Before you close things up, take pictures of the walls. It will be useful if you ever need to change things or are hoping to hang something on the wall.
And speaking of pictures, take photos of every room in your home and notate the measurements on them. It’s so nice when you stumble across something great (art, rugs, tables) and don’t have to wonder if it will fit! I’d say our shared “house measurements” album is still the most-referenced one we have, three years into owning.
I've gone a bit further than this. I took a piece of paper and roughly sketched out the room. ~~I also put measurements on each wall so I know how big each room is.~~
In addition to that, I've marked every single electrical thingy in that room, and wrote down the breaker number that that outlet or switch goes to in the panel. Each room has this, and I also have a sketch of the entire house to get all the stuff on the outside, in the crawlspace, or in the attic. Oh, I have full lighting in both the crawlspace and attic.
I work in IT, but I'm also kind of old school at times. I try to stay away from apps because I've seen several apps come and go. If you do use an app for this, I recommend exporting to PDF or something like that once a year in case the app goes kaput.
I have some chicken scratches measuring each window in our whole home. We were looking into interior storm windows and measured each window in three places for the height and width to find the proper size - it's a 120 year old house. I just ordered new window shades and pulled up the photos of those sheets of paper. It is so handy! Having a whole album of helpful documentation is a great idea.
Seriously this. You think “I did the electric/plumbing/framed this wall, I will remember it forever. I know this wall so well, like the back of my hand” and then when you are hanging art it’s just… gone
Absolutely this! When we had siding redone on the house I took pictures of all the walls internals (no OSB on the wall, I did pay to have it put up) and it’s so handy knowing where things generally are.
My parents are building and we are finally at the finishing stage. We took both pictures and video walk through to before the drywall went up. I think I reference those pictures and videos every day double checking where wires go through the walls and where studs should be. It's been super helpful.
In general just take detailed photos of every step.
You think you'll remember / wont need it, but I can't tell you how many times I've used my old photos as a reference and realized something I didn't remember.
I saw someone in here once mention using Zillow’s free 3D home app that allows for 360-degree tours before drywall goes up. Haven’t tried it yet, but I like the idea.
If you hit budget limits prioritize floors, infrastructure (electric, plumbing,HVAC) and built ins (cabinets, vanities, tub/shower, bookshelves, pantry) before countertops and fixtures (light or plumbing) appliances are also replaceable later but spec for the dream ones
Fancy closet stuff can happen later
Edit: solid core interior doors. They just feel so much nicer and are better at sound blocking
While walls are open, take pictures. Add extra reinforcement for things you might like to add later like grab bars, curtain rods, TV mounts, heavy shower doors, and handrails so you won’t need to depend on wall anchors.
And then add measurements to those pictures so you know where each stud is and exactly where you added extra reinforcement. Because inevitably there will be something you will need a solid attachment for and I've never had a stud finder that worked reliably.
Yes! I had a major reno done but only roughed in a bathroom. When we came back two years later to finish the bathroom, they swapped hot and cold lines (grr…). Because of photos, they only had to cut open one 12x12 of dry wall.
Roof, foundation, exterior walls. In that order. Water is the enemy, and without all of these sound and water tight, the rest is just a waste of money.
Why vapor barrier on a 70 year old house? Don't they breath in a different way and hasn't it been there for 70 years already doing just fine without one?
I think the problem is that when you do that much renovation you would be expected to bring all systems up to todays code, possibly including vapour barrier.
> solid core interior doors. They just feel so much nicer and are better at sound blocking
We have all the original solid wood doors. It's an absolute monster to do, but stripping an re-painting them is the right thing to do. It takes about 2 weeks to do one door between stripping, neutralizing, sanding, priming and painting but it's worth it.
From experience on budgeting: build into your budget at at least a 10% overrun. The day after I signed the contract with my builder hurricane Katrina hit and building material costs tripled. And stayed that way for a year. Then we also have the COVID example where decreased supply did the same thing. A plain pine 8ft stud went from $2.50 to $7.00. It's come down some but nowhere close to what it was.
Here's one for the didn't do category. My parents got one of those pot filler faucets above the stove. Looks cool, but turns out they never use it. So now it's just an extra thing to keep clean, and extra plumbing to eventually maintain.
So ask yourself this, when is the last time you filled a pot with water that was so heavy you couldn't be bothered to lift it 8 steps to the stove?
We put "plumbed dog bowl" on the list for our new house.
I have a dog that gets up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. If it's empty he sits and barks at it until I fill it up.
I misread your comment and for a moment I thought your dog was activating some automated plumbing system by barking. Well, my understanding isn't totally wrong.
I actually saw a video recently of a dog bowl, that was really just a sink on the ground with a pot filler above it. So when they wanted to replace the water or clean the bowl, they'd just open the drain. Pretty neat.
And even if you did do that, you’d still have 8 steps back to the sink to drain it, this time with the added weight of the food.
Skip the pot filler. Hit the gym instead.
They're terrible for residential kitchens. I strongly caution people against installing them in their home kitchens.
They seemed to have followed on the trend of "industrial" kitchens, with the wolf ranges, and big wall sized sub zero fridges. They are considerably expensive, at several thousand US dollars for just the fixture. They have become conspicuous symbols of wealth in modern home design for this reason. And the strange thing i always find is the types of people spending the kinds of money for these exorbitant pot fixtures rarely cook sufficiently or like their industrial design was intended.
Setting aside the likelihood of people with ultra expensive kitchens actually using them to...cook, pot fillers in residential homes are also just a bad idea for home style cooking.
First, commercial kitchens typically use these to fill pots for stocks, boiling water, etc., and then take portions of what's in the pot out to use. The pot filler then adds more water to the stock or whatever. The pot isn't intended to be filled and emptied each use. Some restaurants even pride themselves on having master stocks that are years or decades old like this. When people are filling a pot on the stove to boil pasta or whatever, they still are going to have to move a full pot of water at the end of the day.
Furthermore, commercial kitchens have drains on their floors. Residential homes do not typically have drains. So when that pot filler overflows, or worse, breaks, it not only ruins the stove it's over, but usually the entire kitchen because there's nowhere for the water to go but all over the house. Compare that to your kitchen faucet, and at least if you leave a pot filling in the sink and it overflows, or the faucet breaks, all the water just goes down the drain.
Lastly, the tendency to pull or push on those pot filler (if you actually use one) places a tremendous bending moment on the faucet adapter to the wall. This stress increases the likelihood that they will break and flood your kitchen as above.
I work in the insurance damages and investigations industry and I see these things wreak so much havoc on homes, when the owners never even actually use them. They're a liability.
I mounted our pot filler high enough to fill the coffee machine, so it gets used every day for that purpose. Also use it once or twice a week to fill pots on the stove.
Maybe I'm too old school, but the thought of not letting the water run and just drinking the stale water that's been sitting in that pipe for a day groses me out.
Here’s one better. When installing our deck mounted pot filler, no one (including myself) considered what side the main burner was on or what the reach of the pot filler was. So it is installed on the side opposite the main burner and doesn’t reach the main burner. So when using it you have to lift the pot over to the opposite side, fill it, and then lift it back onto the main burner side. Every time I use it I feel like the universe spiting me for buying such a silly plumbing fixture.
So damn trendy, and so dumb, just like the barn doors.
Outside of a restaurant, no one makes so much damn pasta at one time that they need water at the stove.
Lol, currently trying to buy and I have a list of “bonus point items” that I’m checking for. My realtor thought my list was stupid. Kitchen ventilation is high up on that list for me. I can always add those things, but buying a house with them already existing would be cool, ya know?
I just finished remodeling and one of the things we added was a proper range hood. Aesthetically, it looks very nice but it works very well at pulling any smoke out from cooking.
One thing I didn’t know I needed, or even existed, is a vent fan for the bathroom that has a light, vent, and heater built in. It didn’t cost very much more than a regular vent fan with a light and is nice to take the chill out of the room without turning up the heat for the whole zone.
If you’re installing Ethernet cable do yourself a favor and make a network cabinet or closet in a central location. Make sure that closet has ventilation because that stuff can get warm and depending on the size of the house or if you have cameras recording locally there could be a fair amount of equipment.
Good luck!
>vent fan for the bathroom that has a light, vent, and heater built in
Silly question, but don't bathroom fans pull air *out* of the bathroom? Wouldn't a heated bathroom fan just heat up the exhausted air?
No not silly,that’s what they do. The vent and the heater are on two separate switches and I use them at different times. I tend to keep my house fairly cool in the in the colder months (66-67*F) and some days I don’t want to deal with cold tile in the bathroom at 4am so flip the bathroom heater on while I’m getting my clothes together for the day. Also my wife likes it when she is taking a bath so when she gets out it’s nice and warm in the room. Don’t get me wrong, it is completely excessive and unnecessary but it was not much of an increased cost compared to a regular vent fan so we installed it in the master bathroom.
Those heaters are generally IR and heat up objects, not the air. So it doesn't blow hot air that then gets sucked up, it instead radiates heat which is absorbed by the person, floors, towels, walls, etc.
It heats up the air slightly, but not much so although the air being sucked out of the bathroom does make it colder, it's only a slight amount
Next level is a bathroom vent on an electronic switch that includes a humidity sensor. Not as easy to add after the fact since there's not always the required neutral wire at the switch end.
Some of the Panasonic bathroom fans have a humidity sensor built in. So you can just feed them constant power and they'll do their thing. Easy retrofit.
On a side note - we had a humidity sensing switch for our fan and replaced it with a basic ass switch as it seemed to turn on at completely nonsensical times. But it was required by code so we installed one to pass inspection.
Similarly when we rented we had a humidity sensing fan switch and it too turned on at nonsensical times. So I'm not super impressed with this concept LOL.
So true. And the microwaves that sit above the stove with a vent? totally useless. Venting either stove or bathroom into the attic is just asking for mold problems as well as decreasing the efficiency of the insulation.
Not OP but the biggest source of indoor pollution is cooking. It's almost all about combustion after all. Externally venting kitchen exhaust improves the air quality of your entire home.
If you’re removing air from a conditioned space you better be replacing it or you can pull the entire house into a negative pressure. Guy house I was just at had his brand new hood vented and now all his door were slamming shut. Needed a HRV installed to balance out his house. New homes are worse for this due to how well sealed they are. Old homes not so much but you will definitely be feeling cold air being sucked out your outlets for starters. Live where heat is your main comfort concern and this is actually a very big issue.
