Patnet Guide to Sensible Home Improvements
invite response
2016 Jun 22, 5:27pm 16,258 views 53 comments
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turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 4:13pm
be prepared to take a hit on this, if you want it done right. we're in a 3400 sqft house and coughed up... drum roll... $18k for window treatments. mix of shutters and roman shades. hollow-core shutters will save lots of money (they are polysatin instead of real wood).
I know. It's like doing an entire bathroom. But window treatments are essential. And the ones that are up now are absolutely awful. The pulls are all mostly malfunctioning, they are dreadfully heavy, so much so that the previous owners had dinged/scarred some window sills presumably slamming them down, and they look very plastic for faux wood (though they might have been nice at the time, I suppose). If I weren't so determined to get into the neighborhood so cheaply (so obviously I was willing to overlook some things), but if I were buying like a normal person and two houses were the same except for window treatments, I'd see the value in the home that had the nice ones, instantly. My mom has had plantation shutters in her house for 20 years. They still look beautiful.... and they have yet to go out of style. They are a smaller slat, but they still look very nice.
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 4:16pm
A) since it was a short sale, you might consider asking an attorney or title insurance expert to make sure your ownership of the place is covered properly.
Didn't the bank that gave me the mortgage already do that? I know there's a title insurance policy. I would have thought they'd be reluctant to issue a policy claiming clear title if they weren't sure about who owned what.... Perhaps you thought it was a cash sale?
curious2
2016 Jun 23, 6:33pm
Perhaps you thought it was a cash sale?
I thought that was reasonably likely since there are so many around here and you hadn't mentioned a mortgage.
Didn't the bank that gave me the mortgage already do that?
The bank might have got a lender's policy that might protect the bank, but that might not protect you. Also, someone at the bank probably ticked some boxes including a binary yes/no box for the presence/absence of title insurance (at least for the bank), and someone at the title insurance company may have ticked some boxes on a screen to paste in a series of exclusions. Maybe someone somewhere actually read it, under pressure to process deals as quickly as possible, but if you read it you might find (a) lender protection without owner protection and/or (b) exclusions that might or might not matter. As the recent financial crisis showed, including the "robo-signing" (actually hiring humans to forge signatures on mortgage documents that the banks had lost or destroyed) and mass production foreclosure mills (using mail merge lists to prepare sworn court foreclosure documents against properties that didn't even have mortgages), people in that sector don't always get it right. The county bar association offers a $25 brief consultation (http://www.lrisoc.org/) or if you had an attorney for the closing that attorney can probably tell you whom the title insurance protects and what it might exclude, and whether any exclusions matter.
As noted above, if you still have a mortgage or if you rent your place of business, you might consider either prepaying some of the mortgage and/or buying the place of business in order to secure the essential places that your family depend on. For business property, mortgage interest would generally be deductible without the home MID limits, and besides if you want the home MID it would apply to a second home so you don't have to leverage your main home for that.
BTW, I had to chuckle about landtof's comments. For a guy who calls everybody "faggot", he sure sounds like a florist or decorator, and that stolen photo of you looks like he's really trying to overcompensate for something.
FNWGMOBDVZXDNW
2016 Jun 23, 6:55pm
that attorney can probably tell you whom the title insurance protects and what it might exclude, and whether any exclusions matter.
There are probably separate lines on the HUD1 settlement sheet for buyers and lenders title insurance.
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 7:03pm
BTW, I had to chuckle about landtof's comments. For a guy who calls everybody "faggot", he sure sounds like a florist or decorator, and that stolen photo of you looks like he's really trying to overcompensate for something.
LOL. I just don't understand why everyone doesn't love you. You are awesome Curious! One of my favs. Are you coming to the meet-up? Remember, there's a metal detector to get into the building, so you should be safe.
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 7:04pm
There are probably separate lines on the HUD1 settlement sheet for buyers and lenders title insurance.
C'mon. It's the Navy. They take care of their own brats. Right?
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 8:01pm
goes without saying that the flooring is in need of a refresh.
