New Homeowners or Future Investors!
When creating your budget, be realistic, too many times, people pick numbers out of thin air or base it on what they think materials and labor should cost. It is important to research prices, especially labor costs. Labor costs need to be based on realistic costs, not on what you are hoping to pay.
One should consider several factors when it comes to labor cost. Do you work nights and weekends? Do you work for minimum wage? Then be realistic when you’re requesting bids from skilled professionals who invested years in training and earning their titles.
Budget Tip:
If you shop around, many times you will find someone who is willing to work within your budget. But remember you get what you pay for, use caution when the labor costs are too cheap, you may end up with a final product that looks like it was done by a 3rd grader.
Materials and Labor Options:
Special Note:Most of the examples below are based on a single story home except for the reference in demo.
Demo / Gut Out: This project gets many people as they feel
that it is
a simple task that shouldn’t take much time and or cost very
much. That is until they take on this very dirty task and discover
that it is not as simple or as cheap as they had thought.
Typically, this project is
far more under estimated than any other. People under estimate the
amount of dumpster space they will need. For example, is this a single
story house or a condo
on the 10th floor? Are there wires, pipes, toilets, trash,
tubs, and
furniture involved? Is there asbestos or mold? (Which becomes a whole
different type of demo). Demo work can range from $1.25 to
$5.00 per square
foot depending on many factors.
Framing / Carpentry: This is something that can be based on many factors. Are you adding a wall, moving a wall, building an additional bathroom or media room. Will there be custom cabinets, staircases, book shelves or custom doorways. This is something where you should call in several professional carpenters to get bids. Their skills and rates can vary greatly depending on what you are wanting done. Some will offer you a linear foot rate, square foot or hourly rate based on what you are requesting and their own preference.
Electrical is one
of the most misunderstood professional trades. Let's face it,
electricity
is something that people just don't understand! Often people think
they can get an updated circuit panel and the whole house
re-wired for
$1,000. A new circuit panel installation alone can cost anywhere
from $1,500 to $2,500 depending on where you live.
There are reasons why it costs this much. Some
cities
charge $350 for a permit, and then $150 for an inspection. That does
not include the panel box or the breakers. The breakers alone can range
from $15.00 to $55.00 each, this all adds up very quickly.
Then to have the remaining part of a single story house re-wired can
cost anywhere from $2,500 to $4,500, again depending on where you live
and the method that is used. And, should they punch holes in the walls
because
they are unable to fish it through, then you will have to pay for
drywall repairs on top of that.
Plumbing is the same way. To have all new plumbing installed throughout the house can range from $2,500 to $7,500 depending on where you live. Master plumbers have to pull permits that cost anywhere from $100 to $750 and get rough in inspections and final inspections that cost between $50 and $200 each. Other factors that can raise the price would include if old plumbing needed to be removed or holes needed to be knocked in the wall to get the job done.
HVAC can be another expensive project and again this does require a skilled professional. Replacing an existing furnace can range from $1,000 up to $2,500 depending on the BTU requirements and where you live. Central air can range from $1,800 all the way up $3,000. Now if you are adding rooms, which requires additional duct work, or you need to replace duct work, the prices can get fairly expensive so get several estimates.
Drywall and taping does not require a licensed professional in the sense of plumbers, electricians or HVAC, but does require trained and experienced professionals to get that fresh, clean, smooth finish. Most people are very quick to tell the skilled professional how easy it is to hang drywall and they are right, it is easy. But then there is the ‘hanging-it-right factor. Yes, you can hang it yourself, however, hanging the drywall is the least expensive part of the job. So you save yourself a few bucks hanging it yourself, but the taping and mud part actually ends up costing you more because it is not done right. You will most likely have more seams than the professional would have and will probably end up with problem areas that could have been prevented. So to sum it up, you get a bid for $2,000 to hang drywall, tape and mud - you decide to hang the drywall yourself, and now the tape and mud bid comes in at $1,950 because of the extra seams and problem areas that could have been prevented.
