the moon must be in “dilapidation”

Not really my bathroom.
Not really my bathroom. I wish. Source.

An acquaintance of mine had an expression, “a house is a pig that never stops eating.” The past few days, the pig has been particularly hungry! Does it ever seem like everything in the house breaks at once? We’ve had clogged drains, both the ancient washing machine and relatively new dishwasher needing repairs, and after the first good rain of the season last Sunday, a truly foul smell emanating from one of the bathrooms. After ruling out additional plumbing problems, we’ve determined that the cause is old wood cabinetry that’s developed some serious mildew/rot over time.

Just for good measure, my cell phone stopped working too. 🙁

Our house was built in 1941, and other than converting a small back den to a master suite 11 years ago, all of the work we’ve done since moving in (1997) has been cosmetic.This particular bathroom hasn’t been updated since probably 1969 (by prior owners), and we’ve been talking about doing some serious renovation both in this bathroom and our kitchen for some years now to address both poor design/flow from prior owners’ rework and major wear-and-tear. There are some steps we can take that will knock back the mildew in the bathroom and buy us a few more months, but ultimately it looks as though we’re going to have to bite the bullet and undertake a major project next year.

Have you done major home renovations? Any particular tips or wisdom to share?

 

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37 Comments

  1. We have done both major home renovations and we have built three houses and a garage–all very different projects. I think the best advice I can give you is to first get professional design help for your plans in your bathroom and kitchen. Then, before you ask for an estimate of the cost for the work, SPECIFY everything. By that I mean choose your marble or tile, choose your bathtub, choose your faucets, cabinet knobs, light fixtures, the kind of cabinetry you want. Select the appliances you want to use, the specific kitchen sink, your refrigerator, ovens, countertop material–every single thing. In other words, tie down all the details before you get an estimate. You can always scale back if the price is too high for your budget. Without specifics, your estimates from various contractors will not be for the same job.

    Next, ask your friends if they have been pleased with the contractors they have used. If they have been pleased, interview and consider using the same contractor. Find out if the contractor spends time on the job every day. If he employs a supervisor, meet that supervisor before you decide to use that contractor.

    Finally, plan to be on the job everyday yourself. Even with the best contractor, there is no substitute for the owner’s keen eye. Mistakes will be made. Try not to panic when that happens, but do insist that the mistakes be corrected.

    As you know, Pinterest is a great site for ideas. Find the bathrooms and kitchen you love on Pinterest, print out the photos and show them to your designer. That will get you started.

  2. I could not live without Maria Killam’s advice on home renovation, paint color selection. Has saved me tons of money on “re-dos’ and prevented me from making some costly mistakes. She is a professional and her website is http://www.mariakillam.com/. A really, extremely helpful blog.

  3. We also bought our house in 1997 but is is about 100 years old so has needed lots of renovation. Our first project was heating, electrical work, and plumbing and renovating the bathrooms. Kitchen was in good shape when we bought the house (prior owner had remodeled it) but needed a re-do 6 years ago. New roof, new landscaping, lots of cosmetic work -we joke that we will have totally rebuilt the house before long.

    Susan has good advice about getting estimates. We have one contractor we found who has been a god-send and use him for all work now because we trust him. He is not the fastest but is totally trustworthy and we don’t need to be home all the time when he and/or his crew are working here.

    Best advice is to take the time to know what you want because you won’t want to re-do it. Also, there will be suprises once the work starts.

  4. I have done several major renovations and I would recommend extensive planning. Start now reading everything you can find about bathroom and kitchen design. Fine Homebuilding has some good resources. Once you have a general idea of what you want find a designer to help you nail down all the details. Specify everything and then get a few estimates from contractors recommended by people you trust. Check their references, and remember that cheapest isn’t always best. Find a contractor that you feel you can communicate with well.
    Finally, remember that construction is incredibly invasive and stressful. Make plans to manage the stress and schedule disruption. It may be especially difficult for your son. It was for my ‘special needs’ children.

