DIY renovations, need help

[tangelo007]

Hey guys,

We just bought a home, so that's the good news! Now we're really trying to maximize our renovation budget and I'm running into some confusion and stress, something I'm sure you've all dealt with before.

I will have $20K in my budget. I'm spending about $10K of it on a contractor for interior and exterior work, which includes 1000 sq. ft. of flooring (laminate/vinyl), 3000 sq. ft. of interior and exterior painting of the house, and a 200 sq. ft. of landscaping, which is the removal of a small stucco wall and install of a wood fence and sodding.

This leaves me with about $10K, and I need a lot more done! I'd rather study and learn how to do some projects on my own, so I'm wondering how I should start my renovation education? I want to remodel my kitchen and one master bathroom, and keep it between $5-$10K. I just need to replace counter tops in kitchen and install a backsplash. It's about a 100 sq. ft. space, it's small. The cupboards are fine, though I think I will refinish those.

In the master bathroom (small), I will need to install cabinets and move a toilet from one place to another (is this possible?). I also need to replace the tub and tile the wall of the bathtub/shower.

So, where do I start? Where do I educate myself on the process to:

1. Learn the steps of buying wholesale products (Home Depot, or do I find other smaller suppliers?)

2. learn the process of installation. Where does a newb learn how to do all of this?

Thanks for the help!

I'm in Los Angeles, FYI.

 

[bud16415]

Coming here is a fine place to start. It all depends on your skills and what tools you have now and how much time you have to get things done. All the stuff you are hiring done sound like DIY projects to me also. If I were planning to spend money on contractors I would pick the stuff that’s hardest to learn and do myself. Of your list I would say the exterior painting if a two story home might be one I would farm out, but interior painting is not that hard and doesn’t require a lot of special tools.

Moving a toilet can be done but isn’t easy. Is it on the ground floor or upstairs and is there a basement below it if ground floor?

Many of us learned at the college of hard knocks and grew up learning from family members etc. None of it is super hard but I would suggest start a thread for each project and ask for advice here before you rip into it. Think your steps thru in advance. Plan what you are doing so you don’t put down those new floors and then have to be careful of them during some demo work. Stuff like that.

 

[tangelo007]

Excellent notes, Bud. The reason I had to farm out all the painting and flooring is the time constraint. We sold our own house, so we will actually be in an Extended America for a few weeks (family of 4) so I need the paint and floors done ASAP so we can move in. Then, I can slow down and actually do the other projects on my own. I was going to do those projects on the weekends and evenings and hopefully be done within a month, or two at most.

Maybe I should hire a contractor for the toilet. It's on the second floor and it does look tricky. I really want to do the countertops and backsplash on my own in the kitchen and install cabinets in the bathroom. Hopefully i can do all that on my own. Still not sure where I should go to learn how, and where I should buy the supplies needed?

I have zero experience, but I'm a handy guy and learn quickly.

 

[bud16415]

I put down 500 plus sq. ft. of flooring in my old house with it full of furniture, one piece being a baby grand piano. It wasn’t a lot of fun and is easier when empty but you can work around anything. One of the hardest projects there was the bath as we only had one in the house. If you have more than one then it’s an easy work around. With a big budget yes get as much done before you move in as you can. If you have a limited budget you have to think about the inconvenience compared to a greater outcome sometimes. I seem to always fall into the second group.

 

[CallMeVilla]

We moved into our first house with everything needing to be done and a baby on the way. I painted one room at a time after work each night and on weekends. Added 11 rolls of bat insulation each night (all I could transport). Easy for you to do and I learned along the way. The kids and wife can suck it up (heck, she can help! If the kids are old enough, let them paint the closets). If you do not know how to paint, there are lots of resources available ... just ask here.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v61PVzLNemk[/ame]

I would say delay the landscaping until you have the interior living areas how you like them.

This will save a lot of $$$ and guarantee your expensive stuff can get finished. Get multiple bids on the exterior painting you might be surprised at the variation. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

 

[tangelo007]

Thanks for all the tips guys! We've already decided on the contractors for the painting, flooring and yard, that's not the question at hand. We do not have the time and resources for doing that ourselves right now. But, after we move in I will have time then to do the kitchen and bathroom as mentioned. Any tips in that area would be great. Like where to buy my materials and where to find tutorials on the process. Thanks again!

 

[beachguy005]

The first tip I'd tell you is..............One project at a time. It's easy to get excited about a new project when you get bored the one you're working on.
Don't buy materials for the job until you're sure you'll be doing it. I've got slab doors still standing around that I was going to install 6 months ago.
Google is your friend. There are tons of sites and youtube videos that you'll find great for learning. Search something like....tile a counter...and you'll see what I mean.
If you haven't done a project before, try to learn more than you think you'll need. Over the years there have been a few projects that I've done twice. The first time to learn to do it and the second time to do it right.......................re; Using HD...They are good for a lot of things and not so good for others. I was buying a bunch of 5.5" primed baseboard. At HD it was almost 2 bucks a foot. I got it at a lumber yard for almost half that. It pays to shop around. Find a Harbor Freight if you have one in your area for good pricing on tools and such for a homeowner.

 

[nealtw]

Big box stores often have free classes on drywall filling tile setting and painting and rent the tools if needed.
But you first project has to be the plan. Everything that wants to be done and needs to be done and if we had the money we would do wants to be on the list and then put in the right order. Often the rough work is the cheapest so prepping something like a kitchen for all the things you might want is the best way to go. You just don't want to add another outlet after you did the backsplash.
Sometime moving the toilet means you have to build a drop in the ceiling below for the plumbing so don't paint the room below until that is done. Moving toilets usually means moving wiring too.
Take some time for the planning as new things will be added to the list as you discover them.
Bring your list here and we can help with it.

 

[tangelo007]

Awesome, thanks for all the help guys. I'll take it all into consideration moving forward.

 

[tangelo007]

Also, not sure if there's a place to post it, but I'd like to hear from any affordable, professional contractors in West Los Angeles, so if you know of a good place with listings, or if there are any in here, let me know.

 

[Jungle]

Usually what happens is people are so concerned about the kitchen and fence, they forget the roof and basement are leaking.

 

[tangelo007]

Not us, our inspections came back aces. Our roof and foundation is in excellent condition. In fact the house in general is in stellar shape, which is allowing us to put our renovation dough into the bath, kitchen, yard, floors and paint. Thanks!

 

[mako1]

This is a good place for advice on a lot of things.The best way of getting the best advice is to be very specific with you're question and ask about a single thing your doing at the time.
Moving a toilet can get expensive quick depending on the plumbing.Especially on the second floor.Countertops can range in price from very cheap to unreal depending on the material you want to use.
Just a couple of examples.I remodeled a bath last week for a customer that was $16k.
Your budget is not much for the work you are considering but can be done.Figure out what you really need and is a priority and start there.