Replies

1. 
   NickNukeEm | Apr 04, 2010 01:44pm | #1

   It is extremely difficult to give estimates over the net, sight-unseen.  I am neither a plumber nor electrician, but even if I were, I would defer.  Your best bet on getting somewhat accurate estimates would be to have a plumber (or 2-3) and an electrician (or 2-3) give you estimates.  I realize you are looking for rough guesses, but why trust a guess from the net from people who don't even know where the house is located?

2. 
   calvin | Apr 04, 2010 02:06pm | #2

   Karey

   Nick was polite.

   You ask about re-plumbing, why-all the plumbing is shot or outdated, clogged or broken, fixtures trashed?  Are you going to need drains, supplies and fixtures?  Then what, repair the areas opened up to do that plumbing?

   You also ask about rewiring the whole house, why-outdated and not to code?  Again, what repairs are you going to need to do to take care of the damage done opening it up to wire?

   There's no way anyone w/o looking at this house is going to be able to give you a price unless you wish an outlandish number that may or may not cover it.  You'd be best served to ask trusted people about a plumber and electrician that are both good and honest.

   Where in NC are you located?  There might be someone here that can tip you to a good source-but be wary, this is the internet.

3. 
   DanH | Apr 04, 2010 02:15pm | #3

   If the house is in need of major rewiring and replumbing then I'd advise that you walk away.  Even if cost wouldn't break you (and I'm guessing -- just as a "thumb suck" -- that you could end up spending more than $30K on the work, before you even get to replacing appliances, retiling bathrooms, etc), you have a serious problem in that you're really likely to get taken by unscrupulous (or simply incompetent) contractors, unless you have someone in the business to advise you (which you apparently don't, since you're asking here).

1. 
   KraftyK | Apr 04, 2010 02:30pm | #4

   Sheeshhh I wasn't asking for an arm and a leg. I am on time constraint because I have the option to get out of the contract and I could call a electrician to come look at the work and give me a ball park estimate and do the same thing with a plumber but like I said I am on a time constraint.  I just  wanted a ball park conservative estimate so I can figure out if this a good deal or a bad one? Unfortunally my husband could do all the work himself but he has to work elsewhere to help bring the money in. We can't afford to pay 2 payment rent and our home? unless I can get this job done in two months but that is beside the point. I can show you example picture how bad the job was done on the plumbing and electrical. I am not a plumber but I know this not they way plumbing is suppose look and as well electrical too. 

1. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Apr 04, 2010 02:55pm | #5

   I'm a homeowner who DIY's everything too, but these other guys are right - the range is impossible to put down without seeing anything.

   Here is my best guess on what you actually face:  The house is fundamentally fine, but with some bad fixes/alterations made by the previous owner.  The tape fix is just a fix, obviously it was done so the previous owner didn't have to bring in someone more qualified.  It doesn't mean all the water pipes are leaking in the walls, or that your basement is filling with raw sewage.

   The electrical  - again - is probably something fairly basic to fix.  With dead outlets, there is probably one with a bad wire nut or with a backstab connection that is loose.  Takes about 1/2 hour and a screwdriver to fix.  If you have a 250 amp panel, that's pretty good size and I'm guessing you have an extra breaker space you could move that one extra wire too, after you buy a new correctly sized breaker for whatever it powers... again, a 1/2 hour and screwdriver project.

   Call the pros it to get these big things fixed, and you and your husband can work on the other little annoyances later.

2. 
   DanH | Apr 04, 2010 03:31pm | #6

   The point is, we can't see it.  For instance, two wires on one breaker doesn't sound like it would require replacing the breaker panel (which is roughly a $1K job, BTW), so it may be that you only need a few hundred dollars worth of electrical work.  And if the plumbing is basically sound then you may only need $300-1000 worth of work there.  Rewiring/replumbing, on the other hand, means tearing out the walls and several weeks' (if you're lucky) worth of work by plumbers and electricians -- before you put the walls back together, repaint, replace the carpet that's now beyond saving, etc.  And we still don't know about the furnace, AC, appliances, etc.

   Also, you don't say what vintage this house is.  If were built any time after about 1975 (and in an area of the country where building inspectors do at least a token job) the basic wiring and plumbing in the walls is probably quite sound and not in need of replacing.  With something built before 1950, though, it gets a lot iffier.

