Buying a new house... what to do and when?
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Anonymous
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We're buying a 10-year-old house that will needs updating. We're moving from a townhouse and don't really know how to "fill" the new place. Here's what we need to do; wondering what order we should do them in:
*kitchen remodel *resurface the floors *paint *interior decorator I'm guessing we do the kitchen, then the floors, then paint...but have the decorator come in somewhere in between to help pick colors? |
Anonymous
| I would work with a decorator from the start. They will work with you to establish a cohesive look. |
Anonymous
This. Many decorators are also kitchen designers. |
Anonymous
| Finish the floors before you move in the furniture. |
Anonymous
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Have you had a thorough home inspection done? Not just the report you got from the seller? If you haven’t, I would do that as step 0 before going to step 1. In our case, it revealed some messed up things that we wouldn’t have suspected in a new-ish house. I would check hvac, plumbing, electrical, exterior drainage and everything in the crawl and basement- look at anything that would disrupt aesthetic improvements if you had to go back and fix it.
Then I would do kitchen, floors and paint in that order. If you don’t absolutely have to update anything now, move in and give it 1-2 years. You might have very different feelings about how you want the kitchen to be set up or how you want things to flow after going through a few seasons of living there as a family, experiencing different temperatures and seasonal light, and studying how you use different spaces. |
Anonymous
| I agree with living in the house first. We remodeled most of our house before moving in but left the kitchen mostly untouched because it was ok. We remodeled it now after a few years in the house and I am really glad we waited because some of the things that I really wanted to change after living with them aren’t something I would have noticed initially. A 10 year old kitchen also does not sound like something that would need an urgent remodel. |
Anonymous
| You should at least finalize plans for the kitchen remodel first. |
Anonymous
| Do the floors before you move in, then wait 1-2 years for everything else. |
Anonymous
| Consult designer first, do floors and paint before moving in. Consider waiting a year to do the kitchen for the reasons PP’s have suggested. |
Anonymous
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Floors and paint should be done before you move in, very inconvenient later. Consider also the garage floor, if you plan to have it coated, since that takes several days to cure and you'll have to move everything outside unless you have it done before you move in.
A kitchen remodel will be a pain to live through, and you may lose the use of your appliances, so that may be worth thinking about if you're certain it's something you want to do and you know what the new space should look like. If you're uncertain, I wouldn't move forward until you're more confident - it's an expensive undertaking and you want to get it right. Just be aware that it will be a big pain to live through later. |
Anonymous
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Paint then floors. Assuming you have a good eye and know what colors you want. You can pull in a designer now too if you want a cohesive plan ahead of time.
Live in the house a couple years before you remodel. We waited 2 years and I was glad we did because we had a better idea of how the house lived at that point, which affected how we laid out the kitchen. |
Anonymous
| Floors are a huge PITA to redo once you move in, so I would absolutely prioritize that. Do the rest slowly once you get a feel for the place. Even your painting choices might depend on the decor you choose. |
Anonymous
| A 10 year old house shouldn't need a ton of work done to it. |
Anonymous
| I think the floors depend on whether the kitchen footprint and/or flooring will change. |
Anonymous
I’m assuming OP meant “upgrade” or just “change.” I could see floors and paint needing a refresh from wear. |