  5. We’ve renovated the basement twice (had a flood after the first reno), the kitchen/family room, and two bathrooms. I second the advice to keep a close eye, and to get mistakes fixed while the project is still going on. It’s impossible to get someone to come back for one cracked tile after everything’s wrapped up. Do get recommendations and check references.

    We have a 1944 house. Be prepared for having to bring lots of things up to code, and watch out for potential asbestos and lead paint issues. The good news is, they built houses well back then, so you probably have good bones to work with.

    If you get heated floors, make sure the wires go right to the kick-plate of the cabinets. There’s nothing worse than warm heels and cold toes!

    Finally, the most expensive phrase in the English language is “While we’re at it…”

    Good luck!

  6. I agree with Susan that one can not prepare too much. My stove door protrudes a little and blocks the access to my corner cupboard, which has a fancy insert that I had to remove to use the space. If I had picked out the stove whilst picking out the cupboards, perhaps I would have spotted that and made a better choice or at least not paid for the insert that I can’t use.

    Get your current bathroom fixed so it’s not a rush situation, then start planning.

    You’ve lived there quite awhile so I think it’s safe to say that your ideas about how you’d live with changes are probably valid. I shudder when I read about people who buy homes and immediately renovate them because in my experience you need to live in a place awhile to see if how you use the house matches how you think you’ll use the house.

    Since a home re-do is major I think it’s best not to plan any trips that year. I don’t know about California, but in Maryland skilled workers to do renovations are in short supply. In our case someone quit and another person was hurt and our project was delayed, right into our already planned summer vacation. You need to be there.

    1. We just finished building a new house on a family farm about 2 hours away. I would have been lost without my 3 ring binder full of ideas from magazines. The Houzz website is also helpful but it was easier to pull out my binder to show my builder exactly what I wanted. So much easier than trying to describe it. Finally, have fun and enjoy the process. Sure it’s daunting but the end result is worth it!

  7. I concur with the advice to do the temporary repairs in your bathroom instead of rushing into your bathroom renovation. It could take a number of months to decide what you want to do, find a design professional you want to work with, select all the materials you are going to use, find a contractor you trust, get on his/her schedule, etc. If you are doing both a bathroom and a kitchen, the time you need to plan will be even longer. Consider using a professional kitchen planner.

  8. I also agree that you should not take a trip while this work is underway. There are always questions to answer, work to inspect, etc.

  9. We have a two bedroom 1950’s bungalow to which we have done numerous renovations. I have a friend who swears by the Houzz website, which Chris recommended. But I found that I like hard copy pictures of ideas….the binder idea is great…also in Chris’s comment above. My big problem has always been trying to keep the reality of our house in my head while I shop for fixtures, tile, whatever.. so many things are not suited to a small house.
    Our most major reno was the addition of a sunroom and deck…three weeks of major construction, holes in the ground, cinderblock dust, noise, etc etc. Luckily I was in Europe, visiting friends, for the whole thing!! Hubby supervised and no doubt cursed his bad luck that the only window of free time our constructuon guy had exactly coincided with my already paid for trip! I won’t get away with that ever again!

  10. We have done lots – we owned a 1925 cottage and every week brought a new surprise! Including a dead possum under the house – talk about foul odors. You’ll be fine, though – just keep your cool, make lists, and get referrals for your contractors. Focus on how much you love this house (it is beautiful). xo

  11. Hi, Sue, I haven’t been by to visit for a while – I like your new look!

    When I saw that photo and your caption, I couldn’t believe that is a bathroom! Tres elegante! I love your friend’s quote, and it seems like your pig has just acquired a healthy appetite. I’m sure it will be a lot of frustration, but once you get some upgrades done you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. With your good taste, I’m sure it will be lovely.

    We haven’t done any renovations – we usually just move!

  12. You crack me up! Moon in dilapidation…And yes, I’ve done big renovations, am now doing small ones. My recommendation would be, when in doubt, use Occam’s razor. Simple choices are best.

