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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Home Repairs

When I bought this house in 1999, there were a number of repairs that were needed. Some of those repairs still exist, while others are new. I have been so focused on getting debt free, that these things have been pushed to the back burner. However, they may need to come to front burner fast. Things are progressing between my girlfriend and I and well, as one that is always thinking ahead, need to get things fixed up around here for her. Below is a list of repairs that are needed around the house. Some, I have prices for and others I don't. How expensive will it all be? I don't know, but they need to be worked into my budget, even as I make the move to get out of debt.

Bathroom:
Toilet $229 plus $135 installation

Bath/shower faucet replacement $17
Paint
Tile
repair floor
replace vinyl flooring

Porch:
repair/replace Ceiling
make porch handicap accessibility

Sidewalks:
new sidewalk around house w/ Patio
new sidewalk around shed
replace existing sidewalk (between 2 buildings)
handicap accessible sidewalk

House:
Central Air $2,000 (approximately)
sand/varnish wood floors $1,000 (approximately)
repaint or side house $19,000 (includes insulation & vinyl siding)
finish room in basement
Fence
move laundry room upstairs



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Posted by Kevin Surbaugh at 7/28/2009 01:01:00 PM
Reactions: 

11 comments:

  1. Hi Prince! I think you can change your toilet yourself. It's pretty simple (and I'm a girl) Hehe. Maybe you should look into it and save the installation cost for the rest of the bathroom updates.

    Just a suggestion.
    ReplyDelete
  2. wow, that is going to add up fast. I wonder if you can get some organization help you to make your home more handicap assible.

    But just prioritize and do a little each month. But still focus mostly on your debt!!!
    ReplyDelete
  3. hmmm, thanks Becky. Very true that will add up fast. Good ideas. Wonder, what organizations, I would talk to. I probably make to much myself, and since she doesn't live here what do I need with handicap accessibility and if we add her income to mine, we would certainly make to much for low income agencies. Still, think your ideas deserve some looking into.

    Dedicated, great to see you again, you are probably right, though, I am so apprehensive doing such repairs, when I have never done them before.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Kevin: I recently replaced my toilet. After much education by a very nice Home Depot guy, I learned that many good toilets exist for about $120. Add a $5 or $6 ring to that (always get the thickest kind) and walla, I had a new toilet! It is not hard to do yourself, a little backbreaking, but doable.

    I have also learned how to tile, and can give you much advice on that, and save you lots of money.

    I also paint pretty darned well.

    Why do you need handicap access?

    I am willing to mail you my flooring book, as long as you mail it back to me when you are done with it.
    ReplyDelete
  5. Edie - good thoughts. as for the reason handicap access, my girlfriend is handicap and uses a crutch(es) to walk with.
    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a hefty list to tackle in a short amount of time. Maybe you should have started some of these projects a long time ago, and done them a little at a time as you had money. Asked for home imporvement giftcards along the way for any gifting occasions, enlisted the help of friends, colleagues or church members with experience to assist in some of them, or barter with someone on Craigslist - and you could have knocked a few of them off already. Home Depot and Lowe's have free workshops on any number of home improvement projects.
    ReplyDelete
  7. thanks Cheryl. Like the others you had some good thoughts. The bathroom tile project was started several years ago, by members of the church, but stopped when no one had a tile cutter. So basically it needs to be finished, I should have enough tile that I got from freecycle.

    I have thought of enlisting the help of friends with the painting of the bathroom ceiling and trim.

    I think I might be able to get a plumber to install the toilet cheaper then Lowe's installers (or do it myself), but I don't know for sure.

    It will take time, the accesability may have to wait a little longer, but it will gt done. I did enter an agreement to get the house sided with vinyl siding, so I won't have to paint it again (I painted 10-years ago, when I 1st moved in). The timing is right to, there is a lot of water damage to the current wood siding. So getting insulation and new siding will be a big improvement. It will put me in debt a little longer, but I can't put it off much longer. That crew should be here Monday.

    As far as home Improvement gift cards, my parents are dead set against cash and gift cards as gifts, because they feel as they aren't any fun to open. So I get cheap cologne for Christmas every year. (I now have enough cologne to last me for several years.)
    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree that there is a lot of this you can do yourself. And, with you tube these days, those costly do-it-yourself books are a thing of the past. I'd just set the different items in priority ranking and give yourself a schedule to work toward.

    Then again, I am a way anal retentive list maker!
    ReplyDelete
  9. Kevin: email me at tacomacat@com with your home address. I will loan you my flooring book. You can keep it for as long as you like, as I am done with my flooring projects for awhile and won't need it for the near future.

    Edie
    ReplyDelete
  10. Since your house is paid off, sell this one and don't worry about repairs, shop around for a new house and get all the stuff you finally want as well as accomodations for your girlfriend.

    You can also get some very low rates and you can deduct interest!

    HS
    ReplyDelete
  11. HS said: "You can also get some very low rates and you can deduct interest!"

    This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I am in the 25% bracket. So, for every 10K in interest I pay to the bank for my mortgage, I get to take $2500 off my taxes....so, this suggests I loose $7500 per year, in order to get a $2500 tax break!

    This kind of thinking does nothing but keep people poor and fat cat bankers RICH!

    Kevin: You just keep doing what you are doing, and continue to stop listening to people that don't make sense!
    ReplyDelete

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