@katbyter Ha! Although the sinks, toilet and shower in our master bath are long finished and working, the soaking tub (and eventual tile surround) has remained unfinished for our 21 years of occupancy. But I remain optimistic - I plan to retire soon and that project is near the top of my to-do list.
@katbyter I’ve never really been one for baths (thus the lack of motivation on that project), but as I get older a nice soak in a hot tub sounds more attractive. (And as a bonus, the tub is big enough for two! )
Finally finish the ceilings damaged by the hurricane on '04. (Fuck you Ivan!) And replace the mudroom with its termite damaged foundation and leaky flat roof.
/giphy leaky roof
Higher someone to remove all the plaster, and hang sheet rock. Also put in all new insulation and siding. Oh and new floors. The 120 year old house is not aging gracefully. I just don’t want to be around during the process. We’ve done plenty of work on our own and it’s messy and a lot of work.
@remo28 not to mention the dubious wiring behind that plaster!
When we moved into the house we are in now it had
1/4" sheetrock over plaster lathe (no tape or finish)
post and knob wiring
galvanized water pipes
no insulation
old wooden double hung single pane windows (with all the sash weight ropes broken so the windows wouldn’t stay up)
No A/C.
homemade shower we called “the dungeon”
Over the past 30yrs all those issues have been taken care of, house is 80% bigger and there is now a pool in the backyard.
Wish someone had given me the $$ to do all that… It would have been quicker to torch the house and start over…
Redo bathroom in basement and move the clothes washer and dryer to basement, giving me back the linen/utility closet outside the bedroom and bathroom on first floor.
My apartment is two floors, 1st and finished basement. 1st floor is bedroom, bath, kitchen, living/dining room and laundry. The bedroom has a decent sized closet but that is the only closet on the 1st floor. The bathroom is small with no space for anything other than a space-saver shelf over the toilet, which is where towels and the like now live. Things like the vacuum live in the hallway and move to the bedroom when guests come over. The laundry is 4’x5’ and that closet will be well worth the cost of having to carry 5-6 laundry baskets up from the basement each month.
Also, where the washer and dryer are now, the dryer has to be electric. In the basement, it will be gas. The only other gas appliance is the stove and each month I pay for but do not use 50-75 cubic feet of gas (minimum billing is 100 cubic feet). In NYC, gas is a lot less spendy than electricity and switching dryer to gas will save about $100 per year.
Literally the most attractive thing about buying a house for me would be the opportunity to put in a Japanese-style bathroom. Basically a wet room – shower outside the tub (sitting down) and then a deep bathtub. With functional temperature control.
I have the most bizarre bathroom in the basement. I would definitely do that first. If there was a lot of money, I’d also redo the master suite - it’s weirdly fragmented, so there’s a lot of wasted space and the bathroom is way too small.
Our finished basement got unfinished from a flood. We haven’t been able to refinish it, so it’s still a functional basement, but we’d like to redo the floor so it’s not just cement and do a drop ceiling or something. Make it a family/music room. If there was anything left, the second floor of our cape cod is semi-finished and it would be nice to finish it for a guest bedroom.
Sorry if I took the question too seriously.
But if this was a question from a generous benefactor looking to help someone out, PICK ME. Or the person needing a new roof. That’s pretty essential.
First, I’d pay for a rental to live in during renovation. Then I’d do the bathrooms and kitchen, refinish the hardwood floors, and get rid of the ghastly textured paint in the living room. Oh, and finish the basement. I hope that bunch of money is a large bunch.
New carport, finish out the garage which is now a bedroom, and enclose the patio for a nice game/family room… Oh, and of course a new patio or deck next to the old one.
we rent, and don’t have much in savings so it would be tempting to use it on Other Stuff like a dentist visit, a car tuneup, and then socking the rest away.
but if it had to be used for Home Stuff, i think my first order of business would be a tie between getting a washer & dryer, and replacing the old disgusting carpet that runs through the kitchen and bathroom that my landlord “can’t afford” to replace. if there was anything leftover after that i’d get a new fridge, a really nice exhaust for the stove somehow, and a new counter/cabinet block (only about 2x4") and replace the upper cabinets with a shelf & backsplash after having the stucco scraped off the walls.
the last cool thing i’d do to this place would be to change the bedroom window to a door and have that roof space under the window become a deck.
