Fixing my house

[drwoo123]

My wife and I have just bought our first fixer upper house. Where does someone go to get good stuff cheap. I mean things like bathroom fixtures, and tile etc. I know the larger stores (Home Depot / Loews) are alright. But I can't help but think there must be a better way.

Does anyone know of any good online home improvement resources? Maybe a good forum, or a place with a good buy and sell area?

Are places like direct buy really worth the money in membership (i've heard it is like $2,000) to join?

Didn't know where to turn so I thought AT would be a good start with all the smart people we always have on here.


thanks in advance as always.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

if you live in or near a larger city, there are usually architectural salvage places you can check out. Craiglist.

Direct Buy is a giant scam.

 

[arcenite]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
if you live in or near a larger city, there are usually architectural salvage places you can check out. Craiglist.

Direct Buy is a giant scam.

From what I understand, it's only a scam to someone who is looking to spend 'normal' amounts of money.

If you're looking to spend more than most people make in a year, then I believe Direct Buy is kosher.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: arcenite

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
if you live in or near a larger city, there are usually architectural salvage places you can check out. Craiglist.

Direct Buy is a giant scam.

From what I understand, it's only a scam to someone who is looking to spend 'normal' amounts of money.

If you're looking to spend more than most people make in a year, then I believe Direct Buy is kosher.

http://blogs.consumerreports.o...9/with-directbu-1.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/re.../175/RipOff0175914.htm

 

[Beanie46]

Unless you've got a whole lot of money to burn right now and a whole lot of home remodeling, I'd forget Direct Buy.

From an investigation into Direct Buy (done partly because DB hides its membership fees so well.......):

"The nationwide buying club, with headquarters in Merrillville, Indiana, promises members access to 700 brand-name manufacturers of home goods and the opportunity to buy merchandise with no ?hidden store markups and middlemen costs.? Ads invite you to an open house, where you?ll see ?confidential? wholesale prices. ?We can?t show you the brand names and we certainly can?t show you the prices,? read one ad. What it also doesn?t show you is DirectBuy?s steep membership cost.

To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is available at 17.75 percent.

After the fee disclosure, we discovered that we had to sign up on the spot or never come back. We couldn?t bring DirectBuy?s ?confidential? prices elsewhere to comparison shop, the representatives said, because this would likely anger retailers who might then retaliate against the manufacturers by refusing to sell their merchandise.

The fine print in the DirectBuy contract says you cannot return items, cancel orders, or terminate your membership. When we asked if, after plunking down $5,000, we could cancel and get a refund, a salesperson said, ?You?ll have to check state law.? A review of New York state law revealed that the three-day cooling-off period for canceling contracts wouldn?t apply in this case.

Tacked onto the cost of merchandise?which you select from catalogs since DirectBuy has limited showrooms?are a 6 percent handling fee, shipping fees, and tax. Goods are typically shipped only to your local center, so you might pay additional fees to actually get your new stuff home.

Just how good are the prices? We compared them against those of other retailers. Prices for electronics and appliances were often only slightly better than those at online retailers and in some instances higher. For example, a 46-inch JVC flat-screen TV selling for $2,586 on DirectBuy?s site cost $2,095 elsewhere. We did find deep discounts on flooring and high-end furniture. In fact, one member we interviewed estimated that she saved about $50,000 over several years on furniture and a kitchen remodel using DirectBuy. Yet the club did poorly on some basics. We found a Kohler bath faucet for $300 less on a kitchen-and-bath Web site.

Some DirectBuy members complained to us about poor customer service and long waits for merchandise. But since DirectBuy outlets are franchises, service varies by location. Most outlets have a good record with the Better Business Bureau, though some have a poor one or have been suspended from the BBB.

The lack of price transparency makes it hard to evaluate whether you?ll save by joining DirectBuy. But even if you were to save 25 percent on purchases after joining, you?d need to spend more than $20,000 just to recoup your membership fee. DirectBuy might save you money if you?re furnishing a house from scratch or doing a major renovation. But since you can?t shop around beforehand, you?ll be joining blind."



For small stuff like fixtures and the like, you're probably better off just comparison shopping around where you live, Home Depot, Lowes, local hardware stores (don't discount the Mom-n-Pop stores---you might be surprised that they can be very competitive.)

