Hey everyone,
I just bought a new house in Calgary, AB (Canada) this week (take posession on may 7), and I’m starting to plan rennovations for the summer months.
The house itself is a 900 sqft. bungalow in an upscale neighbourhood on a 50′ x 105′ lot. The exterior features unmemorable siding, small concrete porch, poured concrete walkway and some large bushes in the front yard. I want to start fresh with the exterior, my primary concern being a low material cost, and high return value upon resale. I will be doing most if not all work myself with respect to the exterior work.
I want to incorporate decorative lighting into the design (i’m a sparky), and a more modern look to hide the house’s boxy 1950s exterior. If I can figure it out, I’ll attach a picture with this post.
What I’d most like advice on is:
What does it take to remove a poured concrete walk? How thick are they usually poured? -Ditto with the few concrete steps to the front door.
What kind of materials are cheap, but are associated with a large cost for being labour-intensive? If i’m doing the work, I don’t mind labour intensive projects if they will yield a high return. I have a limited rennovation budget for the whole house and need to make the most of it.
How would I go about removing the bushes? I expect to be trenching in the front yard to do the lighting. Can I trench strategically to make bush removal easier?
I’m interested to hear any input. I’ve never had to take on a project of this scale, but I want to hit the ground running on posession day.
Thanks!
Replies
First of all, that's not a bungalow.
Second, to add curb appeal, that house needs a nice porch, or at least something over the entrace. Do no remove the siding...it looks fine. New siding is extremely expensive when all is said and done.
A matter of semantics - a bungalow in the States conjures up Greene and Greene, Arts and Crafts, etc. To Canucks it's a one storey house. I won't tell you the bawdy definition of a bungalow, tho'....All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
In the UK (maybe Canada too) that would be a bungalow
JohnIf my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will.
In Michigan, that would be a ranch.
A bungalow would be a story and a half: they have a bedroom up in the attic of a steep roof.
That ranch is the type of house I grew up in; built post WWII. Luckily it had a basement because we had 6 kids living in there with my parents.
blue
OK, so start with a bobcat (skid-steer loader) to rip out the walkway and the steps (if that's what you want), and to did your trenches. Ditto the bushes.
Build a nice porch with steps to a wide entry deck with planters on each side. Remember how lumber reacts to your weather, tho'. Put some kind of entry porch over it all - perhaps like a portico, or maybe bump out a bay window so that the roof of that continues over to form a verandah. Very wlcoming those are, you can sit on it in the summer and chat to the passers-by. But looks like you're right on the setback/building line.
Bring the pathway more in line with the front door, if that's the way you want visitors to enter. not dead straight, tho', slightly meandering.
Looks like vinyl siding -only hope it's not covering up nasties. Pry off a little in an unseen area, and make sure. Sorry, shouoldn't be worrying you. It's more likely stucco under, and that someone has decided to make it up-scale. Don't touch it nor replace it, it'll do you a few years.
ps download "Irfanview" to help you submit photos that are smaller for us poor dialers-up!
pps is that the one in Knob hill? Getting to be as expensive as the West Coast, eh. Good for you, make this into a great home
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
Edited 3/29/2006 1:49 am by piko
Everyone loves a porch and they are very popular. However, they are not cheap, but more importantly you have to think about the roof lines. I think a porch across the front would look funny. The problem is the hip roof and teh fact that the roof is a pretty low pitch.
I think the portical idea is better. I have seen some beautiful ones with brick stoop or decking. Maybe something in the area of an 8 by 8.
JMHO.
Oh, and if possible LOSE the ownings (spelling?).
Hey, piko
Yeah - thats the house in knob hill... were you one of the other 15 offers?
-Greg
Hey piko,
I have a question for you... I'm not familiar with the building code in Calgary. Where can I find out more about any restrictions specific to building a deck on this lot?
Thx-
-Ap
Heres a start, links etc. Calgary puts alot of stuff on the Web.
http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_104_0_0_35/http;/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City%20Business/Planning%20and%20Building/Permits/Building%20Permits/I%20Want%20to%20Build/New%20House/New%20House.htm
So where are you at? Marda Loop? Garrison?