  13. We did a very modest kitchen reno about 8 years ago–after the cabinets crumbled and fell off the walls. We SHOULD do a bathroom reno (or two bathroom). But we are hesitating because–at age 60/62–we don’t know how much longer we’ll want to live here. I know you are younger but you have talked about moving to NOCAL in retirement. Why not ask a real estate agent to come in and give you ideas of cost effective renos that will help you sell your house when the time comes.

    Much of what you do will be torn out by the next owner (a practice I detest for a lot of reasons), so I think it’s important to figure out what a few years of pleasure would be worth to you.

  14. All above advice is excellent!! 1. Plan, plan, plan 2. Be available, on site, for decision making. 3. Take a lot of photos BEFORE the project, because once it’s finished, you will want to show it off and let others see the “before” and how much better it is! Home renovation is kind of like being pregnant – you kind of forget what it was like and then do it again after a few months! HA HA! 4. Maria Killiam’s services are worth every penny – I think she’s a genius, have used her for phone consults 3 times. 5. Realize that your contractor will be practically living with you…he/she will see you in your bathrobe, hear you discuss/debate with your partner, all sorts of things…I also appreciate that my contractor knew how to text and use email…believe me – some of them DON’T.

  15. PS – YES to the realtor input! Choose every “hard surface” with resale in mind! I’m only 51 and this has been our “mindset” for the last 25 years…email me if you want more advice…I consider myself well versed in home reno…3 old homes in 25 years and still married – and happy!!

  16. A temporary mildew fix I’ve found helpful: in a spray bottle mix a half of a small bottle of lavender oil with rubbing alcohol. Open the window, shake spray bottle to mix, and then spray liberally on mildewed wood or plasterboard. It worked for me in my 140 years old building. As for renovations, check contractor references carefully.

  17. Yes is the answer to all those questions. I had my year old grandson to stay while his older brother was in hospital and the dishwasher and the washing machine broke down. We have been in our house for 14years and things are beginning to look a bit flakey. Something needs to be done next year.

  18. Mildew remediation suggestion, tea tree oil diluted into a water/alcohol base. Spray like crazy. Salvaged a rather disgusting 1985 Airstream trailer with 10 bucks worth of tea tree and a box fan. Took a while, but worth it.
    Ms. Lisa hit it spot on, go with Occam, don’t relocate the plumbing. Chaos will ensue ;))

  19. In addition to all the great suggestions above, I would say…try to have some fun and enjoy the process. Oh, and add 10- 20% to what you think you’ll spend. Once they open the walls and floors, you don’t know what you’ll find.

  20. I was an interior and architectural designer for over 20 years – and happy to answer any questions that come up for you. People have already come up with good suggestions regarding contractors etc. The only thing I’d add, is if possible, do them both at once, as their is a savings to do them together and also to move out to a short term apartment if you can. Kitchen and master bath are big remodels, and way more inconvenient than you might imagine. We just did our kitchen and master bath and didn’t take my own advice – it was doable, but incredibly nerve wracking.

  21. To help keep you organized…I recommend using Evernote. Do you know it? You can copy and save entire pages, or just items, of anything you see on line. Accessible from any device. And you can “share” files with anyone you designate i.e. architect, husband etc. It’s been great for almost every aspect of my life! That’s: https://evernote.com

  22. Count your blessings, Susan. Our most recent home “renovation” was a $15K repair to our septic tank. You can only imagine how the problem was brought to our attention.

  23. Whatever you do, do not sacrifice practicality for design even if your builder/architect is wild about the design. You’re the ones that have to live in the room. This is from the woman who’s (male and non- cooking) kitchen designer insisted that an integrated garbage unit, complete with separate bins for recycling would “work so well under the sink”. It doesn’t. I ended up having to buy an auxiliary designer trash bin that lives beside our kitchen door.

  24. Two major remodeling projects in 3 years on our 1940’s cottage. Wine, a sense of humor, and more wine are needed in abundant supply!

