How much are you willing to invest in this remodel?

If it's all cosmetic and not structural, do it. Paint can do wonders, but paint that outside first, that is some awful looking brick.

..double it. maybe even triple it. without counting in future home for your mother

I think the updated front porch will have a big influence on the exterior. which actually looks better n close up pics

then, I do like your kitchen..I'd change appliances for smth more uniform, and style allover so it's less wood furniture, and more colorful rugs and art. Your perception of too much wood will change accordingly. But that's of course very personal.

Seems like pine. Will be hard to just paint it get the whole different look. Pine stays pine..very prominent grain. If you can't stand it you'd have to install new cabs. While I think just new hardware will be very cool.

How many bathrooms are in the house?

Now. One must love something about the property(besides location, layout, function, etc). Well let's put it this way-I know I need to love something. something should be "love", besides "need", for me to consider it. (in our case we loved vibe, exterior, and landscaping))

Is there anything about it you love, are really drawn to? Besides that it would be what you need? Does it feel right, at some level?

because yes, it'll be more expensive, and yes, it'll take much longer than you think now. Unless you're exremely lucky..say your spouse is a contractror..))

Painting brick is not the same as painting wood, even when it starts to come off, it still looks good. But I love chippy painted brick houses. It does take years to completely redo a home. If you're willing to live with, say the kitchen for a few years while doing the bedrooms or in-law suite, then buy it. It will take up your weekends for a long time.

Source: I'm sitting here typing on Houzz instead of working on our kitchen remodel, been in house for 17 years.

I would suggest getting 1 or 2 painting contractors over there to give you estimates for painting the brick and the interior. I agree changing the front porch will help but that brick is terrible. There is A LOT of wood inside but I think paint will go a long way in freshening and brightening that up. Get the painting quote and see if you have anything left over to remodel the rest and then make your decision.

Have you been looking around and there is nothing else?

Or is this the first thing you've seen?

If this is the first thing you've seen, with how much you don't like it, maybe you could look some more if you are not in a big rush to move.

You can wait a couple more months because things come on the market in the spring and then make a decision by the end of May or June.

If this house is still on the market by then, you might even get a reduction in the price because it will be a stale listing by then.

The house is not that bad.

In the light, the exterior brick is not that dark. You just need some attractive landscaping.

As to the interior, I would remove those vertical blinds. If there is too much sun for you and you don't want to replace the windows with low-e glass, put on low-e film.

In the kitchen, remove the frilly curtain, change the light fixture.

If you have a dining area near the kitchen, remove that awkward peninsula that looks like an afterthought.

You could do a lot with the decor and embrace the wood and rustic-ness of it all.

I really don't get where people think painting brick is asking for high maintenance costs. Our 1948 brick house was painted in 1973 - it was a very ugly green. We bought the house in 1984 and finally repainted it (paint was still in PERFECT condition) in 2003. The new color is still in perfect condition.

Practically every house in my neighborhood is brick and nearly all of them has been painted - really ugly brick due to the clay soil in this area. The only time I've seen one painted in the 34 years I've lived her is when someone wanted a new color. NO ONE is having to paint or even touch up their brick. Now the wood trim is an entirely different matter - needs a lot of maintenance .

For some reason, I was expecting the house to be a disaster, but it's quite nice - other than the pimply brick. If painting it (and maybe repainting in 15 yrs) is all it takes, that's not bad.

I dont think the house is that bad. I do like the high ceilings. I hope you dont mind but I googled the image and found the listing. Wow! There is a lot to that property and I see why your husband is interested. How often does something like this come along in your area? It seems like a good price also. I agree with painting the brick. You could slowly upgrade the interior later.

Those older painted brick homes aren't painted with latex. That's oil based paint. . . You're kinda lucky. You could stain the brick and grout a brown color to give you a more uniform but not monotone appearance. Possibly a grey tone of brown would bring it up to date.

https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/7/17087588/home-renovation-unnecessary-mcmansion-hell-wagner

There really is NOT a lot “wrong” with this house. If you think there is, then you need to not buy it.

I really like the high wood ceilings. They give a high end look to the room.

We had very ugly brick when we bought our house. We had it painted a couple of years ago and love it, though I can't speak to longevity at this point.

So, I like wood. And I sympathize with looking for the needle-in-the-haystack property that meets an eclectic set of family needs! I personally don't think the brick is attractive, but if there were other things about the house that I liked, I could live with it. I agree that landscaping can do a LOT to how a house sits and appeals, and right now this house doesn't really have anything around it.

As far as the inside goes, you might look at some of Sarah Richardson's work; she's done a lot of painting over exactly the kind of wood ceilings you're looking at and makes beautiful rooms.

My concern, though, is that the kitchen looks like it has a really terrible layout, with what looks like a cooktop in the corner, with almost no counter space between the cooktop and sink? Changing that appliance layout is going to mean changing cabinets, and those are unique cabinets that would be tough to match...Putting up with cabinets or painting them is one thing, but a kitchen gut and redo is going to eat your whole budget very quickly. Are the bathrooms in need of serious updates, too?

Our area is on the expensive side for labour, etc, but even with my husband the carpenter doing a LOT of the work, new fixtures, countertops, vanities, and tile easily came to $10K per bathroom, and kitchen cabinets alone were $30K (IKEA would be less than that, and I don't know what size this kitchen is). Say $8-10K for new appliances, $80-100 per square foot of quartz or granite counters (so $200 per lineal foot of counter--we ended up going with wood to keep costs down)...painting our whole house (2400 square feet) was more than $10K too. You can see how it all adds up, even without including labour costs! Obviously a lot depends on the type of finishes you want, though.

I agree that there has to be something about the house that you feel you can live with comfortably if all of this takes a long time. If your heart is going to sink every time you turn into the driveway, think hard about whether to go ahead. Not an easy decision!

It sounds like there are a lot of positives for this property. Does it have good bones? Is it a diamond in the rough? If you really don't like the house and don't want to spend the amount of money it will need to get up to speed, then maybe I would rethink it. The apartment, shop and property is a lot to consider and it sounds like these are all positives. I agree with the brick, but I might build out the porch and add landscaping, then paint if needed. I love the wood ceilings, especially with everything else painted and freshened up. Since the kitchen is the center of the house, maybe remodel that first?

To me this sounds like a great opportunity for you. It has features you need/want for your business and your home including extended family. That is a rare find. The few changes you want can be done over time. IMO it is even more rare to find a property that has all of your design preferences as well as the major features. I say go for it :)

I think the house is charming, but more importantly, you need a property to support a handicap ready apartment, a separate home, a large shop and a family home. Stop worrying about what color the brick is and see what you have found!

It sounds like a difficult property to find.

We found a business in a home and grabbed it. For the possibilities, not for the aesthetics. This was the kitchen when we moved in. We made do for exactly 4 months. I hated it, but the business and location were worth way more than a kitchen.

Buy the property. Move in the relatives and then take a look at the to-do list vs the income. Arrange in order of priority. I'd put the outside of the house way down the list and start with the kitchen and living areas.

Best of luck. You are a good daughter/sister/niece and wife. Family first!

Other than the truly awful kitchen layout and a few interior cosmetic issues, the house actually looks quite nice! The exterior brick is not my favorite thing but I don't think it's SO horrible, and I agree that changing the portico over the front door and adding some landscaping would work wonders to improve the exterior appearance. Your needs are incredibly specific and unusual, so if this property meets them at a good price, I wouldn't let the brick stop me!