I’ve posted a lot of random questions lately about our renovation but I never did an intro or summary post of what we were actually doing. We’re still a few weeks away from completion but I thought I’d start this thread to explain it all and show off some progress pics and to update as it goes along.
We have a 1950s split level, 3 br, 2 bath. Previous owners had added a master suite level sometime in what seems like the early 80s. We had done nothing to it since purchasing 11 years ago, because everything was old, but pretty neutral and there was so much we wanted to change we never could decide in small pieces what to do. Once I found out I was pregnant (Dec 2015) we started meeting with an architect and we didn’t break ground until May of this year.
The total job includes: rear bump out of kitchen and full kitchen renovation, relocation of master bath and closet, new roof, new siding, new windows, new exterior doors, re-build back deck, new gas line (we converted from oil heat to natural gas), new hot water heater, relocation of hvac system and furnace (to make room for a separate laundry room in basement), and various other electric and hvac upgrades. Also, once we found out I was pregnant again just as the project was starting, we decided to have one of the bedrooms split so we’ll have a nursery and still keep a small office space.
Here are the floor plans. You can see in lighter outline the old layout. Everything sticking out the back and the little bit on the right on the first floor is new.
In the master, the bathroom used to be in the upper left corner on the floor plan, and the closet was in the lower left.
I took before pictures on the day we moved everything out so it’s quite dirty and gross looking...
The kitchen was like a small hallway. This is the view from either end.
Dining room.
Master from the doorway looking toward the front of the house (closet is the wall on the right).
Master looking toward the back (bathroom door in left).
Master bath.
Front of the house.
This is my favorite in progress pic because it’s just chaos.
Here is the kitchen so far. If you’ve seen my other thread, they are currently in the process of ripping down some of these cabinets to re-do the layout.
Here is the new master we just finished painting.
Master bath, which is still missing a cabinet.
And the outside. The siding has been completed I just don’t have a more updated picture.
Here it is finished but from a weird angle
I think that covers it for now. We’re looking forward to moving back in in about 2 weeks although we may not have a working kitchen or a completed deck. We’re not going to touch landscaping until at least the spring which makes me sad for our neighbors lol.
Post by dr.girlfriend on Oct 8, 2018 17:01:29 GMT -5
Thanks so much for posting all this -- what an amazing difference! I am totally going to pick your brain on your bathroom tile choices...I love all of them! Do you mind posting what they are? Is the tile in the niche and on the shower floor the same and the one on the floor just looks darker because of lighting?
Thanks so much for posting all this -- what an amazing difference! I am totally going to pick your brain on your bathroom tile choices...I love all of them! Do you mind posting what they are? Is the tile in the niche and on the shower floor the same and the one on the floor just looks darker because of lighting?
Thank you so much! It is the same tile. It looks different because the floor has grey grout. I actually don’t love it because I think the white grout looks so much nicer, but I was advised against white grout on the floor - supposedly it fades and yellows quickly from water running on it all the time.
I’ll have to see if I have a supply list with better details of what everything is. I’m not sure of the materials I just picked what I liked and the contractor ordered it.
ETA - the niche and floor are a Carrara marble but I don’t have any other details, the white subway is the cheapest, plainest, standard stock that the tile store carried, and the floor is a porcelain called Vallelunga VIntage Argenta Grey.
Wow! This is amazing. I would like to do a similar amount of work to my own house one day. We bought an original owner side hall colonial and love our location, but it needs a lot of updating. We don’t need to add additional space and have a new roof.
We have been here for 5 1/2 years already and I recently went into a neighbor’s house that had been fully remodeled and it really got me thinking about moving forward.
Post by simpsongal on Oct 17, 2018 10:05:45 GMT -5
Awesome Mrs.flang, the transformation is fantastic! Would you mind sharing costs?
I'd love to do something similar but a home equity loan is a nonstarter for DH, so I was thinking of looking into a construction loan or something similar. My hope is to find an architect and get the ball rolling.