I agree in the bathrooms... The bathroom floor is definitely dated... but I actually really like the downstairs flooring. The herring bone terracotta looking tile. I like it because it's different. Strikes me as true to the style of the house. I guess I see it as a feature. The 0-grout line travertine is nice but everyone has it. It's similar to the granite. Granite is very pretty. I like it. But everyone has it. I'm just tired of seeing it. I'd be more inclined to leave the existing downstairs flooring and go with quartz for the counters.
curious2
2016 Jun 23, 8:45pm
One of my favs. Are you coming to the meet-up?
Thanks, I feel the same about you, but I hadn't planned on going to the meet-up. Anonymity is one of my favorite features of PatNet, because it allows more candor. If Facebook is the social network, PatNet is the anti-social network. As Patrick wrote of Facebook:
People don't feel they can say what they really think, not even in a polite way, because it gets back to them in the real world.
The people I know who spend too much time on Facebook "Liking" all their "Friends" tend to get anxious that expressing one unpopular opinion might result in exclusion and having no "Friends." Patrick got unfriended on FB for telling the truth about Islam, for example, and I have experienced similar results IRL for the same reason. SF is a very PC town, so it's best to compartmentalize worlds.
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 9:43pm
Thanks, I feel the same about you, but I hadn't planned on going to the meet-up. Anonymity is one of my favorite features of PatNet, because it allows more candor. If Facebook is the social network, PatNet is the anti-social network. As Patrick wrote of Facebook:
Alright, I get it :(. Well, if you change your mind, email me... We'll even bring the meal to you.
But window treatments are essential.
indeed. if the designer knows their stuff then the coverings will absolutely help resale, because luxurious coverings are one of those elements that really make the house look and feel beautiful. if you have a lot of windows, you need to contour all of that natural light.
The herring bone terracotta looking tile. I like it because it's different. Strikes me as true to the style of the house.
it fits spanish colonial, but it's hard to build off of. the oranges and the yellows, warm tones, etc. are definitely from 90's and 2000's and so you may be limiting your audience with that. but it's not impossible - keep the walls and pretty much everything neutral and/or bright. a lot of the homes from last decade went too rich and too dark on the interior with all of that orange tile.
BTW, I had to chuckle about landtof's comments. For a guy who calls everybody "faggot", he sure sounds like a florist or decorator, and that stolen photo of you looks like he's really trying to overcompensate for something.
don't be such a faggot.
Ceffer
2016 Jun 23, 10:57pm
It really doesn't sound like you want to be absolutely "sensible". You have worked hard with sacrifices, so maybe you should just consider it "mad money" and spend it on the house in the way that gives you the most enjoyment.
Sometimes, deferred gratification is a bitch, and having a fling can be a good mental health move for somebody who actually knows how to scrimp..
turtledove
2016 Jun 23, 11:14pm
It reall doesns't sound like you want to be absolutely "sensible". You have worked hard with sacrifices, so maybe you should just consider it "mad money" and spend it on the house in the way that gives you the most enjoyment.
Sometimes, deferred gratification is a bitch, and having a fling can be a good mental health move for somebody who actually knows how to scrimp..
I think I defined what I meant by "sensible." None of this is truly sensible. The truly sensible thing to do would be to invest the money... But you are right that I'm getting squirrely now that the pressure of the last few years has gone down considerably. I want to do something fun... By sensible, I just meant as sensible as these things go...
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Here are the highlights: Built in 2002; 3300 square feet; 5 beds 3 full baths, stone floors downstairs (beautiful), wood floors upstairs (perfect), large backyard (for CA) with nice pavers, BBQ, and fire pit. Very attractive outside both front and back. With the exception of the floors, which are well above average, -- the rest has basic builder materials used inside (white tile countertops, narrow baseboards, wonky faux wood blinds, hollow doors, etc...). The house already has solar panels. There is nothing that's wrong with the house that requires immediate attention. I bought it as a short sale. The house is a perfect example of great bones and lots of potential, but it is definitely below the standard when it comes to improvements seen in other houses in the area. The house up the street sold for $1.2M just a few months ago. It's very similar to ours, but it is much more upgraded (except that it had carpet upstairs, which I hate). We paid $8xxK for basically the same house, however, ours has the original builder grade materials.
