Ugly, drab, boring, run down loooking house

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Ok so I have this boring house that I'm buying for dirt cheap and the siding is falling off. This is probably a good thing because the place needs a makeover! I've seen comments from architects and home designers here so I'm looking for some major tips:

? type of siding to choose

? new window style

? colour (the house has a view of a lake and is also in ranch country)

--and yes, that unfortunate hobbit hole on the right side of the house is our "font door/main entrance"... not too welcoming! ?bulldozer?? lol

Our personal style preference leans toward cape-cod with bold colours. The house is so boxy I don't know if this can be pulled off or if we need to go more modern-contemporary with fibreboard and architecturally bold/intentionally art deco-ish... that isn't our personal style but maybe we need to work with what we've got?

HELP!!!?
Oh, did I mention we're on a budget!? :(

Featured Answer

millworkman

8 years ago

From the looks of the outside I would be certain it is structurally sound before I even thought of touching the exterior. The visible disrepair would scare the crap out of me and you very well may be looking at water damage.

"Oh, did I mention we're on a budget!" YIKES!!

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Comments (13)

aprilneverends
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
The location sounds fab. It looks very welcoming and warm.

Before you start remodeling-get some advice from builders etc...since you don't like the house, and find there no character to preserve-it might be cheaper to build a new one on the same lot.

We did like our new place, and its vibe, so we remodeled..but to build new is easier in many cases.
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weedyacres
8 years ago
How much will this house be worth when fixed up?
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sambah006
8 years ago
What is the inside like?

The house needs new siding, proper front entry, roof, gutters, and windows. And more windows added along the sides rather than the little port holes existing now.

You'd be looking at ~$50K to make the exterior pleasing. And who knows how much more to get the inside of to a decent level of nice

How good of deal is this place?

Looks like vinyl siding on there now. Looks like the house was slapped together. Unless the price is amazing, and it's a good location...
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Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
this is the inside of the "hobbit hole" door..our main entrance

A bit of the interior above

Floorplan:
0
weedyacres
8 years ago
My reason for asking the fixed-up price was not to know your potential gain, but to know the price range of house it will be. My recommendations on siding would be different for a $150K house than for a $1M house.

From your inside photos, it looks to be closer to the former than the latter. It's tidy, but not fancy, so a brick or stone exterior wouldn't be "expected." I'd probably go with vinyl siding. It's a feasible DIY project. For color, consider yellow (cheery) or gray (goes with anything).

The windows are wider than they are tall, and I'm assuming you don't want to alter the structure to make them larger. So I'd go with casement windows, no grids so the view is unobstructed.

Can you post a sketch of the whole floorplan? That would help with recommending what to do about the multiple hobbit hole entrances.
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freeoscar
8 years ago
Since you envision flipping this in a few years, I think you need to go out and canvass open houses in the neighborhood for the price range you envision your home being in when fixed up. Loiter a little bit and casually ask the people looking what they think to get an idea as to what they expect for that price range. Then make sure you meet but don't exceed that standard. So if they have 4" vinyl, do that. And be harsh in your evaluation of the house - this is a business decision. It's good that you've lived there so you know the condition of the house, but you've also likely gotten used to some of the quirks (like the ugly and oddly placed entrance), and might discount their unnattractiveness to potential buyers.

Also, if you could post a floorplan that would be great - it's hard to understand how the house flows. I agree though that there is a huge upgrade opportunity to the curb appeal of this house which could yield a strong return.
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jellytoast
8 years ago
The separate area in the front is a sunroom? What room does the window to the left of that belong to?
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Original Author
8 years ago
Weedyacres- If there's a way to make this house look like a million bucks, I need to know!
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Anglophilia
8 years ago
A bulldozer might accomplish this!
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User
8 years ago
Yup, that is a tear down if you want a million dollar house. 100K of work on a 150K house never makes any economic sense for someone who wants to flip.
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weedyacres
8 years ago
The location is the determinant of whether it can be a million dollar house. Are there houses in the area that have sold for this?
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Со́ня
Original Author
8 years ago
I have seen architects reply to threads on this site which is the type of advice I am hoping for.
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Ugly, drab, boring, run down loooking house

millworkman

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Ugly, drab, boring, run down loooking house

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