Is the area zoned for infills?
I did 5 years in Calgary, trimming quite a few infills in those areas. 105'x50' lot is pretty decent. Sit on it for a year. Do nothing.
If you want a deck, in Calgary, anything more than 2ft off the ground you need a railing and the posts must be on concrete tubes 4' deep.
If I was gonna flip a house, I'd think patio. Save your money.
A guy I finished infills for never walked into the houses he bought, all he wanted was a lot. Bulldozed everything.
Gord
I know that there have been at least 2 posts telling you to rip off the metal awnings however I think you should hold off. The photo you put up if I'm not mistaken is of the east side of the house (from the shadows) and since there are no tall trees to shade the place, you're going to cook when the summer sun beats down on your home. The windows look to be at best, regular double pane, so they won't keep the heat out either. For the time being just paint them out. If you've got to knock them off the replace them with retractable awnings.Pull out the old bushes and replace with a mix of cedar hedges and fences. The trencher will make the digging for the hedges easier and when you put in your garden lights the hedge will look great.As to spending money on the exterior by changing the roof lines, adding porches, replacing the siding, and so on. I think it would be better spent on the grounds and backyard because as you said most of the last round of buyers were developers that will demolish it. They could care less what's on the land in fact they would probably spend the same if there was no house as it would save them the removal costs. Nice plantings they may preserve or move to the place they are finishing up.By the way, are there wood floors in the house? Under the carpet? If so refinish them and when you sell ask the contractor that buys the house if you can take them if he's dropping it. Houses of that vintage had nice grades of wood that are hard to get now,(I got a bunch of fir T&G flooring from a house built in 1945 and half the 600 square feet were 12 to 18 footers).Best of luck with the house. You won't loose.
Hey,
This house is in Knob Hill, and the house that I'm getting out of is in (believe it or not) Acadia (btw macleod tr & deerfoot, and btw heritage dr and southland dr). Prospective buyers in the new neighbourhood are mostly developers - so I'll definitely pay careful attention to landscaping that could be reused in a new development - something that hadn't yet occured to me... in fact, that's probably the most useful piece of advice I've gotten so far. However there are a lot of renovated older houses selling for a premium in this neighbourhood, and if I can pull it off, that would be a great way to go.
I have a good materials budget, and if I can do most of the work myself, I think I can make all the rooms that need work look comparable to the other renovated bungalows in the area. I think I'll make money no matter what I do there, but I'd like to have a small house to learn the ropes on a lot of different trades that I want to get my hands into. I've been researching the whole project for a few months now, and I think I'm as prepared as I could reasonably expect to be.
On the upside, the windows are new (triple pane), the hardwood has already been refinished in the living room and upstairs bedrooms, but the kitchens and baths are original (cheapie cabinets @ ugly lino). The basement is finished with panelboard, and the basement bath is accessable only through the laundry/mechanical room. I want to rework the basement into a master bedroom with ensuite + walk-in closet (where the storage room is) with an attached office (or media room - i'm a part time soundman/musician and built an "acoustically prepared" recording studio into my current house). Upstairs, the living room is newly painted and the ceiling was refinished beautifully. The rooms that need work in this house are the places that statistically yield the highest returns.
To a large extent, I see spending the money and doing the work as tuition for house-flipping/general contracting, and as a personal challenge I'd like to see if I can put something together that wouldn't get knocked down (for a while anyway...). If the bottom falls out of the market, I'd at least have somewhere very nice to live while I'm hopelessly house-poor. :-)
In the end, I'm planning to sell the house with a huge assumable mortgage, making it attractive to a young yuppie couple who want to buy into a trendy area to raise a small family.
-Ap
You've got some good advice from piko already. Once that sidewalk and steps are out, some natural stone or a brick walkway would look nice. And a front porch/entryway would add a lot to the house. It's hard to snazz up this house much without adding on to it to make it less boxy.
