I am very happy for you. Despite the fact that I have been accused of "settling", I know that trying to earn credentials for a career (instead of a job) is nothing short of ambitious. However, no matter what I earn, it will never be enough to own property. I truly married for love; my husband lost his job while we were engaged and I stayed with him even though people were telling me to leave.
We bought our house in 2008. It was some sort of affordable housing resource thing. We had to go to a counseling class for a few hours and get a certificate This was also the time of the first homebuyer credit, you know the one where you get $7500 off the top of your taxes - cash back if you don't owe anything that year.
The house we got isn't in the ghetto per say, it is in a area of town that is older (1950's homes), and it's only about 10 mins from downtown Nashville. We could've qualified for a bigger home, but at that time we only used my income to get approved for a house because we didn't want all of our disposable income going to our mortgage. Our house payment is well under $1000/month. And it's soon to be a 3/3 home that will carry us well into our twins' teenager years... Perhaps beyond is what we hope for.
It was a dream of mine to own a home one day, and once we found out I was pregnant with twins... We knew we had to move into a bigger apartment at least.... That's when we started looking. Without the grant for the down payment, we couldn't have done it at that time... I'm very thankful it was available.
I think she said around $400. Posted via Mobile Device
That's on the lower end too I've read it can range anywhere from $400 to $800, depending on the condition of the tub originally. Someone we know had a regular old 1950's tub reglazed, it was right around $500.
I will never forget the time in the grocery store when all the richey riches walked by a "giveaway". It was a ham. They couldn't be bothered to fill out the form but we did. He did and I did. We won the $15 ham and thought we had hit the lottery. We beamed, hugged and high fived and I haven't felt that sort of "us vs. them" in a long time. I am sure he feels the same way.
I love going into the grocery store and finding big savings! In fact, our Krogers here offers managers specials that we get and we feel like we've won the lottery when we come across something we needed anyway and it's on special for a fraction of the price!
And this is just a blanket observation for renting/owning (not directed towards you TRBE).... Having gone through the bankruptcy process just recently, I had a much greater sense of security with the home ownership before and during the process... I can remember struggling to make rent some months, and there's not much room to play with that monthly payment (about 5 days tops)... With our mortgage, there was much more room and much more security in knowing that. While there is never comfort in knowing you don't have the money for something so important, there was comfort knowing that our mortgage company couldn't just take the house without trying to work with us first.
One of the biggest bonuses to owning a home is being able to knock a wall down if you want, paint a room, add a bathroom, change the flooring, change out the appliances, etc. and no one telling you that you can't! i.e. my tub question
Which leads me to another question for those of you in the states, do you need a permit to convert a bedroom to a full bathroom? I can't find an answer!
Which leads me to another question for those of you in the states, do you need a permit to convert a bedroom to a full bathroom? I can't find an answer!
yes
you need to get inspections done for the construction, electrical and plumbing.
Putting an iron clawfoot tub on the second floor may require strengthening the floor and load bearing structure. I had one in an apt years ago that weighed more than 600lbs. It had to be craned out through a hole in the outer wall.
Yeah, I read you. 203K is the type of mortgage. It's an fha loan where you can add on expense for construction. It's not the price point we're looking in...haha. Property taxes in NJ are mad insane! They're almost equal to the cost of the mortgage. On a $350k house they're around $9k a year! We've saved and have a larger down payment so don't have to pay pmi but apparently there is insurance built into an fha. I don't know, it's all very confusing.
Truth is, I'd like to wait until I'm actually getting paid more than a stipend to purchase...till I've worked a year or two in an actual job and know I'll stay but I'm tied between interest rates and affording a house in our kids' school system. It's tricky stuff.
We might just wait.
I don't have a clue about the Jersey market. If housing prices are down in that area, now might be the time to buy. I do however think we haven't hit the bottom yet....not even close. So it's tricky to weigh it all. Loan rates are at historic lows so there's that. Housing prices? Not so sure about that.