    1. Wow. Just Wow. You were brave to say “I’ll take it”. I love what I can only assume to be a cookie jar on the “after” refrigerator.

  25. We renovated our 13 year old condo before moving into it. We did nothing structural just painted, changed the flooring [hardwood & bedroom carpets], kitchen [upper cabinets & appliances] & bathrooms [countertops & shower enclosure]. To ensure no off-gassing, we chose all “green” products: paint, flooring, wool carpeting, granite countertops. While going green is more expensive, it is healthier. We were delighted with the result. We used a local storefront contractor and the young man who coordinated it all was fabulous. I agree it is best to specify what you want. We were very happy with everything and had no off-gassing. If you wish to email me, I can share specifics of the green products used.

  26. this is late, but worth throwing in there anyway. We have experienced a vague but persistent whiff of sewer-y smell appear after rain has put an end to fairly long dry spell; and when summoned the plumber said that this is normal when conditions change so drastically. He advised being patient and it would go away, which it did after a while. It’s happened twice: once in our bathroom and once in and around our washing machine. I don’t know if this applies to your situation, but hope it helps.

  27. I live in an ’80’s rustic ranch home in the country. We have renovated all four bathrooms in the past 5 years – nothing had been done prior to that. I learned that you don’t have to spend as much money as we did on our first master bath project to get good results. I also think it’s critical to make sure your new bathroom is in keeping with the style and finishes of the rest of the house or it looks like hodgepodge. We kept the doors and molding the same as the rest of the house and made sure everything had at least some common elements with adjacent rooms. In the last projects, we kept the designs simple, simple, simple. I chose one main design feature for the baths and worked with a designer to coordinate everything else – paint, countertops, etc with those features. I had to return many sets of towels and rugs until I got the right colors that worked with everything. And keep just a few well chosen items on the countertops. No clutter and no junk. Some distinctive pottery from a local craftsman in one and glass floats and unique rocks in another – things that I adore that had been tucked away in cabinets for years. .

    It’s well worth doing and creating something that will give you daily pleasure. I have a thrifty friend with a thriftier husband who never updated or upgraded the interior the home they have lived in for 25 years. That is, until they decided to sell it. It was a down real estate market, they had to move, and then had to pour tens of thousands into the home to make it marketable.

  28. We live in a 1909 crafstman and have undertaken two bathroom remodels – one when we moved in due to “part 1” damage, which the lender requires be fixed before funding, and the other because the old hexagonal tile floor was coming up and tripping us. We just kept things minimal and tried to use tile and colors that would have been around when the house was built. In our case that meant white, white and more white. But an all white bathroom always looks clean and spa-like, and you can warm it up with different textures of rugs, white painted wood and fluffy towels.

    So I think if I were you I’d get a couple of picture books of 1940s design and check out the bathrooms. The 1980s remodel a prior owner had tried to do in one of my 1909 bathrooms looked ridiculous by 2003 when we bought the house. Better to stick with something that fits.

  29. In addition to many small renovations (new windows, insulation, cosmetic bathroom remodel, minor kitchen remodel) over the years, my husband and I just completed a two room addition to our 1950 home.

    In addition to what has been said, my biggest advice would be to find a contractor familiar with your area and your type of home. We have two trusted contractors we work with. Both grew up in our neighborhood and knew the bones of our house (one grew up in the exact model). It is helpful to have someone who knows things like where to find vintage doorknobs and can warn you of the issues you may encounter with this type of old house, vs. someone who only works on McMansions and has never dealt with a home built before 1979….

    The contractor’s personality matters as much as the experience. Choose someone who really answers your questions, doesn’t rush you & doesn’t make you feel stupid.

    We interviewed 6 contractors and it was hell, but worth it when we found the right one (kind of like dating!)

    Good luck!

  30. hi–had a similar problem with nauseating smell of sewage emanating from drains–our plumbing guru claims this frequently happens when there’s rain after a dry spell; and that it will resolve itself…unusual idea coming from the rep of a business not known for giving consumers a break…