docwyte said:In reply to frenchyd :
I also don't have a truck to pick up the water heater, nor take the old one to the dump.
Just a side note: I do have a truck. But I didn't take the old water heater to the dump, I called the local metal recycling place and sure enough, they take old water heaters. They paid me in cold, hard cash.
Well, we went and took a look yesterday. The interior is much nicer than the exterior that's for sure. It's certainly not perfect, but we really do like it, and it certainly ticks quite a few of the boxes. We're going to go ahead with the house inspection. It will definitely need a roof and paint yet this year.
One other thing I have a question about it a garage/pole building. Because this place doesn't have any outbuildings, one of my priorities would be getting some sort of building up for tools and my bike. I'd love to do an attached garage and then a pole shed as well but that's not going to happen, so the next option is to do a large pole shed. I know some guys have experience with this on here. It appears that nobody can give an exact quote, but I was hoping you guys might be able share what I should expect for a price/sq foot. I was thinking that I could put up a building for 20-25,000 but it appears that is definitely not the case.
Spend some time looking for a good home inspector. Don't just take the one your realtor recommends. That was the biggest mistake we made. The home inspector did IMO a terrible job and I don't know how the missed some of the things he missed particularly on the electrical side.
Hard to predict what your local rules are, but around here adding an attached structure is a headache; zoning, code, setbacks, impermeable surfaces, permits for everything, inspections, etc. If I wanted to build a detatched structure, I can go up to 800-something square feet without even getting a permit. The only inspection would be for setbacks and electrical.
I had looked into a Versatube steel structure in 24x24. The cost of the materials delivered to my house was going to be about $7000. That is JUST the structure. It comes with a big hole in the front for a garage door, and a pre-framed person door on one side. I budgeted to have someone come excavate and pour concrete. I could borrow Dad's tractor with a bucket and backhoe, but I'm not even vaguely skilled at excavation, so that's one I planned on farming out. The rest was all going to be me and some friends and pizza/beer. I figured about double the cost of the building (around $14-15k) would cover someone else doing the dig and pour, then us doing construction, purchasing the garage door, and purchasing the electrical materials (which for me would include using an existing 60A stove circuit after I convert to a gas range, adding an outside shut-off on the house, and bury conduit with cable about 20', new breaker panel in the garage, and circuits for lights, welder, and some 20A outlets). Basically everything to make it a functional shell ready to move in.
That estimate didn't include insulation, but did include an inexpensive garage door opener ($200), and a good steel person door ($300), along with a cheapo garage door ($ I forget). I had budgeted for six 8' LED shop lights which would have been sourced from a super-sale for about $20 each.
You may be able to save a bit of money on the excavation. Here in PA there are lots of farms, but they are smaller, family farms with corn, chickens, dairy cattle, etc. A lot of the farm equipment you see are combines, planters, sprayers, and plows/discs. Much of the excavation-type equipment you see is yellow, and by that I mean owned by specific excavation companies. If you live somewhere with larger farms (as the conversation suggests) you might be able to find a neighbor with a dozer or bobcat who can come over one afternoon and you give him/her $300 to dig a spot. I would have trouble doing that here.
I'm trying to remember how much Dad paid for his outbuildings. The first one was a 40x40 with a concrete floor. Morton buildings did it for him in the late 70s. He and I talked about price points when I was considering a 24x24. IIRC, that one was about $17k in the late 70s. About 15 years ago, he built a 36x48 pole shed, sided and roofed with steel, gravel floor. I think that one was around $32k. He had excavators come and make a flat pad so he could properly get drainage around it (built on a slight incline), then he dug the holes with his own 3-point auger, took delivery of the building kit, and he and I and some Amish guys built the rest and Dad and I did the electric.
I know that is nebulous and dated information, but it's all I know.
I really like these built ins:
In reply to 93EXCivic :
Luckily, we have a trusted home inspector that we've used in the past with really good results.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I do really appreciate this information! I hadn't heard of the versa-tube buildings before, those look like something worth looking into.Your are correct that I may be able to find someone with equipment. The current owners actually have a skid loader I can use for the foundation, however i'm looking at the possibility of picking a loader tractor or skid loader for myself any ways.
In reply to ThurdFerguson (Freeloader) :
I'm sure some people wouldn't like them, but they're certianly one of our favorite parts of the house.
NBraun said:To answer a few questions,
Without seeing the inside of the house, it's hard to say for sure, but we'd like to keep it the way it is as long as it's in good shape, and we can do it affordably. We're not going to go out of our way to modernize it. I have no reason to replace the plaster as long as I don't have too, I just wasn't sure if that's something that people considered a need for an old house.