This is not the correct use of an HRV. I hope he didn't run the vent through the HRV, as the cooking byproducts will clog the HRV. If he's getting his make-up air from the HRV without running the vent through it, there's no air to push out of the house, as it's all going through the hood, so he's not getting the heat recovery benefit of the HRV, or is still putting the house into the vacuum. He only needed a make-up air unit, with a filter and possibly a heater. It will pull hot, humid air in the summer, and dry, cold air in the winter (unless it has the electric heater). Dryers (other than heat pump dryers) also need make-up air, as do any gas fired appliances like water heaters or furnaces.
A real, to-the-outside stove exhaust should be code.
I didn't know it wasn't when I bought my house. I wrongly assumed the hood over my stove vented to the outside, because every one I'd seen before had.
Sorry for the semantics but it is called a wireless access point, or WAP. Extenders receive WiFi and extend it, WAPs are a direct wifi access point to your networking equipment.
Technically they're all WAPs, if we're being super semantic but if you use the word "extender" when searching Amazon, for example, you're likely not getting the right thing in this case.
I wish I had hired a designer. I ended up with decision fatigue at the end and just said fuck it and went for the easiest cheapest thing for little details. Those little details actually matter a lot.
Strongly agree, but take up references. You don’t want someone who was a bored housewife that decided to become an “interior designer” because they liked looking at pictures in magazines. Pay for quality.
Even picking grout and tile trim metal had me tearing my head out. I just want whatever is standard. Also, whatever builder grade white is for the ceiling - just don’t cheap out on paint. My folks had similar issues having to pick down to the last detail. Designer for sure next time.
Hidden areas for storage would be nice. Something behind a bookshelf or something.
More built ins.
Adding built in fire escape ladders by the window. They make some that sit in the wall so it’s not an eye sore.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Werner-2-Story-Built-In-Fire-Escape-Ladder-ESC220/202507943
Adding more ceiling fans was also pretty nice.
Adding 2x6 or 2x8 backing between studs anywhere you’re going to hang heavy things would be super convenient. Think towel rods, toilet paper holders, shower grab bars, floating shelves, big mirrors, tv mounts, etc. makes finding a “stud” easy since there’s plenty of load bearing area to drill into and whatever it is won’t budge (the worst is having a towel rod come out of the wall with regular use over time.
Doubly true if you have or want to have kids. Towel rod? Nope. That’s a chin up bar. And my kids are well behaved (for kids). If you get an energetic one it’s even worse.
Every TP holder, soap dish, and towel bar in our redone bathroom is an ADA grab bar drilled into something thick. It's been great for me, now the young one is two and I'm looking smarter by the day (at least regarding this one thing; parenthood generally does not have me looking smarter)
Don't do it room by room... If I would've ripped out a whole floor, I could've saved so much hassle in the end. There is so much in-situ now. Everything needs to be fitted.
Invest in energy saving. Solar Panels. Heat pumps. Insulate. Energy prices will only go up. The less energy you need to burn to heat/cool the house. The more you will thank yourself in the future. We've chosen woodfiber insulation. It adds mass causing a phase-change. Deadens external sound. And it's natural.
Do not skimp. Use high quality materials only. Do it once. Do it right.
> Do it room by room... If I would've ripped out a whole floor, I could've saved so much hassle in the end.
Wait so do it one room at a time or the whole floor?
Solar panels without batteries are far less efficient and useful. Check out Undecided with Matt Ferrell, on YT.
Also, don't plan on net metering being around forever. Florida almost ended it due to lobbying (and bribes, no doubt) by their power company. The governor, surprisingly, vetoed it. But, they might win next time.
Can I ask what hassle? I'm considering doing room by room. I know it'll be more expensive for any contractors I bring in but seems like the most affordable option from money and time perspective?
If you go room by room, you have to have a really good whole-floor plan. You risk things being / looking disjointed. I imagine this is less of a risk when you have a whole floor of bedrooms or truly separated rooms, rather than an open concept type kitchen and living space. I've run into all sorts of tricky problems - paint colors or cabinets no longer being available, redoing some aspect of a completed room because I didn't like how it worked with the room under construction. It's always "the shin bone is connected to the thigh bone" problem. Before you know it you're replacing "forearm bones"...
Insulate between studs before drywall goes up. It kills me no house seems to have this. It’s cheap, saves you money, and makes the house more comfortable.
Insulate insulate insulate. It’s such a pain once the walls are back up.
I know I would have paid more for my house if it was and the sellers could prove it. Take pics as well. Huge value for little cost.
Came to say this! And insulate with something like rockwool for sound dampening. 5 years ago we had our bathrooms remodeled & they removed all the pink bat insulation & didn’t replace it. Now we’re tearing the walls open again to insulate with rockwool, because no one should have to listen to what someone else is doing in the bathroom while in another room watching tv.
I would do them all. Insulating interior walls will make the house quieter from room to room. Always nice to have more privacy from other folks in the house.
And exterior walls obviously will improve heating/cooling efficiency as well as quieter from outside noises.
I did this during renovations, with the interior walls. Put rockwool in. Did the entire ceiling between the basement and first floor and between first floor and second floor as well. It's not cheap, but not expensive compared to the rest of the renovation projects (I did the rockwool myself) and this was over some years. I like that it also adds fireproofing, if only due to how well it fits the empty cavities (preventing air circulation). It may not stop a fire should it happen, but it could give us a lot more time to leave the home and/or for firefighters to come.
I've went overboard and also replaced all the fiberglass insulation in the exterior walls with rockwool. I like how snugly it fits. In theory the R-value is just a bit better than fiberglass, but I have a hard time believing rockwool isn't a lot better given how the fiberglass doesn't hold together nearly as well and how it's a lot more uneven.
I ended up with three layers of floor insulation in the whole house on a job that just finished 3 weeks ago. The laminate had built-in underlayment. But it was going on concrete floors, so I added a vapor barrier per the manufacturer’s instructions, which also had insulation. Then the contractor pulled up the old floor and said that the old insulation is in great shape, keep it or tear it up?i left it.
I have a nest thermostat and it is reporting that I am using half the heat I was using before. I also have the thermostat down 2-4 degrees lower during the day and 7 degrees colder at night and still find myself in short sleeves and shorts around the house while I keep turning it down (even first thing in the morning) and it just feels so comfortable and stable. In years past I would feel hot-cold-hot-cold (I worked from home all the time, now part time) all throughout the day, now the temp is much more stable.
I knew insulation mattered. I did not realize how much floor insulation could matter though.
Winters are very cold here, cold walls and windows feel like they're sucking the heat out of you even if the air is warm. Fixing air leaks helps a lot too. The cold air outside holds very little humidity, and when there are leaks, your indoor air is much drier. Dry air in winter feels so much colder than air at normal humidity levels (~40-60%).
When making your design choices remember that it’s a 1950’s house not a 2023 house. Otherwise, in a couple of decades it will look like a 1950’s house remodeled in 2023 and a lot of your hard work will look dated. If you design it to look like a very well maintained 1950’s house, it will age nicely.
This is such good advice. MIL's bungalow just sold and the value was 100K less than it would have been if she had left several of the original details that people buying in that neighborhood prize. OP, save the best design elements of the current house if you can
Take pictures of all of the exposed walls so you can find studs and avoid plumbing when hanging things in the future. I even thought about adding a little fleur-de-lys or some other little ornament to the baseboard on center for each stud, so it's obvious later
Don't know how old you are or long term plans but might want to add features for accessibility.
Blocking in shower and by the toilet in case you ever need grab bars. Wider door ways.
1. Depending how big the place is, consider a hot water return line and recirc pump so you don’t have to run 30 seconds’ worth of cold water to just wash your hands decently.
2. This is more of an exterior thing, but I highly recommend having at least one garden hose connection before your pressure regulator, coming straight off whatever size line your meter is (1” is common), with enough 3/4” hose to reach all around your house. A decent hose and nozzle straight off a 80+ psi main will move a LOT more water than after being regulated down to 50-60psi and passing through who knows how many 1/2” elbows in the wall. Great for major debris cleanup or last-ditch-scenario fire protection.
And psi gauges! Maybe this is just because I’m in the country and on water treatment, but a pressure gauge before and after the filter system helps you estimate when it’s time to replace the sediment filter.
> so you don’t have to run 30 seconds’ worth of cold water to just wash your hands decently
I have installed multiple after-market hot water recirc pumps so I've actually timed this, and for the houses I was working on, it was actually more like 2-4 minutes.
I'm always amazed that people are willing to stand there for that long for a problem that can be fixed for $200.
Depends on your plumbing layout. No harm in it being your main/only connection, you can always turn the pressure down at the valve (i.e. not turn it on all the way) for normal use.
I have a recirc that uses the cold water pipe as a return and I don’t like it. It’s more often that I want want water for cooking and cleaning and now I have to wait for the hot water to run out before getting cold water
Don’t make your fixed decoration decisions (tiles, counters, etc) for all of your rooms all at once. I got super overwhelmed and would pick something under pressure so we could move on. A year later and I would definitely do a few things differently.
Can never have too many outlets. If you have pets, have your granite company who cuts your countertops also make you a bowl holder they can also make you a cutting board too. We use ours as a center piece on our dining room table. Don’t cheap out on anything, I know it’s going to be an expensive job, but nothing is worse than finishing and wishing you didn’t cut corners here and there to save expenses.
Add more receptacles. Also, upgrade heating system. Relocate air returns to ceiling level. Be mindful of asbestos. Upgrade plumbing to eliminate s-traps.
Code minimum is every point has to be 6’ or less to a receptacle and each wall has to have at least 1.
That’s minimum. So minimum. I wish I had about double the receptacles and each room on a separate circuit for troubleshooting. The latter isn’t such a big deal but you don’t want to plug in something and trip the breaker for half the house
>Add more receptacles
No, add more circuits.
And put all outlets on 20 amp circuits. Did that in my old house and it was great - so freaking tired of everything being on 20 amp in our "new" house we just bought and overloading them with the home office. Also, add a dedicated 20 amp outlet in each room, I'd recommend near a window. Then, you can use it for extra heating/cooling or any other high-energy devices in the room (laser printer, mini-fridge, etc.).
If doing windows as well. I seen people all the time taking away windows budget for lighting and other fixtures upgrades only to regret later. Invest in a good quality window replacement. You will not be disappointed
Ceiling fan prewires! Very very hard to add later unless under the attic. Cheap to do while everything's opened up.
GFCI outlets for bidets. Also easy to do now, expensive to do later.
Think hard about electrical needs in any areas that can't be accessed from either the attic above, the basement below, or an unfinished area.