 

[drwoo123]

Well the house is going to require a lot of work - in order of 40-60K. We got it much much cheaper than market (saved 180K) b/c there was a major leak in the roof which caused the sheet rock in the living room ceiling to come crashing down. Needless to say the roof is the number one priority, but quite a lot of the house needs updating as well.

We are doing the following:

Hardwood Floors and Carpet throughout - 3 Bedrooms - Living , Dining
Gut and Redo 2.5 Baths
Gut and Redo Kitchen
New Fence, New Deck
Replace All the windows
Landscaping
Replace Heating and Air Conditioning System
New Roof of course


With all this there, it is important for us to try and save where we can. The only thing working in our favor is that it is a smaller home ~1700 sq ft. We are in the DC area so if anyone knows any good mom and pop (or anything other than the big brands) stores for any of the things that would apply above please let me know.

We are doing this a means of income in the downturned economy - and are hoping to make it a process that can be repeated. This first one is probably where we will live though.

Thanks in advance

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: drwoo123
Well the house is going to require a lot of work - in order of 40-60K. We got it much much cheaper than market (saved 180K) b/c there was a major leak in the roof which caused the sheet rock in the living room ceiling to come crashing down. Needless to say the roof is the number one priority, but quite a lot of the house needs updating as well.

We are doing the following:

Hardwood Floors and Carpet throughout - 3 Bedrooms - Living , Dining
Gut and Redo 2.5 Baths
Gut and Redo Kitchen
New Fence, New Deck
Replace All the windows
Landscaping
Replace Heating and Air Conditioning System
New Roof of course


With all this there, it is important for us to try and save where we can. The only thing working in our favor is that it is a smaller home ~1700 sq ft. We are in the DC area so if anyone knows any good mom and pop (or anything other than the big brands) stores for any of the things that would apply above please let me know.

We are doing this a means of income in the downturned economy - and are hoping to make it a process that can be repeated. This first one is probably where we will live though.

Thanks in advance

uh, good luck with your flip. You're only about 4 years too late...

 

[iGas]

The local news paper & cragslist is a good start.

As said above salvage stores can be a good source to look for deals, but in my experience as a trade worker construction salvage yards are way over price.

Auction is another way to buy, but most of the time the novice bidders bring the price up to par with the local stores which make it less attractive. And, the product not returnable with no warranty support.

Priority & stick to the budget is key to a successful reno project.

uh, good luck with your flip. You're only about 4 years too late...

What he said.

 

[squirrel dog]

Cheap and good won't work for houses,its either cheap or good..Mikeyfordcats is right about the salvage places.You can find real wood doors,ect.Plumbing stuff(toilets,tubs,sinks,ect)I would buy new and not the cheapest but somewhere in the middle.
Same with windows.I'm in my fourth house,with a second home we in S.Louisiana call a camp.I have gone cheap with somethings and have had to redo which cost more than top grade frome the get go.Good luck.Go slow.Direct buy is for suckers.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: drwoo123
Well the house is going to require a lot of work - in order of 40-60K. We got it much much cheaper than market (saved 180K) b/c there was a major leak in the roof which caused the sheet rock in the living room ceiling to come crashing down. Needless to say the roof is the number one priority, but quite a lot of the house needs updating as well.

We are doing the following:

Hardwood Floors and Carpet throughout - 3 Bedrooms - Living , Dining
Gut and Redo 2.5 Baths
Gut and Redo Kitchen
New Fence, New Deck
Replace All the windows
Landscaping
Replace Heating and Air Conditioning System
New Roof of course


With all this there, it is important for us to try and save where we can. The only thing working in our favor is that it is a smaller home ~1700 sq ft. We are in the DC area so if anyone knows any good mom and pop (or anything other than the big brands) stores for any of the things that would apply above please let me know.

We are doing this a means of income in the downturned economy - and are hoping to make it a process that can be repeated. This first one is probably where we will live though.

Thanks in advance

you are planning on flipping? are you nuts? hehe

good luck.

LOL

 

[drwoo123]

Understood that right now isn't the best time for flipping. Which is why our backup plan is to just live there ourselves. We purchased at 132K. Every other house in the subdivision is valued at around 280-310 unrenovated. We aren't looking for cheap in quality, but rather cheap in price. For example I know that tile bought at a tile shop is very different in cost than tile that can be purchased at a home depot. I am hoping to find a local mom and pop shop that might be great for wood floors. Or someone who has a great lighting store. Etc.

