only $50,000 - for some renovations is this do-able

[kidzmom3]

We are going to do some minor renovations to our house and have a $50,000 budget. Our house needs major renovation, but we just don't have the $$. We plan to put on a new roof ( i think some wood will have to be replaced) and new siding (some rotten wood will need replacement/gutters are old and falling off the house). Do you think those 2 things on a smallish house would cost less than the 50? If you do think it will, what would your next project be? Replacing kitchen floor or cabinets. insulation to walls without insulation. We have a couple of spots where wood hits ground/ would you put in a cement pad under those parts of the house? Thanks for any advice. We live in MA.

 

[chris1gill]

Oh boy am I interested in responses to this question.... My DH is contemplating updating his parents house before putting it on the market... it needs windows and siding and possibly a new roof....

We are updating our Vermont condo's kitchen..... we are driving out to the Kraftmaid warehouse in Ohio to save several thousand dollars... do a good search on "kraftmaid warehouse" for other home related websites that describe it... you could do your kitchen for CHEAP.... We're in Mass. as well....

What I have found very expensive while modernizing the condo, were the horrendous electrical upgrades, they cost big dollars

 

[diesel]

I live in a 3 bedroom ranch style house with attached 2 car garage in Ma. We paid $7,000 last year for a new roof/gutters and about $24,000 for vinyl siding/deck/windows.

Our next project is the kitchen. New cabinets and flooring. We figured we'd get the house solid on the outside and start redoing the inside. You could do a good chunk of work with a $50,000 budget

 

[ilovepcot]

My Dad's an architect and he used to get phone calls with questions like this all the time. To repeat what he said, "You can't possibly answer these questions without seeing the state of the property". You really should call in people who *know* about the areas that you feel need improvement and listen to their imput.

As far as the "next project", I'd again ask for advice from a pro so that any money spent would not be merely for cosmetic purposes but would protect the intergrity of the structure and provide asthetic (sp.?) enhancement all at the same time.

 

[kidzmom3]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know that any real budgeting would need a professional, I was just trying to come to a somewhat realistic view of what is possible. When you ask around, people will tell you that their roof cost them anywhere from $3000 to $25000. Its just crazy. Thanks again everyone.

 

[ilovepcot]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know that any real budgeting would need a professional, I was just trying to come to a somewhat realistic view of what is possible. When you ask around, people will tell you that their roof cost them anywhere from $3000 to $25000. Its just crazy. Thanks again everyone.

See, that's just it. My roof (2 years old) cost $11,000.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I would add insulation to the walls and update the windows when you do the siding.

 

[sugarpie]

You can get estimates that are all over the place. You really want to get somebody who knows what they're doing when it comes to home repair. Definitely shop around and get referrals.

 

[chris1gill]

I live in a 3 bedroom ranch style house with attached 2 car garage in Ma. We paid $7,000 last year for a new roof/gutters and about $24,000 for vinyl siding/deck/windows.

Our next project is the kitchen. New cabinets and flooring. We figured we'd get the house solid on the outside and start redoing the inside. You could do a good chunk of work with a $50,000 budget

Do you have any idea how many square feet you have by chance? I'd be really happy with those numbers if we are in the same square footage... I think the inlaw house has a roof of about 800 square feet, but it is 2.5 levels, no attached garage....

 

[chris1gill]

See, that's just it. My roof (2 years old) cost $11,000.

How many square feet is your attic? I know I know, but I'd like to get an idea too!

 

[ilovepcot]

The house is 3,500 square feet and the roof had 11 ridge rows...whatever the heck they are. The house was built in 1922 and nothing about it is like most houses built today. We were able to buy the materials at cost, so for most people, doing this same job would have been a good bit more. That's just it...each property has so many variables that it's nearly impossible to compare.

 

[chris1gill]

The house is 3,500 square feet and the roof had 11 ridge rows...whatever the heck they are. The house was built in 1922 and nothing about it is like most houses built today. We were able to buy the materials at cost, so for most people, doing this same job would have been a good bit more. That's just it...each property has so many variables that it's nearly impossible to compare.

May I ask how you bought it for cost? Did you go some particular place? Did you have to pay someone to put it up? Or did you know someone who could do it?

3500 sq. ft for 11K is a STEAL I think... You haven't replaced windows by chance have you?

 

[golfgal]

We have a 3500 sq foot house and just had a roof replaced this past fall. It was about $10,000 for tear off and replace. I don't know how many square feet the roof is exactly but we have your typical 1990's 2 story suburban house if that helps (attached garage as well).

 

[helenabear]

We had a ton of hail damage and are getting our roof, siding and gutters replaced. We have a 1700 sq ft house... cape cod style with a 1 story addition in the back and a 1 car garage. Supposedly for a full wrap of vinyl siding, new 5" seamless gutters and 30 year shingles on our house the total is somewhere around $20K. This is the estimate that was done up by the company and of course the insurance will talk them down. I believe the roof will be about $5-6K and the gutters and siding will be the rest. I hope that helps give you an idea.