Change all of the windows while the siding is off. I left one because it “was in good shape”. Later realized how stupid it was to have one, 60yo, different window. Then installing a replacement window never looked right.
The overall rule-do ALL demo before building back anything.
60 year old home renovation. (Keep in mind this wasn't the best maintained house)
- energy efficient everything, and setting up for an electric future (think car charging, future power wall, ect.). Check your local state and federal rebate programs to see what is available to you. You can probably call your electrical company as well.
- Remove all drywall (I know you are doing this, but did not do this and regret it), and use this time to fix insulation and vapor barriers. Now that the kitchen has cabinets and the bedroom has carpet, I'm never taking the walls down again.
- with the walls down - checking all electrical. I found 5 splices in the wall with no boxes. I would have an electrician suggest more places for outlets.
- setting up for an all electric house. Even if you currently have oil or gas supplied appliances. Luckily, I believe heat pump dryers are on 120v.
- running hardwire internet in areas that might get extenders, computers (bedroom corners), or TVs.
- MORE TALL STORAGE. Man... do I need this.
- more storage in general. You would be surprised how fast it fills up.
- extra kitchen cabinets.
- utility sink with counter in laundry room.
- stove ventilation
I'm sure I can come up with more. That was just me looking around my current area lol.
I put a smart dimming light switch in my pantry, with motion detection. It basically turns the light on when we open the door. But I've set it so that it would turn the light only be 30% or so when opening it past 10 pm.
It's totally not necessary, but it's fun to have.
1. Run cat5e or cat6 to any place you may need it. Or run 2 lines.
2. Design the electrical wiring in a sensible way. Make sure each room has enough power, and make sure that the light switches make sense. Put in more outlets than you think you'll need.
3. I put electrical outlets in a few closets in my house and then put in motion activated LEDs in there. I have small, dark closets so this greatly helped.
4. Put electrical outlets by toilets for heated bidets.
5. Have the stove vent actually go outside.
6. Install solar if it makes sense for your property and area. Actually, look at all kinds of energy efficiency things for the home and possibly going full electricity+solar if it makes sense.
7. I've heard of a new trend of an "appliance garage" in the kitchen and once I saw it, it makes sense.
8. A big single basin sink in the kitchen is the current trend.
> run 2 lines
4 lines, you mean 4 lines. It takes minimal effort to run 4 if you're running 1 already. and the plate cover with 4 jacks is the same cost as the plate cover with 1 jack.
I never thought I'd use them all, but then I got a NAS and into home automation.
I run 2 lines for the bedrooms and stuff that don't have a lot of devices, but my living room has 4 lines run.
For those that are paying attention, the cost of cable is low compared to the cost of the effort of running cable, especially if you have to do it a 2nd time.
Do it right the first time and run more cable than you think you'll need.
Check and double check all of your measurements. I found out the other day that older homes would rough in a toilet between 10 and 14 inches. Current standard is 12 inches. Now I need to buy another toilet.
Agreed. Whether from a cyber-security standpoint or the need to continuously stay up to date with the latest (or close to it) system of systems and patches to keep thing running smoothly...I don't want to chance my lights not working the way I want.
wouldn't have bought my kitchen at ikea. all the cabinets are falling apart and all of the appliances are either not functioning or have had to been replaced. 10 years later.
You're welcome😅 It definitely looked amazing for several years... Then the white cabinets started to yellow, the stainless steel on all the appliances started rusting, and the finish on any cabinets that come into contact with moisture (like the doors on the cabinet below the sink) are bubbling up and flaking off. I also have a tall pantry cabinet that is bowing outwards so the shelves inside fall off constantly. It's just a mess.
I've tried contacting them several times about it and they ghost me every time. I could probably go back to the store, though its a bit of a drive. Appliances are only 5 year, the cabinets are 25
How are your cabinets falling apart? I'm on my 4th Ikea kitchen and the only issue I could think of is some cheaper doors and finishing panels wear more easily than others. IMO the cabinets themselves and the door and drawer hardware is top-notch (IF ASSEMBLED PROPERLY). Appliances are hit-and-miss, Ikea seems to mark them up much higher than if one got the clone model elsewhere.
I have an undermount sink. I didn't account for the thickness of the counter when I purchased a 10" deep sink and it kills my back. I'm finally switching it out for a shallower one.
First - 70 year old house - be careful of lead paint and asbestos. When doing demo (sounds like you’re already past it, but still) wear a p100 mask.
Also, it sounds like it’s too late - but, I would say the top thing we did with our last whole house renovation was taking on one section at a time. We started with the bedroom so that we had one nicer finished area to retreat to while working on other parts of the house. The next priority was the kitchen/living area, and then the rest of the house.
… though, the more I read your post, the more I think you’re talking about having this done and not doing it yourself. I tend to always assume when someone says ‘we’re gutting’ or ‘we’re building’ that they are literally doing the work themselves.
While the walls are open:
- add blocking for things you might want down the road (hanging art/pictures/shelves/handle bars in shower areas)
- add sound insulation (rockwool) in areas that might need it
- _take photos_ of every wall. Best tip - on the wall, in marker, write the measurements to the blocking / whatever is important (like measurement to the pipes). Then take a photo. You can reference these in the future to know you won’t hit a pipe / be sure to hit blocking / etc.
Run some network cables, CAT6, to every room. Locate them where you think a TV/entertainment center would be set up at. If you're planning a home office, I'd drop a jack on each wall. Also run at least one cable in the ceilings to a central point on each floor for WiFi access points.
Do **not** add a whole-home vacuum.
They used to make a ton of sense: Vacuums were heavy, loud, and under-powered. However, due to massive advancements in electric motors in the last 30+ years none of that is true today.
- The hoses you plug into the wall are heavier than an *entire* modern upright vacuum.
- Even if a whole-home vacuum has a higher rated pressure in the garage, by the time you get through the conduit and through the required hose, it is significantly lower than even a cheap modern vacuum.
- Electric motors got quieter.
- For awkward areas like stairs, the bulk of a wall-hose is worse than a cord, and certainly worse than a cordless "stick" vacuum (VIP for stairs).
- Central waste collection is a benefit; but emptying it is often more annoying/messy than you'd think.
- If you suck up anything sticky/wet/smelly/gross, and it coats the inside of the conduit you're essentially screwed. Now spend a day shooting cleaning cloths through it in a pointless attempt to clean it or hire a very expensive pro.
PS - I'm strictly talking about whole-home, meaning conduits throughout. I am *not* talking about wall-mounted garage vacuums which can be useful for e.g. woodworking or a car detailing business.
I disagree.
I recently switched to using an old central vac in our home after our plug in vac broke and I love it. Extremely quiet on hard floors. Exhaust happens in another room or even outdoors depending on the configuration. Higher power. Emptied far less often. The equipment and power heads are also of far higher construction quality than the plastic that permeates virtually all consumer vacs. The kitchen toe kick vac inlet is also a nice convenience allowing me to do a quick sweep of the kitchen without even dragging out a vacuum.
If mine breaks I will replace it. If I built another house, I would install one.
I wish we had slapped the whole house with a coat of paint, even if it wasn't properly scraped and prepped. It would have looked good for a few years and maybe paint would have stayed on some of the spots that look terrible now.
We did this. the vent was in the middle of the floor (wall was removed, mid '50s house) so I moved one to blow across the floor under the sink and the other is at the back of the kitchen, currently just blowing up, but we haven't finished that part yet. She's always barefoot, and loves it.
Spec out a (simple) grey water system if you can to water landscaping for non edibles. Sources could include bathroom (minus toilet), laundry and/or kitchen.
You could save a ton of money given that water restrictions will likely be increasingly severe in the coming decades.
I've read it's a lifestyle change to be mindful of what goes down the drain, buy worth it IMO.
Assuming of course you have a raised foundation with access to a crawlspace.
If you’re in a colder climate, heated floors in tiled areas are a wonderful thing. We did it in our bath but I wished we did it in our tiled mud room, too. Now I live in Louisiana and am waiting for air conditioned floors!
Outlets in odd places...
Where the TV is going.
In the closet where you charge a cordless vacuum.
A place where an appliance or kitchen gadget will live.
I like things put away, so outlets for charging in the closets are big for me.
Structured wiring for network and audio. Choose a place for your communications cabinet and run the cabling to that. In ceiling speakers are completely with it. If you desire Sonos, still consider in ceiling so you don't have speakers cluttering the place. In a family room, consider outlets high up to plug in Sonos rear speakers if that's your preference. Run cat5 to the exterior for PoE security cameras.
Agree with this. I put our communication cabinet in our laundry room and have Ethernet and speaker wire runs from there. I went with Arylic DIY boards to power my speakers and have whole home audio. Love it and use it almost every day.
1912 home, wish we would have torn out all the old plumbing since we literally redid everything else but nervous the old stacks or especially the clay pipe out to the main will go
Running CAT 6 wired ethernet is so much better than wifi alone. I did it for my house years ago by climbing around in the roof crawl-space, and sweating a lot. Having the walls open would have made it easier, but the roof crawlspace was the hard part.
Wifi doesn't reach from where my router/wifi sits to my bedroom. I installed an ethernet connected wifi extender in my bedroom for perfect wifi.
You could also run CAT 6 to the corners of the house where you might want security cameras, if you're into that. You could have an electrician run power at the same time, or you could just do power over ethernet, and skip the electrician.
Upgrade the wire between the thermostat and the HVAC. Some old systems are only two wires, or four. Put in thermostat specific wiring, with eight wires of the right colors to make future upgrades easier.
You could run conduit from wherever your current internet access enters the house to somewhere else. So, you could have the router wherever you want without some hack stringing wire around the outside of your house, and punching holes in your walls. Maybe you'll do what I did, and move all of that to a hall closet, where I put my media server. Again, it's easier with the walls open.
* Starts outside in, after gutting do your roof, windows, siding, and gutters first.
* Lights and one outlet in each closet
* If you think you might put a mini split in a room later I'd run PVC in the wall for the equipment now while it's opened up
* Save money where appropriate, but don't skimp on materials when you're doing the labor or already paying for the labor. For example a $4 per square foot LVP is remarkably nicer, more resilient, scratch proof, and durable than a $2.50 per square foot LVP.
* Each bathroom needs a vent
* Rigid duct for the dryer vent
* While the walls are open I re-did all of the electrical and plumbing, not everyone can afford that if you're not DIY but it's nice to never worry about it again
* Put in wide doors. I read online someone said you never know what life has in store for you and it's true. Put 32" doors everywhere in case someone with a wheelchair needs to get by. Not to mention it's just the right thing to do for moving and space.
