Move-In Ready VS. Remodeling

I've been thinking about this question a lot lately.  Is it better to buy new (or move-in ready) or buy a home that needs some TLC?  Maybe I've been thinking about it because of the growing to-do list we have.  

We chose to buy and remodel.  Honestly, sometimes we kick ourselves.  Why didn't we just build? Even though we did have an inspection done before we bought the home, and were satisfied with his findings, we have had a lot of surprises in the year and a half we have lived here. 

I guess that is to be expected when you buy a fifty year old house. It is ironic that the very things that the inspector said were fine for a few more years are the very things that have given us some trouble. (Like our roof leaking, our air conditioner unit going out, and our laundry room flooding. And all that within a couple of months of each other.)  

While we have things patched and holding (for now), we have been trying to save for these rather large repairs.  We never expected we would have to do these things within the first year and a half of living here, much less all at one time. 

But, even with those things looming over our heads, I'm still of the opinion that putting some sweat equity into a tired home is the way to go. For us. For now.  I mean, that is why we bought our home in the first place....to be able to build equity while putting our own stamp on it. 

We looked at a lot of homes before we bought this one. A lot.  In our small town, there are slim pickings in the first place.  Couple that with budget and location, and you have a difficult situation.  The elusive perfect home doesn't exist. And for me, homes that were "move-in ready" in our price range still seemed really outdated to me.  Even in the nicer neighborhoods.  So, we were stuck with the choice of building new, buying in the upper end of our price range for a move-in ready home and be stuck with not being able to upgrade as we wanted, or find a fixer and go for it. 

 Let me lay out the reasons we finally decided to purchase this home. And maybe this will help a little if you are in the market yourself. 

1.  This home had a great price for the square footage. (Price of home divided by square footage gives your price per square foot.) 
2.  The location and the large lot size. (neither are something you can change.)
3.  We saw the potential this home possessed....even if that potential isn't reached for years. 
4.  The price would allow for us to make upgrades to the home to our taste. 
5. Building equity through DIY improvement is very appealing to us. (We did that with our first home.  We slowly upgraded cosmetic things in the seven years we were there, and came out better for it in the end.)

If you can walk into an outdated home, see the potential, and have the skills to get it to that potential (or have the money to hire someone who does), I say buy a fixer.  If none of those things are true about you, you may be better off buying a move-in ready home where you don't have to worry about those things.  

I don't think I could purchase a home without wanting to put my own stamp on it in a big way.  Buying a fixer was best for us at the time.  If we ever move again, I'm pretty sure my hubby wants to build. But I can get my hands dirty with that, too, so I'm game. 

Let me share with you a couple of things we have learned so far. 

1. Get an inspection.  Don't buy a fixer without one.  
2. Plan for the unexpected.  This is especially true if you are buying an older home.  Surprises happen, things will need to be repaired before you expect. 
3. Paint goes a long way.  It is probably the most inexpensive way to update a room.  It really does make a huge difference in making a room look fresh. 
4. Take it one step at a time.  Get a plan.  I'm talking to myself here.  I tend to get so overwhelmed with all that I need and want to do to our home, that I get immobilized and don't know where to start.  Put it on paper.  Make a list, then get the satisfaction of checking things off. That always helps me. 

What have been your experiences with building, buying move-in ready, or remodeling?  What have you learned along the way?  Leave a comment!  I'd love to hear from you!

Kitchen Before and After

When I first walked into my home, I looked around and fell in love with the potential I saw she possessed.  She had a lot going for her; large yard, ample living space, wonderful neighbors, and a beautiful view out back.  But to see that potential, you had to look past a few things---a yard overgrown and completely taking over, a house full of furniture and curiosities and clutter, and a list of to dos that we knew wouldn't diminish any time soon.

But when I walked through those doors, I knew she was the one for us.  And she let me know while I was there that first day, that she wanted a makeover.  And I couldn't wait to give her one!

Fast forward three months after all the inspections and documents and legal mumbo jumbo and we were ready to begin our little home improvement journey.  What was first up on the list?  The kitchen!

We only had a two week time frame to get the kitchen demo'd and to move in so we consulted with a local cabinet shop, S & H Cabinets, to do the work in our kitchen.  I couldn't wait to open the wall up between the kitchen and the living room.  I pictured an breakfast bar where K and A could have snacks or sit and do their homework and tell me about their day while I cooked supper.  S & H did an amazing job of taking our ideas and bringing them to fruition.  

This was a built in desk.  The kitchen had no pantry so we decided to take it out and put in a built in pantry.

This is the butler's pantry tucked in the side of the kitchen.

This is a view from the living room looking into the kitchen to the desk area. The built in china cabinet to the right is actually in the living room. That little wall there is where the kitchen and living room divide.

Looking into the kitchen from the living room.  Just a small pass through.  Notice there was also carpet in the living room and a gas wall heater.  We knew the carpet and heater had to go once there was a breakfast bar there.

And the Afters

Here's a breakdown of the Kitchen Renovation:

-Removed upper cabinets and soffits above the sink

-Removed built in desk and added new built in pantry.

-Removed bottom cabinet where stove was to make way for new range. Added new cabinets to flank stove. 

-Removed wall oven and modified opening to fit microwave and a new deep drawer.

-Ran new electric for pendant lights from the previous light that was above the sink.

-New doors for built-in china cabinet so it would match kitchen cabinets.

-Raise wall opening to make room for the new fridge.

-Remove old upper cabinets in butler pantry and add open shelves.

-Painted old cabinets and new cabinets.

-Added subway tile backsplash

-Added open shelves flanking new opening to living room.

Still to do:

-Hang wall art

-Replace florescent ceiling lights

-Add a rug

Whew!  I was so glad when it was done!  It took a little longer than we planned and it wasn't fun living in a demo zone, but it was so worth it in the end!  

I hope I covered everything.  If you have any questions, just comment below!