Buying our first house

[Laurel]

Hwmbo and I finally bit the bullet and wrote an offer on saturday afternoon for our first house.

It's certainly a fixer-upper. It's a ranch home built in 1973 that appears to be nearly all original, with the exception of the dishwasher, refrigerator and carpet.

We're planning on redoing both of the bathrooms, scraping down the (glittery) popcorn ceiling, completely redoing the kitchen and replacing the carpet in the living area with prefinished hardwood floors. And of course lots of landscaping.

The inspection is this afternoon. Here's hoping there are no problems!

 

[Soulive]

Congrats and good luck with the bathroom/kitchen remodeling! Its hell, but you'll be glad once its done...

 

[Jester369]

Good luck!

 

[shecky]

Good luck. There's nothing like home ownership to both heighten your sense of pride and frustrate the living daylights out of you.

 

[Laurel]

Since we just got the final offer signed and faxed to us yesterday, we put in our month's notice to break our lease today. That gives us just over 2 weeks past the closing date to be out of our apartment.

That means that we'll have time to paint the walls in the house and the garage, and epoxy coat the garage floor before we move our stuff in.


I expect to be frustrated with lots of stuff, but boy-o am I pumped to be a homeowner soon. Plus I'll have a nice deck to brew on.

 

[Brewin_Bob]

Congrats!! Hopefully you're getting brewspace galore!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Congrats on becoming a homeowner! I think you'll find it's one of the best decisions you've ever made, in both a personal and financial sense.

There was a time I didn't think I could afford to buy a home. Once I did, I realized I couldn't afford NOT to!

 

[Soulive]

I expect to be frustrated with lots of stuff, but boy-o am I pumped to be a homeowner soon. Plus I'll have a nice deck to brew on.

Just keep telling yourself its all worth it. It is one of the best investments you can make. Those thoughts will help counteract the headaches! At least you have the deck though, I have a small patio that is about 5'x5'...

 

[Laurel]

We have a deck off the master bedroom and a deck off the rec room which is right next to the kitchen. I'm getting the closet in the guest bedroom for all of my beer stuff storage. Hwmbo gets a whole room for his gun safe and reloading/cleaning benches.

 

[shecky]

We have a deck off the master bedroom and a deck off the rec room which is right next to the kitchen. I'm getting the closet in the guest bedroom for all of my beer stuff storage. Hwmbo gets a whole room for his gun safe and reloading/cleaning benches.

Dang a whole room to himself? I've had my house for eight years and still half just a measly half-closet for my clothes. The dank, dreary cellar is all mine, though.:rockin:

 

[Laurel]

Cellars are pretty uncommon in houses in WA. Too much rain!

It's a 3 bedroom house, and we're not planning on squirting out any kids, so he might as well use the space! I went to a organization/storage store today and got all excited about the metal racks and whatnot that I'll get to organize all of his gun stuff and my beer stuff on/in.

And I get to plant a veggie garden and a bunch of lilacs!

 

[JustDave]

Congrats! You'll love it.

I don't recommend slamming your writing hand in a car door just a few hours before your closing. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

 

[shecky]

Cellars are pretty uncommon in houses in WA. Too much rain!

It's a 3 bedroom house, and we're not planning on squirting out any kids, so he might as well use the space! I went to a organization/storage store today and got all excited about the metal racks and whatnot that I'll get to organize all of his gun stuff and my beer stuff on/in.

And I get to plant a veggie garden and a bunch of lilacs!

I see my problem now. Shouldn't have had those darn kids. I'd have more room for my stuff.

The big question is: who mows the lawn? If I died, my lawn would be 12 feet high because my wife has never learned how to use the lawn tractor. Good thing I taught her how to use the snow blower.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Being a homeowner is the best feeling in the world. Til the commode backs up and the maintenence man refuses to come check it out.

Good luck on the remodel. I have lived in 3 houses so far and the only time I was able to do that ambitious a remodel is when I was selling them and trying to up the value.

It was fun tho'.

I am on my fifth year in the current house and just now getting around to painting another room.

 

[Laurel]

Hopefully HWMBO, but I'm not holding my breath. He'll be contributing more to the mortgage and other financial burdens like improvements, so I take care of the house and do the gardening. He does boy stuff, like coat the garage floor.

 

[EdWort]

Congrats! You'll love it.

I don't recommend slamming your writing hand in a car door just a few hours before your closing. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Ain't that the truth. It felt like carpal tunnel syndrome after an hour at closing.

