have. in speaking to our general contractor he asked if we planned down the line to do any upgrades to the existing gas using items that pulled from that line. i knew i wanted in a year or two to upgrade my stove to double ovens so he had us look up the specs on our current vs. the models i was interested in-sure enough it would have required yet another upgrade to the line so we bumped up to accommodate that then and there. saved us $$$ down the line when we did the oven upgrade.

if you will be doing bathroom renos that entail any plumbing work find out if it will be less expensive to do the work for the anticipated upstairs finishing while they've already got walls open and such. same with electrical-if they have to pull lines for new relocated fixture you might as well have them do what they can that will help offset future costs.

we pay more to use an area general contractor but it's worth it b/c he knows our 'master plan' for down the line and will tell us when it will save to get something additional done on a current project vs. in the future.

 

[kymom99]

I was going to suggest having a contractor come and lay out a plan for these projects. He will be able to advise you about the ones that might be more economical if done together, etc.

 

[mommajo143]

we do one project at a time as we've saved up for them BUT if we are having a project done that is in proximity to a future one we consider if having a portion of that done with the current will save us money in the long run. example-we put in a whole house generator in several years ago that entailed upgrading the propane line from the 1000 gallon tank we have. in speaking to our general contractor he asked if we planned down the line to do any upgrades to the existing gas using items that pulled from that line. i knew i wanted in a year or two to upgrade my stove to double ovens so he had us look up the specs on our current vs. the models i was interested in-sure enough it would have required yet another upgrade to the line so we bumped up to accommodate that then and there. saved us $$$ down the line when we did the oven upgrade.

if you will be doing bathroom renos that entail any plumbing work find out if it will be less expensive to do the work for the anticipated upstairs finishing while they've already got walls open and such. same with electrical-if they have to pull lines for new relocated fixture you might as well have them do what they can that will help offset future costs.

we pay more to use an area general contractor but it's worth it b/c he knows our 'master plan' for down the line and will tell us when it will save to get something additional done on a current project vs. in the future.

Great point on the plumbing!!

 

[TwoMisfits]

I am also in the "do one at a time" and "get a reputable contractor to help lay out the work sensibly." I had my master bath done last year, and my front entry this year. Next year, I am doing my 2 back doors and my backyard/frontyard garden and plant work. Then, I'm going to tackle my 1st floor (but skip my kitchen and bath b/c my contractor said that would be sensible and workable for my budget and the projects)...and to continue until I probably have to go back and redo my master...

 

[tvguy]

Well, the dad in me says fix the functional issues, and then save for the projects that aren't repairs but are things that you want to do. I mean, a 10 year old house really shouldn't need new kitchen counters, and a 10 year old Toyota has at least another 10 years in it.
But my perspective is based on that fact that my parents did zero upgrades in their house in 53 years, and my wife and I waited 30 years....when our house was 34 years old with zero upgrades....to redo things. But we did that all at once with some of the money we got after selling my parents house after they had passed. Spent more remodeling in 2013 that we paid for the house in 1983.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm pretty surprised you'd want to update bathrooms and countertops on a 10yo home. I wouldn't be in a rush to do those things--it sounds like more of a "nice to have", versus a true need. Ditto on the pool. Finishing the second floor, OTOH, might be more necessary if your kids are growing and you need more room.

A 10yo Toyota should still be in good shape, unless it's got a ton of miles on it. For comparison, DH has been looking at a couple 18yo Toyota Sequoias--they still have life left and miles to go before they die (although we decided against the one with 292k miles on it). We need a local/beach car, so our needs are likely different from yours--ours wouldn't be going more than 10 miles from home.

As to the rest--if you have a contractor that you use, maybe you could ask him about the smaller projects. Perhaps he could fit you in around bigger project, or when he has slower times. If you're not in a rush, you could help each other out by letting him fit you in--that might also make him more inclined to do the smaller projects.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I second the idea of getting licensed contractor, with several recommendations and you check with your state licensing department and BBB that the contractor is licensed, bonded, insured, and good. Have a list of everything ready for the contractor. The contractor may find conflicting problems such as you need to upgrade the electrical panel before you can upgrade/remodel a room, or you don't have enough waterline pressure to "do something" because your old waterline is corroded/leaking. If you're on a septic system and want to add a bedroom (maybe not you but someone reading this thread) you may have to get a bigger septic tank and discharge field. A good contractor knows the permits and what needs to be done or upgraded in order to do your job.

 

[Anthony1971]

Leaky Faucets and wall dings are truly things you can do your self or at the very most hire a handyman to fix. You can start with Youtube and watch some videos -- if you have brand name faucets the parts will be free if you call the company but some charge a shipping fee Brands like Moen -which for most you will need a special tool--l Delta, American standard etc. All faucets these days are cartridge based so it is unscrew the handle and remove a nut-- except for the majority of Moen which truthfully I would replace with a faucet that has cartridges that actually last it is fairly simple... This will give you more money for upgrades and maybe give you confidence for some projects you may be able to do on your own.

