Homeowners: tell me how I should allocate money on remodeling
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Date: April 18th, 2018 4:27 PM Author: Umber shrine
i'm buying a house and it needs a little work.
here's the possible upgrades and current condition:
- double pane windows. home still has original metal windows from the 70s. (~$12k)
- repaved and retiled pool with PebbleTec. the pool is disgusting right now, but we will only use it in the summers. (~$10k)
- concrete in the backyard needs to be redone as it's deeply cracked. (~$3k)
- previous owners neglected landscaping, so we'll need to put in some plants and pavers around the house. (~$4k)
$20k budget.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869201) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 4:29 PM Author: Histrionic old irish cottage
1. Windows
2. Concrete
3. Landscaping
Deal with the pool when you can. Just keep it clean in the meantime.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869213) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 4:32 PM Author: duck-like spot love of her life
spoiler:
you're going to end up doing the pool (because your wife NEEDS to go swimming all the time this summer in her new pool omg and have ppl over for swim & bbq omg!) and landscaping (because when ppl come over for swim/bbq the yard NEEDS to look great) and then you'll do the concrete (bc when ppl are hanging out in the backyard by the pool the concrete looks SO BAD and its also a safety issue what if someone trips on it??)
you clearly want windows the most, but you won't get them. hth.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869241) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 4:51 PM Author: aggressive titillating nursing home
always windows first
probably pool #2 for utility
landscaping can come with time
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869374)
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Date: April 18th, 2018 4:56 PM Author: Bonkers idiot jap
from a monetary cost-benefit analysis, these are all shitty investments except the landscaping.
the windows are probably the next best investment, but the energy savings are overrated and it would take longer than the lifetime of the windows to recoup the investment. if they're single-glazed, just get storm panes for the outside and you'll get 85%-95% of the efficiency of a double-glazed.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869402) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 5:13 PM Author: Comical institution death wish
Skip the pool - you've gone this long without it and can go another year or two. Just don't let it get disgusting. See if you really even want it. They are money pits and lots of times are barely used. Cool if you have kids, though.
The other estimates seem really low, but in SV everything is jacked to hell because people will pay it. I can't possibly see how the windows will cost that little unless you have 10-12 and they're all standard-sized.
Re: landscaping and irrigation: Can you hire laborers to do it? In CA these people are everywhere and will do the work for $15-20/hr. Buy them lunch and a 6-pack at the end of the day and they'll work their asses off and know what they're doing. Better than paying a landscaping company to do the same thing (with similar laborers) for 3x the price.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35869521) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 8:00 PM Author: mind-boggling shitlib stain
Don’t bother with windows. New windows suck.
You can fix the pool and back concrete cheap. Just patch and call it a day.
DIY the landscaping.
All done for a couple grand.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35870400) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 8:28 PM Author: Sienna self-absorbed step-uncle's house
Windows, concrete/landscaping, pool last.
Landscaping can cost less if you do drought resistant stuff or if you use the cheap grass or hire day laborers. But if you need to install a whole new sprinkler system and jack up the concrete, don’t hire the day laborers obviously.
Our windows sucked and were original wood frames, all cracked from the 1930s, didn’t stay open, etc and we replaced them all with Milgard windows. Helps a lot with the soundproofing and they just look a lot better.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35870615) |
Date: April 18th, 2018 8:31 PM Author: free-loading razzle-dazzle dopamine
Can you shutter the pool for a while? That should be a very low priority.
The windows are another low priority.
Of the projects you listed I would go for the concrete and the landscaping first.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35870627) |
Date: April 22nd, 2018 7:00 PM Author: Umber shrine
UPDATE:
Invited all inspectors and estimators to the house yesterday.
Window company is best in area, 100+ Yelp reviews straight 5-stars. Came to the house to take measurements, and then we went to his showroom. We need 20 windows, including 4 large art (custom) windows, plus 4 sliding doors.
For the concrete, I spoke to a bunch of flame contractors that wanted to charge an arm and a leg just for grinding out cracks and coating the concrete. Wife and I realized that we'd rather just have new concrete if we could.
I ended up finding a concrete supplier, and she referred me to someone they work with frequently, who's unlicensed. He came to the yard yesterday, took measurements (2100 sq ft of concrete needed), and since he was Hispanic, I asked if he could also do the landscaping.
He got back to me today and is willing to do everything for $17k.
The windows (and doors) we were able to get for $14,500 for the whole house. PlyGem Pro Series 200. Initial price was $18k, but we talked them down. MSRP was something like $28k. Pretty happy with this deal as I know that installation is just as important if not moreso than window quality, and these guys are apparently very good.
Trying to decide if we want to do the whole yard (landscaping + concrete) for $17k. I will of course try to talk him down but seems like a fair price for a large yard.
Altogether that's $31.5k, but we're hoping sellers will give some credit towards that.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3953105&forum_id=2#35895948) |
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