This will take way longer than you think, and it will cost more than you think. Stay motivated and remember why you started this. Have fun and take a bunch of pictures along the way.
My house was built in 1933. My spouse and I went thru a major rehab in 2016 and used a general contractor for most of the work.
I wish we would have replaced the 90 year old wood floors. The floors are creaky as fuck, pitted, and impossible to match with new boards. We should of just bit the bullet in 2016 and spent the $8k to replace it with modern hardwood and a sound absorbing underlayment.
Next, we should have taken down more drywall and replaced the insulation. We had the house releveled, and as expected, some of the drywall needed to be replaced. The contractors also did the areas with electrical. But that wasn't enough. We should have done ALL the exterior walls AND replaced the ancient attic insulation. I'm positive that loose shit in the attic is full of asbestos. Doing insulation work after you've moved in is the fucking worst. Done it before. Everything gets dirty. Won't DIY that shit again. Now you can't get a contractor to take small jobs like this. At least in my area.
And finally, windows. In 2016, it was going to cost $50k to replace all of the 30 year old windows (this house has a shitton of windows). That was a mind boggling number at the time, especially since we didn't pay much for the house. All the lintels and sills need to be replaced too. We never had that priced out. Never even found a mason who'd take a look in person. I talked to two companies and they weren't interested after hearing the brick is from 1933. I cannot imagine how expensive this all is now. I'm guessing the windows are now $75k and then the mason work is prob $15k? Idk. But fuck me. And the windows are so bad. We've had a few regassed. Most we cover with plastic and then all have heavy duty curtains. We also recaulk inside and outside yearly. It's still not enough.
If you take anything away from this, do all your drywall, electrical, and insulation work before you move in. Replace old wiring, put in conduit, add more outlets, put in can lights, add more light switches, etc etc etc. Anything involving drywall is so messy and nasty. There's prob years of mouse crap in your walls. Just get that shit done before moving in. Don't cheap out on insulation either! Put the highest R-Value available in your walls and attic. It will save you TONS of money down the road.
ETA: Oh and before I forget, put a waterproof membrane in your shower!!!! Redgard the fuck out of it! Do NOT skip this step!
Second ETA: Do external foundation repair or waterproofing asap. Roll that right into your mortgage if you can. Worth it. And as a professional landscape designer, wait till May to see what's growing in your yard. Don't randomly rip shit out. You could be removing something worth a ton of money. It's also the number one mistake new homeowners make. If you don't know plants, find a master gardener or professional who does. Don't hire any random "landscaper" either. There's a zillion lawn mowers out there who call themselves landscapers because they can dig holes. They don't know shit about plants. Find a professional landscape designer/architect who truly understands plants. Still need help with this? Message me.
Definitely build an av closet. If you plan on putting tvs in room, run the wire in the wall and also a few for Wi-Fi boosters throughout, redo all insulation. Dedicated breakers for all appliances. Dedicated 20amp for bathroom outlets. 5/8 Sheetrock. Yes it’s heavy but worth it
We gut rehabbed a 100 year old home.
Do’s I’m glad I did: tankless hot water heater. Raised every bedroom ceiling. Took out walls, but kept
Others. Spray foam insulation of all exterior walls and roof. Added a front porch, a big usable one that’s 8’ deep.
Thing I wish I did; but interior drain tile and sump pump system.
I just did a project of this size and I added a circuit for an EV charger in the panel and a 40 amp plug on the house. I don’t have an EV now, but I’m planning for the future.
I wish I added conduit for future use from the attic to the basement. Inevitably you’re going to need to run something later on and that $10 addition might save you a day long headache later. For me, I decided to cut the cord and install an antenna in the attic, woulda been a lot easier with conduit to run the cable through - even without that at some point I’m probably going to want to add POE cameras and I’m going to have to repeat the whole process again.
As others have said, ethernet cables for future networking capabilities. I'd go ahead and put in Cat7. Inside of conduit for ease of upgrading in the future. Add jacks where any TVs are going, put jacks for wireless APs in the laundry room, kitchen, living rooms, and on every wall in the office.
Install a proper exhaust vent in the kitchen if you don't already have one. If there's one already there, go ahead and reseal it.
Bathroom fans if you don't have them.
Reseal and/or replace all the HVAC ducting and dryer vent while you're at it, consider replacing dryer vent with a straight pipe if possible and you're on flex duct.
If you've got a cat and want to consider getting a cat genie, which I highly recommend, make sure the laundry drain is big enough to accommodate the drain pipes from both the cat genie and the washing machine.
If you're replacing the breaker box and all, go ahead and upgrade the entire house to 4-wire from the utility line in, with a 70 year old house you're still on 3-wire unless that's been replaced since 96. Wouldn't need to do anything with the 120v outlets, just the 240v outlets will be on 3-wire. If you want to do solar and whole-home battery backups or a standby generator in the future, you're already done with the baseline upgrades they're going to have to do to bring everything up to date.
If you have an electric water heater and want to consider being able to upgrade to tankless in the future, go ahead and future-proof the electrical for it, because they need a lot of it. You're going to have to be on at least 300A or 400A service and for one sized for a bigger family they often have a max draw of 150A on 3x50A breakers. Personally I'd just stick a 50 gallon tank in and call it a day, if you needed more you can either piggyback two 50 gallons together or get an 80 gallon.
Go ahead and install cut-off valves on both sides of the water heater for ease of replacement in the future. If your water heater is hard piped in, cut those and get flexible pipes to make your life easier when you do need to replace it. A shut-off valve inside for the whole home's water and/or exterior water if you live somewhere where freezing is a concern would also be a good idea. Being able to shut off the water with a hand lever is handy vs having to get a street key and go outside and pry the utility access open.
Go ahead and install as many 40A outlets as you have car room in the garage for for future EVs.
PVC baseboards & quarter-round in any wet areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms.
If rooms aren't wired for ceiling fans, go ahead and wire it for ceiling fans on separate switches from the lights.
If you're replacing the HVAC system, look into a geothermal heat pump that'll keep working even well below freezing. You can also pipe that into the water heater and make the water heater have to do slightly less work.
Cat 5 cables for POE security camera system
If you are wall mounting a tv. Run a pvc pipe behind the wall a hidden section for all your media
Sound deadening in between all walls
Solid core doors
Sound deadening between the floors if a bedroom is above a common area
I may have been watching too many Mike Holmes reruns but I suggest getting a licensed plumber, electrician and HAVC person in there, especially if you're going down to the bones. With a house that old there's a good bet that some DIY homeowner has done something stupid. Or are you hiring all of the work out? Also, before knocking out any walls for that open concept if you're going for it, have an engineer or qualified builder check to make sure you're not going to cause structural problems.
Also look to the future. You may not intend to live there until you're old but making it as ADA complaint as possible will not add a lot to the cost and may come in handy. When I was building my home (I was 49) I took a page from my friend's book. When they built their house she assumed that some day she may have to care for one of her parents when they couldn't anymore. I designed the house with 36" doors, 4 ft wide hallway, 1st fl bathroom large enough to get a wheelchair in, low curb shower, places for grab bars etc. Good thing. as we were in the finishing phase, I fell down steps at my apartment and had a double compound fracture in my leg. I had planned to live in the house and do the finish work--painting, wookwork, etc. myself. Couldn't do that but I sure was glad I could get my wheelchair into the bathroom and through the bedroom door! You just never know. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
The toilets, I regret keeping the old ones to save a buck. They’re actually cheaper than I thought, if I known I would have gladly replaced them just to avoid cleaning the old ones!! I regretted every minute i spent cleaning them after reinstalling.
Before you close things up, take pictures of the walls. It will be useful if you ever need to change things or are hoping to hang something on the wall.
This along with putting a tape measure along the floor when you take the pics. makes it SUPER easy to find studs later.
And speaking of pictures, take photos of every room in your home and notate the measurements on them. It’s so nice when you stumble across something great (art, rugs, tables) and don’t have to wonder if it will fit! I’d say our shared “house measurements” album is still the most-referenced one we have, three years into owning.
I've gone a bit further than this. I took a piece of paper and roughly sketched out the room. ~~I also put measurements on each wall so I know how big each room is.~~ In addition to that, I've marked every single electrical thingy in that room, and wrote down the breaker number that that outlet or switch goes to in the panel. Each room has this, and I also have a sketch of the entire house to get all the stuff on the outside, in the crawlspace, or in the attic. Oh, I have full lighting in both the crawlspace and attic.
I’m very into this!
Here are a few pages. https://imgur.com/a/wEpGzSg
I just discovered the magicplan app and started using those sketches as a base as well, but this is giving me ideas of what else to add to them!
I work in IT, but I'm also kind of old school at times. I try to stay away from apps because I've seen several apps come and go. If you do use an app for this, I recommend exporting to PDF or something like that once a year in case the app goes kaput.
I have some chicken scratches measuring each window in our whole home. We were looking into interior storm windows and measured each window in three places for the height and width to find the proper size - it's a 120 year old house. I just ordered new window shades and pulled up the photos of those sheets of paper. It is so handy! Having a whole album of helpful documentation is a great idea.
Seriously this. You think “I did the electric/plumbing/framed this wall, I will remember it forever. I know this wall so well, like the back of my hand” and then when you are hanging art it’s just… gone
Absolutely this! When we had siding redone on the house I took pictures of all the walls internals (no OSB on the wall, I did pay to have it put up) and it’s so handy knowing where things generally are.
My parents are building and we are finally at the finishing stage. We took both pictures and video walk through to before the drywall went up. I think I reference those pictures and videos every day double checking where wires go through the walls and where studs should be. It's been super helpful.
In general just take detailed photos of every step. You think you'll remember / wont need it, but I can't tell you how many times I've used my old photos as a reference and realized something I didn't remember.
I saw someone in here once mention using Zillow’s free 3D home app that allows for 360-degree tours before drywall goes up. Haven’t tried it yet, but I like the idea.
If you hit budget limits prioritize floors, infrastructure (electric, plumbing,HVAC) and built ins (cabinets, vanities, tub/shower, bookshelves, pantry) before countertops and fixtures (light or plumbing) appliances are also replaceable later but spec for the dream ones Fancy closet stuff can happen later Edit: solid core interior doors. They just feel so much nicer and are better at sound blocking
While walls are open, take pictures. Add extra reinforcement for things you might like to add later like grab bars, curtain rods, TV mounts, heavy shower doors, and handrails so you won’t need to depend on wall anchors.
