Anyone do home remodeling/construction? got a few ?'s

[NDsuperduty]

I am currently in the market to buy a home, but my wife and I can not decide whether to buy a home that is basically fine the way it sits or get one that is well below our budget and pay to have alot of it done exactly how we want it.

the problem that we are running into is that we are both young and do not really know how much it would cost for some of renovations were thinking about.

If you know the numbers for the items below please let me know.

-Wood floor per sq ft installed
-slate tile per sq ft installed
-granite counter tops per sq ft installed
-labor to change an electric stove to gas(not including the price of stove top)

I have tried to look online for some of these, but the problem is that alot of these sites are located in california or northeast where labor and material cost double what it is in Texas.

 

[Scarlet_Nape]

Ryan,

I can't give you any prices, but found some folks locally you could call for pricing:

Wood Floors: Houston Flooring, Floors, Tile, Carpet - Flooring World
Tiling: Ceramic Tile Contractors Of Houston-Ceramic Tile Installation
Granite: STONE PAVILION - Granite Houston,Houston Granite,Countertop Houston,TILE, SLATE, TRAVERTINE, MARBLE, NATURAL STONE, CABINETS - Houston Granite, Houston Countertops


These are just sites I found on the internet. Hope they help.

On the stove install, obviously, you'd have to make sure the house is already setup for gas. Then, I would just call a retailer that sell stoves and ask them. Depending on the houses setup, they may require you to have the local gas company come out and make the change.

 

[colotow]

i've done alot of thinking (ok, way too much) on this, and i'm also in the middle of major renovations to mine.

1- do you have the time to get it all done?
2- DO NOT underestimate the strain on a marriage, due to stress, mess, time, the hidden costs, the "gee, changed my mind", the disagreements about style/color, etc
if you're going to be there a long time, maybe get what you want already done.
if money is tight, a fixer-upper can leave $$ in the bank, you can control cost, plan ahead, and create value later

on mine, i'm doing 95% of it myself (i did get a proffesional plumber). been a learning experience to say the least. so far, i think i'm doing good, and i'll make more than i've spent (i figure i'm working for free) when i sell.

check out home depot and loews, they have in house contractors, classes, and lots of do-it-yourself guides

besides, you got a truck, right??

 

[NDsuperduty]

i've done alot of thinking (ok, way too much) on this, and i'm also in the middle of major renovations to mine.

1- do you have the time to get it all done?
2- DO NOT underestimate the strain on a marriage, due to stress, mess, time, the hidden costs, the "gee, changed my mind", the disagreements about style/color, etc
if you're going to be there a long time, maybe get what you want already done.
if money is tight, a fixer-upper can leave $$ in the bank, you can control cost, plan ahead, and create value later

on mine, i'm doing 95% of it myself (i did get a proffesional plumber). been a learning experience to say the least. so far, i think i'm doing good, and i'll make more than i've spent (i figure i'm working for free) when i sell.

check out home depot and loews, they have in house contractors, classes, and lots of do-it-yourself guides

besides, you got a truck, right??

I do plan on doing some of the work myself, but things like floors and granite countertops i do not have the time to do. Those are things that would need to be quickly. Being that I own my own business that consumes most of my time.

Plus, my mother does interior design so I can get majority of the materials at cost, and also will not get screwed on the labor by her contractors. Normally I would just ask her the above questions, but she is out of the country for like 3 weeks.

 

[Maxtor]

Another thing to think about is the age of the home. How old is the electrical, plumbing, etc. If you have the money, it is better to buy new.

 

[NDsuperduty]

Another thing to think about is the age of the home. How old is the electrical, plumbing, etc. If you have the money, it is better to buy new.

I am not saying your wrong(I'm not old enough to have any experience from this) but after talking to alot of people this is were opinions have varied alot. Even though you will have less worries about structure, plumbing, electrical etc. with new homes, you will also get a lot less home for the money. I have found some really nice new homes for 180-200. But then I can get a very similar home with twice the yard that is maybe from 84-95 that is still $50k cheaper. I know most of those homes will need to have upgrades if its not already done, but you get alot more to work with.

 

[Zookie400]

i could tell you what we charge, but like you said, CT is VERY expensive.

 

[NDsuperduty]

i could tell you what we charge, but like you said, CT is VERY expensive.

Not down with the lingo, what does CT mean? haha

 

[jvencius]

Not down with the lingo, what does CT mean?

Connecticut

 

[NDsuperduty]

Connecticut

ok, that makes perfect sense.