We will see how the stock market performs over the next year, year and a half. I might get stingy if the market goes a lot lower.
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Our new big FIRE adventure
- Thread starter FIREd
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We will see how the stock market performs over the next year, year and a half. I might get stingy if the market goes a lot lower.
Bestwifeever
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I think a renovation is a splendid idea, FIREd. The costs of selling and buying alone will pay for a bathroom. The result will be that you have just the house you want and that likely will also apoeal to a buyer if that opportunity presents itself. And you are so fortunate that the neighborhood is becoming a sought-after area, it sounds like.
Huston55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Excellent news FIREd!
Looking fwd to updates.
You may be whatever you resolve to be.
Looking fwd to updates.
You may be whatever you resolve to be.
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
As someone who recently moved, I'll add that it might pay for a rather stunning kitchen remodel, along with that bathroom.
Update:
So the move is fast approaching now, as our lease in SF is up in early April. The house has been sitting on the market for almost 2 years and we have not had any offer. Based on the feedback we received from realtors, most people are turned off by the steep, wooded lot (no real yard beyond the back patio). So we are stuck with it. Since the house still meets our needs, we decided to go with "Plan 2 light" - renovate the house without making expensive structural modifications. Since the property is going to be hard to sell due to the lot it is sitting on, we do not want to sink a lot more money into it beyond making some cosmetic upgrades to make it more livable for the foreseeable future (I'd rather sink the money in our big-city European condo with far more potential for appreciation).
We plan on:
* changing all the flooring. We want to go to hardwood flooring throughout (except the kitchen and bathrooms). Solid or engineered hardwood floors? (some will be installed on a slab, some on a wooden subfloor). In the kitchen and baths, what kind of tiles would you recommend, porcelain or ceramic?
* painting all the walls, ceilings, and trims in "white" to brighten up the rooms. Should we scrape the popcorn ceilings? Many people say that such ceiling looks dated, but most surfaces in the house will be hard after the renovation (no carpets, window treatments, and few upholstered furniture pieces to absorb sound, kind of Scandinavian minimalist). Will the house become an echo chamber?
* Replacing all the countertops in the house. I think that granite might be a bit much for this house, what about Corian? Easy to clean/scrub without scratching the surface?
* replace the bath tubs. I would like to replace the bathtub in the master bathroom with a walk-in shower. Would it make the house even harder to sell down the road not to have a tub in the masterbath? (we plan on keeping a tub in the hallway bathroom).
So the move is fast approaching now, as our lease in SF is up in early April. The house has been sitting on the market for almost 2 years and we have not had any offer. Based on the feedback we received from realtors, most people are turned off by the steep, wooded lot (no real yard beyond the back patio). So we are stuck with it. Since the house still meets our needs, we decided to go with "Plan 2 light" - renovate the house without making expensive structural modifications. Since the property is going to be hard to sell due to the lot it is sitting on, we do not want to sink a lot more money into it beyond making some cosmetic upgrades to make it more livable for the foreseeable future (I'd rather sink the money in our big-city European condo with far more potential for appreciation).
We plan on:
* changing all the flooring. We want to go to hardwood flooring throughout (except the kitchen and bathrooms). Solid or engineered hardwood floors? (some will be installed on a slab, some on a wooden subfloor). In the kitchen and baths, what kind of tiles would you recommend, porcelain or ceramic?
* painting all the walls, ceilings, and trims in "white" to brighten up the rooms. Should we scrape the popcorn ceilings? Many people say that such ceiling looks dated, but most surfaces in the house will be hard after the renovation (no carpets, window treatments, and few upholstered furniture pieces to absorb sound, kind of Scandinavian minimalist). Will the house become an echo chamber?
* Replacing all the countertops in the house. I think that granite might be a bit much for this house, what about Corian? Easy to clean/scrub without scratching the surface?
* replace the bath tubs. I would like to replace the bathtub in the master bathroom with a walk-in shower. Would it make the house even harder to sell down the road not to have a tub in the masterbath? (we plan on keeping a tub in the hallway bathroom).
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W2R
Moderator Emeritus
How exciting!
Floors: I have been in my "Dream Home" for 18 months by now. It has engineered hardwood flooring everywhere but the bathrooms. It looks fabulous and seems to be holding up well so far. It extends throughout the kitchen too, which is something I would not have done personally. However, much to my amazement that hasn't been a problem. I don't do a lot of extensive cooking although I do cook in there each day. So far, I was surprised that I have hardly ever spilled any water or food on it; maybe twice in 18 months. When that happened, I just wiped it up immediately and it did not damage the floor.
Popcorn ceilings: Under the circumstances, I'd suggest making that decision based on what will make your stay in that home happiest. It sounds like a lot of work to change the ceilings, and if they don't bother you then I wouldn't choose to change them. If, years down the road, you decide to sell, and if, at that time, your realtor urges you to do something about the ceilings, you can always deal with it then. Who knows what ceilings will be popular by then? I sure don't.