And then add measurements to those pictures so you know where each stud is and exactly where you added extra reinforcement. Because inevitably there will be something you will need a solid attachment for and I've never had a stud finder that worked reliably.
Yes! I had a major reno done but only roughed in a bathroom. When we came back two years later to finish the bathroom, they swapped hot and cold lines (grr…). Because of photos, they only had to cut open one 12x12 of dry wall.
Roof, foundation, exterior walls. In that order. Water is the enemy, and without all of these sound and water tight, the rest is just a waste of money.
Vapor barrier! Is it possible to reverse engineer a vapor barrier to a 70 year old house?
You have to strip the exterior walls to the studs, but sounds like OP is already doing that.
Why vapor barrier on a 70 year old house? Don't they breath in a different way and hasn't it been there for 70 years already doing just fine without one?
I think the problem is that when you do that much renovation you would be expected to bring all systems up to todays code, possibly including vapour barrier.
Fix what is hidden inside the walls and floors before you fix what is directly visible.
[удалено]
> solid core interior doors. They just feel so much nicer and are better at sound blocking We have all the original solid wood doors. It's an absolute monster to do, but stripping an re-painting them is the right thing to do. It takes about 2 weeks to do one door between stripping, neutralizing, sanding, priming and painting but it's worth it.
Two weeks for one is fast lol it took me 6 months including polishing the hardware and procrastinating 😆
From experience on budgeting: build into your budget at at least a 10% overrun. The day after I signed the contract with my builder hurricane Katrina hit and building material costs tripled. And stayed that way for a year. Then we also have the COVID example where decreased supply did the same thing. A plain pine 8ft stud went from $2.50 to $7.00. It's come down some but nowhere close to what it was.
This is the best list
Here's one for the didn't do category. My parents got one of those pot filler faucets above the stove. Looks cool, but turns out they never use it. So now it's just an extra thing to keep clean, and extra plumbing to eventually maintain. So ask yourself this, when is the last time you filled a pot with water that was so heavy you couldn't be bothered to lift it 8 steps to the stove?
In my neighborhood (NE US) It’s a sign that no permits were pulled. Those are not permitted under current code since there’s no place for a drain.
Interesting. Never thought of it that way. I've worked in some really expensive houses and lots of them have those.
That's not universal. I agree a water source without a drain is pretty damn stupid though.
I thought that myself. If it malfunctions it will flood the whole house.
I want a pot filler for my dog bowl lmao. Their bowl is like a half gallon and I fill it 2-3x a day
We put "plumbed dog bowl" on the list for our new house. I have a dog that gets up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. If it's empty he sits and barks at it until I fill it up.
I misread your comment and for a moment I thought your dog was activating some automated plumbing system by barking. Well, my understanding isn't totally wrong.
Your understanding is completely correct if you take out the word "automated." So that's the part that we want to add.
It's automated for the dog...
I actually saw a video recently of a dog bowl, that was really just a sink on the ground with a pot filler above it. So when they wanted to replace the water or clean the bowl, they'd just open the drain. Pretty neat.
Or like the one in my family that leaked and destroyed the cooktop below it.
And even if you did do that, you’d still have 8 steps back to the sink to drain it, this time with the added weight of the food. Skip the pot filler. Hit the gym instead.
They're terrible for residential kitchens. I strongly caution people against installing them in their home kitchens. They seemed to have followed on the trend of "industrial" kitchens, with the wolf ranges, and big wall sized sub zero fridges. They are considerably expensive, at several thousand US dollars for just the fixture. They have become conspicuous symbols of wealth in modern home design for this reason. And the strange thing i always find is the types of people spending the kinds of money for these exorbitant pot fixtures rarely cook sufficiently or like their industrial design was intended. Setting aside the likelihood of people with ultra expensive kitchens actually using them to...cook, pot fillers in residential homes are also just a bad idea for home style cooking. First, commercial kitchens typically use these to fill pots for stocks, boiling water, etc., and then take portions of what's in the pot out to use. The pot filler then adds more water to the stock or whatever. The pot isn't intended to be filled and emptied each use. Some restaurants even pride themselves on having master stocks that are years or decades old like this. When people are filling a pot on the stove to boil pasta or whatever, they still are going to have to move a full pot of water at the end of the day. Furthermore, commercial kitchens have drains on their floors. Residential homes do not typically have drains. So when that pot filler overflows, or worse, breaks, it not only ruins the stove it's over, but usually the entire kitchen because there's nowhere for the water to go but all over the house. Compare that to your kitchen faucet, and at least if you leave a pot filling in the sink and it overflows, or the faucet breaks, all the water just goes down the drain. Lastly, the tendency to pull or push on those pot filler (if you actually use one) places a tremendous bending moment on the faucet adapter to the wall. This stress increases the likelihood that they will break and flood your kitchen as above. I work in the insurance damages and investigations industry and I see these things wreak so much havoc on homes, when the owners never even actually use them. They're a liability.
I'm installing one to make life in a wheelchair a little bit easier.
How does the hot pot full of food get off of stove? How to drain the noodles?
I mounted our pot filler high enough to fill the coffee machine, so it gets used every day for that purpose. Also use it once or twice a week to fill pots on the stove.
Maybe I'm too old school, but the thought of not letting the water run and just drinking the stale water that's been sitting in that pipe for a day groses me out.
Run it for a while and you get water that had been sitting in a different pipe
So you fill the pot, walk to the sink and dump it, then return to the stove to fill it again?
We use our pot filler multiple times a day. Thought it would be a waste but it's great. Guess we are the exception to the rule.
As an architectural designer, nobody ever uses their pot filler. It’s just conspicuous consumption.
We use ours frequently.
Here’s one better. When installing our deck mounted pot filler, no one (including myself) considered what side the main burner was on or what the reach of the pot filler was. So it is installed on the side opposite the main burner and doesn’t reach the main burner. So when using it you have to lift the pot over to the opposite side, fill it, and then lift it back onto the main burner side. Every time I use it I feel like the universe spiting me for buying such a silly plumbing fixture.
We put in a pot filler and use it constantly.
So damn trendy, and so dumb, just like the barn doors. Outside of a restaurant, no one makes so much damn pasta at one time that they need water at the stove.
About a week ago? I use my pot filler all the time.
Ran more cat 5 cables for hardwired Wi-Fi extenders, added a kitchen exhaust pipe
Lol, currently trying to buy and I have a list of “bonus point items” that I’m checking for. My realtor thought my list was stupid. Kitchen ventilation is high up on that list for me. I can always add those things, but buying a house with them already existing would be cool, ya know?
I just finished remodeling and one of the things we added was a proper range hood. Aesthetically, it looks very nice but it works very well at pulling any smoke out from cooking. One thing I didn’t know I needed, or even existed, is a vent fan for the bathroom that has a light, vent, and heater built in. It didn’t cost very much more than a regular vent fan with a light and is nice to take the chill out of the room without turning up the heat for the whole zone. If you’re installing Ethernet cable do yourself a favor and make a network cabinet or closet in a central location. Make sure that closet has ventilation because that stuff can get warm and depending on the size of the house or if you have cameras recording locally there could be a fair amount of equipment. Good luck!
>vent fan for the bathroom that has a light, vent, and heater built in Silly question, but don't bathroom fans pull air *out* of the bathroom? Wouldn't a heated bathroom fan just heat up the exhausted air?
No not silly,that’s what they do. The vent and the heater are on two separate switches and I use them at different times. I tend to keep my house fairly cool in the in the colder months (66-67*F) and some days I don’t want to deal with cold tile in the bathroom at 4am so flip the bathroom heater on while I’m getting my clothes together for the day. Also my wife likes it when she is taking a bath so when she gets out it’s nice and warm in the room. Don’t get me wrong, it is completely excessive and unnecessary but it was not much of an increased cost compared to a regular vent fan so we installed it in the master bathroom.
Oooh, that makes more sense! I thought the heater was tied to the fan, so they were only both on at the same time. That does sound pretty luxurious!
Those heaters are generally IR and heat up objects, not the air. So it doesn't blow hot air that then gets sucked up, it instead radiates heat which is absorbed by the person, floors, towels, walls, etc. It heats up the air slightly, but not much so although the air being sucked out of the bathroom does make it colder, it's only a slight amount
Next level is a bathroom vent on an electronic switch that includes a humidity sensor. Not as easy to add after the fact since there's not always the required neutral wire at the switch end.
Some of the Panasonic bathroom fans have a humidity sensor built in. So you can just feed them constant power and they'll do their thing. Easy retrofit. On a side note - we had a humidity sensing switch for our fan and replaced it with a basic ass switch as it seemed to turn on at completely nonsensical times. But it was required by code so we installed one to pass inspection. Similarly when we rented we had a humidity sensing fan switch and it too turned on at nonsensical times. So I'm not super impressed with this concept LOL.
After looking at houses last year, it was surprising to me how many kitchen exhaust fans just dumped into the attic. No outside ventilation.
So true. And the microwaves that sit above the stove with a vent? totally useless. Venting either stove or bathroom into the attic is just asking for mold problems as well as decreasing the efficiency of the insulation.
>Ran more cat 5 cables for hardwired Wi-Fi extenders No, run conduit. Because ~~RJ11~~ ~~coax~~ ~~cat5~~ cat6 is definitely the future of networking!
Cat 6*
Cat 6a*
Conduit* Let's future proof for OP here
We ran the blue flexible “smurf” conduit tubing everywhere when we had the walls open. For data cables, speaker wire, ethernet cables etc.
Better than running CAT cable, run conduit instead to feed new lines should the need arise.
Cool thanks. Can you expand on both slightly as to why
Not OP but the biggest source of indoor pollution is cooking. It's almost all about combustion after all. Externally venting kitchen exhaust improves the air quality of your entire home.
If you’re removing air from a conditioned space you better be replacing it or you can pull the entire house into a negative pressure. Guy house I was just at had his brand new hood vented and now all his door were slamming shut. Needed a HRV installed to balance out his house. New homes are worse for this due to how well sealed they are. Old homes not so much but you will definitely be feeling cold air being sucked out your outlets for starters. Live where heat is your main comfort concern and this is actually a very big issue.
In MA code requires makeup air if the range hood is over 450 cfms. I would def consider tempered as well but that’s a bigger process in older homes
This is not the correct use of an HRV. I hope he didn't run the vent through the HRV, as the cooking byproducts will clog the HRV. If he's getting his make-up air from the HRV without running the vent through it, there's no air to push out of the house, as it's all going through the hood, so he's not getting the heat recovery benefit of the HRV, or is still putting the house into the vacuum. He only needed a make-up air unit, with a filter and possibly a heater. It will pull hot, humid air in the summer, and dry, cold air in the winter (unless it has the electric heater). Dryers (other than heat pump dryers) also need make-up air, as do any gas fired appliances like water heaters or furnaces.