I really appreciate everyones input! I'm glad to hear that it maybe isn't such a scary idea. Luckily my fiance and I have family that are willing to help us out.
In rural areas it's usually a set of plans. ( yes you can do your own ). Maybe a survey to ensure you are safely on your own property. Typically not though.
But don't settle for a pole barn yet. Instead go ahead with your plans to attach. It will increase the value much more than a pole barn will. If you can work on cars you can build a garage.
One of your neighbors is likely a part time excavator He may not be the cheapest or best. Ask around. The nearest cement plant can tell you who does slab work. In rural areas there are bound to be a dozen or more little sawmills. everything from a portable wood miser to some old production sawmill. buying rough cut wood direct will save you a lot. I can buy hardwood direct cheaper than you can go to a lumberyard or big box store and buy sheetrock.
Yes you can use it. I did in a very strict code enforcement city. Just make any inspector feel good that you over built and didn't cut corners and you won't have any problem with inspections ( if they are required ) may not in rural areas.
Let your imagination soar. If you aren't afraid of work. You can have nearly anything you dream of and are willing to work for. Maybe in stages. But you can have it.
putting up a building can be reasonably fast especially if there are two of you willing to do the work. It's the finishing that takes most of the time. A shallow flat roof that you are comfortable walking on can be shingled in less than a week by yourself. Once shingled. You cans put plastic over the holes for the windows and doors . Now you're semi weather tight.
That's a nice looking place inside, definitely looks like a great base to work with provided an inspection didn't turn up anything major.
Regarding outbuildings, my info probably isn't much help, being in another country and all... But I'm about to embark on putting up a 30x30ish structure. All said and done I'll be in it for between 18-22k. I purchased the shed as a kit from a manufacturer that just does sheds, it's just under 10k including delivery, engineering certification, plans, 3 garage doors, a personal access door and a window.
The slab will run me between 6-8k. Local guy with a skid steer is a few hundred dollars, I'll dig the pier holes, I can get a concreter to box up, pour and finish for 7.5k. alternatively, I can put down and compact the base material, box up, lay vapour barrier, set the reo mesh and organize the concrete and just hire in a crew to manage the pour and finishing which will run me between 6-7k all up. Concrete will cost me 250-260 per m3 depending on grade (14m3 required, so total cost of 3.5-3.6k), reo mesh between 6-900 depending on size, chairs for mesh about 50, vapour barrier and tape about 200, crusher dust or road base 6-700, formwork timber 2-300. Compactor hire 50, concrete crew anywhere from 130/hr up to 2100 as a flat rate depending who I go with.
Other expenses will be 6-800 for ember shield/vermin proofing. Up to 1k in plumbing, electrical is about 1k, but could go as high as several thousand if I decide to go with a separate meter, 3 phase power(415v) and how I get the connection to the building. Insulation will be between 5-2500 depending on if I just use foil blanket, anticon or go for full size insulation Batts.
I realize the prices are probably meaningless to you, but it shows a bit of a breakdown of what goes into doing that kind of thing.
If I just contracted out the whole job start to finish I had quotes from 24-35k. (24k was a slightly smaller building, and didn't include plumbing or electrical) So I can save about 2k minimum. It's a lot of work if it only equates to 2k saving, but the way I see it, a 2 post hoist will run me 2-3k.... So if I can save at least 2k on getting it done it's like a bonus hoist.
Good luck with the inspection
Well, it's looking like this is actually going to happen. Had an inspector come out, and they didn't find anything major. So that's good. Paperwork is signed and closing date is July 1st. We're just waiting on the appraisal to get finished.
I got a quote for a pole shed. $70,000...So that's definitely not going to happen. Now i'll have to figure out where to put a 12x16 shed, and where I want my garden. The fiance is also getting excited about guinea fowl and geese in the future. Lots of things to fix, but also very excited about the whole thing. Going to have to upgrade from my 70's 32" mower too.
In reply to NBraun :
Congratulations! Hopefully everything goes smoothly for you.
Is there a well or something? Just wondering if the windmill was originally used as a pump?
In reply to NBraun :
Congrats! The rules must be different up there. I know here in Oklahoma, the fact that it needs a roof would kill the sale because the insurance companies won't insure it. If you're lucky you may be able to get one to do ACV, but that sucks when the time comes. But again, that's just Oklahoma. HO insurance here is pretty expensive because of the multitude of wind and/or hail claims for roof damage.
Congrats on the possible purchase!
