Home inspection, purchase progress, and first new tool

The house purchase is progressing nicely.  The inspection was last week, which brought up one major issue and several minor ones.  But after much thought and more price-calculating, we've decided to go for it!  We signed away the contingencies on our contract tonight, so the ball is once again out of our court.

Back to the major issue: in my first two visits to the house, I am a little embarrassed to admit I didn't take a close look at the roof.  Turns out it's in VERY rough shape - shingles are curling up in a few places, lots of sagging (see pic above), poor flashing around vents/chimneys, lots of rotten wood around the edges (see pic right).  Sorry for the mediocre phone-pictures; our point&shoot camera spazzed out right after I arrived at the inspection.  Has since decided to work again - strange.

Even though there is no obvious leaking inside, both the inspector and a knowledgeable friend who accompanied me on the inspection strongly suggested that should be replaced before next winter.  I was assuming the roof would need to be replaced within a few years, but this bumped it up to the "this year" list.  We managed to find a nearby roofer (Gero Construction) who was able to stop by the property and give us a quote on very short notice: just under $9000 to remove two layers of shingles and a layer of wood shakes (!), replace all the rotton wood, add new vents, and install lifetime-warranty shingles.  This is right about in the middle of the price range I had estimated, and still fits within our repair budget.  We'll aim to do the roof sometime this spring or summer - it'd be nice to get it done asap, but it could be done after we move in.  We'll also definitely want to get a few more quotes from other places, including a dedicated metal roof installer, and references from all of them.
(I was impressed with Mr. Gero - he was prompt in returning my call, answered several questions, and gave me lots of detail with the quote.  I found him through the Better Business Bureau website - seems like a safe, unbiased place to start searching, and I can at least avoid businesses that have accumulated complaints.)

Speaking of budgets, I've been keeping a very detailed spreadsheet with all our planned projects and associated purchases, including timing (immediately, before we move, or within the first year?), priority (essential to "it'd be nice"), cost for new/nice materials, cost for budget/salvaged materials, time required to complete the job, etc.  This provides a good idea of how much money we'll need, when we'll need it, whether certain projects need to go in order, and so on.  Here's a snippet:

In contrast to the roof, the siding seems solid and durable.  It's some sort of fiber-cement shingles, applied over old wood shakes.  According to the inspector, they should last a long time, but they're difficult to cut/drill without shattering.  Some parts of the house (front entryway, rear addition) are wood shakes that have been painted to match the fiber cement.  A little more maintenance will be required on those, but we'll probably want to paint the outside in the relatively near future anyway.  (Two-tone pink is nice, but...)


The minor issues from the inspection are mostly easy-to-fix electrical code violations.  Missing covers over a few junction boxes, a slightly undersized wire leading to the water heater, attic lighting that's supplied by a permanent home-made extension cord.  There is also a very strange plumbing union between PVC and cast iron in the main vent stack.  Ugly, but apparently not leaking, and not real big deal since there are no drains above it.  If/when we add the bathroom upstairs, we'd probably have the whole vent stack replaced with PVC anyway, so I'm not too concerned.  There is also a problem with concrete degradation on the steps leading to the front door.  Even though this door seems rarely used (the driveway leads to the back of the house), the awning over the porch is supported by these pillars, and the concrete is falling apart underneath them.  My thought is to jack up the awning, and put a layer of pressure treated 1x's over the concrete, secured with concrete screws and outdoor caulk/adhesive.  Then I could attach the columns to the 1x's.  Or totally remove the concrete, and replace with a wood porch, but that sounds like a lot of time for very little gain.  We'd rather have a nice big deck off the back of the house than a small one in the front.

Of course in a house this size there's a wide range of insulation - from none, to potentially-asbestos-containing vermiculite, to modern fiberglass.  Adding insulation would come with remodeling jobs on various parts of the house, and can be done over time.  We might also get an energy/weatherization audit (Green Homes, SnugPlanet, or Halco?), which would help us know how to prioritize insulation upgrades.  The vermiculite is above the kitchen, which is sort of accessible via attic crawlspace.  I think it's interesting primarily because I work with vermiculite as a component of potting mix in the greenhouse, and the same thing is in the kitchen ceiling.  I just learned that most of the vermiculite mined in the US between 1920 and 1970(?) came from a single mine in Montana, which is known to have relatively high levels of asbestos.  So without testing, and given the probable age of this room, there's a good chance there's some asbestos in with the vermiculite.  My thought is to cover it up (maybe with rigid foam) or just seal off that part of the attic, and never touch it.  It is also possible to have some sort of encapsulating spray foam applied over the vermiculate, but that's probably not a DIY project.  The mere presence of asbestos isn't a threat as long as there's no disturbance to get it airborne, so I'll just avoid any such disturbances.  My only concern would be replacing the light fixture in the kitchen - hopefully the current fixture is in a good electrical box so replacement won't result in any contact with the insulation.  Just good to know it's (maybe) there.


