Pending remodel coming

[DipinINDIA]

Hello all. I am in the foreign service and will retire next year after living overseas for 32 years. Our home is in the panhandle of Florida and it was built in 1972 with no upgrades of any kind. We need to upgrade everything from electrical, plumbing, flooring and we need to open up the house to let more light in and improve the house flow - we plan to remove some existing walls to do this.

I know we have a lot of work to do and I want to do as pre-remodeling planning as possible. Even though we have not a clue of what to expect. I don't know what the project will cost which really worries me, or the best way to pay for it. We know we will need to hire a general contractor to coordinate the entire remodel. But that is where we don't know what happens after that.

Does anyone have suggestions or is there a check-list to help us figure how to save time and money regarding the time-line and tips to help us make the process go as smooth as possible? I appreciate any suggestions.

We have a floor plan of the new layout we want the remodeled home to look like (that we both agree on).

 

[Nifty]

Welcome!

It sounds a lot like our house... built around the same time and has years and years of deferred maintenance. We're not sure if we should do a huge housewide remodel, or just piece by piece.

We too want to plan things out properly. I think our first step will be to hire an architect to help us really get a good idea of what we can do to open up the house and make it a bit more modern. Then we'll start the process of searching for contractors.

 

[Daniel martin]

The number one thing I would do is take advantage of a lot of free estimate I am the owner of a kitchen and bathroom remodeling business in Ohio and I don't mind giving free estimates if you find a good contractor they will break down the hole estimate in a itemized list giving you a better idea of what you will need and what it will cost . Number two if you are able to do the demo your self it will save you a lot of money if not you can hire people from a temp service and mange the crew your self. Number three when you do your material selection see if the Hardwear store will deliver the material you pick out for your home and even if you have to pay them it will cost you more if the contractor has to pick them up for you. @Nifty@DipinINDIA,

 

[DipinINDIA]

Thank you Nifty

We have the layout plans and we like the new design. So I guess the next step is trying to get more information about contractors in our area. I hear there is so many bad ones out there. Regards Rick

 

[Daniel martin]

I tried to give you some tips but it wont let me

 

[Daniel martin]

awaiting moderator approval for two days now

 

[Smart Red]

@Daniel martin, if you want to be sure @Nifty sees your post to approve it, you need to put the @ in front of his name. I also sent him a note. I don't think he stops by here all that often since the site is so quiet.

@DipinINDIA, once upon a time I would have loved the challenge you are facing. Bathrooms and Kitchens always need work in older homes. Lots of older homes don't have enough electrical service for current needs, either.

Unfortunately, your challenge comes with a need for deep pockets or work-as-you-pay speed. I hope you saved your money while you were out of the country. Thank you for your service.

 

[DipinINDIA]

Thank you Smart Red, Daniel.

I knew this remodeling project was coming since we purchased the home in 2003. When we purchased the home - it had the 1970s style dark wood paneling on the walls - you almost needed a flashlight to see where you were going. Of course it still has the popcorn ceilings throughout the house. I just painted the walls white to brighten up the rooms. A few years ago, I installed some skylights - the newer (tunnel type skylights) which really didn't work as we hoped to lighten it up.
I have been saving as much as possible. I think I have saved enough.

I guess most people would take out a home loan to pay for the remodel?

I have some money in investments which hasn't really worked out for growth as I hoped - I want to use this investment funds to pay for the remodeling costs. I am thinking that when I retire, my income will drop a lot to where taking the money out of the investment funds will not burden me as much for additional taxable income? I would rather not take out a loan.

We will have two months to get the remodel completely finished because our HHE (household effects - furniture/our stuff) will arrive two months after I retire.

 

[Smart Red]

Tips and ideas depend upon how you are planning to get the work done. Spouse and I have done all types of remodeling and building ourselves. From pouring the footings to running electrical, heating, and plumbing, we did it all.

Doing it ourselves certainly saved money -- and gave us exactly what we wanted -- but took a lot longer than two months. It took us one whole summer to brick the outside since it rained 19 of 21 weekends and spouse was working 12-hour days with little time after work for much more than eating and sleeping. I quickly learned you can't lay bricks right before a rainfall, during a shower, or right after a rain when the sand is too wet. I also learned how to mix a righteous batch of mortar on short notice.

Others have gone through remodels as their own contractor -- finding and arranging for tradefolk to show up at specific times. And pulling everything together at the end.

For the lucky ones such as my daughter, their time was spent with the architect and contractor deciding what they wanted and then moving in once it was completed. Meanwhile, their time was spent working to finance the project.

With only two months as a completion date, I suspect you will fall in nearer the self-contractor model. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor. I sounds like such fun to me.