A trellis off to the side might extend the lines of the house some without being a huge investment, there's a little article about that in the latest FHB, too.
zak
Concrete walkways are usually formed with 2x4's, so they are 3-1/2" thick (most people say 4" thick) (guy I work with actually digs 1/2" below the form to make them the full 4" (required by code?). If you don't have a lot of concrete to remove, a sledge hammer works. Works better if you can use a pick axe or wrecking bar to pry up one square and rest it on something, then the sledge will crack it into pieces better.
For removing shrubs and such, if you don't have access to a trencher or tractor, be sure to dig around the roots (trim the brances out of your way first), cut as many as you can with an axe or mattock and rock it back and forth to expose more roots and chop those, then pull it out--either by hand or some people hook up a chain and pull it out with a truck, cutting any stubborn roots as you go. A neighbor tried to just hook up his truck to a yew in his front yard and I laughed as he spun his tires. Went over with my loppers and an axe and used the technique described above. (I used to work for a landscape nursery.) Had the thing out in a few minutes. Same works with trees--there, as the tree falls to one side, it tends to rip out the roots on the other, or pull them up to where you can cut them. The advantage is there is no stump remaining when you are done.
For material for siding, maybe Hardi-board or similar. Looks nice, but is probably more labor intensive to install than vinyl, but also seems to say "quality" more than vinyl.
In North Carolina, that's a bungalow.DCS Inc.
"Whaddya mean I hurt your feelings, I didn't know you had any feelings." Dave Mustaine
In New York that's a bungalow
In Texas that's the maid's quarters. Illegals, of course.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
In California thats 600k. ; ^ ) Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
In Colorado thats a Hacienda!
Aptitude,
Gonna flip it?
Be very careful you don't overbuild for the neighborhood.. All too easy to do on your first house..
You can do all sorts of wonderful and creative things and get little in the way of return..
Your picture doesn't show the neighborhood but from what little I can see of the house next door it looks similar..
If that's the case the house you bought will only appreciate in relationship to the value of the neighborhood. Other than maintaining the house there will be little if any return on improvements.
Save your moneyfor your next house and when you buy that one, always buy the worst possible house in the best possible neighborhood..
That's how you get a profit for your efforts.
Hey frenchy,
I went and took more pictures of the street, I'll try to post soon. The house next door is also one of the few in the area that hasn't been levelled and rebuilt into a looming palace. It's got one up on my house, though, they've landscaped their back yard and put in a hot tub.
Calgary's real estate market has been nuts lately - there were 15 offers on the table after being listed for 6 hours (the street in front of the house was a circus when offers were being presented), and most of those were developer's bids.
As it turned out, there were a few offers higher than mine, but the couple that was selling the house didn't want it knocked down (it used to be the wife's grandmother's house), so they gave me the opportunity to match the developers' bid (one point for the small fish!). If there are any big fish reading this, think back to when you had to put everything you had into one project.
Yes, I'm flipping it, but I'd have to put a 3000 sqft mansion to build even close to the standard set by the looming palaces across the street.
-Cheers
Aptitude,
In that case don't do anything!
Seriously! any money you spend will be bulldozed into the dumpster when the next owners tear that place down, and build a McMansion, (well you get my point..)
Unless you bring it up to the standards of the other McMansions you'll never get full market price for it.. But and this is a big but,.... every wannabe developer will want that property.. Atta boy!!!! you did well. the perfect house to flip.. zero dollars spent after the fact with the greatest posible return..
If I were wearing your shoes I'd stay there without further investment untill the offers you get are so great that you can't afford to ignore them.. remember though, just because the dolars offered are higher than what you paid for it, you haven't made a real profit. You are simply playing with inflated dollars..
Obviously if somebody offers to double your money six months after you bought unless the Canadian dollar has 100% inflation rate it's time for you to sell..It's not just the dollars but what the dollars buy that makes the offer attractive..
I agree Frenchy.