Countertops: My dream house has some sort of man made stuff that reminds me of Formica. Maybe that is what it is. My first instinct was to have granite put in, since I loved the granite at my old house. But, I decided to wait until the present countertops get stained, cuts in them, and/or become shabby looking (they look brand new right now). I have been amazed to find that these countertops, whatever they are, are so much better than similar ones fifty years ago. Maybe the advent of granite made these manufacturers "up their game", so to speak. So far after 18 months, being as messy as possible when I cook and not being especially careful, even (subconsciously) trying to stain them, it turns out that I have zero stains and zero cuts in my countertops. So, I'm keeping them. If/when they look bad, I'll do something but I doubt they will.
Shower: Ask your realtor about what sells or doesn't in your area. I suspect that having one tub in the other bathroom is enough. For me, the change you suggest (to a big shower instead of a tub in the master bathroom) would add a lot to the value.
Echos: Don't know if I can help you there. I have a lot of fake Persian rugs on my engineered hardwood floors, and these plus my furnishings cut back on echos.
Congratulations on your big move!
Floors: I have been in my "Dream Home" for 18 months by now. It has engineered hardwood flooring everywhere but the bathrooms. It looks fabulous and seems to be holding up well so far. It extends throughout the kitchen too, which is something I would not have done personally. However, much to my amazement that hasn't been a problem. I don't do a lot of extensive cooking although I do cook in there each day. So far, I was surprised that I have hardly ever spilled any water or food on it; maybe twice in 18 months. When that happened, I just wiped it up immediately and it did not damage the floor.
Popcorn ceilings: Under the circumstances, I'd suggest making that decision based on what will make your stay in that home happiest. It sounds like a lot of work to change the ceilings, and if they don't bother you then I wouldn't choose to change them. If, years down the road, you decide to sell, and if, at that time, your realtor urges you to do something about the ceilings, you can always deal with it then. Who knows what ceilings will be popular by then? I sure don't.
Countertops: My dream house has some sort of man made stuff that reminds me of Formica. Maybe that is what it is. My first instinct was to have granite put in, since I loved the granite at my old house. But, I decided to wait until the present countertops get stained, cuts in them, and/or become shabby looking (they look brand new right now). I have been amazed to find that these countertops, whatever they are, are so much better than similar ones fifty years ago. Maybe the advent of granite made these manufacturers "up their game", so to speak. So far after 18 months, being as messy as possible when I cook and not being especially careful, even (subconsciously) trying to stain them, it turns out that I have zero stains and zero cuts in my countertops. So, I'm keeping them. If/when they look bad, I'll do something but I doubt they will.
Shower: Ask your realtor about what sells or doesn't in your area. I suspect that having one tub in the other bathroom is enough. For me, the change you suggest (to a big shower instead of a tub in the master bathroom) would add a lot to the value.
Echos: Don't know if I can help you there. I have a lot of fake Persian rugs on my engineered hardwood floors, and these plus my furnishings cut back on echos.
Congratulations on your big move!
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It'll be good to settle in once again.
We're fans of ceramic tile on the floor in hot climates. It is cool and easy to maintain.
Popcorn ceilings are dated, but that's no reason to change. First and foremost, do the two of you like them? You're the one living there, and it sounds like the ceiling won't be the thing that makes or breaks selling the house down the road.
Noise will be an issue, not sure how much the popcorn ceiling helps. Some planters , a few throw rugs perhaps?
We're fans of ceramic tile on the floor in hot climates. It is cool and easy to maintain.
Popcorn ceilings are dated, but that's no reason to change. First and foremost, do the two of you like them? You're the one living there, and it sounds like the ceiling won't be the thing that makes or breaks selling the house down the road.
Noise will be an issue, not sure how much the popcorn ceiling helps. Some planters , a few throw rugs perhaps?
ivinsfan
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I'd probably set a budget for what you call Plan 2 light and start working with some estimates for floors, counters and ceilings. This should help you figure out where you want the money to go.
Depending on your taste in granite, there is not a ton of difference in price points between it and Corian, is fact if you can go with the plain jane HD granite you can save quite a bit of money..
Depending on your taste in granite, there is not a ton of difference in price points between it and Corian, is fact if you can go with the plain jane HD granite you can save quite a bit of money..
We are neutral on popcorn ceilings. We never gave much thoughts about them until someone pointed out that they were outdated. We'd probably be fine if they were simply repainted. They are pretty low on our priority list as far as the budget is concerned.
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Meadbh
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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If the ceilings don't bother you, they are best left in situ. I've read that older popcorn ceilings may contain asbestos, which is a good reason not to disturb them.
Huston55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Well, I'm happy for you but...
