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DEL.ICIO.USWould you put your family through a home renovation?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Theresa is on vacation today. Keith Still is filling in.
When we moved into our house eight years ago, I should have known that the beautiful, two-storey great room wouldn’t last. Open, airy rooms were a selling point for most people at the time, but I could never wrap my head around the idea of all that wasted space.
I began sketching plans for the empty air above my sofas before the first mortgage payment even cleared. Imagine all the things we could do if we just put a floor up there? A few beams, a subfloor, a bit of drywall and voila - usable space! We didn’t need more room at the time, so I eventually put the sketchbook away.
Then our third daughter was born. Two years later, she grew out of diapers and joined her sisters in the “big girl” bathroom. The idea of three stair-step girls jockeying for position in one (very small) bathroom was about as scary as watching The Shining. We now had a reason to renovate - and to do it before puberty hit our house like a bad case of chicken pox.
My “simple” renovations turned into a radical reconstruction that resulted in a new bathroom and loft upstairs for the kids and an improved great room downstairs for all. The results are amazing. Our contractors were creative, detail-oriented and very considerate of the fact that we were living in this mess throughout the demolition and rebuilding phases. (Translation: they worked like mad to minimize the number of weeks we had a big orange dumpster in the driveway, sawdust everywhere, plastic dangling from the ceilings and a gaping hole in our bedroom wall.)
But, there are a few things I would do differently. Mainly, I would have taken our contractor’s advice and moved out during the renovations. It was impossible to maintain normal family life during the process. Nearly every room was affected in some way. During the day, plastic sheets covered all of the furniture. Workers were everywhere. When the kids came home from school, we would head out to find a quiet place for them to do their homework. We couldn’t eat at home because the kitchen was the workers’ headquarters — and there was no place to sit anyway. So we would stay out until everyone left (usually 7:30-8:00 p.m.), then rush the kids home to get ready for bed.
It was stressful; it was majorly disruptive; but in the end, the renovations were worth it. And anything was better than putting our house on the market, looking for a new one and packing/unpacking.
Given today’s market, more and more people who would have just moved house a couple of years ago to get that extra bathroom (or bedroom or more spacious kitchen) are looking closer to their own home for solutions.
Have you ever renovated your house? Was it a major or minor disruption for the family? Did you move out or live amongst the drywall dust? Why did you choose renovating over moving? What advice would you offer families considering going through a renovation? Are you happy you renovated? Or would moving have been easier?
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment | Categories: Family Life
Comments
By TaraKaye
July 30, 2008 9:04 AM | Link to this
It seems like staying put might be the best option. Certainly staying in a cramped hotel room would be even more disruptive to a young child’s routine than staying home amidst the mess. A larger condo might be a better option, but that could get really expensive on top of the renovation expenses. If we had family nearby, I might go stay with them, but that wouldn’t be an option for us. It’s a tough call considering we don’t have kids yet and have just recently bought our first home. I’m so excited about it, I can’t imagine ever wanting to change anything, though I’m sure that day will come. It’s always impossible to say before you have kids what you will do after they come along.
I also have to add…I can’t quite wrap my head around the need that people have to give each of their children their own room and bathroom. I grew up in a family of 6, always shared a bedroom with one of my sisters and the whole family shared one bathroom. We were fine and I think growing up in cramped quarters helped us bond. We had no choice but to get along. I always joke with my husband that even if we can afford a big house when we’re parents, we’re staying in a small one and our kids will share bedrooms even if we have more rooms than children!
By Numbers Guy
July 30, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
We did a major renovation a few years back and stayed put throughout the process. However, we planned it carefully with the contractor so that one of the three floors was always intact. That way, we always had a place to run to that was relatively normal. It helped tremendously.
Other advice - get a licensed full-bull contractor, and let him/her handle the subs and scheduling for you. All you should be doing is telling him what you want done, how you want it to look, stroking the check, and staying out of the way.
By Jesse's Girl
July 30, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Been there…done that. Don’t care to again; at least not until all of our children are out of the house. It is a test of the most solid of marriages. I planned the death of Jesse numerous times…as he did mine, I’m sure. We did it together, sans contractor. The end result is magnificent! But the next time we get that bug in our crawl…we’ll cough up the $10 or $15 grand and pay a contractor.
By KLK
July 30, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
We bought a house 4 years ago that needed a renovation, but we could live in it. My husband did most of the work himself inside as he is very talented and saved alot of labor dollars. We lived thru the dust, tools laying everywhere and nightly trips to Home Depot and Lowes. It also tested our relationship as I like a clean house and every few days, there were new tool piles, paint cans, plastic drapes, dust,ripped out walls and bathrooms. We renovated one bath at a time, so we would have 2 to use. I focused on the end result, and boy was it worth it. We have a home we love. As for the outside, the roof, painting, stone additions and new dormers were done by a contractor. We are thinking about adding another master suite to the already 2 bedrooms on our main floor, and yes, we will live in the mess again. We will move upstairs while the work is going on. The value we added to our home vs the cost of doing most of the work ourselves only adds equity to our pockets. You must have a focus when going thru this and learn to be flexible and patient. Happy sawing!
By LP
July 30, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
Done it and doing it again right now. We lived in the midst of the renovation of our last house (pre-kids), tracking plaster dust from room to room. This time, with two kids under the age of 5, we’re staging it in sort of a room-by-room fashion and don’t have to walk through the construction in our day-to-day. We’re saving some of the more intrusive projects until the kids are bigger.
By CP
July 30, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
Actually when we moved last year, we were looking for at least a 4 br house but couldn’t find anything that we liked in our price range and in the neighborhoods we liked. So I started looking for 3br’s with extra space like a bonus room or unfinished basement that we could add on another bedroom or 2. We were moving because a 3br/1ba was hard enough with 2 adults & 3 kids but with another one on the way, it just would be too stressful growing up there.