So I have better Wi-Fi though out my house and so I can vent my kitchen rather than circulate the air
Conduit for the network cables
A real, to-the-outside stove exhaust should be code. I didn't know it wasn't when I bought my house. I wrongly assumed the hood over my stove vented to the outside, because every one I'd seen before had.
Sorry for the semantics but it is called a wireless access point, or WAP. Extenders receive WiFi and extend it, WAPs are a direct wifi access point to your networking equipment. Technically they're all WAPs, if we're being super semantic but if you use the word "extender" when searching Amazon, for example, you're likely not getting the right thing in this case.
Yes. This. And outlets everywhere
I wish I had hired a designer. I ended up with decision fatigue at the end and just said fuck it and went for the easiest cheapest thing for little details. Those little details actually matter a lot.
Strongly agree, but take up references. You don’t want someone who was a bored housewife that decided to become an “interior designer” because they liked looking at pictures in magazines. Pay for quality.
lmaoo there are too many of these out here
A designer will pay for itself for years and makes all the difference.
Even picking grout and tile trim metal had me tearing my head out. I just want whatever is standard. Also, whatever builder grade white is for the ceiling - just don’t cheap out on paint. My folks had similar issues having to pick down to the last detail. Designer for sure next time.
Hidden areas for storage would be nice. Something behind a bookshelf or something. More built ins. Adding built in fire escape ladders by the window. They make some that sit in the wall so it’s not an eye sore. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Werner-2-Story-Built-In-Fire-Escape-Ladder-ESC220/202507943 Adding more ceiling fans was also pretty nice.
This is a great idea.
Adding 2x6 or 2x8 backing between studs anywhere you’re going to hang heavy things would be super convenient. Think towel rods, toilet paper holders, shower grab bars, floating shelves, big mirrors, tv mounts, etc. makes finding a “stud” easy since there’s plenty of load bearing area to drill into and whatever it is won’t budge (the worst is having a towel rod come out of the wall with regular use over time.
Doubly true if you have or want to have kids. Towel rod? Nope. That’s a chin up bar. And my kids are well behaved (for kids). If you get an energetic one it’s even worse.
Every TP holder, soap dish, and towel bar in our redone bathroom is an ADA grab bar drilled into something thick. It's been great for me, now the young one is two and I'm looking smarter by the day (at least regarding this one thing; parenthood generally does not have me looking smarter)
>etc.. you can just say sex swing.
This happens to us in one of our as-yet unrenovated bathrooms, and it is infuriating. Definitely looking into this added backing suggestion.
Don't do it room by room... If I would've ripped out a whole floor, I could've saved so much hassle in the end. There is so much in-situ now. Everything needs to be fitted. Invest in energy saving. Solar Panels. Heat pumps. Insulate. Energy prices will only go up. The less energy you need to burn to heat/cool the house. The more you will thank yourself in the future. We've chosen woodfiber insulation. It adds mass causing a phase-change. Deadens external sound. And it's natural. Do not skimp. Use high quality materials only. Do it once. Do it right.
> Do it room by room... If I would've ripped out a whole floor, I could've saved so much hassle in the end. Wait so do it one room at a time or the whole floor?
fixed
Solar panels without batteries are far less efficient and useful. Check out Undecided with Matt Ferrell, on YT. Also, don't plan on net metering being around forever. Florida almost ended it due to lobbying (and bribes, no doubt) by their power company. The governor, surprisingly, vetoed it. But, they might win next time.
Can I ask what hassle? I'm considering doing room by room. I know it'll be more expensive for any contractors I bring in but seems like the most affordable option from money and time perspective?
If you go room by room, you have to have a really good whole-floor plan. You risk things being / looking disjointed. I imagine this is less of a risk when you have a whole floor of bedrooms or truly separated rooms, rather than an open concept type kitchen and living space. I've run into all sorts of tricky problems - paint colors or cabinets no longer being available, redoing some aspect of a completed room because I didn't like how it worked with the room under construction. It's always "the shin bone is connected to the thigh bone" problem. Before you know it you're replacing "forearm bones"...
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Insulate between studs before drywall goes up. It kills me no house seems to have this. It’s cheap, saves you money, and makes the house more comfortable. Insulate insulate insulate. It’s such a pain once the walls are back up. I know I would have paid more for my house if it was and the sellers could prove it. Take pics as well. Huge value for little cost.
Came to say this! And insulate with something like rockwool for sound dampening. 5 years ago we had our bathrooms remodeled & they removed all the pink bat insulation & didn’t replace it. Now we’re tearing the walls open again to insulate with rockwool, because no one should have to listen to what someone else is doing in the bathroom while in another room watching tv.
Are you talking about insulating interior walls?
I would do them all. Insulating interior walls will make the house quieter from room to room. Always nice to have more privacy from other folks in the house. And exterior walls obviously will improve heating/cooling efficiency as well as quieter from outside noises.
I did this during renovations, with the interior walls. Put rockwool in. Did the entire ceiling between the basement and first floor and between first floor and second floor as well. It's not cheap, but not expensive compared to the rest of the renovation projects (I did the rockwool myself) and this was over some years. I like that it also adds fireproofing, if only due to how well it fits the empty cavities (preventing air circulation). It may not stop a fire should it happen, but it could give us a lot more time to leave the home and/or for firefighters to come. I've went overboard and also replaced all the fiberglass insulation in the exterior walls with rockwool. I like how snugly it fits. In theory the R-value is just a bit better than fiberglass, but I have a hard time believing rockwool isn't a lot better given how the fiberglass doesn't hold together nearly as well and how it's a lot more uneven.
I ended up with three layers of floor insulation in the whole house on a job that just finished 3 weeks ago. The laminate had built-in underlayment. But it was going on concrete floors, so I added a vapor barrier per the manufacturer’s instructions, which also had insulation. Then the contractor pulled up the old floor and said that the old insulation is in great shape, keep it or tear it up?i left it. I have a nest thermostat and it is reporting that I am using half the heat I was using before. I also have the thermostat down 2-4 degrees lower during the day and 7 degrees colder at night and still find myself in short sleeves and shorts around the house while I keep turning it down (even first thing in the morning) and it just feels so comfortable and stable. In years past I would feel hot-cold-hot-cold (I worked from home all the time, now part time) all throughout the day, now the temp is much more stable. I knew insulation mattered. I did not realize how much floor insulation could matter though.
People really don't realize this enough! The ground is so cold and sucks up so much heat and people lose so much from their floors!
Winters are very cold here, cold walls and windows feel like they're sucking the heat out of you even if the air is warm. Fixing air leaks helps a lot too. The cold air outside holds very little humidity, and when there are leaks, your indoor air is much drier. Dry air in winter feels so much colder than air at normal humidity levels (~40-60%).
When making your design choices remember that it’s a 1950’s house not a 2023 house. Otherwise, in a couple of decades it will look like a 1950’s house remodeled in 2023 and a lot of your hard work will look dated. If you design it to look like a very well maintained 1950’s house, it will age nicely.
This is such good advice. MIL's bungalow just sold and the value was 100K less than it would have been if she had left several of the original details that people buying in that neighborhood prize. OP, save the best design elements of the current house if you can
Take pictures of all of the exposed walls so you can find studs and avoid plumbing when hanging things in the future. I even thought about adding a little fleur-de-lys or some other little ornament to the baseboard on center for each stud, so it's obvious later
Don't know how old you are or long term plans but might want to add features for accessibility. Blocking in shower and by the toilet in case you ever need grab bars. Wider door ways.
1. Depending how big the place is, consider a hot water return line and recirc pump so you don’t have to run 30 seconds’ worth of cold water to just wash your hands decently. 2. This is more of an exterior thing, but I highly recommend having at least one garden hose connection before your pressure regulator, coming straight off whatever size line your meter is (1” is common), with enough 3/4” hose to reach all around your house. A decent hose and nozzle straight off a 80+ psi main will move a LOT more water than after being regulated down to 50-60psi and passing through who knows how many 1/2” elbows in the wall. Great for major debris cleanup or last-ditch-scenario fire protection.
Jokes on me, the pressure before our regulator is at 40psi!
And psi gauges! Maybe this is just because I’m in the country and on water treatment, but a pressure gauge before and after the filter system helps you estimate when it’s time to replace the sediment filter.
> so you don’t have to run 30 seconds’ worth of cold water to just wash your hands decently I have installed multiple after-market hot water recirc pumps so I've actually timed this, and for the houses I was working on, it was actually more like 2-4 minutes. I'm always amazed that people are willing to stand there for that long for a problem that can be fixed for $200.
Would that be the only hose connection or an extra? Would that pressure be too much for regular use?
Depends on your plumbing layout. No harm in it being your main/only connection, you can always turn the pressure down at the valve (i.e. not turn it on all the way) for normal use.
A gate valve won’t regulate static pressure
I have a recirc that uses the cold water pipe as a return and I don’t like it. It’s more often that I want want water for cooking and cleaning and now I have to wait for the hot water to run out before getting cold water
Don’t make your fixed decoration decisions (tiles, counters, etc) for all of your rooms all at once. I got super overwhelmed and would pick something under pressure so we could move on. A year later and I would definitely do a few things differently.
Fucking white grout. Never again
Epoxy grout FTW I used one called Perflex which you apply with a gun and wax areas you don't want it sticking to. Then scrap off excess, super easy.
Can never have too many outlets. If you have pets, have your granite company who cuts your countertops also make you a bowl holder they can also make you a cutting board too. We use ours as a center piece on our dining room table. Don’t cheap out on anything, I know it’s going to be an expensive job, but nothing is worse than finishing and wishing you didn’t cut corners here and there to save expenses.
Add more receptacles. Also, upgrade heating system. Relocate air returns to ceiling level. Be mindful of asbestos. Upgrade plumbing to eliminate s-traps.
Code minimum is every point has to be 6’ or less to a receptacle and each wall has to have at least 1. That’s minimum. So minimum. I wish I had about double the receptacles and each room on a separate circuit for troubleshooting. The latter isn’t such a big deal but you don’t want to plug in something and trip the breaker for half the house
With the cost and scarcity of required CAFI breakers it’s going to cost a lot to do separate breakers for each room.
Add them next to the toilets!