 

[mommajo143]

Leaky Faucets and wall dings are truly things you can do your self or at the very most hire a handyman to fix. You can start with Youtube and watch some videos -- if you have brand name faucets the parts will be free if you call the company but some charge a shipping fee Brands like Moen -which for most you will need a special tool--l Delta, American standard etc. All faucets these days are cartridge based so it is unscrew the handle and remove a nut-- except for the majority of Moen which truthfully I would replace with a faucet that has cartridges that actually last it is fairly simple... This will give you more money for upgrades and maybe give you confidence for some projects you may be able to do on your own.

Great to know - all our faucets are Moen so I will check into this!

I realize a lot of the smaller jobs are fairly easy DIYs, but DH works 24 hour shifts at the local hospitals and I really try very hard to protect his time off so that he can catch up on sleep while we are at school / work and be ‘present’ when we get home since he is gone so much. I may check on doing some of the smaller repairs myself... surely a person with a masters degree can figure out how to patch drywall (Sheetrock?)

 

[QueenIsabella]

In this day and age, there are tons of YouTube videos that can walk you through minor repairs. Start with something simple (patching drywall is an easy one), gain some confidence, then try tackling harder ones. You can always call in a repairman if you find yourself out of your league.

I tend to have the opposite problem--DH has an MSME, and helped build the house he lived in as a teen. So, he thinks he can fix anything around the house. And, with enough time and the right materials, he mostly can. Problem is, I don't want to have to wait months or years for the deck/kitchen/whatever to be done. I also don't know that it saves any money, since he always needs a special tool or two. So, we've agreed that he can fix the smaller stuff, but specialty items (air conditioning, pool maintenance, any remodeling beyond painting) we hire out.

 

[mommajo143]

I'm pretty surprised you'd want to update bathrooms and countertops on a 10yo home.

I misspoke (mistyped?) - we’ve been in our home 10 years; It is 15, almost 16 years old. We bought our home knowing there were things we didn’t love but had to compromise on in order to get land & a barn, which were nonnegotiable for DH. Upgrades were always on the to do list, they just faded into the background .... life happened

A 10yo Toyota should still be in good shape, unless it's got a ton of miles on it.

I’m at 270K, so yeah ~ I have driven it into the ground.

As to the rest--if you have a contractor that you use, maybe you could ask him about the smaller projects. Perhaps he could fit you in around bigger project, or when he has slower times. If you're not in a rush, you could help each other out by letting him fit you in--that might also make him more inclined to do the smaller projects.

That’s a great idea - def will keep that in mind!

 

[QueenIsabella]

I hear you on the vehicle--we just purchased a 2005 Toyota Sequoia to be our beach vehicle, as I talked about (it's not going far from home). I think it has over 200k miles--fine for very local, not what I'd want to be hauling kids in on a regular basis.

If it makes you feel better about your countertops--when we bought our current house, we knew major renovations were on tap. Built in 1967, it was the builder's own home, and has many nice features (huge, rooms are huge, every bedroom has 2+ closets, outlets all over, etc.). But, the kitchen retained its 1967 cabinets--quality ones, for sure, but 50 years old, with--get this--4" black tiles for the countertop! But, we really liked the rest of the house, neighborhood, etc. So, we're currently replacing the kitchen--as of this typing, my new floor and cabinets are in, allegedly I'm getting my quartz countertops today. Meanwhile, my house looks like an episode of "Hoarders", with the contents of my cabinets and pantry scattered throughout the first floor. I really hope I can put the kitchen back together this weekend, but I'm not sure if the electrician is coming--having the fridge, microwave, and range in the same room would be wonderful. Right now, they're in 3 different rooms, and my kids have to wash dishes outside, heating water on a hot plate on the deck.

Anyway, I wish you luck. If you're bored, ask me about my master bath--it's a real head-scratcher

 

[kymom99]

I hear you on the vehicle--we just purchased a 2005 Toyota Sequoia to be our beach vehicle, as I talked about (it's not going far from home). I think it has over 200k miles--fine for very local, not what I'd want to be hauling kids in on a regular basis.

If it makes you feel better about your countertops--when we bought our current house, we knew major renovations were on tap. Built in 1967, it was the builder's own home, and has many nice features (huge, rooms are huge, every bedroom has 2+ closets, outlets all over, etc.). But, the kitchen retained its 1967 cabinets--quality ones, for sure, but 50 years old, with--get this--4" black tiles for the countertop! But, we really liked the rest of the house, neighborhood, etc. So, we're currently replacing the kitchen--as of this typing, my new floor and cabinets are in, allegedly I'm getting my quartz countertops today. Meanwhile, my house looks like an episode of "Hoarders", with the contents of my cabinets and pantry scattered throughout the first floor. I really hope I can put the kitchen back together this weekend, but I'm not sure if the electrician is coming--having the fridge, microwave, and range in the same room would be wonderful. Right now, they're in 3 different rooms, and my kids have to wash dishes outside, heating water on a hot plate on the deck.