I always cringe when I hear of houses getting five and six offers the first day. My uncle proudly told me that he sold his Vegas house in one day and had 50 people walk through it and half them making offers.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that he left 30k on the table. He's never had much money, now I know why!
blue
frenchy,
Yup - as long as Calgary real estate stays hot, I'm in good shape, however, I think I can still make good money working the place over. Here's the abbreviated version of my business plan:
I have enough money in the bank to cover the downpayment and my holding costs for one year. I can just barely afford to hold the house after that, but I would be seriously house-poor.
I have a $30,000 (canadian dollars - think $20,000 - $25,000 USD) rennovation budget to add as much value to the property as I can in this time.
There are other similar sized houses in the area that have been completely rennovated that are selling for $150,000 to $200,000 more than I paid for this house.
I can't afford to carry the mortgage on this house any longer than necessary, but there is a precedent for quick sales (there were 16 offers on this one after 6hrs on the market) and rapid appreciation in this neighbourhood.
The bottom line is that I don't want to rely solely on market appreciation to add value to the investment. The amount of money I have available to spend on this project is minimal compared to the value of (most importantly) the land and the house.
I think it would be a challenge to lose money on this house, but I want to squeeze as much as I can out of this project. I want to be able to afford to work on something more impressive than a 900 sqft bungalow next time.
Cheers!
There are other similar sized houses in the area that have been completely rennovated that are selling for $150,000 to $200,000 more than I paid for this house.
I can't afford to carry the mortgage on this house any longer than necessary, but there is a precedent for quick sales (there were 16 offers on this one after 6hrs on the market) and rapid appreciation in this neighbourhood
Wanna know what I think? I think you are a bit crazy because the market could change in an instant and you don't have holding power. You don't want to be up againgst the wall and have to sell, when the market turns.
I also think you are smart buying a house in a market that is selling for 200k more.
Your challenge is to find out EXACTLY why those houses are 200k more. It cant just be the carpet and cabinets because that would only add a pittance on that size house. You could dig and add footing and brick the entire thing for next to nothing.
There are ways to spread out your risk and lengthen your ability to hold it longer. It's probably wise to seek some deeper pockets and if your numbers are what they say they are, you wont have any trouble eliminating all of your risk.
Personally, I wouldn't pay 200 k for that style house if it had gold fixtures. I grew up in one like that I don't like the dinky closets and small rooms.
blue
blue,
I have some deep pockets fronting the $30,000 rennovation budget (which is why I can't just use this money to hold the property for longer), and holding a percentage of the house. I have a previous relationship with this investor, and if #### hits the fan, I should be able to make arrangements by forefeiting profit. However I have good reasons for getting in so deep.
The calgary real estate market has gone nuts lately. We are the closest (economically stable) business center to the oilsands (in northern alberta), and workers are flocking to the city faster than houses can be built, or are available to be sold. In Fort Mac - the city closest to the oil sands where many of these workers are living, you can't buy a mobile home next to a garbage dump for less than $200,000. I bought a house in Calgary in a partnership with three other people two years ago for $186,000 and it is worth $300,000 (or more - I get bought out in 2mos.) - all without any work done to it. If house prices go any higher, I won't be able to get into the inner city market at all in a year, and if I get in now, I'll be able to do it 100% solo next time.
The property tax assessment (which is typically a few years behind actual value in Calgary) has been rising $50,000/year on this house for the last two years.
I agree - I'm gambling with quite possibly more than I should, but I have very little to lose (in the scheme of things). I've evaluated my risks, and the return makes it more than worthwhile in my mind.
- but this topic aside... how can I make this place look expensive for cheap! - haha
Cheers!
Apitude,
You are in an excellant position to capitilize on market appreciation. Any money you spend to improve the property will be wasted.. the value isn't in the paint job/improvements but in the land..
Think of it like this, if you buy a car and tehn decide to repaint it, even if you have a great paint job done does it increase the price somebody will pay for that car?
Even resale red simply makes the car sell faster not for more money..
As I've said before the value is in the land.. NO you won't have to simply wait for appreciation to kick in. What I would do is shortly after you move in I'd put up a for sale by owner sign and put a price on the property that would reflect the absolute best return you could hope for.. let someone try to meet that..
If inside your comfort zone of ownership you haven't recieved any sinificant offer then you list it with a realitor. otherwise I'd save the realitors fee..
