A DIY home remodeling project for the average guy providing a personal account of the struggles and methods used in an old house renovation.
DIY Home Remodeling Project
Attempting a home remodeling project proved to be quite labor intensive. I new I was up for the challenge.
I had been searching for a remodeling project for about a year. With the help of a realtor that I had used once before, we set off trying to locate a property that would fit my needs.
The search seemed to take forever. Homes in my price range were just not up to my expectations. I was looking for a home remodeling project under 50K that I could remodel and end up with a nice piece of property. Most homes we looked at were in need of some major remodeling work and were way over priced for the project at hand. Too much for a DIY'er. I couldn't have that. The search continued. I could see my realtor getting a little annoyed with the project homes we were looking at. I couldn't blame her for that. She was a great help throughout the process.
As it turns out, I found a home in the local paper and never used my realtor for the purchase of a home at all. I was sure I made my realtor mad, since she had worked very hard trying to find the right home for me. All said and done though, she was happy for me. She was probably just tired of looking at junk and glad I got the project home I was looking for.
Quick Links to Home Remodeling Topics
| Planning & Design | Exterior |
| Getting Started | Vinyl Siding Installation |
The Real Estate was in a Sellers Market
Obviously in my year of searching, the real estate market was good. In the area I was searching, most homes were in the 100K price range. That really didn't get you very much when it comes to a home. If you wanted a home that was habitable, that is about what you could expect for 100K. I figured , why spend that much when a guy could spend half or less and remodel a home to his own desires. That being said, most lower priced homes were in need of some major structural help along with everything else. Obviously I was searching for home remodeling project during a sellers market. Either way, I still needed a house to remodel and call home.
A Little House in the Country
The local paper had a house for sale in the town I was currently living. So, I called and set a time to take look. I was impressed with the location and general lay of the property. It was situated about 3 miles outside of a booming town yet still had a country feel to it. A half acre of land came with it which was located near the county bike trail system. Half of the adjoining properties were vacant and the other were occupied by some older homes. It seemed I had found the home remodeling project I was looking for.
A Home Remodeling Project is a Huge Undertaking
The person I bought the house from got a fair price from myself. I think both parties were happy in the end. The seller was rid of huge remodeling project.
The house had been vacant for at least two years. The previous owner had already gutted the interior and had a new roof installed. Having the interior gutted already proved to be a big help. I was able to modify the structure as needed to suit my taste. In addition it was less work that I had to do as far as a demolition project goes.
The roof had been recently updated which was a plus. The fact that I didn't have to work the roof or tear out most of the interior saved a lot of time, effort and money.
Gutted Interior
First look of the interior sent my mind spinning. The interior was completely gutted less the ceiling. I mean, all of the walls were just studs. No drywall or plaster to be seen on any wall. Though, the ceiling had been untouched. The floor was covered in all kinds of debris. Quite the mess it was. There were a few spots where the floor had been ripped up. Probably due to some kind of water damage. Two other holes in the floor were for the old chimney stacks that supported old oil burning heaters in the basement. The inside seemed to be divided into four sections. All of which were about the same in size. At least I was able to take a good look at the structure before I had decided to purchase this huge project.
The previous owner had started on some sort of remodel. Not sure where he was going with it though. He had left behind a refrigerator, which actually worked. I ended up giving it to a coworker. There was a brand new shower stall already in place. Seemed a bit early in the remodeling project to have that installed, but whatever, it came out anyhow.
Other DIY Projects
When I'm not working on a home remodeling project I like to spend time playing some guitar. At first I always used a transitorized Marshall amplifier to get loud and stupid. That was until a friend of mine brought over his 1950's Fender Deluxe. The all tube powered Fender had a great sound to it. My buddy and I talked over what was involved in making one and and I knew immediately I had to build my own guitar amp. I felt the circuit for this particular amp was challenging for me but not too hard to build either. As it turned out the little amp sounded awesome. Check out my other site to see how I point to point wired the circuit board, fabircated my own amp chassis and installed the whole works in a custom made amplifier cabinet. The circuit, chassis and cabinet was really a simple build and I had lots of fun in the process. Later on I will be making a stack unit with some awesome power output!