Home repair general questions

[zedd2006]

Sorry if this is the wrong sub forum to post in, didn;t see anything else that would it fit in. Anyway, im in the market for a beat up house to fix up and live in, i'v been looking at hud homes and foreclosures. Money is tight right now and i figured i could keep from spending so much money at one time it would be better, i know i might spend alot more than buying a "not so beat up" house but alteast this way i can say i did it, have the way i want it instead of how someone else wanted it. Most of the homes im looking at have roof damange, electrical wires riped out, wall damage, slight floor damage, water damage etc etc. I know its going to be alot of work, and its going to take more then a few months probably, but what are some thing to stay away from that are just going to cost more than its even worth? I already have plans of remodeling the kitchen, and if nessecary the master bath, which i think it will. as far as repairs go, its going to just be me repairing, things liek the roof damage i may just have someone else do considering i know nothing about roofing. One of the homes i was looking at online have cracks on the exterior and interior of the walls (was a brick house) is cracks in the brick repairable with out tearing down the wall and rebuilding it? Water damage in the floor that has caused it to be a unsafe area, is that just a matter of finding the leak fixing it and then ripping up the floor and putting down new wood, or will most cases require you to repair the beams as well? Any help and advice will be greatful, thanks.

Edit: Sorry one last thing, what about mold? can someone explain the problems/difficulties with mold?

[pushkins]

Wow, your certaining taking the bull by the horns, good thing your asking as many questions as you can first.

OK, mold....be very very careful, HUD and foreclosure homes don't always have to disclose the presence of mold (they should by law but so many people are involved in these types of sales that it's really easy for them to turn a blind eye to mold. Mold isn't to be taken lightly, it can be easily fixed and then it can take a large amount of money to fix it just depends on how prevelant it is. In certain cities any bad mold MUST be treated by a mold certified company.

Cracks in brick walls should always be investigated, esp. cracks that zig zag their way down a wall folloing the mortar lines, look for wide open gaps and differences in brick heights.
This can be expensive to fix if you need to lift a sinking foundation.

Remember if you need to replace electrical wire, nowadays it's an expensive exercise as the price of copper is sky rocketing.

My advice would be to pick up something that you feel VERY comfortable in remodeling yourself, DON'T get yourself in over your head or "the money pit" will be your life... I buy and remodel many homes and one thing I can say from experience is "take your time when looking" there is always another home out there, don't feel or be pressured to make snap decisions.

[zedd2006]

What if I just found a nice small house plan off of the internet and took it to the contractor and said "Hey I just need the walls and the roof and the rough electric, and rough plumbing put in don’t even need you to put up sheet rock" would they do that? It would cut my initial cost in half right? But I don’t know where to go to find out the cost of the startup cost. I’ve been to 3 different website that offered a free estimate of "cost to build" and they all say different amounts. I have no problem building the kitchen walls, bedrooms etc etc as I was going to basically rebuild the inside of a old house anyway.

[HayZee518]

everybody is going to give you different estimates. there's no flat rate when it comes to contractors. I'm a retired electrician. For new houses I would charge $45 per opening. an opening is any outlet box or switchbox. my charges for service entrances would also vary. this was cost plus an hourly charge. some places took me 6 hours start to finish, some places 8 hours plus!

[zedd2006]

The website were just giving a over all general estimate for the area, and the prices were extremely different, one was saying $60k for a 850sq ft house, another would say $150k for the same house, i mean thats a huge price gap.

[HayZee518]

different folks different strokes - I'm sorry to say. you have to check out the contractors - talk to people who'd they recommend. you could have a quote for 60K and get shoddy workmanship or the same 60k with another contractor and get top of the line workmanship. call your building inspector. he's seen it all. he'd be your best bet for recommending someone for the buck.

[zedd2006]

Im not sure if i want to go this route 100% yet, im still deciding if i just want to remodel a older house and fix it up or build one of my own. Speaking of inspectors in general what do they require that needs to be one by a licensed professional before they will pass the house? Does a older model home need inspections after remodel also? If so, what kind, and do they require licensed professionals? Im trying to do most of it as possible myself to cut down on cost.

[HayZee518]

like I said before check with your town's building department. In my part of NY building permits are required. for old houses for electrical and plumbing you need a finish inspection. We don't have a full time electrical inspector so they use a guy from the Underwriters Laboratory. For new houses you'll need a rough and finish inspection by each inspector for each stage of construction - plumbing, electrical, carpentry - an engineer in the building department who knows stress loads. you may take out the permits by yourself and list yourself as the general contractor.

[mrcaptainbob]

House work...

Some years ago a friend built his own home using the precut items from a company (since bought by some other company) called Cap Precut Homes. IT turned out very nice. You pick the floor plan and style. Then choose what type of flooring, roofing, etc' you'd like. Low grade oak floor is cheaper than the high grade stuff. It's that kind of thing. They send the stuff as you're ready for it. All the studs, joists, rafters etc. were precut. The heating/cooling package is sized to the house, as is the plumbing and electrical. The roofing was, too. IT was all very interesting and turned out quite nicely. Not sure of any brands on the market now, but would bet there are a few out there.
This is just another option.

[Allison1888]

buying house

I think it's great that you're looking to go the sweat equity route, but if you have not done this before, start small. In all cases, avoid fixer uppers that have structural damage -- foundations, etc. You will never recoup your investment.

You are better off buying a smaller house that needs cosmetic fixes -- ideally on a large enough lot where you could add on later -- than going with a foreclosure in bad shape. On the subject of building new, no lender will fund it if the house is not finished. You should not be living in a house without drywall -- fine to go without it in a few areas for a short time, but if you won't be able to afford it in a short time, don't do it. I think you just need to be more realistic about what you can do.

There are many bargains out there in the standard housing market -- particularly if the house lacks curb appeal. Bid low and keep shopping. Also a good realtor can help you and you're not paying a fee on the buy side (at least in most areas). Good luck!