There are a couple of points you are over looking here. IF you aren't bored, I'll discuss them with you.
hey,
If you've got the time, hit me with what you've got... I have about a month to figure out my plans before the fateful move.
My realtor figures the house is worth about $40-50k more than I paid for it. The family that sold it to me have also said that a lot of people figured that they could have gotten a lot more for it. The property was listed through royal lepage relocations for an excessively low list price (and I paid 90k over list to match the big developers' bids). I know that I can easily make money if I just sit on the place. Do you really think all renovations (aside from landscaping) would be a lost cause?
I want to live there for a year (if i renovate or not) - I budgeted to be able to hold it for that long, and I'm planning to go to jazz school during that year, and the location is awesome for that.
What would you do under these circumstances?
-Ap
from these posts and from looking at the market, it looks to me that you do not have to do anything to the house to make money. Sit in it for a year, otherwise you'll be spending time and money to do something that no-one else will appreciate, but indeed will tear down anyways. Give yourself some time wiht the family instead, buy that dirt bike or something, but - if the house hooked you the way it is, it'll do the same for the next buyer.All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
Apitude,
Sit and hold. spend whatever you absolutely need to to maKE THE PROPERTY LIVEABLE BUT WAIT FOR THE GOOD OFFER, darn caps lock!
What you are going to find is there are some real tax breaks in owning the house. (if Canadian law is anything like American law.. you may be able to hold out longer than you think..
During that year I'd look for a similar deal someplace else so that when you do sell it you know where your next move is to.
Always buy the worst house in the best neighborhood you can afford.. If the market reverses that doesn't mean you lose money, rather it means that the house won't go up as fast..
If you ever wind up in a terrible house and can't sell it due to a depressed market that's when you do all the remodeling and renovations to improve the property.. In a rapidly raising market it's not worth your time to try to "fix it up" You remodel only in a soft market.. in order to capture the next upswing..
There will always be an upswing.. Well, as long as more babies are being born. There is only so much land and there are more people born every day wanting someplace to live..
Yeah... I hear what you're saying for tax breaks - 1 year primary residency equals tax free profit here. I think I'll do a little work anyway, but maybe I'll spend the extra time making sure I spend absolute bottom dollar on reclaimed materials. I still want the building experience, but maybe I can focus more on spending less if the profit margin will be less than I'd hoped on that aspect of the job.
Thanks a lot guys! I've got the direction I was looking for. Glad there's such a wealth of experience at my fingertips!
-Ap
Thought you might like to read this article. Should give you the warm and fuzzies about your purchase. Especially the last line of the story.It may also shed a little light on the economic situation in Alberta for the US members.http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=canada_home&articleID=2216866
I've done what you want to do, a few times. Sometimes it's fun, but can also be nerve wracking and surprisingly easy to waste or lose money.
In terms of the overall value of the house, unlike Blue, I wouldn't just presume that it will go to a developer, who will tear it down. Somebody gave you a break - sold it to you instead of the developer. I think you should do the same thing. What goes around comes around? Get it sold to that yuppie family that's looking for a place. Better karma.
As far as what to do with it, your budget isn't the biggest one to work with, but you can probably do something good with the kitchen, the bath and the front.
The foundation on the house is high, and the blue color emphasizes it, kind of like a stripe. The right hand side seems to display that a little less. I would lose that dark stripe, try to go a little darker than the body paint for the house, to differentiate it, but not really dark.
The advantage of the sideways steps is that they take up some space on the front and they divert some of the attention from the foundation. I wouldn't turn them back to the front, and would leave them in that direction for that reason. Putting a deck on the front might or might not work legally with codes setbacks etc. If you get involved with a deck in the front, it's going to change the style of the house. I think you would have to modernize the whole front. (BTW, how old is that roof? They haven't sold those shingles around here in 30 years.) My solution would be to get some tall plants in front of the base of the steps too, or maybe some kind of a built up planter box. You might be able to add some brick or stone edges to the walkways and cap them with a stained or tinted concrete. You need to look at the numbers for this. If you have a source for used brick, you can do a brick and sand or brick and cement walk. Labor intensive but nicer to look at than concrete.
