Contractor · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 20 posts · 0 votes
Hi! I'm going to get an old St. Louis City brick house under contract this week. The only problem with it is that the kitchen had a grease fire. There was no structural damage. The entire house smells like smoke, and there is a layer of smoke on the surface of everything in the kitchen and rooms adjacent to the kitchen.
I am hoping I can prime paint the walls, replace the floors, and rehab the kitchen. Purchase price is 11k. Rehab cost is around 10k. Rent is 950/month. What surprises might I encounter?
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
Electrical here is usually a complete rewire. I did a rewire for an office because the adjoining kitchen caught fire & it was a black mess. But they simply installed new drywall over the old walls to cover it.
A new 400amp service was installed by the Insurance carrier but all the wiring from the old removed panel was deemed scrap by the bldg inspector, in fact a lot of it had been cut randomly by the fire dept., inside broken opened walls & above the suspended ceiling panels. Big job!!!
I would think of electrical as well. Many of the homes in St. Louis City, if they haven't been renovated in the last 20/30 years is likely still knob and tube wiring. Which is already an issue. With the fir damage, I would be ready to replace all of it.
Not to dissuade you from this deal, but at 11k, I would imagine there are many other issues. This is not exactly a turn-key operation. Investigate the other big-ticket items, roof, brick load-bearing walls, foundation.
Contractor · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 20 posts · 0 votes
6y
@Aaron Schump
I looked at it a few times. There is a big retaining wall that looks fine. The beam in the basement looks fine. The electrical looks updated but not permitted. I'm trying to get ahold of someone in city hall who can give me an opinion. The seller is cooperative.