Where to start on a remodel?

Question

Hey guys I am a new investor with one property. I'm looking at purchasing a distressed home and fixing it up. My W2 job driving a school bus so I have about 5 hours in the middle of my day free and want to do a lot of the rehab myself. I can do most small jobs but have never taken on a project as big as this. I know the roof needs to be replaced first, but after that, I am not sure where to start on a project this big. I'll list some of the things below that need fixed, what order would you guys tackle it in? Or does anything stand out where you think it should be fixed asap? Thank you!

The upstairs needs paint on all the walls, new flooring, a complete bathroom remodel, ceiling has some spots of water damage, a few windows need to be replaced, and an updated kitchen.

The basement needs some waterproofing, framed-out rooms need drywall, mold needs to be cleaned (no gutters on the house and has been vacant for 2 years), spiral staircase needs replaced.

The outside has asbestos shingling (I can put siding over it in my area) Roof needs to be replaced, and the yard needs a little work.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

@Malcomb Stapel has given you a pretty good list regarding the order in which to approach this. But I gotta say in all honesty, that you are not getting that all done for $20-25k, I don't care where you live.

Have you even gotten a estimate for the roof yet? I don't know how many SF the place is, but you're gonna be at $10k for the roof, especially since you will be replacing a lot of the wood up there (since you've had a leak for a while)

A bath remodel is at least $5k, kitchen $15k, flooring and paint $5-10k, etc..... see, you're already over budget (although I am obviously just guessing from afar :-)

I'd go find a SOW and fill it in for each property you consider before you make an offer.....

Malcomb Stapel · Answer

@JonPaul Kessinger hopefully this helps. Below I have listed a typical time frame/order of events per the information in your first post.

1. New roof (don't want your new work getting ruined by water damage)

2. Mold remidiation (don't want to work in there with that stuff floating around)

3. Any demolition that needs done (you will want a roll off dumpster, and depending on your rental terms and your roofers that may be step 0 for you)

4. Anything requiring penetrations, moving electrical, moving plumbing, HVAC, wiring up of overhead lights and extra outlets, etc.

5. Sheetrock repair, replacement,hanging

6. Priming and initial paint job (it goes wayyyyyyyy faster if the floors aren't in yet.

7. Floors

8. Cabinets, fixtures and trim out (personally I like buying pre finished trim from menards then using the matching paint to do touch ups)

9. Final paint job (caulking trim, touch up trim, touch up walls)

10. Final assembly ( door knobs, outlet covers, vent covers, appliances, faucets, all the tedious bits)

Greg R. · Answer

This doesn't sound like a DYI job - at all. I strongly recommend you find an honest contractor who can help you figure all this out. There's likely even more that will need repair that you haven't yet figured out.

Andrew Postell · Answer

@JonPaul Kessinger we really do want to help on this website...but what if our help is to prevent you from doing something terrible?  Would you listen?  Would you believe us?  I have purchased many a property from investors that thought they could tackle a job...and they couldn't.  And by the time they learned this it was too late and they had to sell at a big loss.  I would mirror the comment above - if you are asking for guidance on a job this big that should be a hint.  Take it and get some help from contractors on this project please.  That's the best advice I can give.

Eliott Elias · Answer

Start from the ground up, foundation/electric/roof/plumbing. Everything that is messy and can be destructive with without causing too much damage

Pam Brown · Answer

Professional mold remediation is expensive too.  And you will have to disclose that when you go to sell the property.

Agreed that this sounds far more than 25k total even with you doing some of the work.

Good luck and let us know how it goes or if you bail on buying this one

JonPaul Kessinger · Answer

I have got one on the roof. My uncle who owns a roofing company is cutting me a deal on the labor and my brother works at 84 lumber so I'm getting a deal on materials. His rough estimate is 7K for a metal roof. Thankfully the roof hasn't been leaking for too long and isn't drooping anywhere. The cabinets in the kitchen need to be painted but other than that are in good shape, need appliances, floor, and paint on the walls. The drywall in the bathroom is in good shape but needs a new shower, toilet, and vanity.

JonPaul Kessinger · Answer

@Andrew Postell @Greg R. I also want you guys to know that I appreciate both of your honesty, I come to this website to get good advice, not to hear what I think I want to hear.

JonPaul Kessinger · Answer

I guess my question is as I'm contracting the bigger things out and doing the smaller ones myself is there a rule of thumb for the order of fixing things? My understanding is work from the top down, so ceiling walls and then floors. Or when is the best time to put HVAC in the house or does it matter? It's a 1500 SQFT house and the partly finished basement" has some wood paneling on the walls and lament flooring." the basement is another 1500 SQFT. (I live in southern WV and that's why the prices are cheaper.

JonPaul Kessinger · Answer

Thank you guys for the advice, I may have miscommunicated what I was planning. I will definitely have contractors do the major project like roof and mold removal. I have family that owns a roofing company and a close friend who is an electrician. I was planning on painting, drywall work, flooring, and other minor things myself. I was wanting to hire other contractors for the bigger jobs that are out of my wheelhouse. The house is posted at 33k, I was thinking about offering 25k (my realtor thinks they will take it because the family of the man who passed away owns it and wants to get rid of it.) The comps in my area for a house that size is about 85-95K. I have a 20-25K budget for rehab. I am wanting to avoid hiring a general contractor and do that part myself.

If that doesn't change anything and you guys still agree it may be too big of a job for me I will defiently listen. I would rather "lose money" from passing on the house than really lose money by buying it and being way over my head. @Greg R. @Andrew Postell

Where to start on a remodel?

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