The joys of owning an old house

[knary]

As some of you might remember, we bought an old house a bit over a year ago. We love this place. We feel very fortunate to live in this neighborhood. We have great neighbors who we now consider to be some of our best friends. We are less than a block away from a funky little street going through a little renaissance with great bistros, locally run stores, cafes, galleries, and brewpubs opening up faster than anyone imagined. What used to be "the hood" is quickly becoming something else. And in the midst of this, our house charms nearly everyone that sees it.

It does, however, need work and lots of it. I thought y'all might be amused at my latest to do list. Most of this is stuff that we'll be doing ourselves.

:ha :ha :ha


Foundation
Level rear of house
Level front porch
Foundation footings
Parge exterior

Basement
Remove wood ceiling
Remove interior basement steps
Build or renovate windows
Pour Slab
New basement door

Exterior
New front steps. Wider and with hand rail.
New front porch flooring and railing.
Add fourth column on southern end of porch.
Side steps down from porch near dining room.
Recessed lights on porch
Light near each door on porch
Garden/studio sink on back of house.
New gutters
Add exterior lighting

House Shell
New front door.
Door from dining room to porch
Renovate all windows
Renovate or replace damaged siding.
Paint house

Interior
Revise lighting in all rooms
Remove old plaster from walls and replace with drywall
Renovate or replace all molding.
New hardwoods throughout ground floor.
Remove existing steps to basement.
Insulate (while plaster is removed)

Dining Room
Shelves (library)
Open 'jog' and wall to kitchen

Living Room
Deepen window ledge
Redesign arch to dining room

Systems
New Water line.
Move furnace return. Consider splitting. (current intake is directly over furnace and very noisy)
Replace all plumbing
New water heater
Outlets, telephone, cable
Air conditioner/Air filter

Outside/landscape
Stone retaining wall for front property.
New driveway
New front path and steps from sidewalk
Trees for front strip
Tree for front yard
Rear raised bed
Fence between driveway and southern neighbor.
New fence behind garage
New gates/fence between house and garage.
New gate between house and fence of neighbor to the north

Giant
Bump out back of house.
New garage/studio in back.
Second Floor (??? If possible ???)
New Kitchen
New Bathroom(s)


:ha :ha :ha

http://www.conary.org/house2/IMG_0529.jpg

Can you believe the previous owner was a professional house painter who thought these were nice colors? :ha

[Rich]

So you have a months work ahead of you. :D

Seriously, welcome to the joys of home ownership! I've just completed my own $20K remodeling projects, but there is a bright side, I'M DONE! There is light at the end of that tunnel.

Good luck.

Oh.. And can I admit, I kind of like those colors. Eye catching!

[knary]

So you have a months work ahead of you. :D

Seriously, welcome to the joys of home ownership! I've just completed my own $20K remodeling projects, but there is a bright side, I'M DONE! There is light at the end of that tunnel.

Good luck.

Oh.. And can I admit, I kind of like those colors. Eye catching!

Thanks. :thumb

What kind of remodel did you do? Any pictures? :D

As for the colors, we'll be aiming squarely for something comforting that fits the house with some fun accents. The body will probably be a sort of warm light paper bag color (a middle rich but not too yellow color), vanilla for the main trim, sashes in a charcoal or red, and some accents of some kind of olive or light rust/orange for some of the details such as the rafter tails. The porch floor will be clear finished cedar.

[Rich]

I've got lots of pictures, maybe later I will find some to post.

In a nutshell, we

1. Added on a 24 x 28 addition to the back of the existing two stall garage
for a workshop and boat storage.

2. Reshingled the house and attached garage. The garage took 3 more
squares of shingles than the house did. Don't tell my wife.

3. All new Anderson windows.

4. New steel siding.

5. All new interior six-panel oak doors.

6. All new trim work.

7. New back deck.

8. Replaced bathroom fixtures in main bathroom.

9. Interior all freshly painted.

I think that's about it. We did all the work ourselves. (Having three sons and a loving understandable wife helps) Keep in mind she doesn't know the shingle thing. :)

Again, good luck with your projects. It's amazing what a guy can learn and save by doing it yourself.

[James.A]

Designers choose colors.
Pro painters make it look good.
Personally, I like it.