There’s a whole bunch of empty space above the garage next to my master bedroom. I’d love to move my closet up there and make a small laundry room in that space. Then I can knock down the wall between my master closet and master bathroom. I’d completely remodel that with an oversized soaker tub, corner shower and a duel sink vanity. Then to the kitchen. I’d knock down the wall between the kitchen and stupidly large laundry room, move fridge over so it’s against the exterior wall, add a plumbed coffee bar where the fridge is, and put an island with gas range in the hole created with the laundry room gone. Napkin math is right around $85k improvements on my $300k home.
Not home renovation, probably.
Addition of a large game room for my husband and his geeky friends.
Tear out some walls for a open concept look.
@davea510 so you can use a sledgehammer? Apparently that’s why the rest of us are stuck with open floor plans.
https://archinect.com/news/article/150177514/hgtv-dons-open-floor-plans-to-attract-sledgehammer-happy-male-viewers
@katbyter lol my sledgehammer days are way behind me. Nice post
Pool in the back yard
Finish the master bedroom / bathroom that has remained unfinished for ten years.
@katbyter yep remodel master bath here.
@katbyter Ha! Although the sinks, toilet and shower in our master bath are long finished and working, the soaking tub (and eventual tile surround) has remained unfinished for our 21 years of occupancy. But I remain optimistic - I plan to retire soon and that project is near the top of my to-do list.
@macromeh funny ours is the exact opposite. The useless soak tub got done first. Never been used. But no shower, toilet, or sink. I’ll trade you!
@katbyter I’ve never really been one for baths (thus the lack of motivation on that project), but as I get older a nice soak in a hot tub sounds more attractive. (And as a bonus, the tub is big enough for two!
)
Adding a second bathroom.
Finally finish the ceilings damaged by the hurricane on '04. (Fuck you Ivan!) And replace the mudroom with its termite damaged foundation and leaky flat roof.
/giphy leaky roof
A second bathroom!!
Higher someone to remove all the plaster, and hang sheet rock. Also put in all new insulation and siding. Oh and new floors. The 120 year old house is not aging gracefully. I just don’t want to be around during the process. We’ve done plenty of work on our own and it’s messy and a lot of work.
@remo28 not to mention the dubious wiring behind that plaster!
When we moved into the house we are in now it had
1/4" sheetrock over plaster lathe (no tape or finish)
post and knob wiring
galvanized water pipes
no insulation
old wooden double hung single pane windows (with all the sash weight ropes broken so the windows wouldn’t stay up)
No A/C.
homemade shower we called “the dungeon”
Over the past 30yrs all those issues have been taken care of, house is 80% bigger and there is now a pool in the backyard.
Wish someone had given me the $$ to do all that… It would have been quicker to torch the house and start over…
I want my mega-garage-workshop. But we’ll settle for kitchen and bath reno and whole house repaint to make this place saleable when we move-retire.
Enlarge the master bedroom to include two walk-in closets and a full bath with a walk-in shower.
Redo bathroom in basement and move the clothes washer and dryer to basement, giving me back the linen/utility closet outside the bedroom and bathroom on first floor.
@baqui63 you’d move your washer away from your bedroom? I wish my washer was closer!
@RiotDemon Yes, I would.
My apartment is two floors, 1st and finished basement. 1st floor is bedroom, bath, kitchen, living/dining room and laundry. The bedroom has a decent sized closet but that is the only closet on the 1st floor. The bathroom is small with no space for anything other than a space-saver shelf over the toilet, which is where towels and the like now live. Things like the vacuum live in the hallway and move to the bedroom when guests come over. The laundry is 4’x5’ and that closet will be well worth the cost of having to carry 5-6 laundry baskets up from the basement each month.
