If you renovated a house please come in...

It is an older house. We would want to do an extension at some point but I am thinking for right now we would just open up some walls, gut basement (and figure out how to water proof since the basement gets water) and do other cosmetic stuff.

My question is where should I start? Should we consult an architect ? A contractor?

I want to get an idea of what can be done with the existing house but at the same time I want to think ahead and make the renovations flow for when/ if we expand.

If you have done renovations and can share what you did I would appreciate it. No one in my family is handy, at all so we really don't even know where to start.

Also if you can recommend an architect and contractor (though I have a contractor who I know and think I will be using)..thanks

Message edited 12/25/2012 9:58:58 PM.

Re: If you renovated a house please come in...

If you know a contractor, they are usually knowledgable enough to know what needs to be done just to give you ideas and a ballpark of the cost, but ultimately you will need an architect to draw plans up for you. Then you take those plans to a few contractors to get bids.

Good luck!

If you renovated a house please come in...

I would approach the contractor you are thinking of using and see what they prefer - that you speak with them first or the architect. It's also good to get recommendations on architects from them - someone they work well together with.

We have a cape and we turned it into a colonial in 2011. We spoke to our friend who is a general contractor in the summer, met with architects as per his suggestion in August, started meeting with contractors in September, decided to switch architects, started the process with the town, got prices from the buioder in December, and then found another builder who was willing to do more for our money.

Since you are just looking to do interior work, I'm not sure if you will need a town permit which was the most tedious part of the process. We didn't get approved until February - 6 months after we started thinking about it, 4 mos after we filed with them.

Also - if there is anyone in your neighborhood that did what you want to do with a similar house, if you can use their architect and borrow the existing plans it will be less expensive.

If you renovated a house please come in...

I started with the contractor. If it's someone you know that all the better. Thank goodness for me it was a family member which helped a great deal. I have a small ranch and completely gutted and move around some walls to create more space. It's a lot of work, there are things that came up which I wasn't anticipating. (I know better now). For instance, once the walls were removed we found some old termite damage on some beams etc. Overall it wasn't so bad. Good luck!

Also, keep in mine to add extra time onto what they tell you. Smalls things crop up. Budget, budget, budget, whatever they tell you, have some extra. I changed all my windows from tiny ones to more bigger ones. Long story short, I had to change the siding of the house.

Re: If you renovated a house please come in...

DH is a contractor so he is super knowledgeable.

However, we have some big time up grades planned (i.e. kitchen, windows, siding) and although he will be doing most of the work himself, we are planning to go to either a designer or a contractor where this is their everyday expertise to get the plans done.

I agree that you need to have $$$ set aside for surprises that are not the contractor's fault.

Also definitely anticipate extra time, especially if you are working with multiple contractors.

DH has gotten ripped a new one many times because he can't do work because some Charlie Contractor hasn't done his part.

Sometimes materials take time to come in, or you have to go to multiple supply companies to get what you are looking for.

And weather often plays a part as well.

DH got yelled at by some random person in one of the boros who wants a small patio put in, right after the hurricane, when it was difficult to even get to them, and we live in Western Suffolk, and were affected by the hurricane ourselves.

One other thing, also find out who will be doing a bulk of the work. DH has run into situations where homeowners expect him to sit in the house all day, everyday on a job that could take a month (when he has multiples going on) because they want him supervising all of his guys.

I think these are all issues to be aware of up front because doing any kind of renovations is super stressful.

They are even more stressful when you are not the one in the control seat ;).

If you renovated a house please come in...

We knocked out walls in our dining room/formal living room, expanded our kitchen (broke the wall into the garage, making the garage 30" shorter), and redid our upstairs bathroom, taking out the wall of the closet next door which expanded our bathroom.

We used one contractor for all the work. Because we have hardwood floors throughout the house we had to have a flooring company come in to replace the pieces where the walls are. They also refinished all of the floors.

I personally don't feel that an architect is necessary if you are doing renovations inside. If you are expanding the exterior of your home (dormer) then I am pretty sure you need an architect for permit purposes (my ILs did when they expanded their house). Plans need to be drawn up for that. The only plans we had "drawn" was for our kitchen, which our contractor did himself for when we placed the order for our cabinetry.

Re: If you renovated a house please come in...

If you want to take down walls, I would consult an architect to make sure they are not structural. Sometimes they don't look structural but actually are. While he is consulting, ask him about an expansion and what you were considering in the future - there may be reasons you can't do it or the architect might have better suggestions, and may be able to give you a ballpark figure for doing that work.

Also, I would check to make sure your electrical is up to date, and probably expand to 200 amp with breakers (some old houses have fuses) if you don't have that already (in case you decide to expand, add central air, an extra freezer, etc). You also want to check insulation, windows, and doors to make sure they are energy efficient, as well as your boiler, burner and heating system. I know you want cosmetic changes, but if the bones are no good it's a waste to spend money on cosmetics.

We expanded and renovated almost our whole house. For me, I liked finding my own tiles, flooring, vanities, etc. More selection at a better price. Some contractors insist you use what they have available so if that is an issue for you, make sure you ask.

Re: If you renovated a house please come in...

Thank you ladies ! It is a lot to think about I appreciate your advice!