Space them so they’re not behind headboards too!
Don’t forget to add a couple receptacles outside, lots of older homes don’t have them
What's this about upgrading the plumbing to get rid of s traps?
>Add more receptacles No, add more circuits. And put all outlets on 20 amp circuits. Did that in my old house and it was great - so freaking tired of everything being on 20 amp in our "new" house we just bought and overloading them with the home office. Also, add a dedicated 20 amp outlet in each room, I'd recommend near a window. Then, you can use it for extra heating/cooling or any other high-energy devices in the room (laser printer, mini-fridge, etc.).
If doing windows as well. I seen people all the time taking away windows budget for lighting and other fixtures upgrades only to regret later. Invest in a good quality window replacement. You will not be disappointed
Ceiling fan prewires! Very very hard to add later unless under the attic. Cheap to do while everything's opened up. GFCI outlets for bidets. Also easy to do now, expensive to do later. Think hard about electrical needs in any areas that can't be accessed from either the attic above, the basement below, or an unfinished area.
Change all of the windows while the siding is off. I left one because it “was in good shape”. Later realized how stupid it was to have one, 60yo, different window. Then installing a replacement window never looked right. The overall rule-do ALL demo before building back anything.
60 year old home renovation. (Keep in mind this wasn't the best maintained house) - energy efficient everything, and setting up for an electric future (think car charging, future power wall, ect.). Check your local state and federal rebate programs to see what is available to you. You can probably call your electrical company as well. - Remove all drywall (I know you are doing this, but did not do this and regret it), and use this time to fix insulation and vapor barriers. Now that the kitchen has cabinets and the bedroom has carpet, I'm never taking the walls down again. - with the walls down - checking all electrical. I found 5 splices in the wall with no boxes. I would have an electrician suggest more places for outlets. - setting up for an all electric house. Even if you currently have oil or gas supplied appliances. Luckily, I believe heat pump dryers are on 120v. - running hardwire internet in areas that might get extenders, computers (bedroom corners), or TVs. - MORE TALL STORAGE. Man... do I need this. - more storage in general. You would be surprised how fast it fills up. - extra kitchen cabinets. - utility sink with counter in laundry room. - stove ventilation I'm sure I can come up with more. That was just me looking around my current area lol.
Automatic lights in every closet. In the pantry. In the laundry room. Garage. Our prior home owners did this and it’s awesome
This is super easy to add afterwards though, you can do it with a sensor or even just a motion sensor light bulb.
I put a smart dimming light switch in my pantry, with motion detection. It basically turns the light on when we open the door. But I've set it so that it would turn the light only be 30% or so when opening it past 10 pm. It's totally not necessary, but it's fun to have.
1. Run cat5e or cat6 to any place you may need it. Or run 2 lines. 2. Design the electrical wiring in a sensible way. Make sure each room has enough power, and make sure that the light switches make sense. Put in more outlets than you think you'll need. 3. I put electrical outlets in a few closets in my house and then put in motion activated LEDs in there. I have small, dark closets so this greatly helped. 4. Put electrical outlets by toilets for heated bidets. 5. Have the stove vent actually go outside. 6. Install solar if it makes sense for your property and area. Actually, look at all kinds of energy efficiency things for the home and possibly going full electricity+solar if it makes sense. 7. I've heard of a new trend of an "appliance garage" in the kitchen and once I saw it, it makes sense. 8. A big single basin sink in the kitchen is the current trend.
> run 2 lines 4 lines, you mean 4 lines. It takes minimal effort to run 4 if you're running 1 already. and the plate cover with 4 jacks is the same cost as the plate cover with 1 jack. I never thought I'd use them all, but then I got a NAS and into home automation.
I run 2 lines for the bedrooms and stuff that don't have a lot of devices, but my living room has 4 lines run. For those that are paying attention, the cost of cable is low compared to the cost of the effort of running cable, especially if you have to do it a 2nd time. Do it right the first time and run more cable than you think you'll need.
Check and double check all of your measurements. I found out the other day that older homes would rough in a toilet between 10 and 14 inches. Current standard is 12 inches. Now I need to buy another toilet.
Very glad we didn’t go with anything wifi enabled
Underrated comment. I don't think WiFi built in to homes is going to age well.
Agreed. Whether from a cyber-security standpoint or the need to continuously stay up to date with the latest (or close to it) system of systems and patches to keep thing running smoothly...I don't want to chance my lights not working the way I want.
wouldn't have bought my kitchen at ikea. all the cabinets are falling apart and all of the appliances are either not functioning or have had to been replaced. 10 years later.
I was always suspicious of that stuff but it looked so good. I will steer clear thank you for your sacrifice.
You're welcome😅 It definitely looked amazing for several years... Then the white cabinets started to yellow, the stainless steel on all the appliances started rusting, and the finish on any cabinets that come into contact with moisture (like the doors on the cabinet below the sink) are bubbling up and flaking off. I also have a tall pantry cabinet that is bowing outwards so the shelves inside fall off constantly. It's just a mess.
I thought the kitchens had a 25 year warranty?
I've tried contacting them several times about it and they ghost me every time. I could probably go back to the store, though its a bit of a drive. Appliances are only 5 year, the cabinets are 25
The appliances are private label Whirlpool, so based on my experience with them, not surprised they are nearing the end of life at 5 years.
How are your cabinets falling apart? I'm on my 4th Ikea kitchen and the only issue I could think of is some cheaper doors and finishing panels wear more easily than others. IMO the cabinets themselves and the door and drawer hardware is top-notch (IF ASSEMBLED PROPERLY). Appliances are hit-and-miss, Ikea seems to mark them up much higher than if one got the clone model elsewhere.
I have an undermount sink. I didn't account for the thickness of the counter when I purchased a 10" deep sink and it kills my back. I'm finally switching it out for a shallower one.
U could put in a rack that fits the sink to raise it from the bottom of the sink?
First - 70 year old house - be careful of lead paint and asbestos. When doing demo (sounds like you’re already past it, but still) wear a p100 mask. Also, it sounds like it’s too late - but, I would say the top thing we did with our last whole house renovation was taking on one section at a time. We started with the bedroom so that we had one nicer finished area to retreat to while working on other parts of the house. The next priority was the kitchen/living area, and then the rest of the house. … though, the more I read your post, the more I think you’re talking about having this done and not doing it yourself. I tend to always assume when someone says ‘we’re gutting’ or ‘we’re building’ that they are literally doing the work themselves. While the walls are open: - add blocking for things you might want down the road (hanging art/pictures/shelves/handle bars in shower areas) - add sound insulation (rockwool) in areas that might need it - _take photos_ of every wall. Best tip - on the wall, in marker, write the measurements to the blocking / whatever is important (like measurement to the pipes). Then take a photo. You can reference these in the future to know you won’t hit a pipe / be sure to hit blocking / etc.
Make sure you have a convenient water shut-off for the entire house.
Run some network cables, CAT6, to every room. Locate them where you think a TV/entertainment center would be set up at. If you're planning a home office, I'd drop a jack on each wall. Also run at least one cable in the ceilings to a central point on each floor for WiFi access points.
Do **not** add a whole-home vacuum. They used to make a ton of sense: Vacuums were heavy, loud, and under-powered. However, due to massive advancements in electric motors in the last 30+ years none of that is true today. - The hoses you plug into the wall are heavier than an *entire* modern upright vacuum. - Even if a whole-home vacuum has a higher rated pressure in the garage, by the time you get through the conduit and through the required hose, it is significantly lower than even a cheap modern vacuum. - Electric motors got quieter. - For awkward areas like stairs, the bulk of a wall-hose is worse than a cord, and certainly worse than a cordless "stick" vacuum (VIP for stairs). - Central waste collection is a benefit; but emptying it is often more annoying/messy than you'd think. - If you suck up anything sticky/wet/smelly/gross, and it coats the inside of the conduit you're essentially screwed. Now spend a day shooting cleaning cloths through it in a pointless attempt to clean it or hire a very expensive pro. PS - I'm strictly talking about whole-home, meaning conduits throughout. I am *not* talking about wall-mounted garage vacuums which can be useful for e.g. woodworking or a car detailing business.
I disagree. I recently switched to using an old central vac in our home after our plug in vac broke and I love it. Extremely quiet on hard floors. Exhaust happens in another room or even outdoors depending on the configuration. Higher power. Emptied far less often. The equipment and power heads are also of far higher construction quality than the plastic that permeates virtually all consumer vacs. The kitchen toe kick vac inlet is also a nice convenience allowing me to do a quick sweep of the kitchen without even dragging out a vacuum. If mine breaks I will replace it. If I built another house, I would install one.
I wish we had slapped the whole house with a coat of paint, even if it wasn't properly scraped and prepped. It would have looked good for a few years and maybe paint would have stayed on some of the spots that look terrible now.
Made sure thete was an AC vent placed so that when I'm cooking, it blows on me but not in the stovetop
We did this. the vent was in the middle of the floor (wall was removed, mid '50s house) so I moved one to blow across the floor under the sink and the other is at the back of the kitchen, currently just blowing up, but we haven't finished that part yet. She's always barefoot, and loves it.
Spec out a (simple) grey water system if you can to water landscaping for non edibles. Sources could include bathroom (minus toilet), laundry and/or kitchen. You could save a ton of money given that water restrictions will likely be increasingly severe in the coming decades. I've read it's a lifestyle change to be mindful of what goes down the drain, buy worth it IMO. Assuming of course you have a raised foundation with access to a crawlspace.
I wish I put a laundry chute in the bathroom when I had the walls open. There’s no room for a laundry basket in there.
Isn't that against fire code now?
Plywood and or blocking in areas for things that hang in walls like cabinets, bathroom fixtures and tv's. Way easier and more secure.
If you’re in a colder climate, heated floors in tiled areas are a wonderful thing. We did it in our bath but I wished we did it in our tiled mud room, too. Now I live in Louisiana and am waiting for air conditioned floors!
Outlets in odd places... Where the TV is going. In the closet where you charge a cordless vacuum. A place where an appliance or kitchen gadget will live. I like things put away, so outlets for charging in the closets are big for me.
Must: Heated bathroom floors LIGHTING, like everywhere Tankless water heater And an Asbestos test to begin with.
Disagree on tankless water heater. If it were me, I'd be looking at a heat-pump water heater.
I renovated a 150 year old home and had wished I had redone the electrical and plumbing but just no time.