Assuming a person has a $75k budget, which improvements do you think would provide the most bang for the buck?
1) Bathrooms (3) have pretty basic materials with white tile countertops & showers, mildly worn cabinets, very worn shower glass. (There's a lot of hard water gunk in the frame. I installed a very nice water softening system, and I've tried to clean it, but Lime Away only goes so far.) Fans are inoperable.
2) Kitchen has mildly worn cabinets, tile countertops, and circa 2002 appliances. Everything works.
3) Window treatments are original faux wood blinds. I don't think any of them actually work right. Preference would be plantation shutters. Many, many windows throughout.
4) Mouldings -- the baseboards and door frames are very narrow. Prefer the bigger ones. We have very high ceilings throughout, so the house could handle it; also need to bring crowns into all the rooms and the entry area. A few windows need picture frames. Windows without them look unfinished to me.... AND we have this gorgeous curved window that would look spectacular with the right trim... AND it's weird that some windows have them and some don't.
5) Exterior painting -- This isn't urgent, but it's going to be time for this soon. Also, would add those exterior shutters to the little windows in the middle...
6) Heating/air conditioning system are circa 2002, but still working at the moment. (I hate this one! It's expensive and isn't fun at all.)
7) Built-in pergola in the back... Though the backyard is pretty nice, there isn't a shaded conversation area. Alternatively, we could build a balcony off the master, which would double as a shaded conversation area out back in addition to a balcony.
8) Built-in Jacuzzi in the back... I'm not really a fan of pools... Too much upkeep and I promised the dogs they could have the backyard... But the kids are asking for a body of water out back. (We have an HOA and several pools... The kids are hardly suffering.) The previous owners had apparently started the process of this, so I think the plumbing is already there.
9) Extending the pavers to the sides of the house. There currently is gravel at the sides.
10) Upgraded interior doors. It's nice to have doors that "thunk" when you close them.
11) New garage and front door. These are basic. Not bad. In good condition.... There are just much better looking ones out there.
12) New side gates (2). Some rust damage to both. Will probably become a problem soon.
13) Backyard wall. There's a 6.5-7 foot wall that separates us from the neighbors. It's white painted blocks. We either need to put in lots of plants that will conceal it, or something. One neighbor painted hers and another added some kind of stone facia. I actually have a quote on this one. My gardener said $500 to plant a fast growing, flowering hedge that would virtually hide the wall.
14) Sound system. This is another example of something that's already in place, but it's been allowed to fall by the wayside. I'm not sure what works and what doesn't. But I can see all the wiring is in place both inside and outside.
15) Converting the 5th bedroom into an open gathering space. It's right at the top of the stairs. Every other bedroom is pretty big. But this "bedroom" is kind of small for a bedroom. Currently, my son put in two lazyboys and uses it for his own personal game room. I'm thinking we could remove the closet, take the wall down to half height so you can see out onto the stairs, get rid of the door, and install built-ins to make the room an anything room. It could be a game room, study area, workout area....
I have no idea how much some of most of these items cost, but I'm pretty sure that my budget means I'm going to have to pick and choose. So, if you had to prioritize improvements, where would you start? I have no plans to sell, but you never know what happens in life, so I want to treat improvements like a business decision, as much as possible. In your experience, when you had to sell, on which improvements did you get your money back? I'd like to know going in, which ones I could expect to get my money back on and which ones I'm just doing for my own personal enjoyment (doors that go "thunk" might be something only I would appreciate). I've gone to a few open houses in the area to see what others have done to make sure that whatever I choose is in-line.
Am I better off finding a general contractor who can do it all? Or am I better off finding the "specialists" myself?
Here are some pictures to help you visualize. These are from before we bought the house, but they are mostly accurate.... Except we don't have a car lot going on in our driveway.