Comments on: Preparing for a Fixer Upper http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/2008/07/28/preparing-for-a-fixer-upper/ News and views about real estate in Greater Hartford Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:04:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Amy http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/2008/07/28/preparing-for-a-fixer-upper/#comment-5741 Amy Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:33:34 +0000 http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/?p=574#comment-5741 Thanks for the comments Julie. We're having a bunch of work done this summer too, although we aren't really getting any good deals. For some reason, roofers seem to be doing pretty well. At least the ones we talked to. There are a handful of people that will work on slate, so that really limits our options. Thanks for the comments Julie. We’re having a bunch of work done this summer too, although we aren’t really getting any good deals. For some reason, roofers seem to be doing pretty well. At least the ones we talked to. There are a handful of people that will work on slate, so that really limits our options.

]]> By: Julie Dixon http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/2008/07/28/preparing-for-a-fixer-upper/#comment-5731 Julie Dixon Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:16:20 +0000 http://www.amybergquist.com/blog/?p=574#comment-5731 Shane and I just finished restoring the front of our house (planned), putting on a new roof (unplanned), and renovating the kitchen (planned). We were generally good about making decisions together, but had some problems around quality of materials, 'cause the prices varied so much. Laminate or granite or quartz? High or medium grade lumber? Ceramic or glass tile? We're pleased with the decisions we made, but there were some tense moments over the couple of months the projects took. (And some took place in public, at the point of decision-making, so it could feel embarrassing too.) A note to your readers: if you have the money and you need some work done on your house, now is an excellent time to do it because many contractors and tradespeople have been losing work because of the economic downturn. We got our roof done for half of what we'd been quoted last year, which is why we went ahead and did it. The cost of materials is up quite a bit, but with home improvement contracts being broken right and left, folks are really looking for work. (And get your permits! It's the right thing to do.) Shane and I just finished restoring the front of our house (planned), putting on a new roof (unplanned), and renovating the kitchen (planned).

We were generally good about making decisions together, but had some problems around quality of materials, ’cause the prices varied so much. Laminate or granite or quartz? High or medium grade lumber? Ceramic or glass tile?

We’re pleased with the decisions we made, but there were some tense moments over the couple of months the projects took. (And some took place in public, at the point of decision-making, so it could feel embarrassing too.)

A note to your readers: if you have the money and you need some work done on your house, now is an excellent time to do it because many contractors and tradespeople have been losing work because of the economic downturn. We got our roof done for half of what we’d been quoted last year, which is why we went ahead and did it. The cost of materials is up quite a bit, but with home improvement contracts being broken right and left, folks are really looking for work.

(And get your permits! It’s the right thing to do.)

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