New to Real Estate · Rocheseter, NY · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 14 votes
Hello All,
I just closed on my first property, a SFH in Rochester NY, and I am looking to put in some sweat equity during the 12-month primary residence period before I turn around and rent.
One reason I bought this home was that there is roughed in piping in the basement for a bathroom. A nice opportunity to improve the property. I'm very interested in doing this type of stuff myself, not really related to saving but because I am interested in learning.
I am generally handy and an engineer by profession but have never taken on a job of this magnitude.
1. What is your opinion of something like this as a starter project? Am I getting in over my head? 2. Are there any specific things that I should definitely have a professional look at before starting and/or have a professional help me out with? 3. Obviously I know how to Google around, but if anyone has a very trusted informational resource to help me out that would be great.
Investor · Allen, TX · Member since 2016 · 104 posts · 37 votes
5y
@Gregory Pitts if I were you I'd go for it. I'm a hands-on engineer too and that's how I started out my first flip, as a house hack. And learned so much. There's a book called Home Improvement 1-2-3 by Home Depot that is fantastic, saved me a lot of confusion.
Also, a strategy I used was to 1st get my vocabulary right (by reading the book and youtube, google, etc) then call contractors and ask them what they think, and finally, if I thought it was fine for me to do, then I'd go ahead, else I'd just bite the bullet and give to the contractors.
Now I say "go for it" because I now understand that every problem is solvable and hitting a few obstacles and solving them builds confidence. You certainly will make mistakes, but getting past the initial obstacles will open up a whole new avenue for income, meeting people, being motivated, thinking big, etc, etc...
Rental Property Investor · Concord, GA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
5y
I'd get an experienced builder/contractor/plumber to help lay out the bathroom. Once you know where everything needs to go, you can probably do the work yourself. Some common mistakes I see are people forgetting about wall thickness for toilet rough out dimensions, etc.
New to Real Estate · Rocheseter, NY · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 14 votes
5y
Hey thanks John, that's great advice, exactly the type I'm looking for. I'm definitely not scared of the labor but there's probably too much that I don't know about the things like the lay out.
Investor · Allen, TX · Member since 2016 · 104 posts · 37 votes
5y
@Gregory Pitts if I were you I'd go for it. I'm a hands-on engineer too and that's how I started out my first flip, as a house hack. And learned so much. There's a book called Home Improvement 1-2-3 by Home Depot that is fantastic, saved me a lot of confusion.
Also, a strategy I used was to 1st get my vocabulary right (by reading the book and youtube, google, etc) then call contractors and ask them what they think, and finally, if I thought it was fine for me to do, then I'd go ahead, else I'd just bite the bullet and give to the contractors.
Now I say "go for it" because I now understand that every problem is solvable and hitting a few obstacles and solving them builds confidence. You certainly will make mistakes, but getting past the initial obstacles will open up a whole new avenue for income, meeting people, being motivated, thinking big, etc, etc...
Investor · Allen, TX · Member since 2016 · 104 posts · 37 votes
5y
Also, for plumbing, here are a few items that can help you: look up sharkbite connectors and pex pipes. You can go from copper to pex very easily and pex pipes are just so easy to work with. And a compact copper tube cutter for cutting copper pipes. I almost never call a plumber now.
New to Real Estate · Rocheseter, NY · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 14 votes
5y
@Milind Shastri Thanks for the encouragement! I love your progression of YouTube -> Constractors -> decision. Google already exposed me to Sharkbite, it knows me better than I know myself. But I'll definitely research it more now due to your recommendation.
This is the thread I needed today. I have been using my own home as a guinea pig for the last year or so to work with contractors and also the diy aspect of things. I have been considering updating 2 of my bathrooms myself and have been going back and forth with my confidence on it. This solidifies it for me. Gonna get my hands real dirty lol. Thank you!
New to Real Estate · Rocheseter, NY · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 14 votes
5y
Awesome Keith, let me know if you have any major learnings. I won't be starting mine for a couple month, since I haven't moved in yet. My big one is that the bathroom is in the basement, so the first thing is to figure out if i need to pump the sewage against gravity :(
Contractor · Coachella Valley, CA · Member since 2017 · 252 posts · 176 votes
5y
If you're willing to do the work yourself and learn a tremendous amount along the way, here is my advice.
Have plans! Get the project fully engineered and drawn by an architect for submittal to the city. Get city approval. There's nothing worse than doing a project of this magnitude to only find out it hurts your resale value afterward... Even if it was done correctly.
Once you have approval, register the project as an "owner-builder" as far as permits are concerned (you will need multiple permits ie. framing, electrical, plumbing, mechanical ect). Local Building & Safety Departments will be familiar with this term.
Keep in mind this is a MAJOR project. I would highly recommend having a team of professionals behind you in the event it turns out to be too much for you to handle on your own. Being handy is one thing, being an expert in your trade is another.
@Milind Shastri Thanks for the encouragement! I love your progression of YouTube -> Constractors -> decision. Google already exposed me to Sharkbite, it knows me better than I know myself. But I'll definitely research it more now due to your recommendation.
I'd say more like: (1-2-3 book + YouTube)* 2 to ~20 hours --> sketch out my plan --> (talk with at least 3 contractors. progressively improve vocabulary & understanding & refine plan) --> decision.
Also, a lot of contracting work is commonly split as rough and finish. For example, rough plumbing & finish plumbing. You can always pick one and contract the other. Start with a small section, say changing a sink drain's p-trap OR replacing a toilet commode, and slowly & progressively taking on bigger sections of work.
I will also say that things have almost always taken me 2-3x longer than I planned, but the learning from putting in the sweat has been uncomparable and helped me scale up in the last 3 years. I contract out most work now, but I know every single detail of what work is being done and how much effort($) it really is.
Rental Property Investor · IL · Member since 2015 · 165 posts · 107 votes
5y
If you have the time and the right tools, there is no reason you can't do this yourself. The absolute best resource for this is Youtube videos by Jeff Thorman - Home RenoVision. He was a guest on the podcast not too long ago. I did a bathroom in my primary residence as well; took my time, watched, rewatched and rewatched videos again (as I was doing the work) and was thrilled with the outcome. Would love to see before and after pics if you take it on!
Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2020 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
5y
@Gregory Pitts, personally, if it is roughed in already, it is not that hard. Is this a full bath or half? The things I have never done are connecting a floor drain to a shower pan or tub, if it is a full or 3/4. But setting toilets, connecting flexible water lines and even installing shut off valves, if not there, is fairly simple.
I also hate drywall, and it is definitely an art. A DIYer can do it, but for me, I always hire that out.
New to Real Estate · Rocheseter, NY · Member since 2018 · 11 posts · 14 votes
5y
Wow, I was gone for a minute and all these awesome replies! @Russell W. I'll check out the YouTube channel, and definitely plan to take before/after pictures. Thinking about that gets me jazzed for the job.
@Evan Polaski I haven't decided a full vs. half yet. Ideally like a full but I think this is a area worth researching for me because I have little understanding in the difference in the amount of work. One thing that concerns me (before any research) about a full is the humidity, seems like we would need to install some kind of fan which adds complications in my eyes because you're all the sudden touching a different part of the house (I think).
@Jim K. Thanks :). One reason I bid aggressively on this place was because I saw it was roughed in and that felt like a doable way to add value to the property.