"PB2" wrote in message
...
Our family is in the process of buying our first house and wanted to
ask a few questions about doing renovations. This is the first time
we've owned a house, so we know nothing about renovations - who to
hire, how to do them, how to plan timing, etc. - so we wanted to ask
a few questions on this group regarding it.

The house is in fairly good shape - it's 25 years old and has been
reasonably well maintained. We don't anticipate having to do any major
structural changes. What we do want to do is 1) renovate the kitchen
2) renovate two bathrooms 3) replace wallpaper with paint throughout
the house and 4) refinish the hardwood floors. We'd like to do all
this before we move in. This is a 2500 sq ft 3BR house in the suburbs
of Boston.


*Why don't you just buy a house with everything updated already. Even if you
pay more money it will be worth it compared to work, stress, aggravation and
addtional cost of doing a major remodel with a deadline.



A few questions that I'd love to pose to the group:

1) I know there are general contractors and contractors. What are the
advantages/disadvantages of choosing one over the other, given the
amount of work we need done? We don't have any experience doing home
repair work, we'd like to do the work done quickly so we're not paying
both rent/mortgage simultaneously, and we'd like the work to be high
quality. The data points I have indicate we'd be better off with a GC,
but I don't have a sense for the premium that involves.


*Call as many contractors as you can find. The process of elimination
begins when they don't return phone calls. You will pay more to have the
work done quickly and with high quality.



2) When should I be doing when to expedite this? We just agreed on a
price and the inspection will be early next week. The closing is
planned for 11/12. Should I ask if I can get contractors in before
closing to get estimates? Is that reasonable to ask from a seller? Any
other recommendations for what I can do to get the work done as
quickly as possible?


*Start now. Go to the home inspection and take pictures and get
measurements and draw a floor plan of the existing space. You can ask the
current owner if it would be all right to bring contractors. It's up to
them if they will allow it. See if you can get the paperwork started at town
hall for the permits; Plumbing, electrical, building, HVAC. Get a kitchen
design detail made as soon as possible. Start looking at cabinets, paint
colors, countertops, appliances, bath fixtures, faucets, flooring materials,
light fixtures, moldings, etc.



3) How do I go about finding a good people to do the work? I've e-
mailed friends that I know that have had work done in the area and I'm
hoping to get suggestions. But are there other resources I can
leverage? Do any of you know good people to do work? in the Boston
area



*People who have used contractors before are usually a good place to start.
You could also check advertisments in local papers and magazines. Ask
around at lumber yards and design showrooms.



4) Do I need an architect? I may want to move the stove to where the
refrigerator is (it's on the counter between the kitchen and the
breakfast area, which means no backsplash) and the refrigerator over
to where the oven/microwave is, but aside from that I don't anticipate
making any changes. We're willing spend some money and get relatively
high end materials / appliances / fixtures, etc, but don't need
something super stylish / fancy.


*You could use an architect but unless something is going to change
structurally such as moving a bearing wall you may not need one. There are
contractors that do design/build. You could consider one of these.



5) Are there any websites with simple tutorials about this stuff?



*Don't expect to learn about major remodeling from reading a few pages on
the internet. Every project is unique and comes with its own set of issues
and challenges. I'm thinking that you are looking at spending
$50,000-$100,000 dollars to do all of the work mentioned above not to
mention a timeframe of 3-6 months.