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heidi_taylor37

How long would it take for cosmetic rehab.

Heidi Taylor
8 years ago
I'm looking into buying a 3bdrm/4 btrm 3,200 sq. ft. midcentury modern home, but it needs cosmetic updating (wood planking in ceiling, new carpeting, paint, baseboards, window casing, lighting, granite countertops in kitchen, etc.) Problem is that I'm due with my second child August 10th and would like to have most, if not all of this done before then. If we became the owners by this July, what are the chances of having all of this done within a month's time? Is it even possible? I would put off doing the bathrooms until after the baby, so focus would be on the rest. TIA

Comments (3)

  • jhmarie
    8 years ago

    This would depend on how far out in scheduling the trades are that would be doing the jobs. You can ask at your favorite flooring store how far out their installation time is. They might require to measure themselves before ordering. If they can't be in to measure till July, chances are they will have a hard time installing by August 10th. The same is true with the granite - the installers will have to measure and get the stone cut and installed.

    I would advise, that if you really love the house and have a vision for it, buy it, move in, get the nursery ready and relax. Take care of the baby and make plans slowly. Enjoy the process of fixing up your home. Take time to look at different granites, paint colors, lighting. Your experience of living in the home may change the way you want to start your remodeling and how you want things.


  • acm
    8 years ago

    If you had every finish picked out today, and could plan it oue with a contractor in at least one advance visit, then you might be able to get all that done in 6 weeks. I recently did a full house gut and rehab (including the addition of two new bathrooms) on a 10-12-week schedule, and you seem to be avoiding the largest stuff. However, certain things take a lot of time (cutting baseboards, e.g.), and other things have a big lead time (granite must be templated on counterless cabinets, and then there's a gap before it comes back).

    So, it's theoretically possible, if you don't run into anything unexpected (on either renovation or baby ends). And there's much to be said for getting stuff done in a house before you move in, while you don't have to wrench your life around. But honestly, trying to do all this planning, overseeing the work, and moving, all in the last trimester of your pregnancy, seem likely to make you completely crazy. And something always comes up (additional work needed, some finish back-ordered, contractor gets sick). Plus, you'll be bigger, slower-moving, and more tired again than you are now, so it may not seem so fun.

    Of course, buying a house and having a baby are both giant life tornadoes that eventually pass, and everything can be survived. But maybe before diving in, you should consider how much support you have to make sure you survive it all with sanity intact. Those first couple of months with a baby at home are among the hardest periods of your life, and you might not want to go into them already wrung out...


  • Heidi Taylor
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    Thank you both for the great input! I had the idea of hiring a designer and seeing what all could be accomplished in time. I'm willing to put granite on the backburner, but I see how this all might be too ambitious. I think I will look into what I can get done before baby, but if it seems like too much of a hassle, maybe it would be best to put off most of it until life meets the new norm.

    Thanks again for the great advice!