"Remodel" is a pretty broad term. Can you list what you plan on doing by room?

As for house plans, why do you think you need them?

I was just going to say, LOL, that I don't know of a rehabber or remodeler who ever uses original blueprints.

Firstly, you don't need them, secondly, you can't find them, and thirdly, very often previous remodelers or homeowners have changed things substantially anyhow.

For materials and appliances, do what the professionals do.

Stay away from retail!

Scope out Craigslist and estate sales, buy unblemished or slightly blemished items in good condition for really good prices.

Especially in more affluent areas, homebuyers sometimes purchase a home for location and either demolish and rebuild or immediately gut the whole thing to put in their own personal taste.

A former client once bought an entire kitchen full of stainless appliances, can't remember the brand but it was a good one, for under $2,000.

If you have never remodeled a home before (and even if you have), you really need to make a determination that you will get your money back, plus more, when you re-sell.

It depends on your real estate market. So, your first stop should be a couple realtors in your area.

Let's say you spend $100,000 upgrading your kitchen and a bathroom or two, then will you recover (1) that amount you spend, (2) plus what your time and effort are worth, in addition to (3) making it worthwhile, given the market risk of real estate values dropping?

I'm not saying it's not worth it, just that there is a steep learning curve.

I've seen people on these websites buy used fixtures at Habitat for Humanity, ebay, scratch n dent at appliance warehouses, etc. But those people invest a LOT of time, and with purchases like those, returns for defective goods and potential missing parts, make these options less attractive for the inexperienced.

You both can decide how much of the work you are willing to take on yourself. It's a huge time investment. Youtube videos, tools (if you don't already own them), etc.

sushipup is right, house plans might not help you much. If you want to take down walls, you'll need a structural engineer, etc. Not all houses were built strictly according to any existing plans....it all depends.

If you tell folks where in the nation you are, and what you have to spend, compared to what you want to accomplish, they can be more helpful.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like what you want to do is "flip" your house.

Flipping is buying a distressed property cheaply, doing mostly cosmetic repairs, and selling it for a profit.

A variant on flipping is buying rough houses, fixing them up minimally, and renting them out. There's probably another term for that, but I don't know it.

I've never flipped and don't want to (nor would I want to buy a flipper). However, from what I can see, it's a full time job and then some. "Well done" seldom are words that go with it. You have to be ruthless in comparing the increase in home value against the cost (including your labor) of every change you make.

A friend of mine tried house flipping over 20 years ago. She lost money on it because she couldn't stop thinking of it as her house. She moved walls, upgraded bathrooms, and reworked the kitchen. The house was a real showplace when she was done, but when it sold, she didn't get back even half of what she'd put into the improvements.

You'll be competing for sales with folks who have years of experience flipping, so even if you work smarter than my friend did, don't expect to make great profits (if any) on your first house.

Good luck, but don't quit your day job yet.

>>Let's say you spend $100,000 upgrading your kitchen and a bathroom or two,

Yikes, this remodeling business might be too rich for my blood.. My whole house only cost $97,500...course that was in '91 so it's probably worth more now, but yikes.

Yes, toxcrusadr. That's why it depends where you live. Where I live, hiring a GC to remodel a master bath is a $50,000 endeavor. Can it be done for less? Of course, with no GC...but as a homeowner, you have to get educated quickly about everything from waterproofing systems, to plumbing, to floor leveling, and what constitutes up-to-code work. That's why I spend a lot of time here in these forums. To learn.

If you have a Habitat for Humanity resale store nearby, start there. You never know what they’ll have. I’ve seen very high end cabinets and appliances there from people that have remodeled. Also great for lighting fixtures.

You have a fundamental disconnect driving your ambitions. Well done work is not cheap. First timer DIY is not well done. You are not going to increase the value of your home. You will make it lower in value, and lose everything you spend on product, and your time spent doing it.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2019/

Even the best high grade remodels lose money, not make it. To make a profit on a flip, you have to buy it substantially under market value. All of those We Buy Ugly Homes For Ca$h! who are buying homes for .25 on the $1? Those are the people who get a low enough purchase price to be able to put in 50% of it's value on mere cosmetics and still turn a profit.