Painting is another acquired skill that one gains over time with experience. One thing that most people overlook is the prep and clean up time involved with painting. Window and door frames must be taped off, floors and sometimes furniture must be covered with the right type of tarps and/or plastic. In some situations, the trim and molding will need to be removed, stripped, painted or stained and re-installed. The tape has to be removed when done and the tarps or plastic folded up and put away. All of this is time consuming, but is very much a part of the job and bid. On a special note, you will need to decide what type and brand of paint you will be using. Paint prices can range from $15 per gallon up to $55 a gallon. If it is your personal residence, then you will want the better quality of paint, as it wears better, lasts longer, and is easier to clean. The lower grade and lower priced paints are great for rental property.
Flooring is
something that many people get
confused in the installation rates. Most of the time, people want to
base their rates on those offered by the major home improvement
centers. However, one thing they fail to research is the actual total
cost of their installation. They charge for doorways, closets and
require you to install the trim that must be purchased from them. It is
these little things that is left out of their advertised pricing. So
before you go telling a contractor how much you can get a home
improvement center to do it for, go in and talk to them about your
project and have them print it out for you.
Then, go home and divide that total cost by square feet and see what
you
come up with.
Now there are many types of flooring to choose from and just as many
places to buy it from. Therefore, determine what is going to work best
for your situation.
Carpet has for the most part become a
thing of the past, however it is
not entirely gone. Now when pricing
carpet don’t forget that the padding can cost equally as much as the
carpet itself, the
better the padding - the more it cost and the longer it last. Carpet
can vary in price from $2.00 per square foot to $32.00 per square foot
depending on the grade and quality chosen. Labor costs between $1.50
and
$3.00 per square foot depending on where you live.
Refinishing original
hardwood floors is best left to
the professionals and can be done fairly cheap. This ranges from $3.50
square foot to $7.50 square foot and it all depends on where you live
and the type of wood and the condition it is in. The labor is usually
included with these rates.
Laminate or faux wood floors is another
cheap alternative, you can find
some relatively low cost options at closeout centers. On
average you can buy this
material from as low as $1.50 square foot to $9.00 square foot. Labor
to install this type of flooring ranges between $2.50 and $6.00 square
foot.
Ceramic tile can be another fairly
inexpensive option provided you
purchase it from a closeout center and use the 12” tiles. If you get
small tiles or large 18” tiles then the cost of labor changes
significantly. Small tiles require much more work and the larger tiles
require more custom cuts and larger tile cutters. You can usually find
these tiles at most closeout centers for $1.00 to $3.00 per square
foot. Installation averages between $3.00 and $6.00 per square foot
depending on where you live. You will also need adhesive and grout for
this material and backerboard on the sub floor.
Fancier granite and travertine tiles
will cost considerably more. Materials can range from $7.50 square foot
to
$30.00 square foot and installation for these types of materials range
from $5.50 per square foot to $10.50 per square foot and they too will
require backerboard, adhesive and grout.
So in the best way to sum this up is find out what the price ranges are for your part of the country and what type of use you have planned for the property. Will it be your personal residence, rental or a fixer flipper. Are you looking for quality materials or the cheapest materials and labor on the market. Always remember you get what you pay for which can be poor quality materials with a short life span and low quality workmanship that will show in the final product. Quality materials have a greater life span and will require less money in the long run provided the work was done in a professional manner.
Special Note:
These are strictly recommendations that consumers should consider when considering investing in foreclosure and fixer upper properties.
It is the sole responsibility of the homeowner and investor to decide how to proceed with a process that meets their own specific needs.
Author Bio:
This article was written by Walter Sanderson, founder of this website, STL Home Rehabbers. He has more than 15 years experience in rehabbing and remodeling homes. For more information about him, you can check out http://waltersanderson.stlhomerehabbers.com/.
Article Source: http://www.stlhomerehabbers.com/
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