[BubbaZanetti]

knary, where are you in portland? i have some friends that live near mlk and ainsworth. unfortunately, that is where i had to end my roadtrip due to a "dancing accident" (i tend to tell people i fell on some stairs) so i didn't get to see much of the city. the houses in the neghiborhood looked very similar to yours...............

the last time i saw the bike was in that neghiborhood :violin

[Stuff2C]

What Rich said, welcome to the joys of home ownership...it never ends.

Remodeling is a way of life if you are a do it yourselfer. :coffee

Good luck!

[Burnszilla]

Scott. Wow! That list is big. That makes me feel much better. I have a list but I didn't write any of it down.

I'm in the middle of a do-it-yourself kitchen remodel that I think will take me till October to get done. I'm in no rush.
Everytime I go to tackle an area, another problem or upgrade pops up.

Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/burnszilla/sets/1644247/

[knary]

knary, where are you in portland? i have some friends that live near mlk and ainsworth. unfortunately, that is where i had to end my roadtrip due to a "dancing accident" (i tend to tell people i fell on some stairs) so i didn't get to see much of the city. the houses in the neghiborhood looked very similar to yours...............

the last time i saw the bike was in that neghiborhood :violin

That's sorta my 'hood. We're about one mile SE of that intersection. Ainsworth has some great houses on it. Just north and south a block or so from it, it gets a bit iffy, but picks up again as you get closer to Alberta (we're a half block north of Alberta).

[BubbaZanetti]

That's sorta my 'hood. We're about one mile SE of that intersection. Ainsworth has some great houses on it. Just north and south a block or so from it, it gets a bit iffy, but picks up again as you get closer to Alberta (we're a half block north of Alberta).


nice, i might be out there in may, i'll have to look you up!

[knary]

Scott. Wow! That list is big. That makes me feel much better. I have a list but I didn't write any of it down.

I'm in the middle of a do-it-yourself kitchen remodel that I think will take me till October to get done. I'm in no rush.
Everytime I go to tackle an area, another problem or upgrade pops up.

Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/burnszilla/sets/1644247/

How big is that kitchen space?

We've decided to hire an architect to help us come up with a plan and to sort out what really is possible. We've got almost all of the details pinned down, but not quite. Since everything fits together, we need a solid plan. For example, we can't pour a slab until we've established whether or not we might try to expand up into the large attic space as we most probably would need to add more support in the basement and reinforce the foundation.

I'm itching to get going again on the work. We set up new electrical service, hauled away tons of debris, leveled the backyard, and a good bit more. As soon as we get the basement taken care of and the house leveled, we can take on nearly any piece of the puzzle we'd like.

[knary]

nice, i might be out there in may, i'll have to look you up!

Lemme know. :thumb

[Bob_M]

May is a great time in Portland to explore brew pubs.
I'm in

Oh yea old house tales. This past weekend I had to wire up new sockets into period light fixtures because moisture had turned the wires into green splinters.

The new roof goes on this spring.

and so it goes

[BubbaZanetti]

May is a great time in Portland to explore brew pubs.
I'm in



my plan is to go to san fran, visit some friends, maybe swing by the kbasa residence (haven't mentioned this to him yet) then go up to oregon, so we'll have to see..............

[The_Veg]

Scott, I am truly envious. That house looks like my ideal of what I want someday but probably won't ever be able to afford. And I like the colours too.

[BradfordBenn]

But it is YOUR house, and that has got to be worth something.

[knary]

But it is YOUR house, and that has got to be worth something.

:nod

Did I mention that we love it? From the big porch to the 9 ft ceilings to the hostas thinking spring has arrived to the old windows rattling with each breeze to the hot water heater that's as old as I am, it's ours. :D

[knary]

Scott, I am truly envious. That house looks like my ideal of what I want someday but probably won't ever be able to afford. And I like the colours too.

You might be surprised at what you can afford, especially if you're willing to do some work on the house.

[knary]

May is a great time in Portland to explore brew pubs.
I'm in

Oh yea old house tales. This past weekend I had to wire up new sockets into period light fixtures because moisture had turned the wires into green splinters.

The new roof goes on this spring.

and so it goes

How old is your place?