Spending some money on landscaping could make all the difference in the world.
Looking at the awnings, I think they look dated too. But there may be a sun problem and those windows are BIG expanses of plain glass, almost too big for the front. the awnings minimize the size a bit, so I wouldn't be too quick to tear them out. Again, maybe a repaint? For the windows, if possible, I would try to get false grills inside that could break the visual expanse of the glass up. At least 6, up to maybe 9 panels per in each window.
If you have any money left after the kitchen bathroom and studio, maybe reside the front of the house, even if you can't get the sides and back done. That could help too. As much as I respect the opinions you get here, your best investment now might be a few bucks paid to an architect, designer and/or landscape designer to get you a plan (with a drawing or rendering so you can see it before you do it.) I know I've lost money befoe by doing my own design.
By the way, since you are an electrician, you can probably do some nice updates on the lighting too. I don't know how well you get along with some of the quality local builders, but maybe you can trade a few days work back and forth?
Good luck.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Hey DonK,
I had been thinking about working with an architect, but never got around to finding out what that kind of service costs... Do you know what I should expect to spend?
I'm going to a local college (for the year that I'm going to be holding this property) that offers courses in architecture, and I think I might spend some time in that part of the building soliciting cheap help, but if that fails, I may consider hiring a professional if I can afford it.
Thanks -
Ap
Aptitude -
Sometimes, hiring an architect is like hiring an electrician - you can't afford not to do it. Sure, you can get the house finished without one, but the difference in your house vs. the work done by a professional can make a world of difference. I'd bet you a decent architect could come up with a bunch of ideas quickly that would help you out. There's a lot of proportion and involved, especially on the facade on your house. The hill in the front makes it a little more of a challenge.
In my prior life, I used to practice law. People came to me with sets of facts and given my knowledge, there were times I could save them thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Is that worth a $500 consultation fee? Of course. Could they do without me? Yes, but...
Go for it. Someday, you will be telling customers the same thing.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Apt,You should check out the Arch. school at UofC, they might have a 'clinic' to help out homeowners. I know Carleton U in Ottawa once did a few years ago. I recently transformed a ranch and you wouldn't recognize it now.edit: sorry Don, that was supposed to be posted to Aptitude.
Edited 4/4/2006 7:58 am ET by TGNY
Don K already said what I wanted to say, which is that you'll have better karma if you save the house. The previous owners gave you a break on the understanding you wouldn't raze the place. You took their kindness, so you have a moral obligation not to raze it.BillWhat's with the naughty word feature? The 3-word phrase "A moral obligation" gets the "A" replaced with pound signs? That isn't right at all.
Edited 4/4/2006 12:26 pm by BillBrennen
Hey,
I totally agree about the moral obligation, but I'm not bound to be unreasonably stubborn.
Being completely realistic, developers will buy and demolish the place in the next five years. The couple that sold it to me were quite aware of this, but they figured that selling their baby to a little fish might prolong its life. I will try to pass on the favor in the future, but if prices climb faster than expected in this neighbourhood, I may have no choice.
Of course, I'm going to build my heart and soul into a house that I can't afford to own substantially beyond this year. I can't see myself wanting to sell to a developer after all that, but if precedent is any indicator, people are becoming increasingly interested in million dollar duplexes in this neighbourhood, and developers may be the only interested buyers.
Putting work into an (essentially) condemned house is an interesting experiment in self-denial. however, understanding that this might happen, it never hurts to put money where it will be most appreciated. Tailoring potential landscaping to gracefully outlive the house is not necesarily a moral conflict. - It could be the most satisfying part of the job.
As it stands right now, I'm thinking that I'll talk to an archetect about landscaping and changing the exterior as affordably as possible for maximum effect. With regard to the rest of the rennovations, I think I'll move ahead carefully, trying once again to do as much as possible with minimum investment. I want to make the place more comfortable for a small family's lifestyle, without substantially changing what's already there.
