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Thread: Rehabilitating an old house

  1. #1
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    Default Rehabilitating an old house

    Yes I know costs are all over the place but still...

    I found a 2000 sq' house on a good piece of property. Home is 200 years old. It's been scabbed on both sides with additions. Entire house is unlevel. Piers are bowing up from the floor. A full 6" drop from one side of the room to the other. Trying to gauge costs to put in a viable and realistic offer or if I just need to scrap the idea.

    Will need new siding, roof, floors, kitchen and the breaker panel is outside. Will also be tearing out walls and adding one or two. Siding and roof work is easy to calculate.

    A positive: one side of the scabbed on additions looks solid underneath. The original foundations are legit rocks and mortar.

    I am counting on 100k-115k in renovations on a very uneducated guess.
    Last edited by BigBrother; 02-04-2021 at 09:16 AM.
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

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    If you’re counting on $100-$115, add at least 50-75%. Not being a smart ass about it but it’s expensive as hell right now and older homes like this you never know what you’ll find. I’m working on one built in 1853 and added onto many times. The amount of hokey wiring and plumbing makes you scratch your head and I do it for a living.
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigBrother View Post
    Yes I know costs are all over the place but still...

    I found a house on a good piece of property. Home is 200 years old. It's been scabbed on both sides with additions. Entire house is unlevel. Piers are bowing up from the floor. A full 6" drop from one side of the room to the other. Trying to gauge costs to put in a viable and realistic offer or if I just need to scrap the idea.

    Will need new siding, roof, floors, kitchen and the breaker panel is outside. Will also be tearing out walls and adding one or two. Siding and roof work is easy to calculate.

    A positive: one side of the scabbed on additions looks solid underneath. The original foundations are legit rocks and mortar.

    I am counting on 100k-115k in renovations on a very uneducated guess.
    How big of a house? I don't know shit about the costs involved in a home rehabilitation but my guess is that your estimate is way low. I grew up in a house built in 1880. Old homes are expensive.
    Last edited by willk; 02-04-2021 at 09:18 AM.
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  4. #4
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    We live in my grandparents home that they built 100 years ago and have been working on it since we moved in 15 years ago. New roof, siding, HVAC, rewire, replacing old plaster walls with sheetrock, added an open fireplace. Almost finished with turning a bedroom into a master bath with walk in closets now. The next major thing, and hopefully last major thing, will be redoing the kitchen/dining area. I'd say your guess on cost is a little light unless you're gonna do a lot of it yourself or you get real lucky with a contractor. For everything you calculate with an old home you need to add 30-40% in my experience. You just never know what you're gonna run into when you start ripping stuff out......

    Also, I was fortunate enough to find a small guy that has 3 employees that has done a lot of the work for us. He's great, and can do damn near anything. Don't waste your time calling any bigger GC's. They wont touch a house over 30 or 40 years old with a 10 foot pole, in my experience......
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    Quote Originally Posted by willk View Post
    How big of a house? I don't know shit about the costs involved in a home rehabilitation but my guess is that your estimate is way low. I grew up in a house built in 1880. Old homes are expensive.
    Yep. Oh, and we had to tear off 4 old chimneys that were pulling away from the house and rebuild those walls also. Forget what I said about 30-40%, it's probably closer to 60-70.
    Quote Originally Posted by Mars Bluff View Post
    Only thing we need to be wearing in this country are ass whippings & condoms. That'll clear up half our issues.

  6. #6
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    :eyetwitch:
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

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    Quote Originally Posted by FEETDOWN View Post

    Also, I was fortunate enough to find a small guy that has 3 employees that has done a lot of the work for us. He's great, and can do damn near anything. Don't waste your time calling any bigger GC's. They wont touch a house over 30 or 40 years old with a 10 foot pole, in my experience......
    Midgets are the bomb.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Carolina Counsel View Post
    Midgets are the bomb.
    Dammit that was funny, and there was several times they needed one to get under the house
    Quote Originally Posted by Mars Bluff View Post
    Only thing we need to be wearing in this country are ass whippings & condoms. That'll clear up half our issues.

  9. #9
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    This came up on the radar because with the recent passing of my FIL, my MIL is moving closer.

    As we are looking at houses for her, and I am getting the: "How much of this work to get it livable can you do yourself" and "that sure is a lot of yard to mow"...I am quickly realizing that I will very soon have three houses to take care of and closing on a new one will be around Turkey season.

    So...

    I broached the idea of selling our house too, and getting a house that we could all live in and have adequate space. Because honestly she doesn't have much longer that she can be "on her own" and moving her in will be the only option since she doesn't have long term care insurance, or the resources to fund it herself.
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

  10. #10
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    Unless you got deep pockets with a lot of idle cash laying around, run!!!!!!! Old houses are amazing when restored, but can cost a fortune to rehab. My buddy just finished up a rehab on a 100 year old house. He did most of the work himself and still spent a ton of money. Like other said, you rip the floor or wall out and find 2 problems, fix those, find 1 more, and that continues on.

    If you want to do it, I wouldn't pay much more than what the land is worth

    ETA: Just do the math. A 2,000 sq ft house would cost around $250k to build (125/ft rough estimate, depends on where you live, etc). If it's going to cost you $150-225k to rehab, is that savings worth it, remembering the house is still 200 years old and will always have issues?
    Last edited by Remy; 02-04-2021 at 10:10 AM.

  11. #11
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    Bearhunter restored the one he lives in and it looks like something out of a magazine. He can give you some insight

  12. #12
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    You could also figure out the price to have the house bull dozed and cleaned up and subtract that amount from your offer... Sometimes this is the reality.

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    I grew up in and have bought and remodeled old houses. The thought of doing another makes me want to throw up. You're really not saving anything in the house if you want it half efficient and right.. the only reason would be for sentimental or historical reasons.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Highstrung View Post
    I grew up in and have bought and remodeled old houses. The thought of doing another makes me want to throw up. You're really not saving anything in the house if you want it half efficient and right.. the only reason would be for sentimental or historical reasons.
    Absolutely. I love our home, but if not for the sentimental reasons, there's no way in hell I'd have done it.....
    Quote Originally Posted by Mars Bluff View Post
    Only thing we need to be wearing in this country are ass whippings & condoms. That'll clear up half our issues.

  15. #15
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    send a message to Todd (Rodandgun83). He just finished a year long project with his wife and contractor doing the same to a 150 year old house.

  16. #16
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    Put me in the opposite camp.

    We renovated a 134 year old house, we’ve had some minor issues but nothing crazy. It was a full renovation, everything was renovated or replaced. It was more than we anticipated, but it’s nice having a house with some character and not cookie cutter.


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  17. #17
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    Honestly old homes are full of ghosts and stuff, renovating will just piss them off then next thing you know your possessed and doing the backwards crab walk up your ladder stand next year.
    " You can't catch the Rona if you already the Illest " - J ROC

  18. #18
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    Give zero value to the house in determining a fair value for the property.

  19. #19
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    Tough finding anyone to mess with a house like that right now. Everyone worth a crap are likely still covered up with gravy jobs. I hope the economy doesn't crash but if it does there are going to be some killer deals to be had. On properties anyway. Let me know if I can help you on the roof
    Last edited by TheVisorGuy; 02-04-2021 at 10:57 AM.
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  20. #20
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    I can tell you from working on my father's house that was built in 1861... nothing is square. Another thing is there was no insulation in it when they bought it. Some insurance companies give you a hard time due to age as well from what I hear.

    Good luck.

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