[jshuck]

I don't know how handy you are, but subscribe to Fine Homebuilding. I'm a charter subscriber and it is worth it's weight in gold. A good library will have back issues. They also do speciality books about tiling, etc. This Old House is fair, but no really directed at the owner/builder. I was had a building inspecting campany for 12 years and have seen it all. Every once in a while, get an experienced friend to walk thru the house with you, because it has been my experience that you have a tendency to "walk by" may problems after a period of time. They have lots of new things now... home run water lines with plastic, heat in the floor, low voltage lighting..that make renovation easier. I bought a stone carriage house 25 years ago that was use as a stable basically. Done 85% of the work muself and it's still not done... Enjoy.. john shuck Westport, CT

[TomBarnhart]

Scott
I like the looks of your project house. After at least two renovation projects just as extensive as yours I have developed the following approach:

Fixing an old house is like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer. When you stop it quits hurting, but if you had any sense at all you would have never started.

The voice of experience on both approaches
Tom Barnhart
now in Port ST Lucie FL

[lorazepam]

A well timed electrical short can give you the house of your dreams :D

Seriously, you have a lot of work ahead of you, and you will be suprised how easy most of the things on your list are. Time and money my friend. Oh yeah, lots of elbow grease too.

[The_Veg]

You might be surprised at what you can afford, especially if you're willing to do some work on the house.

We'll see. I'm in my late thirties and still have yet to find any career stability (good and steady paychecks really help), and that kind of groovy house doesn't really exist in this neck of the woods. I hear prices are skyrocketing up where you are (which was on my list of places to go someday, not sure it'll stay on the list), thanks to the exodus from California. Such house dreams were possible in my dad's neighbourhood in Atlanta until a population boom in the metro area combined with a renovation boom sent prices way up. And as yet I've never been able to own my quarters so the big question will be whether or not I'll be able to pay it off before I die if I ever do buy a place.

But I am pretty good with tools and handy stuff.

[lorazepam]

We'll see. I'm in my late thirties and still have yet to find any career stability (good and steady paychecks really help), and that kind of groovy house doesn't really exist in this neck of the woods. I hear prices are skyrocketing up where you are (which was on my list of places to go someday, not sure it'll stay on the list), thanks to the exodus from California. Such house dreams were possible in my dad's neighbourhood in Atlanta until a population boom in the metro area combined with a renovation boom sent prices way up. And as yet I've never been able to own my quarters so the big question will be whether or not I'll be able to pay it off before I die if I ever do buy a place.

But I am pretty good with tools and handy stuff.

I wouldnt worry about paying it off. When you do that, you have whatever the house is worth not making any money for you. Just bite the bullet and get your own place. No sense in making a landloard rich, and y ou get the tax breaks that you dont when in an apartment.

[kbasa]

I don't know how handy you are, but subscribe to Fine Homebuilding. I'm a charter subscriber and it is worth it's weight in gold. A good library will have back issues. They also do speciality books about tiling, etc. This Old House is fair, but no really directed at the owner/builder. I was had a building inspecting campany for 12 years and have seen it all. Every once in a while, get an experienced friend to walk thru the house with you, because it has been my experience that you have a tendency to "walk by" may problems after a period of time. They have lots of new things now... home run water lines with plastic, heat in the floor, low voltage lighting..that make renovation easier. I bought a stone carriage house 25 years ago that was use as a stable basically. Done 85% of the work muself and it's still not done... Enjoy.. john shuck Westport, CT

:thumb

Fine Homebuilding absolutely rocks.

[knary]

We'll see. I'm in my late thirties and still have yet to find any career stability (good and steady paychecks really help), and that kind of groovy house doesn't really exist in this neck of the woods. I hear prices are skyrocketing up where you are (which was on my list of places to go someday, not sure it'll stay on the list), thanks to the exodus from California. Such house dreams were possible in my dad's neighbourhood in Atlanta until a population boom in the metro area combined with a renovation boom sent prices way up. And as yet I've never been able to own my quarters so the big question will be whether or not I'll be able to pay it off before I die if I ever do buy a place.

But I am pretty good with tools and handy stuff.

It's all relative. The prices here are moving upwards at a good clip, but it's still the affordable big town on the west coast (plus it's a better place to live :D). If you're willing to move into a transitional area, you can find a house for under $200k. That is, however you cut it, a LOT of money for a first house, especially if you're not swimming in cash (we're not). But you can find somewhat similar houses for half that or less in other parts of the country if you're willing to not live in as desirable a community.

After one scant year, all I can say is that buying this house is one of hte best things we've ever done. Without realizing it, we were buying into the community and the city. After more than a decade of hopping around the country and too many apartments, we've finally put down roots. It feels very good.

If you ever want to come out and see the area or have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I don't know what you do to pay the bills, but with the giant network that is the BMW motorcycle community, you could probably track down some work in seemingly any part of the country.