While crawling around the perimeter of the attic, we realized the original part of the house is timber framed!  The original part seems to be just the portion that's two stories.  The kitchen, dining room, and two low-ceilinged bedrooms were added later (early- to mid-1900's?).  The front porch/entryway was added in 1958 (noted on the tax record), and the back (tiny) entryway was done in 1973 (also on tax records).  The "addition" room was probably done between 20 and 30 years ago, but it's not noted as an "improvement" on the tax records.  Anyway, the timber framing and solid (BIG ROCKS!) foundation indicate good-quality construction on most of the structure.  That was encouraging.



During the inspection, I realized a potential complication with our plan to put a master bedroom upstairs. The layout of the stairs (facing a wall with little clearance) would probably not allow the passage of a queen size mattress, and a box spring is out of the question.  Even our headboard might be impossible to move upstairs.  Still mulling this one over, but my favorite solution so far is to put a very large (72" x 30"?) window in the master bedroom.  We'd want to replace the windows anyway, and more ventilation is a plus.  This window would open over the front porch/entryway, so if we could get a mattress/headboard/etc. up on the roof, we could get it into the bedroom.  Maybe not a very elegant solution, but should be serviceable in the very rare occasions that it's necessary.

Finally, given out decision to go with the purchase, I've started buying a few tools/materials as I see really good deals.  The first house-related purchase (of many, undoubtedly) is a Franklin Prosensor 710 Stud Detector!  Might not sound too exciting, but this one is really nice, and I found a good deal on a refurbished one through Amazon.   I have one of the basic electronic stud finders, which is better than a magnet, but not by much.  This one is a BIG leap forward in utility and convenience.  Read the description here if you're interested.  Since then, I've taken advantage of a couple of online Home Depot coupons, along with their offer of free shipping on orders over $45.  Trying not to accumulate anything too bulky yet, but since we'll be able to move stuff gradually and get seldom-used stuff out of our apartment whenever we want, storage shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Enough for now, goodnight!

Introduction

Hi. My name is Andy. This is my first blog.
My intent for this site is to document the remodeling of (what hopefully may become) the Newhouse's new house.  This is actually a fairly old house, built in 1882.  While it has had several significant updates already (plumbing, wiring, bathroom) it remains a 6-bed 1-bath house with an odd layout.  I think this is typical of houses from that era that have been expanded over the years in various directions by various owners.  We hope to make it into a more modern 3-bed 2-bath with first floor laundry, which will hopefully be a great place for our twins to grow up (and easier to sell whenever we need to move).  I also hope to convert part of the barn into an insulated woodworking shop.  I plan to do much of this work myself (or with volunteer help from friends), but unfortunately I simply won't have time to do all of it.  So part of the process will be getting quotes from "real" remodelers, and deciding what to do and what to hire out.

Back to the purpose of this blog: Even though we don't have an accepted offer from the seller yet, I've done a lot of planning and research to see what types of improvements are reasonable and affordable.  I hope that by writing about the planning and remodeling process here, I can provide a resource for others who might be considering something similar, and maybe save someone a little time googling!  I would also like to share the process with my family and any friends who might be interested.  I intend to post detailed before & after pictures as we make progress, and share links to ideas/ tools/ resources/ materials/ discounts/ etc.

Here's the very first before picture: the approximate current layout.

Following is an overview of the more significant improvements we have planned, in rough order of time/priority.  The first few projects have more detail here, more distant projects will be described later.

1. Clean out the barn (so it can be a storage/staging area for other projects), maybe build a wood floor (over the existing dirt) in the workshop area.  I expect the hardest part will be leveling the floor.  Then I'd lay down a thick plastic vapor barrier, set treated 2x4's on edge directly on the plastic, and screw plywood/OSB to the 2x4's.  I'd space the 2x4's quite closely (12" on center?), and probably use two layers of ply for the floor, in order to support heavy power tools.  (My bandsaw is in the neighborhood of 350 lbs, jointer and workbench are each well over 200 lbs.  I do NOT want a saggy/bouncy floor, but wood is a more comfortable to stand on than concrete, and much more forgiving to dropped hand tools or workpieces.)

2. Remove all shag carpeting (bathroom, stairs, and 4 bedrooms).  I've done this before, so I have all the tools and protective gear necessary.  But I do want to get a utility trailer to haul all the old stuff away.

3. Remodel existing bathroom.  There's an odd wall right in front of the tub (not shown on map), which would make it difficult to bathe babies or a dog.  This wall is there to allow the proper placement of the bathroom door, isolating it from Bedroom 2.  We don't need it isolated (keep reading), so we'll remove this wall, and add a door slightly farther up the hallway - this will require you to enter the bathroom in order to enter Bedroom 2, but that's OK.  The door we'll add needs to fit into an arched passageway, so I'll probably custom build the door, probably from oak to match the floor.  Definitely fun, but time-consuming. Then we'll put new flooring in the bathroom - maybe resilient, maybe tile, maybe heated.  Most of this remodeling might be hired out, except for making the door - I suspect that would be a very expensive custom job, and I would enjoy it.

