Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The House Renovation Is Done, And I Have "Before" And "After" Photos! Woot woot!

IT'S DOOOOOOOONE!!


Yep, that took nearly three months, but our big house renovation is finally finished, and John and I are ready for bigger and better things - you know, like planning our Harry Potter party. :D

First, though, let's get to the best part of any house project: the before and after pictures! John put them all together for you in a fun video:



Fun Fact: I originally did the video intro and a whole walk-through, but then our computer ate it. Grr. Rather than go put on makeup and do the whole thing again, I told John it was his turn in front of the camera. ::evil grin::  I will say he does less dancing than I did in mine, but otherwise, A++, Sweetie.

Now let's go over the Less Fun, But Still Interesting part:

The MONEY.

Originally we estimated it would cost $11,000 to do everything we needed to in this house. Then we decided to really challenge ourselves, and revised that estimate all the way down to 5K. In the end, the whole thing cost us around $7,000. So overall, we're still pretty pleased.

Most of our upgrades were cosmetic (doors, trim, closets, paint, lighting, fans, etc.), but there were also safety improvements as we replaced and corrected tons of faulty electrical wiring. (Just... so much.) Both bathrooms got new, safer plumbing & fixtures, and we added a dishwasher for the first time to the kitchen. Then the biggest improvement (in my opinion): We added roughly 30 square feet to the tiny master bedroom - also enlarging the master closet - by moving an entire interior wall over. Oh, and we eliminated a small closet & back-set the fridge in the kitchen, so it doesn't stick out in the walkway anymore.

Let me break down the major parts of that 7 grand, so you can see where (most of) it went. I'll also tell you how we saved the most money along the way. Most of our materials came from Home Depot and Lowe's, but I'll note our other sources as I go:

$1,000 - replacing the defective main breaker box. This was a major fire hazard, and we couldn't even get our insurance until it was done. One of the few jobs that we hired a professional for.

$850 - granite countertops for the kitchen, including install. This is a steal of a deal, which we got by shopping locally on Craig's List & agreeing to use a shop's remnant pieces.

$850 - all new interior doors and closet bi-fold doors (material only)

$400 - Dumpster rental (Found via Craig's List)

$350 - 4 ceiling fans (including light kits), 4 ceiling lights, & necessary electrical. (Fans were $50 each on Ebay - search for "52 inch Black Hugger Ceiling Fan", and you'll find a bunch of them. The blades are reversible, so they look more like bronze with wood blades when you flip them over:




$150 - A/C repair & maintenance (hired out)

$250 - new wood laminate flooring in master bedroom (material only)


John got this laminate from Home Depot, and raved about it being the easiest laminate he's ever installed - which is saying something, considering we've installed thousands of square feet of laminate over the years. Even better, it looks nice! I love all that crisp white trim with it.

$475 - Bathtub & tile refinishing (hired out). This was to turn the 70s yellow tile & tub a fresh clean white. Definitely worth the money to hire a pro for this, gang. John and I refinished a tub & tile ourselves years ago (they sell epoxy DIY kits), but it didn't last. This one looks way better (they apply it with a sprayer, so it's glossy smooth) and already seems more durable.

$250 - Exterior & interior door & cabinet hardware, including knobs, hinges, bumpers, etc.

$850 - New wall materials: drywall, studs, mud, texture gun, plus crown molding for the entire house. (We saved a TON of money on trim, molding, and a few odd-sized doors by going to U-Save, a local reclaimed building supply outlet.)

$150 - Closet bars and shelving:



$450 - Kitchen & bath faucets, plumbing, new toilet, & new vanity for master bath. (Faucets were from Amazon; those are always much cheaper online. Our big bronze kitchen faucet was only $80!)

$300 - cordless window shades. We used these ones from Amazon.

$200 - interior paint & caulking (We again saved a ton of money by scooping up two 5-gallon buckets of discontinued wall paint from Lowe's. It was old, so we had to strain out some lumps, but we got a $35/gallon paint for more like $5/gallon. SCORE.)

