Ric Shaw wrote:
Depends a lot on your temperment. I would NEVER consider undergoing major
renovations on a home. Wouldn't want to put up with the mess and the
timespan to complete the renovations, which always seems to extend long
beyond the estimate given by the contractor before he/she started the job.
Dealing with renovation contractors is a potential minefield of problems and
costly extras that weren't included in the estimate. In renovation work,
the contractor can run into time-consuming and expensive problems that
weren't evident before starting the work and will expect to be paid for the
additional time and materials required to solve the problems. Life during a
renovation project can be a nightmare. I would never consider exposing
myself to the uncertainties or major renovations. I would sell a home I
wasn't happy with in a heartbeat and buy one that had the amenities I
valued.
FWIW Ric

Not to mention if you just pick the wrong contractor.......we remodled
our home two years ago and hired a general contractor who had done some
work for us in the past on an older home. While we liked him a lot,
turns out he was unable to manage a big project (very little project
management skills). We ended up coordinating the activities of his
sub-contractors just because he was so inept. We were just glad to
get it finished.