Opinions Wanted on Whether or Not To Do Up a House
| # | Post |
|---|---|
| 1 | I would love some opinions on whether or not to tart up my 1992 monolith of a house. I have some of the classics of the time... a peach bathroom, carpet going up the wall instead of skirting boards, lino floors, plastered swirly ceilings, pink hued tiles in the entry way and stairs, brown aluminium joinery, brownish textured glass in the bathrooms , toilet and stairwell.... the list goes on. The house is big too... 260 sq m. I want to stay here for another 15 years or so, and I tend to like warm colourful French inspired decor. the current trends that are heavy on the gray, white etc are not my thing at all. I would have up to $100k to spend. Almost everything in the house is still in really good order, which means that I don't really have a great excuse to spend all that money. But I am quite torn over the whole thing. Edited by freesia at 7:41 pm, Tue 2 Feb freesia - 2021-02-02 19:41:00 |
| 2 | You are seeking wholly subjective opinions. I say yes, tart the place up. Excessively. Then enjoy living in it. pico42 - 2021-02-02 20:13:00 |
| 3 | Perhaps get your house appraised by a real estate agent/s and consider the feedback. blair100 - 2021-02-02 20:17:00 |
| 4 | Hi Blair. Yes, I did that year or so back and he said not to do anything because anyone who bought my place eventually will almost certainly redo it. And he said that the interiors were dated but in good condition. freesia - 2021-02-02 20:27:00 |
| 5 | Well it's over to you, depends where it is and what the land value is. Where I live the land value is approx 80% so I will not be wasting 100k on changes. I buy my toys and lots of travel. Each to their own. msigg - 2021-02-02 20:30:00 |
| 6 | Who cares what anyone says or thinks, do what you want if you plan to stay there for a few years and enjoy it. By the time you come to sell it may need doing again but you have had the years of being happy in a place done up to exactly how you wanted. Do you really want to spend more years with what you described in your first post? That would make it harder to sell than something that just needs a freshen up when that time comes in the future. kacy5 - 2021-02-02 20:50:00 |
| 7 | I’m as tight as a fishes bum and so I’d live in it for the next 15 years the way it is. lovelurking - 2021-02-02 21:01:00 |
| 8 | A reno does not need to be expensive, decide what you want to achieve and how much of the work to do yourself. Pick up bargains like ex-showroom kitchens. masturbidder - 2021-02-02 21:15:00 |
| 9 | lovelurking wrote:
That might suit you but IF I had the money sitting there, no mortgage and a decent income, I would spend it on doing it up to how I wanted. I couldn't think what I would spend $100k on, I have all I need and gave up spending on 'wants' some years ago. If I didn't have that amount I would do the parts I dislike the most without having to borrow but to some $100k is a fortune, to others it is small change as it might be for OP. kacy5 - 2021-02-02 21:17:00 |
| 10 | kacy5 wrote: need it to supplement your pension. gabbysnana - 2021-02-02 22:04:00 |
| 11 | If you are happy with it leave it as is. I would check though, if you are planning on staying there for another 15 years, that you have future proofed it as far as heating incl heat transfer or double glazing. Also made sure it had access (if it is double storeyed to a bathroom, toilet and room that could be used for sleeping downstairs in case you need to live downstairs for a while. I would also check my appliances to make sure they were modern. Also check the kitchen cupboards - many were made of weetbix board and might need to be replaced but keeping the retro look. shanreagh - 2021-02-02 22:17:00 |
| 12 | gabbysnana wrote:
Many manage quite well on their pension but they have no mortgage or debts and it's easier when there are two of them. Paying rent would be very hard without extra income. kacy5 - 2021-02-02 23:26:00 |
| 13 | I would suggest that rather than spending $100k on replacing things like aluminium joinery, you get a good interior designer and look at what you could do with eg $20k. They will work with what you like rather than what's "in"; and it should be easy enough for a handperson to trim the carpet back to the floor, do a bit of plastering and add skirting boards, and paint walls in colours that suit you. luteba - 2021-02-03 14:03:00 |