Since I already seem to have piqued some interest, here's stage two - what do you think:
I've attached a rough floor plan of the basement, which I think will be the best place to start on the indoors. The plan represents the full 900 sqft. footprint of the house. The top of the diagram is north.
I want to use the back of the old rumpus room for a master bedroom, and the half closer to the stairs as an attached office/meditation? room. The storage room will be converted into a large walk-in closet/dressing room, and the bathroom will be updated to a medium sized 3pc, both of which would open straight into the bedroom. I'll have to remove original panelboard, frame the outside walls in the storage room, and drywall the whole mess. Then I can start making the bathroom more livable. Is anyone aware of places that sell affordable vanity baths? I want to replace the cheapie shower booth with a soaker/jacuzzi?... jacuzzi if I can afford it... and shuffle the sink/counter around a bit.
- i think everything is where it needs to be for a comfortable layout. I'm not sure where the furnace sits with respect to the bathroom access, but I'm crossing my fingers.
-Ap
Edited 4/4/2006 11:40 pm ET by Aptitude
oops... the white background didn't show outline of house - here's the gooder
-Ap
Why can't you just flip it right now to one of those developers?
blue
View Image
'Nemo me impune lacesset'
No one will provoke me with impunity
"... low material cost, and high return ..."
Sign me up brother. LOL!
Congratulations. Unlike me, you bought house with a fully functional roof, LOL. You get to do fun things!
Since i don't know what you paid, how expensive the area can get, or how long you plan to stay, I'll just list some ideas...you can make financial sense out of them if you want.
I should start by saying I hate vynl...can't even spell it, LOL.
So if it were me, I'd look for an alternative, and do a remake of the house, perhaps a little at a time. front first of course. I like the idea of an entrance, so i would deep six all the concrete, create a portico, and make the steps lead out rather than at a 90 degree angle as they are now.
I'd toss the awning things the day I moved in...might even make that part of the buying agreement, LOL
I'd also retrim the windows, doors and perhaps the corners too with a wider more substantial board. I think wide claps, painted a putty color, decent trim painted a warm buttery color, and a good entryportico with an eye to "craftsman style" beams and posts would transform this house. A simple front door, maybe a two panel with two upper lights, either cherry toned or painted (dark bottle green?) is a must.
A meandering walk to the drive and the street, and a picket fence painted to match the trim will work wonders. Don't make the pickets even along the top. Drop them in a gentle curve between the posts...the house needs variation.
Top it off with some cool crafstmen light fixtures (sconces), outside accent lights for the fence, walk and plantings, and you'll have a house that should be on that TV show "Curb appeal"
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
1" x 8" x 12 ft long pre primed cypress imprint Hardie Baord is like $5.50 a piece at Lowes.
Looks great and no wood pops, sap leaks, twists, cracks, rot , water wicking, bug eating etc etc
Get rid of the goose on the screen door.
Alright I'll bite - what in the owrld is a 'bungalow' if this is not one. Is there a standard deff??FHB often includes a remodel job on what they call small spaces. Its amazing what vision some folks have when it comes to wood/concrete. Wish I had it - but NO talent whatsoever. I removed steps like yours once with the bobcat idea - it was so much fun I took out all the cememnt anywhere near my house. Cost a fortune to replace but I sure did like that little machine.Mike C
Apparently the word means different things to different people, but this is what we'd call a bungalow here in Minneapolis:
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Well now that we know what a damned bungalow is lets get back to the question!
I'm wondering just how much the budget is for this project. I'm also wondering why people are advising an electrician to build a portico or porch, both relativily advanced projects; besides, in Ontario, electricians make 1/3 more than carps. Some useful advise though, people buy with their hearts, not their heads. Always keep that in mind for every task you approach. I'd focus more on the interior, but just sex up the outside with landscaping and such. By all means get rid of those awful aluminum window awnings!
Greetings and Welcome to BT, first off.
What does it take to remove a poured concrete walk? How thick are they usually poured? -Ditto with the few concrete steps to the front door.