   How's the roof?  Is the foundation sound?  Rot?  Termites?  Water problems in the basement?

1. 
   DanH | Apr 04, 2010 04:05pm | #8

   Another important point is this:  If the prior owner let things go and did such things as repairing plumbing with electrical tape, he probably did (or didn't do) a lot of other things that you can't see.  It's like an iceberg -- for every problem you can see there are several more you can't see.

   (But, to play devil's advocate here:  Who did the inspection you had done?  Sometimes inspectors for the would-be buyers intentionally "horribilize" what they find to help drive down the price.)

3. 
   calvin | Apr 04, 2010 03:38pm | #7

   sheeshh?

   Oh yeah, you made a purchase, NOW find out there's problems that even you know need to be dealt with, you've had the home inspected but cannot list all the problems other than two wires on a breaker and electrical tape on the toilet..........there's time constraints and you want us to advise you to get out of it so you don't have two payments to make.

   I always have time to help people figure something out but in this case you've got me mumbling under my breath.  I asked where in NC you are so maybe just maybe you could hire some regular here to take a REAL look at this and I get nada.

   Best of luck in whatever you do.  But know this.  If you take a couple of uneducated guesses from here or elsewhere I would advise strongly you don't use them to make a decision as huge as buying a home.

   Which brings to mind, what does your husband say that evidently knows enough that he can do it?  Are you two communicating on this very important purchase?

   Again, best of luck-you need it.

1. 
   KraftyK | Apr 04, 2010 11:03pm | #11

   Boy I sure pissed some people off here. I didn't attend to do that.

   Ok Thanks everyone for your help. I no longer need your help.

1. 
   Piffin | Apr 05, 2010 05:02pm | #13

   Well anyways....

   Thanks for the entertainment.

4. 
   MarkH | Apr 04, 2010 06:07pm | #9

   I'd figure 30,000 +- 20000. 

   I'm not joking.

5. 
   plumber_bob | Apr 04, 2010 10:29pm | #10

   I pretty much,

   I pretty much have to agree with alot of the replys here.

   If you have a major rehab job here I'd get out while you can. I don't do the quoting, but labor can eat you up on a major rehab type job.

   And like was mentioned already, it might not be near as bad as you may think. If the house is wired with copper wire, there's a good chance that the wire itself is good.

   When we test the plumbing in a house that has been lived in, we do basically the same thing as we do to test a need home. Shut the water off, make sure all the valves are off on all the fixtures. Ohhh drain the water lines as best as you can. Then pump the water lines up to about 120 psi with an air compressor. Thats about the most pressure a water main will have. If the pressure holds for several days, it should be good to go.

   The sewer and vent system can be capped off and pressurzed to 5psi to check it as well.

   And as mentioned, it is impossible to give you much advice with so little info.

   Also if the sewer is very old and there are trees or shrubs in the yard, you may have another major problem down the road.

   If you can, give us more info, and as many pics as you can.

6. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Apr 05, 2010 01:34pm | #12

   Wow... was that the worst first post ever here?

   Then she actually made it worse by blanking out her original text, which might have been helpful for other people to learn from.  She seems to have forgotten what forums are for:  Everyone learning from others experiences.

   OK, just to refill the info she deleted, here goes:

   She was looking for info on how much it would cost to completely replumb and rewire a 3000 sqft home.  Unknown location, bank forclosure. Her basis of wanting to completely redo everything was a two wire into one breaker in the box, as well as some outlets not working.  She also had a toilet sewer pipe that was fixed with "black electrical tape", although now I wonder if it wasn't that black silicone tape.

   She was on a time constraint due to how she was buying, and didn't want to call in a pro who would tell her what we might tell her for a few hundred bucks.

   Did I miss anything, or missrepresent anything?

1. 
   calvin | Apr 05, 2010 07:10pm | #14

   paul

   It wasn't the worst.

   Maybe the best.............

   The best example of what those of us in the trades hear all too often.  The difference is we sometimes at least have the benefit of standing there on site.  Homowners often want us to give the all too famous "ballpark" price.  You know, the one they want to hear.  The one that's "just a guess" but the one they remember as if it were those commandments etched in stone. 