Awesome Mrs.flang, the transformation is fantastic! Would you mind sharing costs?
The total cost is pretty ridiculous and unfortunately we don’t really have anything from the contractor that details things out by area. DH constantly laments that we could have built a brand new house for what we are paying. But, that’s not realistic for our area and to move, we would have had to dump money into fixing up this house, and still wouldn’t have been able to afford the “perfect” house in our area. We bought in 2007, so it’s disheartening to know how much we’ve spent vs how much it’s worth.
I recently started adding up the pre-construction costs like the architect and permits and such but I don’t have the numbers with me. I’ll post back when I have them.
We weren’t able to get an equity line because we had started tearing up the basement ourselves years ago and never put it back together and they won’t give you a loan if you are in process of construction. We are paying for it with about 1/3 from savings, 1/3 from a loan from my parents (they have a low interest rate equity line and are just charging us what they pay so it’s like under 3%), and 1/3 from personal loans that I hope to refinance with an equity line of our own once we finish.
Mrs.flang , there is no question that we could have built an entire new house for what our renovation/addition cost. we try not to think about it, lol. we have a construction loan and when we don't think about how much it's actually for, it's been pretty great
simpsongal , let me know if you need an architect recommendation--ours is wonderful. His work is beautiful and he's super nice to work with. (But I won't recommend our actual builders!!) (eta: I think I remember that you are int he DC area?)
Awesome Mrs.flang , the transformation is fantastic! Would you mind sharing costs?
The total cost is pretty ridiculous and unfortunately we don’t really have anything from the contractor that details things out by area. DH constantly laments that we could have built a brand new house for what we are paying. But, that’s not realistic for our area and to move, we would have had to dump money into fixing up this house, and still wouldn’t have been able to afford the “perfect” house in our area. We bought in 2007, so it’s disheartening to know how much we’ve spent vs how much it’s worth.
I recently started adding up the pre-construction costs like the architect and permits and such but I don’t have the numbers with me. I’ll post back when I have them.
We weren’t able to get an equity line because we had started tearing up the basement ourselves years ago and never put it back together and they won’t give you a loan if you are in process of construction. We are paying for it with about 1/3 from savings, 1/3 from a loan from my parents (they have a low interest rate equity line and are just charging us what they pay so it’s like under 3%), and 1/3 from personal loans that I hope to refinance with an equity line of our own once we finish.
this was exactly my question!
it looks great! Not just an improvement but a rebirth!
I don't have any fun updates yet, but I can post some numbers.
Total paid to the architect which includes one major revision and one minor revision is $9k. Total paid to the town for permits and applications is $2,600. We also spent probably around $200-300 associated with getting a variance. We had to send certified letters to all our neighbors and take out an ad in the newspaper. The architect specifically designed so that we wouldn't need a variance, but because of the change in the roof line, we were like, 2 inches over the property line and needed it anyway. SO annoying!
Total contract price with the contractor was around $225k. I've been tracking our change orders (some necessary, some discretionary) that total around an additional 10% on top of that. We should be getting some credits back for accessories and other things we purchased out of pocket, but I'm not banking on that being substantial at all.
On top of all that I really wish we had planned or saved more for new furniture and accessories. I want everything to be all shiny and new!
I have some small updates, but nothing super exciting.
Last week they finished refinishing the floors and putting most of the cabinets in place.
In the bathroom they installed the handles, hung the mirror, and installed the shower door. We still have to paint this room, ugh.
And the most exciting news is that we moved back in yesterday! If you can really call it that. We’re so unorganized and have crap everywhere. We have no counters or sinks except the one in the guest bathroom that we didn’t renovate. We have a mini fridge set up in the garage because the appliances aren’t hooked up yet (I’m not sure why). Everything is dusty and dirty. It’s still better than my parents house though!
Post by simpsongal on Oct 30, 2018 11:18:10 GMT -5
Mrs.flang, it's stunning! OMG the beautiful expanse of flooring in the kitchen area - we love to have gatherings and impromptu kid dance parties in that area. Enjoy!!