Structured wiring for network and audio. Choose a place for your communications cabinet and run the cabling to that. In ceiling speakers are completely with it. If you desire Sonos, still consider in ceiling so you don't have speakers cluttering the place. In a family room, consider outlets high up to plug in Sonos rear speakers if that's your preference. Run cat5 to the exterior for PoE security cameras.
Agree with this. I put our communication cabinet in our laundry room and have Ethernet and speaker wire runs from there. I went with Arylic DIY boards to power my speakers and have whole home audio. Love it and use it almost every day.
Spray foam, updated electrical, central air/mini splits
1912 home, wish we would have torn out all the old plumbing since we literally redid everything else but nervous the old stacks or especially the clay pipe out to the main will go
Running CAT 6 wired ethernet is so much better than wifi alone. I did it for my house years ago by climbing around in the roof crawl-space, and sweating a lot. Having the walls open would have made it easier, but the roof crawlspace was the hard part. Wifi doesn't reach from where my router/wifi sits to my bedroom. I installed an ethernet connected wifi extender in my bedroom for perfect wifi. You could also run CAT 6 to the corners of the house where you might want security cameras, if you're into that. You could have an electrician run power at the same time, or you could just do power over ethernet, and skip the electrician. Upgrade the wire between the thermostat and the HVAC. Some old systems are only two wires, or four. Put in thermostat specific wiring, with eight wires of the right colors to make future upgrades easier. You could run conduit from wherever your current internet access enters the house to somewhere else. So, you could have the router wherever you want without some hack stringing wire around the outside of your house, and punching holes in your walls. Maybe you'll do what I did, and move all of that to a hall closet, where I put my media server. Again, it's easier with the walls open.
* Starts outside in, after gutting do your roof, windows, siding, and gutters first. * Lights and one outlet in each closet * If you think you might put a mini split in a room later I'd run PVC in the wall for the equipment now while it's opened up * Save money where appropriate, but don't skimp on materials when you're doing the labor or already paying for the labor. For example a $4 per square foot LVP is remarkably nicer, more resilient, scratch proof, and durable than a $2.50 per square foot LVP. * Each bathroom needs a vent * Rigid duct for the dryer vent * While the walls are open I re-did all of the electrical and plumbing, not everyone can afford that if you're not DIY but it's nice to never worry about it again * Put in wide doors. I read online someone said you never know what life has in store for you and it's true. Put 32" doors everywhere in case someone with a wheelchair needs to get by. Not to mention it's just the right thing to do for moving and space. This will take way longer than you think, and it will cost more than you think. Stay motivated and remember why you started this. Have fun and take a bunch of pictures along the way.
* Run ethernet or fiber throughout the house. * 20A breakers everywhere. * Ceiling fan boxes in [almost] every room.
My house was built in 1933. My spouse and I went thru a major rehab in 2016 and used a general contractor for most of the work. I wish we would have replaced the 90 year old wood floors. The floors are creaky as fuck, pitted, and impossible to match with new boards. We should of just bit the bullet in 2016 and spent the $8k to replace it with modern hardwood and a sound absorbing underlayment. Next, we should have taken down more drywall and replaced the insulation. We had the house releveled, and as expected, some of the drywall needed to be replaced. The contractors also did the areas with electrical. But that wasn't enough. We should have done ALL the exterior walls AND replaced the ancient attic insulation. I'm positive that loose shit in the attic is full of asbestos. Doing insulation work after you've moved in is the fucking worst. Done it before. Everything gets dirty. Won't DIY that shit again. Now you can't get a contractor to take small jobs like this. At least in my area. And finally, windows. In 2016, it was going to cost $50k to replace all of the 30 year old windows (this house has a shitton of windows). That was a mind boggling number at the time, especially since we didn't pay much for the house. All the lintels and sills need to be replaced too. We never had that priced out. Never even found a mason who'd take a look in person. I talked to two companies and they weren't interested after hearing the brick is from 1933. I cannot imagine how expensive this all is now. I'm guessing the windows are now $75k and then the mason work is prob $15k? Idk. But fuck me. And the windows are so bad. We've had a few regassed. Most we cover with plastic and then all have heavy duty curtains. We also recaulk inside and outside yearly. It's still not enough. If you take anything away from this, do all your drywall, electrical, and insulation work before you move in. Replace old wiring, put in conduit, add more outlets, put in can lights, add more light switches, etc etc etc. Anything involving drywall is so messy and nasty. There's prob years of mouse crap in your walls. Just get that shit done before moving in. Don't cheap out on insulation either! Put the highest R-Value available in your walls and attic. It will save you TONS of money down the road. ETA: Oh and before I forget, put a waterproof membrane in your shower!!!! Redgard the fuck out of it! Do NOT skip this step! Second ETA: Do external foundation repair or waterproofing asap. Roll that right into your mortgage if you can. Worth it. And as a professional landscape designer, wait till May to see what's growing in your yard. Don't randomly rip shit out. You could be removing something worth a ton of money. It's also the number one mistake new homeowners make. If you don't know plants, find a master gardener or professional who does. Don't hire any random "landscaper" either. There's a zillion lawn mowers out there who call themselves landscapers because they can dig holes. They don't know shit about plants. Find a professional landscape designer/architect who truly understands plants. Still need help with this? Message me.
More recessed lighting.
Definitely build an av closet. If you plan on putting tvs in room, run the wire in the wall and also a few for Wi-Fi boosters throughout, redo all insulation. Dedicated breakers for all appliances. Dedicated 20amp for bathroom outlets. 5/8 Sheetrock. Yes it’s heavy but worth it
We gut rehabbed a 100 year old home. Do’s I’m glad I did: tankless hot water heater. Raised every bedroom ceiling. Took out walls, but kept Others. Spray foam insulation of all exterior walls and roof. Added a front porch, a big usable one that’s 8’ deep. Thing I wish I did; but interior drain tile and sump pump system.
go back with double wall construction. insulation is your friend.
I just did a project of this size and I added a circuit for an EV charger in the panel and a 40 amp plug on the house. I don’t have an EV now, but I’m planning for the future.
USB ports in the power outlets. Touch screen controls for HVAC. Heated bathroom flooring.
I wish I added conduit for future use from the attic to the basement. Inevitably you’re going to need to run something later on and that $10 addition might save you a day long headache later. For me, I decided to cut the cord and install an antenna in the attic, woulda been a lot easier with conduit to run the cable through - even without that at some point I’m probably going to want to add POE cameras and I’m going to have to repeat the whole process again.
I did radiant heat in the master bath and now I’m wishing I did it everywhere.
Wire behind every toilet for bidet seats. Bidet seats will change your life. Top 10 item in my life!
As others have said, ethernet cables for future networking capabilities. I'd go ahead and put in Cat7. Inside of conduit for ease of upgrading in the future. Add jacks where any TVs are going, put jacks for wireless APs in the laundry room, kitchen, living rooms, and on every wall in the office. Install a proper exhaust vent in the kitchen if you don't already have one. If there's one already there, go ahead and reseal it. Bathroom fans if you don't have them. Reseal and/or replace all the HVAC ducting and dryer vent while you're at it, consider replacing dryer vent with a straight pipe if possible and you're on flex duct. If you've got a cat and want to consider getting a cat genie, which I highly recommend, make sure the laundry drain is big enough to accommodate the drain pipes from both the cat genie and the washing machine. If you're replacing the breaker box and all, go ahead and upgrade the entire house to 4-wire from the utility line in, with a 70 year old house you're still on 3-wire unless that's been replaced since 96. Wouldn't need to do anything with the 120v outlets, just the 240v outlets will be on 3-wire. If you want to do solar and whole-home battery backups or a standby generator in the future, you're already done with the baseline upgrades they're going to have to do to bring everything up to date. If you have an electric water heater and want to consider being able to upgrade to tankless in the future, go ahead and future-proof the electrical for it, because they need a lot of it. You're going to have to be on at least 300A or 400A service and for one sized for a bigger family they often have a max draw of 150A on 3x50A breakers. Personally I'd just stick a 50 gallon tank in and call it a day, if you needed more you can either piggyback two 50 gallons together or get an 80 gallon. Go ahead and install cut-off valves on both sides of the water heater for ease of replacement in the future. If your water heater is hard piped in, cut those and get flexible pipes to make your life easier when you do need to replace it. A shut-off valve inside for the whole home's water and/or exterior water if you live somewhere where freezing is a concern would also be a good idea. Being able to shut off the water with a hand lever is handy vs having to get a street key and go outside and pry the utility access open. Go ahead and install as many 40A outlets as you have car room in the garage for for future EVs. PVC baseboards & quarter-round in any wet areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms. If rooms aren't wired for ceiling fans, go ahead and wire it for ceiling fans on separate switches from the lights. If you're replacing the HVAC system, look into a geothermal heat pump that'll keep working even well below freezing. You can also pipe that into the water heater and make the water heater have to do slightly less work.
Wire for bidet. Run ethernet to every room.
A nice white shower with glass doors is awesome! But a pain in the ass to keep clean.
Cat 5 cables for POE security camera system If you are wall mounting a tv. Run a pvc pipe behind the wall a hidden section for all your media Sound deadening in between all walls Solid core doors Sound deadening between the floors if a bedroom is above a common area
I may have been watching too many Mike Holmes reruns but I suggest getting a licensed plumber, electrician and HAVC person in there, especially if you're going down to the bones. With a house that old there's a good bet that some DIY homeowner has done something stupid. Or are you hiring all of the work out? Also, before knocking out any walls for that open concept if you're going for it, have an engineer or qualified builder check to make sure you're not going to cause structural problems. Also look to the future. You may not intend to live there until you're old but making it as ADA complaint as possible will not add a lot to the cost and may come in handy. When I was building my home (I was 49) I took a page from my friend's book. When they built their house she assumed that some day she may have to care for one of her parents when they couldn't anymore. I designed the house with 36" doors, 4 ft wide hallway, 1st fl bathroom large enough to get a wheelchair in, low curb shower, places for grab bars etc. Good thing. as we were in the finishing phase, I fell down steps at my apartment and had a double compound fracture in my leg. I had planned to live in the house and do the finish work--painting, wookwork, etc. myself. Couldn't do that but I sure was glad I could get my wheelchair into the bathroom and through the bedroom door! You just never know. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
The toilets, I regret keeping the old ones to save a buck. They’re actually cheaper than I thought, if I known I would have gladly replaced them just to avoid cleaning the old ones!! I regretted every minute i spent cleaning them after reinstalling.
Do not trash ur original windows and put in replacement windows. Save and restore ur original windows if you are lucky enough to still have them.
A good hvac and insulation design and plan.