My husband and I are buying our first house. It’s a two-family, so we’ll be renting out one unit, and it needs work. (The porches will need to be replaced; it currently only has one heat and hot water system for both units; it will need to be resided in the next few years; there’s some water damage from leaking tile in the second floor bathroom; it has old knob-and-tube wiring). (Lest you get the idea that the place is a total dump, it also has great old woodwork, big rooms, nice floors, a good roof, and expansion potential in the attic, and the pest report came up completely clean).
Can anyone recommend good books, etc., on home maintenance and improvement? We know we’ve got a lot to do, and the first order of business is to figure out what the first order of business is. We won’t be able to afford to spend a lot on contractors in the first year, but we’re willing to work ourselves, and I have an expectation of increased income in another year when I finish school. My husband has more experience with this stuff than I do (he used to work with his father the plumber in high school), but we’re both relative newbies. What should we do?
According to Dave Barry, you should set the place on fire and walk away without a glance back. He says that this is the best advice he can give as a veteran homeowner.
Seriously, I don’t have any suggestions, except that the “Home Depot Do-it-Yourself Book” is more useful as a plug for the Home Depot than as an actual reference.
I’ll be in the same boat as you by early next year. Good Luck!
Stick to security and safety first! Smoke detectors, fire blanket in the kitchen, suitable locks etc. Any dodgy wiring should be a priority, too. If it has gas central heating or a gas fire, get a qualified engineer to do a safety check every year.
Start with David Owen’s book The Walls Around Us. It’s a fun read that takes you through his adventures in renovating an old house in New England. Through the course of the book you’ll learn about paint, drywall, lumber, framing, plumbing, electricity, etc., but in a very entertaining manner. Sort of like Dave Barry meets Home Improvment, only David Owen’s facts are really facts.
After that, it’s probably worth your time to check out some of the home improvement library series. Bob Vila has one, Time-Life has done several, Sunset magazine has one, etc. From what little I’ve seen, the classes offered by Home Depot and Lowes are a good place to learn some basic skills.
Talk to friends and neighbors and your realtor about finding a competent handy-man (erm, handy-person). We found a nice guy who cuts the price if I help him by getting the materials (he supplies the list) and doing go-fer work while he’s on the job.
I can empathize: we have an old house in New Orleans that was neglected for a number of years. Lots to do…
Congratulations! You might want to check out Old House Journal magazine’s website. The magazine itself has a lot of tips for old-house restoration, plus they offer some books that might be helpful. Personally, I really liked Reviving Old Houses by Alan Dan Orme. The book is out of print, but if you can find a copy it’s very useful. They both will be able to help you determine what needs to be done right away and what can wait. A reputable building inspector will also be able to help you out. Ask lots of questions. There are plenty of people who are willing to give advice.
On a side note, you may want to start thinking about the rental unit. You will need to decide if you want the tenants to pay utilities or if you want to include them in the rent. (I.e. if you want one or two electric/gas/water meters, cable hookups, etc. There are pros and cons to both.) That way you can make the necessary provisions during the remodelling.
If they offer homeowner’s appliance insurance in your area I would definitely get it. It would add about $400-500 to your closing costs but was well worth it (covers one year from purchase.) It covers everything from the garbage disposal to the heat pump. Our house was only 4 years old when we bought it but the compressor in the heat pump went out 3 months after we moved in. Cost to replace $1100 bucks, my out of pocket expense was $50 for freon disposal. Good luck.
When Mrs. ricepad and I bought our first house, it took us a couple of years to get used to the idea that it was OUR house. We both tended to treat things as if they belonged to somebody else, but it manifested itself differently for each of us. For instance, my first instinct for a long time was to do the minimal repair bit…you know, replace broken stuff with the cheapest thing available, jury-rig things together with paper clips and Kleenex, etc. My wife, OTOH, was afraid to make any modifications to the house for fear that somebody might not approve.
… or GFIC, for short.
If possible, replace existing outlets near water sources with GFIC plugs.
Should you, say, drop your hairdryer into a sinkful of water, the interruptor shuts off power to the plug.
It sure gave ME a lot of peace-of-mind to know that my house came with them.
Someone here once mentioned the Fine Hombuilding Discussion Group. The people there know their stuff and are more than willing to give an opinion. FWIW, they’re going through a system upgrade and you may not be able to connect to the site, but they are there and the problems should be fixed soon.
Oh yeah, also check out http://www.codecheck.com for any code issues (that site both sells the books and lists requirements), and the electrical books by Rhicter and Schwann are probably your best reference materials for wiring.
Er, Richter and Schwann. The books are Wiring Simplified and Practical Electrical Wiring. The latter goes more in depth about things.
Oh yeah, pull any required permits for your work and follow the relevant codes. Failing to do so could cause your insurer to refuse to cover damages and could make you liable if anything happens to your tenants or their property.
I’m not an electrician or a firefighter, but I’d make a priority of getting rid of that knob and tube wiring. That’s just MHO.
Yeah, it’s pretty high on the current list. Lots of houses out here have it, though, and there don’t seem to be many fires. Most of the people I’ve talked to say it’s fine as long as you don’t surround it with insulation - otherwise it gets too hot and can start fires.
The only things above that on the current list are getting the lead paint stripped off the radiators and opening up the wall in the bathroom to make sure the leak hasn’t caused structural damage (or repairing it if it has).