Does your Dad live down in the Grant Park area? I remember when those houses were dirt cheap. I also remember when the prices started to soar.

p.s. If you want to buy a truly rough fixer, the house next door is currently listed for $245k (I bet he'd take a chunk less). A year ago, he would have been happy to see $190k. You can't beat this neighborhood.

[knary]

I don't know how handy you are, but subscribe to Fine Homebuilding. I'm a charter subscriber and it is worth it's weight in gold. A good library will have back issues. They also do speciality books about tiling, etc. This Old House is fair, but no really directed at the owner/builder. I was had a building inspecting campany for 12 years and have seen it all. Every once in a while, get an experienced friend to walk thru the house with you, because it has been my experience that you have a tendency to "walk by" may problems after a period of time. They have lots of new things now... home run water lines with plastic, heat in the floor, low voltage lighting..that make renovation easier. I bought a stone carriage house 25 years ago that was use as a stable basically. Done 85% of the work muself and it's still not done... Enjoy.. john shuck Westport, CT

:thumb
I'll look into a subscription.

As for looking over the work, we're very fortunate to have some very skilled friends and neighbors. Much of the work we have ahead of us is fixing what generations of previous owners inflicted on the house. For example, I'm nearly done with the initial overhaul of the electrical service. I found some very peculiar wiring, including such charming features as live unterminated wires dangling from the basement ceiling and exposed loose running splices into the old knob and tube wiring.

[knary]

Seriously, you have a lot of work ahead of you, and you will be suprised how easy most of the things on your list are. Time and money my friend. Oh yeah, lots of elbow grease too.

I discovered that one of the old boarded up basement window openings still had the window, minus glass, in it. Some glass, some primer, and some glazing and a little bit of work and we've got a new window in place. Even though I didn't try to make it beautiful, merely functional, it's now the nicest thing on the house. :ha

[Bob_M]

How old is your place?

The house was built in 1936. We love it a ton.

Veg
Scott is correct that, although housing is not cheap, it is not out of reach. Once you get into ownership the nature of zoning in Oregon, with urban growth boundaries, pretty much insures that your property will appriciate rapidly. Come on up for an exploratory tour, May is nice. The Rhododendrons will be blooming.

[knary]

The house was built in 1936. We love it a ton.

Veg
Scott is correct that, although housing is not cheap, it is not out of reach. Once you get into ownership the nature of zoning in Oregon, with urban growth boundaries, pretty much insures that your property will appriciate rapidly. Come on up for an exploratory tour, May is nice. The Rhododendrons will be blooming.

One more bit of data: property taxes are generally low and in the up and coming neighborhoods, they are incredibly low.

[Mar]

As for looking over the work, we're very fortunate to have some very skilled friends and neighbors. Much of the work we have ahead of us is fixing what generations of previous owners inflicted on the house. For example, I'm nearly done with the initial overhaul of the electrical service. I found some very peculiar wiring, including such charming features as live unterminated wires dangling from the basement ceiling and exposed loose running splices into the old knob and tube wiring.

Can you say "This Old House?" :p

Love that porch. Wish I had one like that.

[The_Veg]

Why yes, Dad is in the Grant Park neighbourhood and has been since 1988. He's near Woodland and Vickers, just a couple of blocks off Moreland. Last I heard, which was about five years ago, his house was worth 2.5 times what he paid for it (I do not know either figure). It was one of the first in the neighbourhood to be renovated, just before he bought it.

I've been meaning to come up and take an exploratory tour for a couple of years- just need to work it into my ever-changing list of trips to take. Several have been pushed off for a few years due to shifting circumstances.

Nice to hear about the low taxes. I know people here who pay more per month in property taxes than I do in rent.

As for what I can afford, right now it would be nothing. I'm trying out self-employment and living on the ragged edge of financial doom. Before this state of affairs I could afford any deal that worked out to no more than about 750 a month including taxes, insurance and such and at zero down as I have nothing saved for that due to being constantly poor.

I've got some time to get my act together though. I'm about to renew my lease for six months. Toward the end of the next lease I'll decide whether or not my situation is working out. If not, then it'll be time to make some choices such as whether or not to go back to working for The Man (likely as what I'm doing now requires resources I won't be able to provide myself in another part of the country), what field of work I want to try to break into as I've had no success with past fields, whether or not to stay in this city & region (I still say I won't be here forever, but the factors in deciding when to leave are many and go beyond earning a living), etc.

