Old House Renovations

You’re tempted to leave well enough alone and keep those old electrical wires behind the walls where they are. Tempted to leave that screw in fuse box hanging there for a few more years. Tempted to just replace a light fixture without worrying about the connecting wires. Avoid temptation and update your electricity. It just isn’t worth risking your life over.

The one time I lived in a 50’s era home, I didn’t bother with electrical updates. There was a fuse box, but I didn’t worry. Well, my brother just happened to be sitting nearby on his weight bench when the fuse box blew up. In fact, since flames shot out four feet from the box, he barely missed getting scorched.  It turns out that the whole development had faulty fuse boxes and ours was one of the few that hadn’t been replaced by the homeowners when a man up the street burned to death in a fuse box fire a few years before.

My current old farmhouse had terrifying electrical issues. A washer was being powered by an outlet that was wired into the house with a section of extension cord - the lightweight kind you use to reach the outlet when you have a short cord on your lamp. Needless to say, rewiring was our top  priority! If you have an older home, please make sure you put electrical updates on your priority list, too.

An awful lot of old homes were resided many decades ago with big white shingles. The shingles are fairly durable, but a crack or chip after several years is almost inevitable. No problem. You’ll just pop that broken shingle off, chunk it in the trash and nail down one of the spare shingles someone conveniently left in the basement.

If only it was that simple! Unfortunately, these rather ugly, but long lasting, shingles have asbestos in them. While cement asbestos shingles aren’t that dangerous while they’re hanging out on your house, removing, nailing, or cutting them releases that deadly asbestos dust into the air and quite possibly your lungs.

Purists insist that the shingles should be stripped off the house by a professional asbestos removal team and replaced with clapboard siding. People on a budget usually opt to avoid disturbing the shingles and simply ask a siding expert to put a new layer of siding over the shingles. No matter what you decide to do, please don’t mess around with asbestos shingles by yourself. It just isn’t safe.

photo by Stephen Simpson

When you renovate an old home, you can end up dealing with some pretty scary situations. Remember that no matter how great the home is or how costly it is to get professionals to do a job, your health is more valuable than anything else! Before you take on some home renovation projects, take the time to make sure you are being safe.

• Never use a heat gun to remove layers of old paint. If you’re in a closed room, this is doubly important. Unless you’ve had the layers of paint tested and can guarantee that they are all non-toxic, lead free paints, you’re going to be breathing in a nasty chemical mess. Also avoid scraping or sanding paint that hasn’t been tested for lead. If you do decide to scrape your paint, please wear protective gear and do not let children or pregnant women come into the area until the room has been thoroughly cleaned.
• Think twice before grabbing old wiring. Many old homes were wired with asbestos covered electrical wires.
• Use caution when crawling around in dark areas. We had a black widow spider nest in our garage when we moved in because the previous owners were storing a stack of half rotten wood in the building. Thankfully, the person who made the discovery was wearing long sleeves and gloves.
• Always follow safety instructions when operating any tools or climbing ladders. A few seconds of prevention can mean years of renovating fun.

I have yet to move into a house that didn’t have a broken toilet. I guess it is just what happens with an old home, huh? Unfortunately, I never thought to make a video of myself removing and replacing a broken toilet. I talked a few weeks ago about how to fix a wobbly toilet, but I’m revisiting the issue today because I found someone who did make a video of toilet flange repairs and a video of how to install a replacement toilet.

I think those of you who have been trying to figure out what on earth I was describing will find this short video on fixing a wobbly toilet to be incredibly helpful:

Once your flange is repaired, it is time to put in a new toilet or re-install the old one:

Ever see a foreclosure and think, “Wow! I could buy that with my credit card!” Well, in some cases, you actually can. American Tax Funding Service allows people to pay their down payments or even put an entire home on their credit cards. Some auctions on eBay accept Paypal payments for all or part of the purchase price, which means you can also use your credit card to finance these purchases.

Why would you want to use a credit card to buy a foreclosure? Maybe you have a great rate, like a 3 percent interest offer until a new charge is payed off. Maybe you get cash back on purchases and plan to charge the foreclosure and then pay the bill in full the day it arrives.

However, if you have a 12% interest rate or a 6 month special lower rate, please don’t take advantage of the ability to charge a foreclosure without a lot of forethought. A 12% mortgage rate is just insane!

You can get a great deal on a foreclosed home. You can also get a deal so bad that you might as well toss your money in the trash. The key to getting a good deal on a foreclosure is to proceed with caution and a whole lot of common sense.

First, read everything in the listing. Then, read it all again. Wow, did you almost bid $1,000 as a down payment on a $25,000 foreclosed wreck? Good thing you read the listing a second time and saw that paragraph about your bid only being a down payment and not the full purchase price! Other things I’ve noticed are fine print notes about additional fees or a casual mention that you’re not buying the house free and clear. (Oooh, I have $3,400 in back taxes and water bills to pay if I buy this one.)

Next, check out the seller’s feedback. Make sure it isn’t all for buying stuff. You want a seller who made other people buying foreclosures really happy, not a seller who can shop for bargains!

After you’re pretty happy with the listing, check out the settlement terms. Do you owe the whole amount within three days by cashier’s check? Is there an outrageously high interest rate on the financed portion?

Now, it is time to evaluate the condition of the house. Look closely at the photos. Nice, nice, great moldings, okay… Whoa, Nelly! Is that a piece of the ceiling on the floor?

Finally, if you are anywhere near a listing you are seriously considering, take a road trip. You may not be able to go in the house and look around, but you’ll be able to see the neighborhood and you’ll be able to see if the outside has deteriorated since the photos were taken.

Finally, I have a bonus piece of advice for you - go with your gut feelings. Don’t bid if you feel nervous or unsure about whether this is the right thing for you. Happy bidding!

photo by svilen mushkatov/stock exchange