We bought the house in cash so going slow is the plan. Thanks in advance folks.

 

[squirrel dog]

Fix the roof first and soon.The rest I would take bids on unless you are handy.I am handy but my time is worth more the other way,so I pay to get some things done.I would bid out the floors.I would be real careful about 'gutting' and redoing the kitchen and try to keep that to a min.New fence ,deck,why?Landscaping is something I will do,a few loads of humis and a truck load of plants looks like it to a lot of people.I would have the h/a evaluated by a known sme.But you must get the roof done no matter what.

 

[Vette73]

Yep Directbuy = Scam


But costco has a lot of good stuff not only at the store but also on their site.

The Tile Store has a lot of good tile. Good tile website, John Bridge, I read and post at sometimes.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbul...mdisplay.php?forumid=1

Check eBay as a lot of dealers/sites list some stuff there to get you to their site and we got out hardwood floor that way.

Look into Pex for pluming line. Its easy to install and cheap. Get the wirsbo tool and use that install method. I would not use the crimp method myself.

Get 10% coupons for Lowes/HD for wood/plywood/PVC/and other basic stuff that is best to buy local as shipping kills any deal.

Soem tools you can buy at Harborfreight. I bought my framing nail gun, roofing gun, tile saw (buy good blade not theirs), and some other tools. Sign up for coupons at harborfreightusa.com

Those are the ones on the top of my head.
Me and my wife bought a fixer upper. Stripped it down to studs in over half of the house and did a 5'x4' walk in shower (tile), jacuzzi tub, walk in closet, new plumbing, wiring, etc...

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

cheap in cost usually IS cheap in quality.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
cheap in cost usually IS cheap in quality.

Not always. Me and my wife used a lot of "cheap" stuff but is good quality. There are a lot of good deals but you also can't use soemthing just because it is cheap.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
cheap in cost usually IS cheap in quality.

Not always. Me and my wife used a lot of "cheap" stuff but is good quality. There are a lot of good deals but you also can't use soemthing just because it is cheap.

well, there are SOME things, but most people confuse it.

Take tile, OP mentions he knows tile at HD is cheaper than at a tile store. That is true somewhat, but you also generally will get better product at a tile store. HD or Lowes tile is more apt to be poorly gauged and glazed, warped, and of course you're probably not buying colorbody porcelain either.

Cheap laminate flooring is no comparison to more expensive laminate. Carpet is for the most part worth what you pay for. So is paint to a certain extent, you can pay $20 or $30 a gallon and not see much difference, but you will with $8 a gallon. Granite countertops are a popular thing people always want cheap. Sure you can get cheaper granite if you get thin slabs, but it's not really that much cheaper, you're getting less, and it's apparent.

Doors, windows, etc, there is a definite difference.

Not saying you can't find economical products at good prices, but CHEAP as most people mean it will get you cheap goods.

 

[Corbett]

You'd be surprised how much cheaper you can get the little things (towel racks, faucets, even vanities) on ebay compared to your local big box store.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
cheap in cost usually IS cheap in quality.

Not always. Me and my wife used a lot of "cheap" stuff but is good quality. There are a lot of good deals but you also can't use soemthing just because it is cheap.

well, there are SOME things, but most people confuse it.

Take tile, OP mentions he knows tile at HD is cheaper than at a tile store. That is true somewhat, but you also generally will get better product at a tile store. HD or Lowes tile is more apt to be poorly gauged and glazed, warped, and of course you're probably not buying colorbody porcelain either.

Cheap laminate flooring is no comparison to more expensive laminate. Carpet is for the most part worth what you pay for. So is paint.

Doors, windows, etc, there is a definite difference.

Not saying you can't find economical products at good prices, but CHEAP as most people mean it will get you cheap goods.

I agree. 1 problem is a lot of people can;t tell the differance. So they get a cheap window and it turns out to be really cheap window. Most vinyal I have seen are junk. A couple looked decent but they were very close to the cost of a good wood window.

And our travertine tile way cheaper at a tile store then it was at HD/Lowes. I did all the labor and got my tile saw from HF but put a good blade on it.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Corbett
You'd be surprised how much cheaper you can get the little things (towel racks, faucets, even vanities) on ebay compared to your local big box store.

true, a lot of closeouts and discontinued fixtures are sold in that way. Shipping can kill you though on some things. You could also usually find just as good of deals if you're lucky in store though, it's just a matter of timing there.