 

[janette]

We did our roof with 50yr shingles for $7k a few years ago, in TX we get 25% discount on our homeowners insurance so we've already made up the cost difference in the better roofing. Our house is 2600sq ft 2 story, it was a little extra for the peaked roof.

I'm not sure about siding, we have very little on our house mostly brick.

I'm getting some work done now and don't plan on spending 50k, doing counters, floors, painting and some misc cosmetic improvements. I decided against replacing the cabinets as they are a pretty high cost and I can make due with mine. One thing I've considered in the project is that I want everything done that will change floor prints before I do the floors. I'm not replacing cabinets but will be reconfigure them some so I need to do that before I do floors.

Good luck, I think your budget sounds reasonable. I've found the hardest part is deciding what to do and finding quality people to do the work.

 

[ilovepcot]

May I ask how you bought it for cost? Did you go some particular place? Did you have to pay someone to put it up? Or did you know someone who could do it?

3500 sq. ft for 11K is a STEAL I think... You haven't replaced windows by chance have you?

We got the materials through my dad's business which saved us a small fortune. Then we hired a roofing company (one with *great* references) to do the work. And no, windows weren't touched at all.

Found out after I posted that this was actually 3 years ago. Most likely price of our roof would have been a bit higher only 2 years ago.

 

[chris1gill]

We got the materials through my dad's business which saved us a small fortune. Then we hired a roofing company (one with *great* references) to do the work. And no, windows weren't touched at all.

Found out after I posted that this was actually 3 years ago. Most likely price of our roof would have been a bit higher only 2 years ago.

Are you in Mass? Maybe we can get ours through your Dad's Business too LOL.... only kidding....

Well, it would seem roofing will not be as bad as I thought... siding is definitely going to eat up a substantial sum from what's been said here....

Anyone replace window's? The inlaws have TWENTY SIX windows and every one of them is crap... I'd love to find a surplus store somewhere that would sell for cost or less than cost....

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

As for what to do with the rest of the money after the roof, I would consider several things.

1) Are you planning on staying in the house long-term?
2) Are there structural integrity issues that need to be addressed?
3) How is your home different than the others in the surrounding area?

DH and I did some renovations to our home in Mississippi this past year prior to selling it. We spent $20K and got the following:
--Master Bath: paint, flooring, new air bathtub ($1800), new bathtub surround, and new shower...all done in travertine, new lighting, new mirrors.
--1/2 Bath: new ceramic tile, new fixtures, new mirror, new lighting, new window treatment, paint
--upstairs Bath: New ceramic tile, paint, new fixtures, new mirrors, new cabinet pulls, new shower curtain (LOL, I added that because it cost nearly $100!)
--Living Room: new fireplace--covering the 18 ft. high x 6 ft. wide brick fireplace with sheetrock, pillars on the sides, new mantle, travertine tile, and a new fireplace screen
--Kitchen: new pulls, painted cabinets, remade island, new gas line, new gas cooktop, new sink and plumbing fixture, tumbled travertine backsplash, and granite countertops
--Master Bedroom: new carpet, new paint, new window treatments
--plus new paint in laundry room, mud room, stairways, playroom, upstairs office and downstairs office
--new french doors on office

Now. We did every bit of the work ourselves except for the granite countertops, which cost $4000 of the total $20,0000 budget. We did all the work for cosmetic reasons and because the house was looking dated for an up-scale neighborhood. We sold the house at a $108K profit after owning it two years.

If I had $50K and your house, I'm sure I could work much better miracles than anyone HGTV ever thought about hiring. I think it all comes down to learning what you can do and budgeting your money correctly.

Your costs for labor are going to be high in the Northeast, so take that into consideration when planning your renovations.

Good luck!

 

[Cindyluwho]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know that any real budgeting would need a professional, I was just trying to come to a somewhat realistic view of what is possible. When you ask around, people will tell you that their roof cost them anywhere from $3000 to $25000. Its just crazy. Thanks again everyone.

No, it's not crazy, it's just that there are too many variables. If the roof needs to be torn off and built new, it will cost upwards of $10K, if they can re-roof over the existing roof it could be as low as $4K (that's Seattle prices). So, seriously, you're not being jacked around, you just need a reliable, no wait, I mean RELIABLE!!! roofing company to come out for a bid Please, please before hiring any contractor, contact the state to make sure their # is valid, and that they are really licensed and do not have any judgements against them. Depending on how bad the roof and siding are, you may be able to do quite a bit for $50K. For adding value, go with the kitchen and bathroom floors next, then kitchen cabs, then bathroom cabs. Double paned windows, new furnace, insulation will make the house nice but you won't get your $$ back when you sell.

 

[chris1gill]

Double paned windows, new furnace, insulation will make the house nice but you won't get your $$ back when you sell.

Just want to mention, that for this year, if you buy energy efficient windows/furnaces/sliders, there is a federal tax credit, but I forget how much it is! But, could take the sting out....

Now 26 windows x 600.00 each - nothing takes the sting out of that!