May I ask - has your fiancee ever had experience with guinea fowl? I ask because they are not terribly hard to take care of but are some of the stupidest, most annoying creatures on earth. They will start screaming and yakking at the first sign of dawn and will not shut up. They are also pretty messy and think nothing about wandering en masse into traffic.
In reply to daeman :
Thanks! There was originally a well there. Everything is on rural water now though, even the yard spigot.
In reply to z31maniac :
Thanks! Our insurance broker seems pretty confident that it shouldn't be an issue. I suppose we'll see though!
In reply to Duke :
Thanks! She has not, though she has been reading a ton about them. Her coworker has them, and she wants them for tick/bug control. We're on a pretty quiet road, and our nearest neighbor is 3/4 mile away so hopefully we don't annoy them. I figured worse case scenario we'd take them to the sale barn if we can't handle them.
NBraun said:In reply to z31maniac :
Thanks! Our insurance broker seems pretty confident that it shouldn't be an issue. I suppose we'll see though!
They will probably do ACV, actual cash value vs RCV, replacement cash value.
To keep it simple, let's say it would cost $10k to put a new roof on. With RCV, you pay your deductible, and they cover the rest. With ACV.......they may only cover $1000 of the $10k replacement cost because the roof is essentially depreciated already.
Where the heck is this place?
The comment about Tom Silva building Pro Touring Cars with rusty shells is about right. The average cost of a renovation that This Old House works on is about $300k-$800k - just in renovation costs. Often times these properties they start with are expensive, despite being dated.
If there is one thing I've learned at my new place is that even the most simple of updates are never easy. Especially with a toddler and a wife struggling to get a good nights rest. We also don't have resources to really help. I can't call on friends to assist, or grandparents to watch kiddo while wife and I bust out projects.
I bought my place for $370,000. It needs updated. My neighbor bought his place at foreclosure for $330,000. It needed new plumbing throughout, they had to gut the master bathroom and kitchen due to water damage, and it still has some really strange design features (mine does too). He's spent the last 3 years working on it pretty much non-stop, and it still needs lots done. He's got a toddler and another on the way. He and his wife are regretful of the amount of free time it's sucked up. They too, have no real local resources.
It's easy to watch those shows like This Old House or other "flipping" shows, but I don't think I've ever seen a renovation show where the host did everything themselves while working a full-time job. It would require a tremendous amount of caffiene and focus.
In reply to pheller :
Not to mention time. The thought of every day coming home from work to try to put in 3-4 hours on the house, then weekends for months or years............no thanks.
And after the absolutely horrific experience I had having a bathroom remodeled 6 years ago, it's a big part of the reason I bought my current house. The entire house had been remodeled and not lived in when I bought it, so it needed nothing.
The next house I buy will be the same, or new construction. I don't have the tools, skills, or desire to do home renovation work and good contractors who show up on time and get the job done in the amount of time they specify seem nearly impossible to find.
In reply to pheller :
The house is in eastern South Dakota.
We're well aware that it's an old farmhouse, and as such will be a project. But the fact that plumbing, electrical, kitchen, and bathroom have all been updated within the last 10 years is a huge reason why we're interested. We're lucky that we have do have local resources that would be able to help us out a bit when it's needed.
In reply to 914Driver :
Sounds like my house. Built in 1847. I have lived in it for 55 years.
Depends if the previous owners kept things up.
In reply to z31maniac :
I don't wonder if there isn't a relationship between the slowdown in housing supply and the ability of homeowners to get quality contractors. If all the good contractors are building nice new expensive homes, that doesn't leave many to help homeowners do upgrades, which makes quality upgrades more expensive.
It something I've really struggled with. I'm pretty sure I could dump $30k into my house and make it back, but lots of people learned that isn't always the case in 2008-2012. I don't like the prospects of being further in the hole if the market takes a turn.
Well figured I should update the thread. We closed on the house July 1st and got moved in over the long weekend. Paint and the roof are in the cards before September, but for now we're getting the inside painted and setup how we like it. It's eons better than the trailer we were in, and its nice actually having the A/C keep up when it's this hot and humid. Ended up having to buy a new mower that was big enough for all the space. Some sort of shed or outbuilding is on the list, and after that I hope to find a loader tractor before wintertime.
Lots to do, but we're pretty excited about making the house our own.
ThurdFerguson (Freeloader) said:
I really like these built ins:
AGREED.
DUUUUUDE! Congrats!!! That looks like 10X nicer than our "starting point" at the "creekhouse."
Advice: Get LOTS of pics along the way and put them in an album. I'm constantly telling people "You wouldn't believe what a dump this place was when we bought it."
Wish I'd taken more "before" pics.
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