Sweat and planning. The walk can be "busted" into manageable pieces, and dug out with simple tools like a stout sledge, a breaker bar or two, and a pickaxe & the like. Pacing is pretty important in that sort of work.
The steps will be much more work. Often (if they are not attached to the foundation), it can be easier to bolt in a bracket or some eyes, and just tug them out, away from the house. Now, we run into what may be your bigger hurdle--where to put very heavy debris (as you likely do not want to leave a dumpster/skip on site until you get finished).
What kind of materials are cheap, but are associated with a large cost for being labour-intensive? If i'm doing the work, I don't mind labour intensive projects if they will yield a high return. I have a limited rennovation budget for the whole house and need to make the most of it.
Which can be true of so many of "our" houses. First on my list that you should do is to get ahold of all the restrictions your lot has (or may have). You don't appear to have a lot of depth in the front yard--you might not be able to put a decent porch in, in that depth (only your AHJ can tell you). This does not mean you could not have some stepped terraces, decks, or the like, with pergoloas or similar for seasonal shade.
Now, what finish is going to be best for your house is going to depend on the neighborhood a bit. Sure, you could strip down all the existing siding (or in some proportions of one or more "sides"). You could then apply cultured stone to create a "base" and then run stucco above that to create a Prarie-style or Foursquare-style sort of house. But, that might make your house the only one like that for miles and miles. It's your house, so you do have some lattitude in making it look the way you want it too.
How would I go about removing the bushes? I expect to be trenching in the front yard to do the lighting. Can I trench strategically to make bush removal easier?
If they are worth saving, and your future plans allow, sometimes transplanting is better for "mature" growth like that. Otherwise, using the trencher can help you no small end. Hack out the bottom couple of feet of the branches, and run the trencher around as many sides as you can, a couple of feet deep. This makes a "dado" of sorts, rather like when using a circular saw to make a half-lap joint. With the trench cut in, you can generally "tip" the bushes out of place. Trickier part can be deciding what "fill" to put back.
Hey CapnMac,
As you suggested I've been toying with the idea of cultured stone/stucco for the outside finish, I have a good buddy who does stucco, but how much will the stone cost? FHB had an article in their 25th aniversary special on doing a stone-veneer foundation where they said they just had random stone delivered and shaped it on site. I'm going to assume that this is the cheapest option, what are the other options, and how do their prices compare?
Thanks!
From here it's not a "bungalowe" but rather post WW2 subdivision housing, simple yet functional, usually well made. A porch infront of a hip roof can be difficult without changing the whole front into a gable, which could add some upstairs living space. If not a flat roofed porch with a simple widowswalk railing? Or a small gabled portico with tapered wood columns (with masonry bases) flanked by trellised arbors over the windows? Include some morning glory plantings? What about dropping the porch to a patio with curved front stairs to the entry like a dias, add a pergola or two for shade? That would bring loungers to sidewalk level, a little more inviting. Research and look around, trying to transform a house into a complete style can be daunting and expensive. In England they call apartments "flats". A bungalowe is a modified cape cod, the front being gabled rather than the sides, or the front slope of the roof broken up by a large dormer, often with a porch consisting of massive columns that were rectilinear as opposed to the neo-classical and colonial cylindical columns or Greek and Roman origin.
A reversed gabel would do that house wonders. It would be a very cheap addon because the foundation is already there for the porch.
blue
blue,
how much would a reversed gabel set me back? - i am reluctant to look at changes that would remove anything that's already of reasonably good quality on this house - ie the roof, but I also have no frame of reference for what that kind of project would cost. - i typically work on new construction in commercial/light industrial.
thanks.
-Ap
The foundation is there? perhaps I'm not understnading, (my fault of couse, whats a "reversed gable"??)
If you mean a little gable thats 90 to the ridge, and a entry room on the cement stairs, will teh stairs pass code as a foundation?
Just confused, LOL>>>.Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
"If you mean a little gable thats 90 to the ridge, and a entry room on the cement stairs, will teh stairs pass code as a foundation?"-Lateapex911
Actually same question here - I only asked about cost first to see if I could even realistically think about it.
-Ap