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House Renovations = Building Boom ?


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2023 Mar 8, 7:45am   494 views  12 comments

by GreaterNYCDude   ➕follow (2)   💰tip   ignore  

From the Boston Globe (sorry, paywall). Paragraph below got me thinking:


The couple, both in their 30s, bought a three-bedroom colonial in Newton for $1.1 million — their first home — in 2019. During the pandemic, one of those bedrooms became a permanent office, and now [they are] pregnant with their second child, so they need more space. But nothing they see on the market right now makes sense for them: homes are either too expensive or too small, and, given the runup in interest rates over the last 16 months, any new mortgage would cost them significantly more per month than they pay now. So instead of moving, the couple has resolved to stay put and add a fourth bedroom. It’ll be a costly renovation but far cheaper in the long run than moving

(Source: BostonGlobe.com)

Ignoring the fact that a first-time homebuyer shouldn't need to spend > $1 million on a house, it raises a good point. If renovating makes more financial sense than moving to anyone with a low fixed rate mortgage, will we see an increase in construction activity on the go forward?

Comments 1 - 12 of 12        Search these comments

1   zzyzzx   2023 Mar 8, 8:46am  

When they find out how much that room is going to cost, they might change their mind. Right now is not a good time to need a home improvement, unless you know someone or can DIY. At least in my part of the Northeast. Yes this is based on recent personal experience.

Also, I personally would never buy a house that has had an addition. It's never done right.
2   HeadSet   2023 Mar 8, 8:49am  

zzyzzx says

When they find out how much that room is going to cost, they might change their mind.

I agree. It costs over $1,200 just to get a driveway power washed and sealed.
3   HeadSet   2023 Mar 8, 8:50am  

zzyzzx says

Also, I personally would never buy a house that has had an addition. It's never done right.

Correct, not even a "converted garage" is worth it.
4   zzyzzx   2023 Mar 8, 8:59am  

HeadSet says


I agree. It costs over $1,200 just to get a driveway power washed and sealed.


Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait. They also want 1/3 up front, despite the lack of custom stuff in the job (WTF is up with that?). The deck is maybe 2-3' off the ground. It's not just me, was listening to a YouTube realtor (Sachs) which has a Tuesday night broadcast and they were mentioning someone else in my area who got an > 100K quote on a maybe 12' x 12' screened in porch.
5   HeadSet   2023 Mar 8, 9:19am  

zzyzzx says

Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait.

Yes, and no matter who you contract with, the workers that actually come out do not speak English. And their expertise will not be in quality, but the ability to slap it up fast.
6   clambo   2023 Mar 8, 9:44am  

So they're going to fuck up their house because they don't think two kids can share a bedroom?

How about they make a dining room their "office"
7   GreaterNYCDude   2023 Mar 8, 9:48am  

Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.

Plus it gives the tax office an excuse to reassess your home based on the improvement leading to higher taxes on the go forward.

Twenty years ago my good buddy commented "we no longer live in the land of the free, we live in the land of the regulated." It hasn't gotten any better.
8   zzyzzx   2023 Mar 8, 10:37am  

GreaterNYCDude says


Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.


Already checked the county website for permits, and for the entire zip code only 42 showed up, and that was going back decades. Either their system doesn't work or nobody gets permits. Ever. Actually doing any plumbing and electrical is easy enough. I'd never pay someone to do that.
9   RWSGFY   2023 Mar 8, 10:43am  

zzyzzx says

GreaterNYCDude says



Doing work yourself in the Northeast is a pain in the ass unless you know someone. Permits , inspections, etc. and often you need a licensed contractor for plumbing, electrical etc.


Already checked the county website for permits, and for the entire zip code only 42 showed up, and that was going back decades. Either their system doesn't work or nobody gets permits. Ever. Actually doing any plumbing and electrical is easy enough. I'd never pay someone to do that.


Nobody gets permits. If the work done is not glaringly obvious - why bother?
10   rocketjoe79   2023 Mar 8, 11:08am  

Everyone in Cali slaps on a spare room because of the ADU (Additional Dwelling Unit) law. For a while, my daughter rented a rat-filled room for $1600 a month in Berkley. What a ripoff, and pure profit for the owner.
11   Tenpoundbass   2023 Mar 8, 11:19am  

I'm having a hell of a time finding a cabinet maker that will me a left and right trapezoid angled cabinet. So I can have a stove in the corner. I don't want to use the modular snap together out of box cabinets, because they only make boxes no angles no trapezoid. They make a corner unit, but no 45 sweeping corner with access to that blind corner from the cabinet door.

To make this work I need to be able to use all available space.



These guys said they understood, then proceeded to just make the design with modular rectangle cabinets, and just have the void space there without even any support for the counter top that would be up against the stove.

12   Tenpoundbass   2023 Mar 8, 11:28am  

zzyzzx says

Just got an estimate on getting a deck with a screened porch.... 115K with at least a 3 month wait. They also want 1/3 up front, despite the lack of custom stuff in the job (WTF is up with that?). The deck is maybe 2-3' off the ground. It's not just me, was listening to a YouTube realtor (Sachs) which has a Tuesday night broadcast and they were mentioning someone else in my area who got an > 100K quote on a maybe 12' x 12' screened in porch.


The Building industry and just about all trades have been hijacked by a bunch of money hungry greedy middle men, that at the end of the day after their outrageous high prices. They send out any jack wagon to do the job. So it's not like you can shop for a good skilled person you know can do it. They just aren't around anymore. All of the people selling those skills are just over paid labor salesmen, who send out Home Depot parking lot flunkies, and Craigslist handymen.

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