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Remodeling a Bath in Land Park
Remodeling a bath always starts with an innocent idea. You know, it would be nice if the tub faucet didn’t leak. I could replace it, yeah. New hardware. Maybe bronze, that seems somewhat timeless and not as trendy as brushed nickel. It’s really tough to make a decision on hardware because one day everybody loves chrome; the next day it’s gold-tones and then a decade later it’s back to chrome. You don’t want your new remodel to look dated a few years after you’re done. Remodels should transcend trends and time.
After I got past the thought process of replacing the hardware in the bathtub and changing out the dippy showerhead from 1948, it occurred to me that I am staring at a wall of glass. The other side of the wall is cedar. The easiest way to remove the fixtures is to remove the sheets of glass covering the walls. My husband and I own one of the few homes in Land Park in which many walls were once covered in colored glass.
Ack. The tiled floor. What moron installed that horrid 12-inch tile in the guest bathroom? Oh, wait, it was this moron. What ugly tile. So dated. So rosey beige. Like somebody spilled cherry Kool-Aid on top of cat puke. We definitely need to consider remodeling the bath. I felt myself begin to gravitate toward 24-inch or 18-inch.
And before you can say travertine or marble, I am in the midst of tearing out the walls and the flooring, coupled with replacing the fixtures, the light bar over the sink, and installing a new light fixture with an exhaust fan over the tub.
I asked my husband what level of involvement he would like as his participation in this bath remodel project, whether he had opinions or preferences. The response I received was amusing but typical. Is there such a thing as a negative involvement, like a minus 10?
Fortunately, I’m not all that fussy and have a pretty well formed idea in my head of how this should look. Decisions are not that difficult for me. It’s not agonizing to select tile or light fixtures like it is for some people, and once I make up my mind, I don’t vacillate.
While I did not intend to embark on a 3-week project, it’s actually a very good idea. Sometimes we live with our present environment for so long that we don’t see it the way others do until we lock out the exterior world and focus on it. There are other people who view a bath remodel project such as this as unnecessary. Other people might say that as long as everything works and you don’t fall through the floor, it doesn’t need any work. Of course, those other people aren’t watching the tub faucet drip.
Preparing Your Home For Sale Before Going on the Market
Before fixing anything in your home to prepare that home for sale, you should ask a Sacramento real estate agent what needs to actually be done. Because your idea of making a home improvement repair might be different than a repair the agent might advise, not to mention, you could end up spending money that you don’t need to spend. This is a valuable service experienced agents provide to sellers, advice on what to fix and whether the home should be sold in its AS IS condition.
If your agent has little to no experience, you’re at a disadvantage when it comes time to sell. But a veteran agent who sells a ton of homes can be a god-send to you.
The advice for what to fix and what not varies from home to home and neighborhood to neighborhood and market to market. I recall way back when I sold my first home, and I grabbed the city home inspection report that I paid for when I initially bought the home. I combed through that report thoroughly and fixed every defect on it as a precursory to preparing the home for sale. What a waste of money, time and effort. Most of that stuff, I discovered later, were items the buyer didn’t give a hoot about.
Obviously, if you have visual distractions, those should probably be corrected but again, it depends on how much money it costs, what’s involved labor-wise and whether the market demands it. I have listing that’s coming on the market next week which has vinyl siding and in some places the posts have been chewed, a few J channels are busted or cracked and, in another area, the siding is missing all together.
It’s almost impossible to match vinyl siding panels on a reorder from the manufacturer because the sizes and colors vary. The seller doesn’t have any extra pieces. Not to mention, vinyl siding is not vogue anymore and stucco is considered a better exterior option. The cost to change out the exterior is more expensive than the return on this particular investment. Plus, for what this type of property is, the siding is OK. It won’t affect the sales price. Not for this home and not in this market.
If you’re thinking about preparing your home for sale on the market, hire the best Sacramento real estate agent you can find, and then follow her advice. Don’t spend more money than you need to spend.