Good luck with the new home!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Hopefully HWMBO, but I'm not holding my breath. He'll be contributing more to the mortgage and other financial burdens like improvements, so I take care of the house and do the gardening. He does boy stuff, like coat the garage floor.

That's actually a good idea considering that it makes it easier to hose off all that spilt wort.

 

[shecky]

Hopefully HWMBO, but I'm not holding my breath. He'll be contributing more to the mortgage and other financial burdens like improvements, so I take care of the house and do the gardening. He does boy stuff, like coat the garage floor.

Boy stuff? Funny. What is boy stuff? I clean the bathrooms in my house, and most everything else, when my wife is working.

I guess this is penance for her making twice as much as I do and contributing far more to our mortgage. I get to do boy and girl stuff.

 

[Laurel]

The garage floor coating was originally his idea a few months ago when we were talking about buying a house. I'm a MESSY oil changer, so it'll help to protect resale value of the house in keeping stains from happening, and helps keep spilled wort from getting too messy!

Boy stuff is doing electrical work, scraping the popcorn ceiling, installing hardwood floors, etc. I'll paint, cook, clean, and do yardwork, but he gets to do the really hard stuff. lol

 

[JustDave]

Ain't that the truth. It felt like carpal tunnel syndrome after an hour at closing.

You too? I still have black fingernails almost 3 months later ...

Laurel, it can be a stressful (but fun) time ..... just keep picturing being settled into your house, and it makes it a whole lot easier

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The garage floor coating was originally his idea a few months ago when we were talking about buying a house. I'm a MESSY oil changer, so it'll help to protect resale value of the house in keeping stains from happening, and helps keep spilled wort from getting too messy!

Boy stuff is doing electrical work, scraping the popcorn ceiling, installing hardwood floors, etc. I'll paint, cook, clean, and do yardwork, but he gets to do the really hard stuff. lol

OMG, you change your own oil?

PM me if it doesn't "work out" with this guy . I can barely get my wife to change the oil in the fry-up much less the car.

 

[shecky]

You too? I still have black fingernails almost 3 months later ...

Laurel, it can be a stressful (but fun) time ..... just keep picturing being settled into your house, and it makes it a whole lot easier

+1. There's something about seeing that garage door go up when you pull in that makes you think, that there is my garage door, baby. And that cracked tile in the foyer, that's mine, too. As is that drainage problem, the kitchen floor that needs replacing (again). Oh, and don't forget that poison ivy that has overtaken what was a nice rock garden in the backyard. Wait, I remembered I also have to replace the mailbox and post ....

No, seriously, home ownership is great. Really.

 

[drunkatuw]

The garage floor coating was originally his idea a few months ago when we were talking about buying a house. I'm a MESSY oil changer, so it'll help to protect resale value of the house in keeping stains from happening, and helps keep spilled wort from getting too messy!

Boy stuff is doing electrical work, scraping the popcorn ceiling, installing hardwood floors, etc. I'll paint, cook, clean, and do yardwork, but he gets to do the really hard stuff. lol

Be careful when you scrape the ceiling. We had some drywall contractors out to quote us on finishing our basement and a flat ceiling almost doubled the cost. Most builders don't make the ceiling very flat if it's going to be covered in a popcorn ceiling. Especially in large rooms you'll be able to see that the ceiling is not flat.

If you do scrape off the popcorn ceiling you'll probably want to skim coat the entire ceiling to make it flat, or I'd recommend going with an orange peel finish. In the end we did the popcorn ceiling because it was cheaper and it is a little better for the acoustics in the home theater.

 

[shecky]

I have popcorn ceilings, too. I've painted every last one of them (tearing up and rebuilding the kitchen floor was far easier). The ceilings are such a PITA that they are staying as is.

 

[Bobby_M]

Garage floor advice... If it's oily even a little bit, rent a powerwasher with a degresser in the dispenser. Line the sheetrock walls with a little plastic sheeting and have at it. Let it dry, then do TWO coats of epoxy. The first coat is going to soak in and leave it splochy and thin. The second coat puts the gloss and durability on and I was in too much of a hurry to move in that I skipped this step. DOH!

 

[zoebisch01]

Congrats. What are housing running there in Seattle? (In general)

 

[Laurel]

Thanks for the input BobbyM. Maybe I'll look into doing something outside of the kit if I can find it. The kits I've seen have cleansers, epoxy, little color chips and a clearcoat.

Zoe - Not cheap! The housing market has slowed down, but prices haven't fallen much at all. Unless you want to live in a crime-ridden area, or have cement blocks as walls and a carport, you're looking in the 275k + range.