4. Covert Bedroom 2 (smallest bedroom in the house) into a laundry room.  Current laundry hookups are in the basement, almost directly below the bathroom, so moving the water and electricity into Bedroom 2 shouldn't be TOO difficult.  The wallpaper in this bedroom is probably the least offensive in the house, so we might leave it for now.  Floor is wood, but not oak like the DR/LR/hall - we'll probably leave it as is for now.

5. Update Bedroom 3. This will probably be the twins' room, at least initially. The turquoise shag carpet will have already been removed, and we also want to remove the (very tacky) turquoise & pink wallpaper.  Then we'll paint the walls some more tasteful color (shouldn't be difficult).

6. Update kitchen. Add a dishwasher! (None currently there).  Either replace the electric range with a gas model, or add a gas cooktop. This will require a propane tank outside, but we're sick of cooking on electric coils. Add a vented range hood over the gas cook surface, wherever that ends up.  Fridge is old, but apparently functional - we'll probably leave it for now, but hope to replace it soon with a more efficient model.  Finally, remove the partial wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room, and replace it with a countertop/cabinet peninsula.  This will give this area a more open feel, and increase counter space and cabinet space.

7. Refinish hardwood floors in LR, DR, and hallway.  Existing floors are good-quality oak, but stained and somewhat worn.  This is not terribly difficult, but it is time-consuming - we might hire it out.

8. "Surface" updates in all main floor rooms: install light fixtures, blinds/curtains if necessary, rugs where appropriate, adding shelves here & there, configuring closet space, etc.  We'd furnish the Addition with a sleeper sofa (or at least good air mattresses) for use as a guest bedroom.  Both the upstairs and the basement could also be used as guest quarters, depending on where in the remodeling process we are.

All of the above will need to be done before we move in.  This will let us use the entire main floor as a living space, and leave the upstairs basically empty, for Phase 2: creation of a "master suite" using the entire second floor.  Ceilings are sloped, which makes planning a little tricky, but also presents some neat opportunities for skylights and... hide & seek spots?  I'm sure we'll figure out some other benefit to sloped ceilings.

9. We'd start by turning Bedroom 4 into a full bathroom.  This is located immediately above the current bathroom, so as with moving laundry, the plumbing shouldn't be too complicated.
10. Then we'd combine bedrooms 5 & 6, and turn the existing hallway into closet space.  Something like this:

Finally, there are a few more things we'll want to do eventually, but not necessarily right away.
11. Minor basement updates.  Installing a battery-backup sump pump would be a good thing - it doesn't look like the basement floods, and we'd like to keep it that way.  Then we'd probably just add some built-in shelves for storage - the basement is small enough, and ceiling is low enough, that it's not really prime living space.

12. Windows are a big one - the current windows are very old, single pane, with external removable storm windows.  I first visited this house on a day that was 14F and windy, and the windows were surprisingly non-drafty.  But new double-pane low-e windows would surely make the heating more efficient.  This could be done one or a few at a time, preferably on nice days in the summer, so living without a window for a few hours wouldn't be a big deal.   First priority would be the half dozen windows in general-use rooms on the main floor that open directly outside, rather than onto enclosed porch areas.  We might try to get those replaced before the next heating season; the rest could wait a while.

13. Insulate the workshop room in the barn, hopefully before winter.  I would probably just to keep it around 50F or so through the winter; enough that I could turn up the heat to work when I needed to, or that it would be tolerable with a coat on for short projects.  Insulation and a little heat would also protect valuable tools and wood, by reducing variation in temperature and humidity.  I would also want to put in good lighting and lots of electrical outlets.

14. Plant shrub willow along the west edge of the driveway.  This can grow extremely quickly, and should provide a wind break and snow fence.  There is a lot of research being done on hybrid shrub willow at my workplace, and it's a fascinating topic.  I think it would also be fun to plant shrub willow in the shape of a maze in part of the yard, so it will grow pretty densely by the time the boys are running around outside, but we'll see!  Other yard projects include buying a riding mower, buying/building a picnic table, making a bonfire pit, and pruning a big maple tree to optimize climbing potential.

15. In the even longer-term future, it'd be nice to put a deck off the back of the house, with a sliding door into the Addition room.  The roof is not new, but my initial cursory observations suggest that it's not leaking at all, or disintegrating too badly.  Depending on the report from the home inspection and observations over time, a new roof will be on the "eventually" list.  I'd like to do metal, possibly on purlins installed right over the existing shingles.  Status of insulation in the walls and roof is another big question for the home inspector.

Whew!  That's a lot to think about, but it's been fun to plan and organize, and we're excited about the possibility of customizing a house to match our preferences, while keeping some of the unique "character" of the 130-year-old building.