...it feels like we (those of us in the SF Bay Area) should give you a SF Bay Area going away party.
Our ceiling tested negative for asbestos. My main concern with removing the popcorn ceiling is one of cost escalation. Texture was often used to hide flaws in the ceiling, flaws that might become glaring once the texture is gone. So if we scrape the popcorn and find a bad-looking ceiling behind it, it might have to be extensively refinished.
Huston55 said:
I am available for partying...
Ceilings - as W2R suggested - area rugs and upholstered furniture will dampen the echo effect. We did the labor ourselves in de-popcorning... But only after testing for asbestos. We tested positive for asbestos upstairs - and those are still popcorn. (It's super pricey to dispose of asbestos popcorn and illegal to just put it in the landfill.) We didn't have any issues with the ceiling and DH just treated it like any other drywall surface (it was sheetrock under the popcorn)... patch & tape where necessary - then we painted. If you do remove the popcorn - do it before you have the floors done - it would stink to get paint on new floors.
Countertops - have you considered alternatives to granite? We did ours in a combination of stainless steel and butcher block. (Mostly stainless - but butcher on one area near the stove.) I *love* the ease of stainless - there is a reason it is the countertop of choice in commercial kitchens.... so easy to keep clean. If you go this route - make sure you shop around. We found sheet metal shops jacked up the prices when we mentioned it was for a residential kitchen... so we ended up ordering through a commercial kitchen supply place... About half the price of granite.
We went with a nice porcelain in the kitchen and bath - then marble basketweave in the master bath. It's nice to have a touch of luxury - and it's a small enough space that it wasn't too pricey.
Good luck with this project!
Countertops - have you considered alternatives to granite? We did ours in a combination of stainless steel and butcher block. (Mostly stainless - but butcher on one area near the stove.) I *love* the ease of stainless - there is a reason it is the countertop of choice in commercial kitchens.... so easy to keep clean. If you go this route - make sure you shop around. We found sheet metal shops jacked up the prices when we mentioned it was for a residential kitchen... so we ended up ordering through a commercial kitchen supply place... About half the price of granite.
We went with a nice porcelain in the kitchen and bath - then marble basketweave in the master bath. It's nice to have a touch of luxury - and it's a small enough space that it wasn't too pricey.
Good luck with this project!
NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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How about quartz for the countertop?
When I had our countertop redone in granite, we chose a very light color that is mostly tan with some speckles. Most of the granites make the kitchen too dark for my taste.
When I had our countertop redone in granite, we chose a very light color that is mostly tan with some speckles. Most of the granites make the kitchen too dark for my taste.
Huston55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Well, I'm happy for you but...
...it feels like we (those of us in the SF Bay Area) should give you a SF Bay Area going away party.
I am available for partying...
I'm requesting some Mod help to identify members in the SF Bay Area so I can contact them.
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Please feel free to look at members' profiles to find the location of members who wish to divulge it there.I'm requesting some Mod help to identify members in the SF Bay Area so I can contact them.
Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
1 + for quartz
Sorry, moderators don't have access to any information or tools that identify where members reside. There are also privacy issues. If you want to organize something I would suggest you start a new thread with "San Francisco Bay Area get-together" (or something similar) as the thread title and let interested members respond.I'm requesting some Mod help to identify members in the SF Bay Area so I can contact them.
Bestwifeever
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Your Renovation Light plans sound lovely, FIREd. Is your house off the market now? Otherwise the irony gods will be sure a buyer pops up as soon as you've finished redoing things to ÿour tastes.
grasshopper
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Ms G didn't like the fact that popcorn can't be cleaned, so we put tongue&groove in all the ceilings but the baths. We had the popcorn taken out before the floors were replaced, and the walls were painted and the contractor liked that.
Fully agree.
If one selects members list from the Community drop down then one can then select Members search - Advanced Search which does include a City and a State field.
For example I just did this and put Houston in the city box and it produced a list of members who have listed Houston as the city where they live.
So the site already provides a members search feature on information that members have freely provided for all to see in their profile.
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My sister ran into that. Ended-up going with another texture called "knock down". It looks great in her house, but maybe not so much in a modern decore.
The house is still on the market. Since we live too far to keep a close eye on the house, we decided to keep it on the market to have foot traffic going through the house on a regular basis. With the house being vacant, the "For Sale" sign helps to deter potential squatters. And prospective buyers touring the house have reported maintenance issues that needed to be addressed (like when the A/C broke down). So, in essence, we have been outsourcing home monitoring services to potential buyers for the past two years.
The house will come off the market in early March and the renovation will start in early April, when we get there. We won't move back into the house until the major reno work is done (both bathrooms will be out of service for a while, and there is no point in getting our stuff in the way during the new flooring installation). Meanwhile, we will live in a cheap 1-bedroom apartment down the street, which should provide extra motivation to complete the renovation ASAP.
