Fixer Upper Lake House
Linda
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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Jean
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoLinda
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Tract Home 'Cleaner Upper' & 'Fixer Upper'
Comments (13)Hi "mary md7", Please read my blog post and my intent and what I'm asking of Ryland Homes will come crystal clear. I'm not looking to make money, but something needs to be done to protect consumers from a lot of stress and aggravation when they are looking to enjoy their new home. Ryland Homes response to my BBB complaint made me say: "I take that to mean that Ryland Homes believes that what happened to my wife and I was "normal", and that all homebuyers should expect that 100 plus problems can happen during their first year warranty!" Hi rockmanor, Please read my blog post and my intent and what I'm asking will come crystal clear. Rather than getting angry, or asking for selfish compensation from my builder, I want to help them. To answer your question: "Does this mean there was not a full blown, multi-hour thorough inspection by a certified inspector hired by the OP?", that is correct. I could not have put off COE anyway, unless I wanted to spend a lot of money on motels and storage fees. Many people are caught in that same dilema, and the builders know it. The initial "Punch List" was about 60 problems, and the rest were discovered as we lived in the house. Many new home buyers, IMO, are caught between a "rock and a hard place" when it comes to a decision of putting off COE until all known(at the time) problems are fixed. Finally, the real point of the post is what I asked to begin with = "Was it OK for Ryland Homes to fix 100 + things wrong with my new home over a stressful year that wasted a lot of my time?" I'm curious how the professionals here feel about the tract home building industry's attitude about sometimes delivering "Cleaner Upper' & 'Fixer Upper" new homes at COE? I personally don't think it is good for the building industry, Realtors (I used to be one), lenders, escrow agents, or anyone associated with the buying and selling of homes. The bottom line is that the more new home buyers, especially Baby Boomers, are afraid to buy a new tract home (at any price), the more they'll stay put where they are, or buy a resale home. In both cases, the overall buying and selling activity could be reduced. Customer service standards for tract home builders need to be raised like the National Association of Home Builders is trying to do with its "NHQ Certified Builder Program" (See Link Below). Here is a link that might be useful: NHQ Certified Builder Program...See MoreAn idea on repairs? (Buying a Fixer Upper Home)
Comments (9)We are just finishing a remodeling job on a "blower upper" house we bought in 1992. The original cost was $110,000. With this remodel and all the other work we have put into it, we have put an addition $200,000 into it. That includes roofing, concrete floor in garage, rewiring, carpet, deck on back, garage door, replace all plumbing, central air conditioning, built in custom book shelves, kitchen redo, and now adding 400 square feet, new windows, siding, and redoing both bathrooms. The point is you can make as much out of remodeling as you want. If you are going to live there for awhile, you just bite the bullet and do it. If you wanted to buy this and flip it, I think you need to keep looking. There is way too much to do to get your money back....See MoreDid I watch too many episodes of Fixer Upper?
Comments (19)Perhaps the layout Beachem posted might look nicer, but unfortunately it's not going to happen. I already bought an undercabinet hood - the only thing purchased so far. This is a budget remodel and so I don't think I want to eat that cost and then spring for a much more expensive chimney hood - especially if it is for aesthetic reasons only. I also really wanted at least two upper cabinets that I will be able to access easily - one for oils and larger spice containers, the other for measuring cups and small mixing bowls, etc. This upper storage space is critical, especially if I also lose the shelving. The perpendicular peninsula counter will be my primary prep space with no other wall cabinets. Mama Goose - your comments make me feel better about the original layout I posted, and the pics make me think shiplap really could work on that wall . I was already wondering if my original layout would look less awkward if the shelves to the left were actually filled with something of some substance - to balance it out and keep the cabinets on the right from seeming alone on that wall. And the horizontal lines of the shiplap and shelving don't seem so overwheming in the pics - where it is all the same white color. Perhaps my mockup with the empty shelves and the prominent shiplap joints just makes everything appear worse than it really will? One thing I did think about that could possibly help ease the vertical lines of the wall cabinets would be to replace the one tall door front with stacked doors - no change in the underlying cabinet but a 30 inch door on the bottom and a 10 inch door on top. That would work with standard Ikea sizes. Only problem is that the cabinets over the range are 15 tall and not 10 but there may be a way to address that. For instance, I could use a single panel (10") drawer front over the hood and filler below. It's not a useful cabinet space anyway because the duct work is hidden there. The panel could be fixed or hinged at the top to open up and allow access. Thank you CEFreeman for the humor! Loved the Peter Max comment!...See MoreFront & Exterior Spruce Up help needed
Comments (14)Around here, the only summer “cottages” with stone or brick work are actually lakeside mansions. The actual cottage sized summer places like yours are clapboard or shingled with the only masonry being perhaps a brick chimney. So I think adding stone or brick would actually make it look more suburban and reduce the cottage vibe. Landscaping shouldn’t be fussy, with a tree off each side of the house to frame it from the road side. Beds in front should be at least 5’-6’ deep with either undyed mulch or a groundcover dense enough to suppress weeds. There should be only a very few types of relatively easy care plants such as shrubs that flower during the time you will be visiting, unless you plan to live here for long periods of time in the summer and don’t mind puttering in the garden. Around here, spirea, smaller red-twigged dogwoods, and panicled hydrangeas like Little Lime would work well. An untended flower garden advertises that no one is currently living there full time, but there are a few easy care perennials that could be tended just on weekends. Perhaps a few large pots with Geraniums or another annual that doesn’t mind occasional dry soil to provide some cheerful color on the deck out back, but on that side of the house, you want the lake view to be the star and so I would generally keep it simple....See MoreLinda
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