How much remodeling and construction experience do you have? What DIY skills do you have? Do you have a full complement of power tools (various power saws, nail guns and compressor, routers, laser level, sanders, power drills and drivers, etc.) and carpentry, plumbing, and electrical hand tools...and are you experienced using them all? Unless you can answer all of these pretty positively, you're opening up a can of worms that you will regret. We all have to learn starting somewhere, but, based on your questions, I'm concerned that you don't know what you are getting into. It's one thing to do a particular project like sheetrock, or some tiling, and it's another thing to tackle all the many diverse projects needed in a remodel at the same time, especially if you haven't done this before. I've been doing woodworking and other basic skills since I was a teenager, and spent 20 years working on these skills until I thought I felt competent to manage a major remodel.

Amanda, please do not let the discouraging tone of some of these comments deter you.

Yes, remodeling is a skill, but like typing, driving a car, or sewing, you can learn it by practicing.

Just do your research, and take one step at a time.

And have fun!

Sylvia-

Yes, you can learn DIY by practicing, but one acquires those skills gradually, not by trying to do them all at the same time, and not by thinking you can do all of these jobs well the first time. The only discouragement here is cautioning the OP that this is something that will not go well if she expects to do a remodel "as cheap as possible, yet still have it well done." Most of us are presuming from the original post that the poster is someone who has fairly basic DIY skill, or maybe not very much at all; if this assumption is wrong, I'd be happy to hear it.

And I'm all for helping people here with projects, but I think it's remiss to not advise someone that they may be getting in over their head. I've seen too many people start this type of project, often after being seduced by a lot of HGTV makeover shows, and 5 years later they are living in a half finished home.

"Cheap Home Remodel to sell"

Is your home outdated or does it need repairs?

Why don't you post pictures so you can get specific ideas? Start with the kitchen since it's considered the most important room.

I have found that the items that yield the highest returns, when selling, are:

1) Deep clean everything inside and outside. This is the number one thing you can do that will give you the best ROI.

2) Repair the non-working items (that leaking hose bib or faucet as an example)

3) Fresh paint interior and exterior. Most especially the front door.

4) Trim landscaping and augment landscaping, especially in the front and walkway areas.

If you remodel, that is a whole different set of criteria in which you do not get your remodeling cost back (generally). There are exceptions to this, but those exceptions are rare and directly depending upon what your home is missing that the market demands in your neighborhood. Example: you are in a neighborhood that the buyer require 2 baths and your home only has one bath. Adding a bath may or may not be profitable - depending on the cost and the added value. This is neighborhood specific.

Just my 2¢...

Most of the answer to this depends on your home and your market, thus you really should talk to a realtor rather than us.

I feel that many of the comments are making supported assumptions about your skill, but also making unsupported assumptions about buyers. I would argue that many home buyers can't distinguish quality all that well, to support this claim I give you shiplap. Additionally, many buyers want an updated home but don't necessarily need those updates to be high quality.

Many home buyers, especially first time buyers, would rather have an updated bathroom with a bit of lippage than an outdated professionally finished bathroom. Things like a nice backsplash, clean or new baseboards, updated light fixtures, etc. can all be easy and cheap projects that pay off.

Other things like updated bathrooms, kitchens, floors, etc. may help sell a house much faster and can offer a big payoff in liquidity even when they are a small return on investment.

There are a lot of good and helpful resources that can help you through some inexpensive projects that will pay dividends for many home owners. This doesn't mean you should start tackling remodeling projects, and they will pay off. You really should talk to a realtor first and see the specifics of your area.

Amanda- please take the advice of the pros on this thread. Take it from somebody who declines to buy the "cheaply remodeled properties". If you are new, you will truly make BIG mistakes. Ones you pay for, that the sharks looking at your property will decline. And then all the money you just poured into that project is "on the block", for people who know it better. And it goes for a lot less than you were counting on.

You can always check City/County records for original blueprints. But honestly- if you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

Sounds like you already live in the house, not that you are looking to buy a house to flip. Perhaps I'm wrong.

At any rate, just learn. Get on forums, and learn all you can. Know what to hire out (gas, electric, most plumbing, structural issues, things the PROS must do) and what you can do in your jurisdiction. Expect a learning curve. It will take 3 times longer than you think, but if you are living there anyway - as it sounds like you are - you can take this time.

There are many things you can do yourself, or find trades to do, if you are talking about cosmetic spruce ups. I do it all the time. It takes time to find the right people though. Sure, I could get it done in a few weeks if I want to pay someone to manage the entire thing at 5X what I want to pay. Or I can go slowly, and get it all done anyway.

Interesting information