Remodeling and Aging-in-Place

 Our remodeling has been done over the years as we could afford to do things—no debt incurred except with the last heating and airconditioning system.

We bought a mill house built somewhere 1920-1925. It was one of the last built in our neighborhood. My father-in-law said 1925 (living in the community at the time)—the deed lot says mill survey is 1920.

We’ve been in the 1100 sq foot house for 44 years.

Things that we have done.

• Four roofs—first and last used contractors, we did the other two but paid day laborers for some help. The last rooftop is metal; add ice guards to save gutters.
• Nine dump trucks of top-soil in the front yard, ten or so loads of gravel, one load of granite dust, extra pipe to widen the driveway, topsoil in the backyard—-contractors and the use of spreaders by contractors
• Wrapping the attic—contractor
• Attic Blown-in insulation—ourselves
• Fixing the gutters and front porch—contractor once, ourselves three times
• Twelve Double pane windows—contractor
• Tearing up carpet—ourselves
• Tearing down the double chimney—ourselves
• Putting down floors—ourselves
• Plumbing—ourselves
• Bathroom—ourselves (tearing out the chimney, installing cabinets, installing a sink, flooring, installing a taller low-water commode, installing grab bars, installing toilet paper and paper towel holder, flooring, molding, painting, sheetrock)
• Shower—contractor
• Heating systems—contractors
• Electric updates—contractor
• Painting, molding, doorway & window surround—ourselves
• Closet remodels—ourselves
• Small storage building—contractor
• Large garage—a combination
• Pole building and roof—contractor
• Concrete—contractor
• Dividing wall—contractor and ourselves
• Electric—contractor and ourselves
• Inside and outside walls—ourselves
• Siding—contractor and ourselves
• Garage door—ourselves and contractor
• Lighting and fans—ourselves
• Trane heat pump and gas backup pack—contractor
• Tree removal—ourselves and contractor

Things we need to do—on the list for the upcoming years

• Make the back entrance more accessible—add rails, a concrete step topper, covering, repair back wall from rain damage
• Cosmetic repair to the eves and wood areas not covered by siding
• Flooring in the dining and kitchen areas needs another upgrade
• Refurbish kitchen cabinet facings
• Swedish Death Cleaning
• More topsoil for front and back yards
• Upgrade landscaping
• The garage needs a new roof—metal and a contractor

Notes

• Get a contractor if you do not have the necessary skills.
• If you add a metal roof to an older home, plan on sheathing the rooftop. We contracted for slats and a heavy waterproof underlayer. That did not work well. We paid additional (over the original quote) to get the roof sheathed in plywood. The contractor wanted to go hourly on the additional work.
• Wood rafters warp over the years, and the metal will not lay right. There will be ripples. We wanted a finished quote. The change added $3500.00 to the $11,500 bill.
• Don’t pay an hourly rate—pay a total job completion rate.
• Get a contractor if you do not have the necessary skills.
• Have a start and completion date in the contract—with a penalty for the contractor or a discount for the homeowner if the task is not finished on time. Our roofing job was supposed to be completed before Thanksgiving. My garage sat full of roofing for a month before Thanksgiving and well into the new year.
• Pay contractors to install, spread, and pack dirt and gravel.
• Yard surface will “sink” years later after the removal of trees—roots eventually decay.
• Do remodeling sooner rather than later—supplies and labor are rising.
• Physical strength can decline with age.
• Don’t put wood chips around the outer foundation of your home—termites.
• Install low maintenance plants and ground cover.
• Install daylight and led lighting.
• Eliminate threshold strips between rooms
• Allow for space beside doors for entering and leaving rooms—wheelchair, walkers, crutch, cane users.
• Have landing zones at entrances.
• Maximize open floor space in rooms.
• Remove clutter, tripping, and falling hazards.

I could keep going; however, one must close sometimes.