Also, where the washer and dryer are now, the dryer has to be electric. In the basement, it will be gas. The only other gas appliance is the stove and each month I pay for but do not use 50-75 cubic feet of gas (minimum billing is 100 cubic feet). In NYC, gas is a lot less spendy than electricity and switching dryer to gas will save about $100 per year.
Fragment room.
A trip to Germany.
New fencing, esp nice tall privacy fencing! Spouse has nixed razorwire on top, though.
@Clumber but the guard towers are still on, right?
@Clumber Plant pyracantha, nature’s razor wire.
@Clumber You might need gun turrets to shoot down drones if you want privacy.
I’d gut and reno the bathroom and kitchen. And maybe get some new carpeting in the rest of the place as well.
Literally the most attractive thing about buying a house for me would be the opportunity to put in a Japanese-style bathroom. Basically a wet room – shower outside the tub (sitting down) and then a deep bathtub. With functional temperature control.
Bathrooms, natch.
Living room: Paint, carpet, new front doors.
Most of my house is new since we bought it, but it would be great to have a modern water heater and a furnace that’s younger than I am.
I have the most bizarre bathroom in the basement. I would definitely do that first. If there was a lot of money, I’d also redo the master suite - it’s weirdly fragmented, so there’s a lot of wasted space and the bathroom is way too small.
Our finished basement got unfinished from a flood. We haven’t been able to refinish it, so it’s still a functional basement, but we’d like to redo the floor so it’s not just cement and do a drop ceiling or something. Make it a family/music room. If there was anything left, the second floor of our cape cod is semi-finished and it would be nice to finish it for a guest bedroom.
Sorry if I took the question too seriously.
But if this was a question from a generous benefactor looking to help someone out, PICK ME. Or the person needing a new roof. That’s pretty essential.
First, I’d pay for a rental to live in during renovation. Then I’d do the bathrooms and kitchen, refinish the hardwood floors, and get rid of the ghastly textured paint in the living room. Oh, and finish the basement. I hope that bunch of money is a large bunch.
Washington or Maine would be nice!
Solar.
New carport, finish out the garage which is now a bedroom, and enclose the patio for a nice game/family room… Oh, and of course a new patio or deck next to the old one.
Finished basement
Replace carpet with hardwood, revamp bathrooms, replace all cabinets, repaint, build screened patio.
we rent, and don’t have much in savings so it would be tempting to use it on Other Stuff like a dentist visit, a car tuneup, and then socking the rest away.
but if it had to be used for Home Stuff, i think my first order of business would be a tie between getting a washer & dryer, and replacing the old disgusting carpet that runs through the kitchen and bathroom that my landlord “can’t afford” to replace. if there was anything leftover after that i’d get a new fridge, a really nice exhaust for the stove somehow, and a new counter/cabinet block (only about 2x4") and replace the upper cabinets with a shelf & backsplash after having the stucco scraped off the walls.
the last cool thing i’d do to this place would be to change the bedroom window to a door and have that roof space under the window become a deck.
Bathrooms need to desperately be redone.
Turn my 2 room apartment to something bigger.
buy a new guitar probably
bulldozer and start over
There’s a whole bunch of empty space above the garage next to my master bedroom. I’d love to move my closet up there and make a small laundry room in that space. Then I can knock down the wall between my master closet and master bathroom. I’d completely remodel that with an oversized soaker tub, corner shower and a duel sink vanity. Then to the kitchen. I’d knock down the wall between the kitchen and stupidly large laundry room, move fridge over so it’s against the exterior wall, add a plumbed coffee bar where the fridge is, and put an island with gas range in the hole created with the laundry room gone. Napkin math is right around $85k improvements on my $300k home.
The problem is, you buy a house. You gut it and fix it up. Then, suddenly, it is 30 something years later and you need to do it all again!
New roof and solar panels would be nice.
New windows and solar panels.
Move!
Move away where I can’t suffer another cat 5 hurricane!
I would spend it in a bunch of stuff I don’t need from meh?