$300 - Carpet re-stretching & cleaning (hired out)

And few of my favorite smaller bargains:

$30 - Dining room light & spray paint: We picked up the chandelier at a Re-Store thrift outlet, then spray-painted it bronze.



$80 - Dishwasher: We found a barely used dishwasher from a Disney timeshare which replaces all its appliances every 2 years. It's pristine, and this model is still selling at Home Depot for $400! Again, found via Craig's List.



$50 - solid marble countertop for guest bath: This vanity is an odd, non-standard size, so we were facing spending a few hundred on a custom granite top to fit it. (The original yellow counter had to go.) As luck would have it, John spotted a vintage white marble top at U-Save that was the exact right size. He lugged it home (it weighs a ton), polished it up, and voila! A fresh marble vanity!

So purdy.

All of those amounts add up to almost exactly $7k, but keep in mind I rounded up on most of them to account for all the little expenses: things like new plugs & switches, rental fees for the Load & Go truck, miscellaneous hardware, etc.

And that's it! I hope this was helpful to those of you contemplating your own home projects. As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments, and John or I will do our best to answer.

If you missed any of our video tutorials from the renovation, go check out our YouTube channel! I've got instructions there for replacing a ceiling fan, a toilet, a faucet, electrical plugs and switches, and also tips on how to paint trim next to carpet. You can also watch us discover the house's original carpeting and tile from the 1970's, which was HYSTERICAL.

35 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful! You may have answered this somewhere already, but were you renovating to increase value, and plan to resell this, or was it a project you intend to keep in some way?

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  2. Looks great! I wonder if you have any idea of how much this might have cost if you hadn't done most of it yourself? How much did you save by not hiring professionals for the big things, like moving the wall, hanging doors, replacing countertops and toilet etc?

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    1. Great question. I would estimate the amount and scope of work would have cost an addition $20,000 in labor. And that's just labor. The materials really should have been closer to $11,000 total but we kept finding amazing deals. $.89 a square foot for flooring, $5 a gallon for paint, $850 for a $3,000 granite counter top. But just to give you an idea, an electrician charges $150 to put up a fan. It took Jen 30 minutes and 3 wire nuts. It really is a good idea to do stuff yourself if you can.

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  3. Jen, John... Husbot and I now face a dilemma. If we win the lottery we don't know if we'd want you two or Chip and Joanna Gaines to help us with our house. Then again, if we win the lottery, we'll fly you all up to RI (and our currently crisp morning air).

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  4. This looks amazing!!! I'm glad you made videos for it. They're a big help!

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  5. Oooh, did you guys do a dishwasher install video yet? That's the number 1 improvement I want to do to my house.

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    1. Ah, dishwashers. So the short answer is no. There are three things to hook up on a dishwasher: the drain hose, the water line, and the power line. All of those things are simple enough if you're replacing an existing dishwasher. However, I had to cut out a cabinet, run new water lines, run new power lines, and then connect it to a granite countertop. It was WAY too complicated to put in a video. That said, you can TOTALLY DO IT with a little basic knowledge of plumbing and electrical.

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  6. It looks great! Are you going to sell or rent it out? Do you use a realtor or save money by selling yourself? If you sell yourself, I'd love to hear about that part of the process, too! Also, I'd love to hear how much the home's value improved, like with a 7K investment you improved the value XX%?

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    1. That's a great question. The house had an appraisal at $192,000 as it was. We ended up working with the homeowner and got it down to $161,000 total with closing costs. We spent $7,000 bringing our total cost up to $168,000. Even if the original appraisal of $192,000 stays, we're ahead of the game. Of course, the original plan is for Jen's parents to live there in the long run but for now, we're going to rent it.

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    2. Aaawww, I love that it's meant for Jen's parents <3. And everyone should watch the Drive to Ride videos from them. They're awesome and adorable :D.