 

[Bobby_M]

Ah, the kits.. I think the brand I used was simply a two-can system. You mix them together and go. You can also add a pint of pumice or silica or whatever the "sand" was to provide traction on the topcoat but I never quite understood the little color chips. Does anyone really want it to appear as if you just had a clown performing magic in the garage?

 

[blacklab]

Laurel, congratulations. Remember - you are making $'s every day. Sometimes it sucks to be a homeowner, but it's the first step to financial security. Sounds like you guys are pretty handy, so things will probably get fixed up quick. I went years where all I did after work until 10pm was work on the house!

 

[EdWort]

+1. There's something about seeing that garage door go up when you pull in that makes you think, that there is my garage door, baby. And that cracked tile in the foyer, that's mine, too. As is that drainage problem, the kitchen floor that needs replacing (again). Oh, and don't forget that poison ivy that has overtaken what was a nice rock garden in the backyard. Wait, I remembered I also have to replace the mailbox and post ....

No, seriously, home ownership is great. Really.

Nothing like buying a 28 year old fixer upper. My first house was tiny 15 years ago, but was brand new. Old homes have more needs and old homes on 4 acres have even more.

Laurel, I wish you the best for friendly neighbors with handy skills who also like homebrew!!!

 

[HBHoss]

Congrats on the house I added on to my house a year or so ago and took the popcorn off the ceiling to match the extension. I like it a lot more without the popcorn. It's easy to do. I used a spray bottle of water and sprayed an area until it was wet then came back and used a 4" scraper and sprayed the area again as I scraped. It's a little messy but came off easy. Once it was done and dry, I sprayed texture on the ceiling and painted. Good, bad, or indifferent, it's all yours now to do what you want. It's a good feeling.

 

[springer]

Congrats on the home. I have been in mine for 17 years and still working on it . Seems like I finish one thing and the room I did a few years ago need attention as the SWMBO points out. I think she owns stock in Benj.Moore.

 

[Laurel]

I just got back from the inspection. It went swimmingly, the house is in great shape! Looks like we'll be getting started in 2 weeks!

This is going to be the longest 2 weeks of my life!

 

[bob1852]

This is going to be the longest 2 weeks of my life!

good luck with the new place! I'm supposed to close in 2 weeks (selling; not buying) and I agree about the longest 2 week thing!

Thankfully it'll be a brew weekend and hopefully take my mind off of it

 

[Ecnerwal]

Good luck with it. I've spent far too much of the last several months on a tub replacement - old steel tub, rusted through. Upon urging, looked into the "go over the tub" products, laughed my behind off at what a load of crap those were, and spent about 1/10 the price on a new tub and surround (not made of chintzy thin plastic backed up by rusting tub), but also spent a good deal of time doing what needs done in that case - removing walls, fixing plumbing (which would have needed it anyway), cutting tile with a diamond blade in my angle grinder, etc.

On the epoxy floor, I'd avoid the chips. Those are a "dirt hiding" trick, and are far too effective as a "dropped hardware hiding" trick. You practically have to feel to find a lost screw. Plain white is best, a very light gray if you can't deal with a white floor (yup, it shows the dirt, and no, I don't mind if it does, because I can actually see a lot better with all the extra light that reflects off the white floor). I guess if you want the texture they can give, use white epoxy and white chips.

If you have the headroom and don't mind the look, a dropped ceiling may be the easiest way to kiss the popcorn goodbye.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

That is good news, not only that you got a house you like but a bank would give out a loan.
May I recommend not changing too much right now, give yourself a year and stash some cash. Then start working on things that really bug you. You know like an ice cold draft that appears during winter through your bathroom. Or leak from the roof into the kitchen.
I'm all for getting rid of the carpet and putting in affordable wood floors though, it just makes it liveable.
Hey, crack open a homebrew for us after the signing and then get to work. Best of luck.

 

[Joe C]

Congrats, that really is great. I hope soon I will be able to do the same.

 

[zoebisch01]

You guys should try a 130 year old fixer upper

 

[Laurel]

The kegerator is on the top of my list of things to bring to the new house before work commences, though I just realized that I could bring a keg and a picnic tap and stick it in the empty refrigerator after I take out some shelves. That may be my plan! It'll be a nectarine blonde fueled paint job!

 

[monty73741]

couple of tips from a realtor
home warranty (fixes most stuff)
buy a wagner paint sprayer...paint crew.....not the cheapo sprayer
look for non profits that take in building materials...
i save 10,000 on my kitchen doing that.