In article , Cathy Kearns says...


"Banty" wrote in message
...
In article , Ric Shaw says...

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

Yes to all of the above. But one would have to buy new construction,
probably
custom, to get there without the reno, no? Or at least be happy with most
everything out there.

Banty points out what to me is the biggest pitfall of not renovating. You
need to be happy with the house someone else designed and built. Despite
the mess and headaches that come with remodeling, I have definite wants and
needs in my home, and am willing to put up with messes and headaches to get
those. No matter what house I buy, I'm going to have to customize it. So I
buy for location, and a basic floorplan I can work around, and go from
there. We've remodeled our past house twice, and our present house twice in
the 12 years we've lived here. Right now there is nothing else I'd need, so
it's fine. (And I keep saying this is our last house.) But I know, in the
future, there will be some function that I can't forsee that I'll want to
add, and the construction guys will be back.

That said, I wouldn't over customize a home (or make it the fanciest in the
neighborhood) unless I have plans to live there at least 20 years. The OP's
description of the neighborhood would give me pause. That, and I can't
imagine any major remodel costing less than the price of her home. But then
again, I live in the SF bay area.

Yep.

Well, you have to be flexible either way. If you're inflexible about a reno,
the glitches will drive you crazy. But you have to be flexible to like a house
without reno, too.

I'm (slowly) renovating the little ranch house I bought nearly 12 years ago.
Now, twelve years ago, I was a single mom of a baby, and was NOT going to move
any walls (though some refurbishment was OK with me), and bought for floor plan,
price, condition, and location. And a kitchen with LOTS of storage space, and
perfectly servicable (though old) appliances. Very happy with it - no reno. I
didn't have the energy, time, knowledge, or money to renovate or even think
about how the house would work better for us if it were set up differently.

NOW, we're two big people in the house, crashing (literally) into some layout
problems in the over-built kitchen (previous owners had added a lot of cabinets,
small people, and made a couple of bottlenecks doing it), the appliances are
reaching the half-century mark and failing, I have more time and energy, and a
higher salary, and more 'mindspace' to have a vision for the house. Things like
rooms on the bottom floor set up specifically for hobby spaces.

But no reason to actually change location, or need more actual living space.
And just about all new construction around here is hideously big, or I'd need to
buy a plot and get a custom, 1500 - 2000 sq.ft. house built. People *do* do
that around here, but that's especially costly per square foot.

So, the renovations started.

Banty