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  7. Okay, but how much did you make by selling stuff like old light fixtures and that leopard print window scarf? And the old carpet you found? I mean, that's thousands of dollars in profit, right? ;)

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  8. awesome job! are you selling it now? Is it the Fans of EPBOT house now? hehe

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    1. I was going to suggest that they put the EPBOT logo on the For Rent sign. That ought to get it rented quickly...although, perhaps they don't want their renter knowing who owns the house?

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  9. That fan is perfect for what I've been looking for. The old hunter fan/lights in my house (I say old, they are only 9 yrs old but already dead due to the regulation changes and such with limiters, the lights all died eons ago) drive me nuts and need to be replaced, I had no idea about hugger type fans, that is exactly what I need in my 8 ft ceiling home.

    And daaaaaang your reconstruction chops never cease to amaze me. I am having hell just getting my kitchen and basement put back to rights after they had to tear it all up (and broke my huge countertop *sob*) to get at the drain pipe leak (damn cast iron).

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  10. You guys need your own HGTV program.

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  11. It's so much lighter and brighter now. Those walls were so DARK originally.

    Did you take any video of the dishwasher install because I would love to see that, especially this week when we're looking to replace ours.

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  12. Only $7k? You guys are AMAZING.

    And the quality of work you clearly put in is wonderful. Whoever gets that house will be lucky, for sure.

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  13. I just went and looked at that original carpet and *spoilers spoilers* it looked exactly like John rolled out a sheet of moss. Horrifying, completely horrifying!

    In other words, hilarious, as advertised. 10/10!

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  14. What I liked best about your renovation is that you did it for a reasonable amount and didn't replace everything. So much more practical than what you see on TV!

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    1. Thanks! That was the idea from the beginning. So often you hear someone say "This house has good bones" and then they tear out all the good bones. That's a shame. This house had 60 year old solid wood cabinets, why get rid of those? It had good tile and good baseboards and good shutters, and good carpet, etc. If you work around those, you keep the character and save money at the same time.

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    2. I just keep hearing Louis Tully's voice saying "That makes good financial sense, good advice..."

      Your Pal,

      Storm the Klingon

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  15. This was a fun project to follow. I hope you find great buyers who love all of the improvements!

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  16. I love this “facelift” project. This is the kind of project for most people instead of the “let’s redo the entire home and give the laundry room a marble countertop”. Well done!

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  17. That’s so impressive!! We are 5 yrs in to renovations but luckily the end is in sight!

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  18. Impressive! I'm always most impressed by people like you guys who can make things look great on a great budget. Anyone can throw money (if they have it) at something, but you guys make. it. work.

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  19. Beautiful work, guys! I second the TrafficMaster flooring vote -- I've done two rooms with it and it was super easy!

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  20. I love the video of the before and afters! Thanks for sharing those pics all in one place.

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  21. Wonderful job guys! It turned out fabulous, a great update. I hope you do more!

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  22. I mean, I have a house in Orlando. Ot needs much lesswork, but 2 awesome geeks and 2 adorable fur babies live here. If you're bored...

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  23. I loved all the videos from this project and the finished product is lovely! I do wonder why the trend seems to be double hanging bars in every master closet. Personally 95% of my wardrobe is dresses; I need that full length! But I'm obviously I'm the minority as I keep seeing it everywhere.

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    1. Ah, don't worry, that's only one side of the closet! The other side has a single dress-length bar. It's the same set up I have in my own closet, since only about a third of my clothing is dresses or long coats, and I hang up everything: t-shirts, short, etc.

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  24. I love the fresh neutral color scheme you chose (my fave in houses). It looks clean and classic, but it could be dressed with furniture/accessories to really any taste. I have a similar color scheme, and all of my VERY mismatched furniture looks equally good in it! (I guess my taste is I'm-cheap-eclectic?) Always impressed with your mad skilz!

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  25. Loved the renovation video and the wonderful changes you made. You have some pretty great renovation skills (and you are a lot faster than my hubby and I are at it).

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