Ideas for Remodeling a house on a very tight budget?
+4
I'm currently remodeling a house that was built around the late 1930's early 40's. I have a very tight budget to work with and I also have a full time job. My fiance and I are doing most of the remodeling ourselves.
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
How fun! What specifically do you need help with? Savvy shopping to obtain your supplies really helps. Habitat restores are a great place to start, along with salvage yards. My suggestion is to bring electrical up to code if it has not yet been done. That is a big ticket item and best done by a licensed professional for insurance and safety purposes. Do you want to go room by room or have several projects going at the same time? Everyone's comfort level during renovation is different.
Karin, what specifically are you asking?
Yes...your comment or question was cut off. Can you repost?
It is tough to renovate a home on a small budget and only weekends. I would focus on one room at a time and accept that it's going to take a while to get it all done. I would scour thrift stores and Restore facilities for supplies that would work for you as well as clearance sales at your local building centers. Do a lot of research when you are not sure how to do some of the restoration yourself. You can do a lot yourself if you are confident in your skills BUT there are some things that are better left to professionals. Yes it might cost you more but it gets done right and probably will take less time than if you did it yourself. I have learned a lot over the years remodeling my own home as a DIYer but you have to come up with a plan that fits your needs.
This is where we were (except married) almost 50 years ago. It seems really daunting but it does start coming together. Our house was not only old but trashed, But good bones! We had overgrown bushes in the front and bittersweet growing on the porches. First thing we did was remove those (a/c free!) It will go slow, get rid of all debris as you go along, Make things neat, they will look better even if not fixed yet. Clean house thoroughly (if it wasn't left clean) do basics first. Do room that is either easiest to do or that bugs you the most. white paint is cheaper than colored. Give yourselves time to become acclimated to house before doing anything real structural. Be cautious in choosing "open concept" that concept will not last forever! Ditto anything that says 2nd decade of 21st century! Don't lock yourselves in! If you have specific questions I would love to advise!