Being spouseless is a disadvantage for being able to pay for my future house, but I see a strong advantage in that I won't have to hear any griping about living conditions if I get a fixer-upper. I can stand some inconveniences along the way of the project that a hypothetical 'she' might not.

Thanks guys for listening to me rant and think out loud- it does help. I appreciate the advice and encouragement.

Sorry for the hijack. Let's get back to admiring that fine multi-coloured house!

P.S. I can see me painting a house like that, but maybe not so dark.

[lorazepam]

Veg, if you dont mind living in the middle of nowhere, and commute to work, you can find lots of places around the country for under 100k, and some for less than 50k. Just depends on where you want to live.

I have a place in a gated community on a 135 acre lake, with an extra lot that I paid less than 100k for. Taxes are less than 500 annually.

Just depends on if you can stand to live in Ohio.

[BubbaZanetti]

Veg, if you dont mind living in the middle of nowhere, and commute to work, you can find lots of places around the country for under 100k, and some for less than 50k. Just depends on where you want to live.

I have a place in a gated community on a 135 acre lake, with an extra lot that I paid less than 100k for. Taxes are less than 500 annually.

Just depends on if you can stand to live in Ohio.



i need to get myself a loraz house!

[lorazepam]

i need to get myself a loraz house!

no way you can do it in the state you live in. It is too nice there, just like Oregon, or California. No one wants to live here, that is why it is so cheap.

[BubbaZanetti]

tell me about it, if i were to buy this condo i'm in now, it'd be 150 grand, its not huge, its got no garage and maybe a total of about 20x20" of yard, i need to move out to the sticks, these college towns are WAY too expensive............

[RTRandy]

One more bit of data: property taxes are generally low and in the up and coming neighborhoods, they are incredibly low.

Yea I suppose the next thing you'll tell us is your Sales Tax in Oregon is real low as well.

Hay, that house is really charming and even the color gives it character. I know you take great pictures so be sure and give us a progress repot as time goes on. It will be fun to see the "Before" and "After" shots.

Does it really rain there as much as they say ?

[knary]

Yea I suppose the next thing you'll tell us is your Sales Tax in Oregon is real low as well.

Hay, that house is really charming and even the color gives it character. I know you take great pictures so be sure and give us a progress repot as time goes on. It will be fun to see the "Before" and "After" shots.

Does it really rain there as much as they say ?

:ha
Property tax is low. For tax purposes, house values are set at their 1996(?) value plus a maximum of 3% year, not including improvements. This means, in a fast moving market, you end up with a house that has a real market value of over $250k, but pay less than $800/year in taxes.

But, yeah, they get you as they always do. Income tax is relatively high.

I'll be sure to post more photos. Just so we're all clear, the color MUST change. In person, the color is pretty damn garish, not to mention very poorly applied. :sick

And, yes, it does rain here. From December through February or so, it rains, either a thick fog, spitting, or actual rain. Drenching down pours are rare. We're in the midst of a very wet winter, with January fast approaching 10" of rain alone. This is a good chunk of our average of 36" to 40" per year (comparable to much of the eastern U.S.). After the rain, spring comes quickly. Even now, the plants are waking up. All that moisture makes for vibrant landscapes. With a dry and mild summer, our growing season can run from March through November. It's a place to garden. Consider the winter gray and rain the price of admission.

But stay away. It's awful here. :D

[Belg]

Jewel of an area to live, as I recall... but it's been a LONG LONG time since dad was in Lake Oswego.

I loved it out there.. berry bushes and creeks and...

[BobMielke]

Boy does this thread bring back nightmares! I've poured my body into two houses in my life, remodeling kitchens, building decks, installing swimming pools, planting big gardens. Never again! I lost both to fickle women. Now I rent, live alone and am happy. No more "honey doooo lists", nagging, etc. If I want to go for a ride, I just get on & go, without checking if it's "ok".

http://rmielke.photosite.com/forumgraphics/Friends.jpg

[The_Veg]

So Scott, if I come up for a look at things can I crash on your sofa? I can help scrape paint... :laugh

[dataman]

Scott - good for you. Refurbishing an old house is an incredible experience. You might consider finding a good design/build contractor to bounce ideas off instead of an architect. Whatever you decide - good luck and don't forget to enjoy it as you go. Please continue to post pictures of your progress. :clap