We ended up finding a great house in the area we liked that was a 3br/3bath. It had a full basement with a 2-car garage & we decided to keep 1/2 of the garage & the other side was used to make 2 bedrooms. I was surprised how big the spaces are now, with a hallway & 3 closets included.
We did get a contractor because we absolutely had to to get it done right & neither one of us could help out much. He’s at work, I’m hugely pregnant & watching 3 other kids too.
We didn’t have to leave because it was only downstairs & we put up plastic at the stairwell. The good part was that the work was finished the day I had #4.
We’ll be doing more work to the house but I think it will be on a room-at-a-time basis. We’ll probably do most of the work ourselves & use a contractor for the “big” stuff like putting up wall studs, plumbing, etc. Actually we’re redoing the hallway bathroom (hopefully) this weekend. Replace the floor, replace the sink, take out the toilet, paint, tile. Blah, blah, blah.. :) But it needs to be done & whatever is done will be an improvement.
By abc
July 30, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
The renovations just completed were quite a trial to live with, but the results are spectacular. The only negative I came away with is that I’ll never again hire a white southern contractor. What a bunch of lazy ripoffs. The Hispanic contractors, sub-contractors, landscapers and stone masons I used did excellent work in reliable fashion, but the white southerners simply skipped out after taking a couple draws. Then they didn’t even pay their own sub-contractors.
By LMM
July 30, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this
We just finished our basement on Sunday. It took 3 months but it’s so worth it. Fortunately, it’s just us and our dogs - no kids to displace yet. I don’t know how I would manage taking care of kids while doing a remodel - hats off to all of you who do. I totally agree with Jessie’s Girl though - it is a test of your marriage. Hubby & I have finally learned how we work best when doing these projects - i.e. I have my tasks & he has his. But I will say - if I go the rest of my life before stepping into Lowe’s or HD it will be too soon!
By arn
July 30, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
We are currently remodeling our kitchen. 1st year of marriage, 1st major remodeling project of many. The others will not be as disruptive to our life and hopefully will not take as long. We are doing it ourselves, or I should say he is doing it himself. There is not much I know how to do except hand tools, help paint, just little stuff. Hopefully in the end it will be worth the frustration and stress. I am sooooo tired of take out!
By Numbers Guy
July 30, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
One more thing - before you make final payment to a contractor, consider making him sign an affidavit that all his subs have been paid in full, or obtain proof that they have been. Unpaid subs can actually place a lien on your home, even if it was the contractor’s responsibility to pay them.
By Lynn
July 30, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
I’ve never been through the remoldeling process but I’ve lived in a 24ft camper for 17 months while building. That was a true test on our relationship for sure. My husband often talks about buying one of the shacks on the lake and doing a complete remodel job but I honestly don’t think my nerves would handle it after watching some of my friends go through it. IMO building from scratch is just easier. Thinks tend to roll a little smoother and sooner.
By Lynn
July 30, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
And as far as contracters I can only advise everyone to check these guys out carefully. I hired a guy who claimed to be a honest christian and had built many logs homes. His work was truely great but the scumbag took us for about 12k in the end. I think karma came back and bit him too cause he’s not doing well at all in the business world :)
By This Topic is LAME!!!!
July 30, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
This topic has been up since at least 8:30 this morning and only has 12 comments posted….Nuf said.
By Richard
July 30, 2008 5:25 PM | Link to this
I have done a complete renovation twice in the last 2 years. Each of them took about 6 months and were done while we lived in the home. The first was a little less organized and the chaos ensued as a result. I actually thought it was fun. Everyone was involved and the contractors came in, worked, cleaned up and went home every day and tried their best not to be disruptive and it worked great. This was an extensive remodel job and it turned out great. One of my friend’s liked it so much he offered to buy it. I sold it to him and bought another home. I liked the new house, but I had all of those tools and Home Depot, Lowes, and various supply stores knew me by name, so I began the remodel of the second one. We knew where the problems were and identified the steps we were going to go through to complete the task and followed a plan. We knew what rooms to seal up, when to paint, work on floors, and even drew diagrams for the kids on what rooms and hallways were off limits during this time. I was amazed at how few problems we had the second time. It took about 4 months. 1 HOME THEATRE, 1 DEN, 2 DECKS, A GAME ROOM AND SECOND GARAGE LATER WE WERE HAPPY. Plan everything and explain to the contractor your concerns and you should be o.k. I did meet a few bad guys doing work and I will say that overall they will not rip you off if you really try to learn the work they are doing. Learn how to measure and how the pricing works and you will not get taken. I hope this helped.
By fk
July 30, 2008 7:14 PM | Link to this
Great advice. We’ll be doing a complete kitchen re-do in the near future, along with a 1/2 bath and familyroom. Moving out is not an option, though…we’ve got a (big) dog.
By KD
July 31, 2008 7:31 AM | Link to this
We did this after our youngest went to college. Could not imagine doing it with both children still at home
By terry
July 31, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
after the torando came thru downtown and hit my house i stayed in the house during the repair..what a mistake..i’am still cleaning plaster dust out of dishes.pictures(the dust got between the picture and glass)..wondering what my lungs look like
By bren
July 31, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
We bought a house 15 years ago in a very nice neighborhood, needed everything! 15 years later still a disaster my husband took on more than he could chew. I knew him and begged him not to buy. We are now getting a divorce, we never had a life. No kids because it was a constrction site all the time, 15 years.
By JG
July 31, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
Please use these links when finding a contractor or sub contractor. I am not one but I work directly with them and these professional organizations below do everything to help you find honest ethical professional remodelers/renovators.
http://www.nariatlanta.org/
http://www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=433
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