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: drwoo123
Understood that right now isn't the best time for flipping. Which is why our backup plan is to just live there ourselves. We purchased at 132K. Every other house in the subdivision is valued at around 280-310 unrenovated. We aren't looking for cheap in quality, but rather cheap in price. For example I know that tile bought at a tile shop is very different in cost than tile that can be purchased at a home depot. I am hoping to find a local mom and pop shop that might be great for wood floors. Or someone who has a great lighting store. Etc.

We bought the house in cash so going slow is the plan. Thanks in advance folks.

Wait for places like home depot and lowes to purchase their mass quantities of tile or wait for a contractor return. Then you get get some nice quality tile for very cheap.

 

[drwoo123]

roof is definately being done. no questions asked. we are not trying to do a quick and dirty job and get out. if we are even contemplating doing this for supplemental income (thankfully my own income is more than sufficient to run our lives) - then we want to do quality work. that being said this is a townhouse, not the whitehouse.

Ebay will definately be a resource to look at. I never considered contractor returns. We are NOT going to be doing the work ourselves. While this may make sense in the short term for saving money, in the long run work will probably have to be done twice, and quite frankly we can pay someone who is a specialist.

We plan on getting 3-4 bids for each piece of work that needs to be done, and that is for labor only, since we will be purchasing / providing materials ourselves. Hence I am on here asking where to get good but affordable materials. Some types of material will of course come from the vendor / installer. For example the granite countertops will be a quote with installation included, as will most likely the windows.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: drwoo123
roof is definately being done. no questions asked. we are not trying to do a quick and dirty job and get out. if we are even contemplating doing this for supplemental income (thankfully my own income is more than sufficient to run our lives) - then we want to do quality work. that being said this is a townhouse, not the whitehouse.

Ebay will definately be a resource to look at. I never considered contractor returns. We are NOT going to be doing the work ourselves. While this may make sense in the short term for saving money, in the long run work will probably have to be done twice, and quite frankly we can pay someone who is a specialist.

We plan on getting 3-4 bids for each piece of work that needs to be done, and that is for labor only, since we will be purchasing / providing materials ourselves. Hence I am on here asking where to get good but affordable materials. Some types of material will of course come from the vendor / installer. For example the granite countertops will be a quote with installation included, as will most likely the windows.

as a contractor I would NEVER use someone else's furnished materials. Usually they end up running short, being the wring size or type, etc. It costs the contractor more labor and hassle dealing with people who do that. Most will include profit covering material costs either way, so you're not really doing anything but spending your time and getting NO WARRANTY on the materials, and still paying close to if not more.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: drwoo123
Well the house is going to require a lot of work - in order of 40-60K. We got it much much cheaper than market (saved 180K) b/c there was a major leak in the roof which caused the sheet rock in the living room ceiling to come crashing down. Needless to say the roof is the number one priority, but quite a lot of the house needs updating as well.

We are doing the following:

Hardwood Floors and Carpet throughout - 3 Bedrooms - Living , Dining
Gut and Redo 2.5 Baths
Gut and Redo Kitchen
New Fence, New Deck
Replace All the windows
Landscaping
Replace Heating and Air Conditioning System
New Roof of course


With all this there, it is important for us to try and save where we can. The only thing working in our favor is that it is a smaller home ~1700 sq ft. We are in the DC area so if anyone knows any good mom and pop (or anything other than the big brands) stores for any of the things that would apply above please let me know.

We are doing this a means of income in the downturned economy - and are hoping to make it a process that can be repeated. This first one is probably where we will live though.

Thanks in advance

If you got it for 180k below it's current market value, then I'd contract out all the work and flip it in 4 months for an 80k profit. There is no point in trying to do the work yourself and look for ways to save nickles along the way. If on the other hand, comparable places are currently selling for 30 or 40k more than you paid, then you're in a sweat equity deal. You do the work yourself and sweat about the market rebounding so you have some equity.

 

[bctbct]

Careful OP if you are taking on this project as a money maker. Your list is pretty extensive and it could easily get you upside down in this market.

IMO a townhome is a facelift flip, not a gut if you want to make money.

 

[xavier es]

I get alot of good stuff at good prices at my local Habitat for Humanity store, its called "Restore" here.

its basically a place where left over materials from the local habitat foor humanity building projects and donated building supplies are sold cheap to raise money for more habitat building projects.