Do you have a vision of a final product everyone else has overlooked? Does the home's location promise a market value to support your investment? Your project should involve adding very little square footage (at larger square footage the construction costs will push against the option of buying a building lot and total new construction)
The project should be approached exactly as you would new construction. The home will first be stripped down to the bones, or at the least all the unwanted elements will be removed prior to any new construction.
Your construction project should then moved forward in this sequence:
- New foundations or repairs
- Rough carpentry
- Windows and roofing (to create a weathertight shell)
- Rough wiring, plumbing and mechanical
- Sheetrock
- Finish carpentry
- Painting
- Flooring
This approach preserves the cost advantages of the value of the existing elements of the house. Too much in and out, multiple visits by sub-contractors, or re-doing work twice will probably only make sense if you are doing all the work yourself and you are trying to live in the house for a significant period of time.
- Measure all exterior and interior walls, including window and door openings (note sizes, sill and head heights. Identify bearing walls (identify all beams in basements, all bearing points for roof rafters and floor joists (note locations where wood members lap). Measure floor to floor and ceiling heights. Record all structural member sizes, beams (three 2"x12"s or ...), joists (2"x12" or 2"x10" or another size).
- Determine roof pitch (number of inches rise for every horizontal foot of span). Determine the number of layers of roof shingles.
- Locate stairs, chimneys, HVAC risers, plumbing waste lines and water supplies, plumbing vents, drier vents, refrigerant lines, oil fill, LP tanks, gas lines, water service, etc.
- Locate all electrical outlets and switches.
- Locate all plumbing fixtures (note sizes).
- Determine electrical service size (100 Amps, 200 Amps, other)
- Determine furnace capacity in btu/hr, air conditioning (3 tons, five tons, other)
- Identify floor finishes and sub-floors, wall and roof sheathing, insulation in exterior walls, attics, basement floors, etc.
- Examine for evidence of roof leaks, and wood rot at locations of wall plates and beams anchored to foundation walls.
- Examine structure for evidence of extraordinary deflection or failures. Note improper drilling or cutting of floor joists, roof rafters and beams.
Before making your offer to purchase take a step back, look beyond the bad (the peeling paint and the disrepair), look beyond the beautiful (the gingerbread and the brass lions), look at the proportions and basic design elements, look for cues and clues of the house few others can imagine.
If you've do your homework, then by all means follow your heart and start this adventure to create a one-of-a-kind home.
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