   "we won't hold you to it................you know, we just want an idea of what it'll cost".

   In remodels where everything that's to be "quoted" is behind the floors, walls and ceilings there's no such thing as a realistic well thought out "guess".  When quoting roofing or painting, flooring or windows-sure, might be able to take a few measurements and come up with some sort of spread price right there in the front yard. 

   But sight unseen-3000 sf 2story, of unknown vintage and everything else unknownl...............well, a 250 amp panel...............

   Sure thing.  Pc of cake to figger that one.  Especially when it hinges on buying or backing out of a house purchase.  Cheap ass guess on the most important purchase of their life for most people.

   Oh well.

1. 
   DanH | Apr 05, 2010 07:21pm | #15

   True 'nuff, as far as it goes, but keep in mind that many people (though not in this situation) are considering adding on or remodeling or some such and just want to know if they have the ballpark budget for it.  If not there's no sense in wasting everyone's time getting real quotes.  And if it's likely to be cheaper than they anticipated (though I'm guessing that's rare) they may want to set their sights a bit higher.

   There's a middle ground between the two extremes of "how much does it cost to build a house" and "I can't give you a price until you show me the stamped blueprints".

1. 
   calvin | Apr 05, 2010 08:36pm | #16

   I agree completely, but

   When we take into account the now erased original post, tell me there's some parameters in that scenario?

   To qualify, last weekend I took a look at a very preliminary drawing for an addition.  Full bath and a great room sort of area.  Plenty of glass, 3 full sides to the larger room with just a hall/bath that connected to the main house.  Brick veneer lower, lap siding w/shingle gables.  1900 is the date on the original.  By looking at the sketch, taking measurements of the floor plan I put pencil to paper.  But b/4 I did this I looked at the furnace, the drains and supply locations and conditions in the existing house, and the panel.  Number for this, number for that..........................

   This because they too wanted an idea.  I asked prior what is the budget?..................shrugged shoulders was what I got.

   So the idea-35 to 75 K.

   What this did was at least prod them into letting out what MIGHT be a budget.  I know for a fact after getting prices on glass that 35 isn't going to happen.  Should never have said it, for now it is a number that they can GROW from.  This rather than a number like 75 that we need to pare from.

   But, I was there, had a rudimentary drawing of what was wanted, could look at the dwelling with this in mind.

   Way different than trying to come up with something semi realistic for a potential homebuyer, cold........on the internet.

   No?

1. 
   DanH | Apr 05, 2010 10:47pm | #19

   Yeah, I agree that this lady was way overboard.  But you've got to make some allowance for the tire-kickers and window-shoppers.  I know a heck of a lot more about construction that 90% of HOs, but if I were thinking of an addition on the house, I wouldn't know where to begin WRT estimating a price.

   What I'd personally probably look for in the home addition case, eg, would be someone who would show me some pictures and basic floor plans of jobs they'd done or at least priced -- "This job was $75K, this was $150K, this was $200K, but we had to do some foundation work."  After looking at 5-10 representative pictures I'd have a pretty good idea of the price/feature curve, and would be prepared to start nailing down the basic sq ft and features.

2. 
   calvin | Apr 05, 2010 10:54pm | #20

   Yes, if you were building around a price

   but most people build around an idea.  The price is based on that.

   I do understand your idea of looking at varying priced jobs previously done.  If they fit into your general idea parameters.

7. 
   junkhound | Apr 05, 2010 08:37pm | #17

   Hey, it did not close, so I'll pile on too:

   re: Unfortunally my husband could do all the work himself but he has to work elsewhere to help bring the money in.

   He has evenings and weekends doesn't he??  Heck, a few here built their whole house in a year with a full time day job and grade school kids at home besides. 

   Have hubby teach you some of the basics and you can help out, just get enough fixed to move in, then do the rest later..

   My estimate for 100% DIY - about $300.00, not counting stuff I'd pull of of my stash piles....

1. 
   calvin | Apr 05, 2010 09:39pm | #18

   Art,

   You've got to be careful throwing numbers around.

   When that book came out-Europe on a Dollar a Day...........

   your postscript would have been-

   Europe, how much will ya give me?