Talk to me about buying a fixer upper

[brittone2]

DH and I would love to fix up/restore a home one day, but I have no interest in doing any major repairs/remodeling, etc. with young kids. Too many hazards (lead, etc. in older homes stirred up by renovations), too much work, too much mess, too expensive to go out to eat all of the time when the kitchen is ripped up for a long period of time (feeding 4 vs. 2 people), etc. (eta: I would consider it if I didn't have to actually live in the house during renovations)

[BillK]

Whatever you think the updates will cost - triple them or at the very least double them. It was amazing how many things popped up for us during our remodel. Fix 2 things for every 1 thing we wanted to do.

[erv917]

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts! You always hear stories about renovations costing double what you'd budgeted, and taking twice as long anticipated, but hearing some first hand experiences definitely gives me a (needed!) reality check.

If anyone has any thoughts to share regarding what types of renovations are more/less feasible to take on, I'd love to hear them. For example, it sounds like some of you are saying that buying a house with the square footage you need is significantly less of a pain than adding on (even if that existing square footage needs a lot of work or even reconfiguring, vs. a smaller house where the existing parts are in good shape). Thoughts? Oh, and FWIW, I think we'd REALLY try to avoid living in the house during the renovations--would probably rent for a bit.

[wellyes]

My criteria when shopping were:
1. Must be in move-in condition
2. Baby-safe (most of the house renovated in the past 15 years & up to code)
3. Must have more than one bathroom
4. Must be in a walkable neighborhood with playgrounds & a library

If you say which city you're moving to, some posters here may be able to offer specific advice regarding neighborhoods.

[erv917]

My criteria when shopping were:
1. Must be in move-in condition
2. Baby-safe (most of the house renovated in the past 15 years & up to code)
3. Must have more than one bathroom
4. Must be in a walkable neighborhood with playgrounds & a library

If you say which city you're moving to, some posters here may be able to offer specific advice regarding neighborhoods.

Think I am moving to your neck of the woods, if I remember correctly from the recent housing costs thread. Boston-probably Metro West. We lived in the Boston area from 1999-2005, so we are relatively familiar with things, but still welcome any input, since we were definitely in a different phase of life then (no kids, tiny urban apt)!

[wellyes]

I'm afraid I don't know much about MetroWest, I'm on South Shore. If you're active on Mothering.com, try their "Finding your Tribe" area, I believe they have a pretty big Natick/Framingham community there.

[lowrioh]

Our first house was a fixer upper with great bones and given the same set of circumstances I would do it again. We bought a small house outside of DC for a great price but it needed a lot of cosmetic stuff. We ripped out the carpets, painted every single room, replaced all the pipes, fixed up the basement, completely redid the kitchen (with IKEA) and updated one of the bathrooms. It was a lot of work but because of housing prices it was what we could afford at the time. We did everything ourselves so if you aren't willing to do that I would get some estimates before you make any offers. When we bought this time we were interested in a foreclosure house and almost made an offer until we discovered the large amount of termite damage in the basement.
This time we ended up buying a house that doesn't need a lot of work immediately but will require paint, wall paper removal, new roof, updating the kitchen and some landscaping before long. Most of the housing stock in our area is from the 30's and 40's and almost every property we saw needed some degree of fixing up.
I did find a great website to give estimates of repair costs in your area. http://www.myremodelingproject.com/
I used it to price out a roof and it came a little over the quote I got from a very reputable roofing company.
Good luck with the house hunting. We found that a lot of the properties on the market are just plain crappy. I think that a lot of people that have nicer houses are waiting to see what the real estate market does before they sell. If you do find a place you can get great deals though.

[doberbrat]

IMO A lot of it has to do w/your temperament

11yrs ago we bought a great house that needed a ton of cosmetic work and some minor structural stuff. Rugs to be ripped out, floors refinished, kitchen & bath needed a remodel.

DH SWORE he’d do the stuff. PROMISED my orange counters would be the first priority.
Well, 11 yrs later they’re still orange. I have plywood on the floors in the bathroom b/c he started ripping out the bath but didn’t finish.

He refuses to hire anyone b/c he can do it himself. Except he didn’t do it when he had time and now w/1 child here and a 2nd on the way, he doesn’t have time

Just this am I walked out to find the neighbors getting their roof redone and told dh to ask them to give us a quote for the 3x3 back porch roof that’s leaked for years. And it turned into a huge fight.

Not only is a fixer upper financially and time draining, but it can be very difficult on the relationship as well.

DH inherited some family land and wants to build a house on it and I’ve told him flat out no. I’ve been with him for 18yrs. Plenty long enough to know that if we have to pick out every light fixture, door knob, window etc together, we will not have a marriage left.

[boolady]

JMO, but buying a fixer upper doesn't have to equal buying a money pit.

I agree. We do not own a fixer-upper, but my parents bought one when I was a kid and they still live there. The number one thing I think you need to have if you buy a fixer-upper, even beyond money or know how? Patience. My parents' home is gorgeous and has been for a long time, but it is over 100 years old and due to them both WOHM and having to do projects piecemeal so that the whole house wasn't unlivable at once, they had to be willing to do projects from time-to-time as time and situation permitted.

I am not completely opposed to a fixer-upper, but for DH and I, given our schedules and abilities, it would have to be one that would not involve major structural changes/corrections and would be more about restoration/updating.

[fivi2]

IMO A lot of it has to do w/your temperament

11yrs ago we bought a great house that needed a ton of cosmetic work and some minor structural stuff. Rugs to be ripped out, floors refinished, kitchen & bath needed a remodel.

DH SWORE he’d do the stuff. PROMISED my orange counters would be the first priority.
Well, 11 yrs later they’re still orange. I have plywood on the floors in the bathroom b/c he started ripping out the bath but didn’t finish.

He refuses to hire anyone b/c he can do it himself. Except he didn’t do it when he had time and now w/1 child here and a 2nd on the way, he doesn’t have time

Just this am I walked out to find the neighbors getting their roof redone and told dh to ask them to give us a quote for the 3x3 back porch roof that’s leaked for years. And it turned into a huge fight.

Not only is a fixer upper financially and time draining, but it can be very difficult on the relationship as well.

DH inherited some family land and wants to build a house on it and I’ve told him flat out no. I’ve been with him for 18yrs. Plenty long enough to know that if we have to pick out every light fixture, door knob, window etc together, we will not have a marriage left.

This is us, exactly. I agreed to this house with a few conditions. 6 years later, not one of my conditions has been met. Dh will start a project, get bored or excited about something else, and NEVER finish it. It has caused many arguments.

I will never again (knowingly) buy a house that needs more than paint, and I will make sure we do it before we move in.

(Our house is over 50 years old. We had a good inspection and thought it was move in ready. We have had to fix or replace a lot, and still have more to do - along with all the unfinished projects).