| 14 | Thank you to you all for your thoughts. freesia - 2021-02-03 19:10:00 |
| 15 | The main problem is your house being monolith. You might be better getting it reclad but it will cost more the 100k but at least it will add value to your house differentthings - 2021-02-03 22:26:00 |
| 16 | differentthings wrote:
Monolith means a big structure. It doesn’t refer to cladding. committed - 2021-02-04 07:05:00 |
| 17 | Life is short, go for it. oh_hunnihunni - 2021-02-04 07:36:00 |
| 18 | committed wrote: Edited by differentthings at 7:45 am, Thu 4 Feb differentthings - 2021-02-04 07:37:00 |
| 19 | This message was deleted. vintage_betty - 2021-02-04 07:42:00 |
| 20 | freesia wrote: lythande1 - 2021-02-04 08:15:00 |
| 21 | If your bath and vanity top is peach as mine was, consider getting it resurfaced. Mine is now white and I am very happy with it. inatiz - 2021-02-04 09:45:00 |
| 22 | blair100 wrote: headcat - 2021-02-04 10:03:00 |
| 23 | If you like the current décor, leave as is, and look at some improvements closer to when you plan on selling. If you don't like the current décor, make changes that you want. Unless you were doing it up with the sole purpose of selling, I'd not worry about current trends, and go with what suits you. as above, you can always make smart reno choices now (double glazing, ducted heat pump, etc) that add value without meaning you have to renovate the entire house phoenix22 - 2021-02-04 10:24:00 |
| 24 | Nah - keep it as it is and hope that there is a 90's based TV show waiting in the wings that will pay you heaps of money to hire it for filming. cinderellagowns - 2021-02-04 10:52:00 |
| 25 | 15 years is a good chunk of your life. If you can afford it, and you have a clear idea on your preferred style, I say go for it. 100k won't get you too far on a large house though...maybe just focus on bathrooms/kitchen + flooring. Then you could paint the rest if needed - that'd be a good start. If you were only going to be there for 5 years or less, I wouldn't bother. sarahp24 - 2021-02-04 17:20:00 |
| 26 | if you plan on staying … do what makes you comfortable but if your plan is to stay, do what you need to, to meet your needs and comfort pheonix4 - 2021-02-04 18:56:00 |
| 27 | The trend in interior design at the moment seems to be mid-century modern (50s to 70s). Would not suprise me if sometime in the future, the 1980s and 90s starts becoming in fashion. So personally, I think money spent on a house to make it better is rarely wasted, so I would invest in making the house work better rather than just changing the look. So maybe look at energy use and using modern technology to reduce power and water consumption, or furniture that is more comfortable etc gblack - 2021-02-06 07:59:00 |
| 28 | Yep- Hi- go for it!.. P.s. you could consider making a self-contained area in your house since its huge- then always the ability to rent out or for you to rent that at some stage..x Edited by princessboo2 at 10:11 am, Sun 14 Mar princessboo2 - 2021-03-14 10:06:00 |
| 29 | In 15 years, 'fashion' may change 3 times. Would invest in double-glazing first. amasser - 2021-03-14 11:08:00 |
| 30 | amasser wrote: Nah don't bother, give it a few years and single glazing will be on trend again. sparkychap - 2021-03-14 13:54:00 |
| 31 | Anything (cosmetic) you do now will have little value in 15 years time, so you need to think about whether you are happy to spend $100k to make your life more enjoyable for that time, as it won't be an investment. For me personally, absolutely I'd be happy to do that. 15 years is about 20% of ones' life expectancy and given you're very likely over 30, it's more likely to be something like 30-50% of your time left on this planet, DEFINTELY long enough for me to justify spending $100k to be happy :D You're welcome for today's instalment of "Desi's depressive view of property renovations" ;) desi1969 - 2021-03-14 16:05:00 |
| 32 | committed wrote: karahiwi - 2021-03-15 11:32:00 |
| 33 | This message was deleted. kittycatkin - 2021-03-15 14:50:00 |
| 34 | This message was deleted. kittycatkin - 2021-03-15 14:52:00 |