Anyway, I wish you luck. If you're bored, ask me about my master bath--it's a real head-scratcher

My friend washed her dishes in the bathtub. Haha! Could you use the utility tub or do you have one?

 

[LovesTimone]

We had to get a new roof this summer - insurance paid a lot of it (yay!) but it got us looking around our house at things we need to do. We need to make some major repairs to our barn - around $8K. We need to make some smaller repairs inside ~ leaky faucets, wall dings (boys wrestling) & such. We want to do some upgrades - our short list includes new kitchen counters, update bathrooms (at least the master) and then possibly looking at finishing our 2nd floor or getting a pool. Our home is a little over 10 years old & we don’t plan on selling / moving. We have a small savings ~ not enough to cover these things. Not to mention my paid for 09 Highlander is starting to need minor repairs so a new car may be in our not so distant future... All that said, what approach would you take - Hold off? Get on big Loan? Save & do one project at a time (hard to find contractors in our area for small to medium jobs)? We are fiscally conservative & try to keep a decent savings acct though we periodically have had to is most / all of it when major issues have happened - which of course is exactly what savings are for.

Small repairs or projects I would do yourself... changing out a leaky faucets this can save on your water bill right away, or wall marks can easily be done.... If your not sure google can give some advice.. DH and I put in the paver border in our yard... we got 3 quotes for someone else to do it... the first guy I started laughing when he told me he would give me a deal, it was almost 5,000 dollars... the next 2 quotes where about 3,000... DH and I did it in one weekend...for under 500.00 dollars... and we did the front beds, the back tree bed (2) on each side of the drive way and put in Hibiscus (8), and did around the side of the patio planter...

Dealing with getting a new car would be something that I would put on the radar upfront... car repair cost are crazy expensive and will cost you more in the long run... My neighbor just spent over a 1,000 buck to get her car work on some minor things... just new tires on a car are $$ and if you have a SUV like I do even more...

After that I would tackle one project at a time... my parent need to update their bathrooms, just a basic update in the guest bathroom, flooring, vanity counter top and sink and higher potty,... the first quote was 5,000... and the master bathroom was 10,000... - the second one was even higher... so we are rethinking how to approach this... I think I am going to pull the wall paper down, which I have done several times, sand and paint myself as far as carpeting... DH and my SIL are going to pull out the carpet and flooring and haul it all to the dump... it will save quite a bit... DH has done this before... so we have some skill sets for some of the bigger home options... See what you can do to cut back on the labor and/or removal cost... and remove some of the stuff yourself... anything like plumbing or electrical get and pay for a professional... double check all the references... make sure that they are licensed...

 

[barkley]

I misspoke (mistyped?) - we’ve been in our home 10 years; It is 15, almost 16 years old. We bought our home knowing there were things we didn’t love but had to compromise on in order to get land & a barn, which were nonnegotiable for DH. Upgrades were always on the to do list, they just faded into the background .... life happened

VERY similar situation here-the house/land were spot on for us but for some unknown reason the spec builder had opted to go with the cheapest laminate counter tops and lowest grade carpet on a new construction while opting to do upgrades on other items (pull-out shelves in lower cabinets, dedicated interior outlet switches w/a roofline outlet placed to facilitate christmas lights...

we bought the place knowing that down the line the carpet and the counter tops would get replaced. we did both about 5 years in. i babied those old light colored counter tops to keep them from staining (balsamic vinegar was handled like an explosive b/c of it's staining potential ) and religiously steam cleaned the carpets. both made it to replacement in decent condition but it was rewarding to see them gone.

it was/is a matter of priorities for us-we wanted a whole house generator so that was at the top (wells and rural septic systems don't work w/o power and we had already experienced a full week in a motel during a massive power outage one year-didn't want to repeat that). at some point down the line i would like to spiff up the closets to make them more user friendly but again-not the top priority at this point.

 

[tvguy]

Dealing with getting a new car would be something that I would put on the radar upfront... car repair cost are crazy expensive and will cost you more in the long run... My neighbor just spent over a 1,000 buck to get her car work on some minor things... just new tires on a car are $$ and if you have a SUV like I do even more...

I respectfully disagree. It SAVES you a LOT of money in the long run to fix a car rather than replace it (other than rust or extensive body damage). $1,000 on tires that will get you another 40,000 miles of transportation, a bargain. A new transmission at $2,000 will get you another 100,000+ miles.
The average cost of a new car in 2019 is $36,843. Here in California, the sales tax alone would be $3,000 on top of that. Sales Tax buys you nothing. But $3,000 on a transmission and other repairs can get you another 100,000+ miles
But, full disclosure, last year I got rid of my family car that I bought new and drove for 31 years. And you need look no further than fleet vehicle operators. they fix, they don't replace because they look at the cost per mile.

 

[Jason_V]

One project at a time. I had enough money to pay cash for five new windows this summer...and that was it. So that's what got done and now I'm back into saving mode for the next thing I want to do (likely complete remodels of three bathrooms or the kitchen). If I try to do everything at once, I'll never have the money for all of it and I'll stress myself out. So one project at a time lets me feel accomplished and look forward to the next one.