Having said all that, you have savings and qualified FHA so that's awesome. Buying a house is like deciding to have kids. There is never a "good" time. You do your homework, know what you are getting in to, financially prepare and dive in.
I love going into the grocery store and finding big savings! In fact, our Krogers here offers managers specials that we get and we feel like we've won the lottery when we come across something we needed anyway and it's on special for a fraction of the price!
And this is just a blanket observation for renting/owning (not directed towards you TRBE).... Having gone through the bankruptcy process just recently, I had a much greater sense of security with the home ownership before and during the process... I can remember struggling to make rent some months, and there's not much room to play with that monthly payment (about 5 days tops)... With our mortgage, there was much more room and much more security in knowing that. While there is never comfort in knowing you don't have the money for something so important, there was comfort knowing that our mortgage company couldn't just take the house without trying to work with us first.
One of the biggest bonuses to owning a home is being able to knock a wall down if you want, paint a room, add a bathroom, change the flooring, change out the appliances, etc. and no one telling you that you can't! i.e. my tub question
Which leads me to another question for those of you in the states, do you need a permit to convert a bedroom to a full bathroom? I can't find an answer!
I hear you on the house security part....provided you live in an area that hasn't been devastated by the housing crash. Otherwise it becomes a nightmare that many struggle to wake up from.
Agree with the ownership and putting your own touch on things. I like that part and we are complete DIY'ers. Weekends are fun and often spent at Home Depot, the adults toy store.
Permit? No you don't TECHNICALLY need one to do any interior work by yourself and many don't get one. Why? Tax reasons. The moment you apply for a permit, the tax assessor views it as "improvements" and increases your property taxes accordingly. Having said that, if you ever plan to resell that house, you bet your ass you will want one. No potential buyer wants to hear "Non-permitted" bathroom. Since you are planning to do this yourselves, I would caution you though that since you two are "non-licensed" people, you want a city permit. It adds to the cost for sure but they will verify the plans and make adjustments as needed. Things you may not have thought of can be fixed prior to knocking down walls. It literally could save you thousands in the long run, not to mention when you want to sell the house.
Not trying to give you a lecture here. . Can I ask though if instead of converting a bedroom, are you able to perhaps use a part of the bedroom (keeping most of it) and say a hall closet to create a bathroom? I ask this because losing a bedroom shaves $30k off of the value of the house in most areas....at least here in Houston. A bathroom adds $20k so you are net negative $10k. Can you maybe skip the tub ( a space waster) and build a smaller bathroom. Sink, toilet and shower?
Not trying to give you a lecture here. . Can I ask though if instead of converting a bedroom, are you able to perhaps use a part of the bedroom (keeping most of it) and say a hall closet to create a bathroom? I ask this because losing a bedroom shaves $30k off of the value of the house in most areas....at least here in Houston. A bathroom adds $20k so you are net negative $10k. Can you maybe skip the tub ( a space waster) and build a smaller bathroom. Sink, toilet and shower?
this is what i did.
the closet in one bedroom lined up with one of the bathrooms.
i closed off the closet, knocked a wall out, had a bigger bathroom. enough bigger to put a big garden tub in.
put a smaller closet back in the bedroom in another area so i didnt lose that bedroom.
this is what i did.
the closet in one bedroom lined up with one of the bathrooms.
i closed off the closet, knocked a wall out, had a bigger bathroom. enough bigger to put a big garden tub in.
put a smaller closet back in the bedroom in another area so i didnt lose that bedroom.
Cherry, listen to him. Your house currently is a 4, 2 which is near ideal for any potential buyer. 4, 2 1/2 IS ideal. If you could keep most of the existing bedroom and convert a hall closet plus partial bedroom in to a half bath (although technically a shower doesn't make it a half bath), financially that makes way more sense than losing a bedroom and having a 3, 3. You literally lose half your buyers with that situation. Yes, most people have two kids but most families also want a study/guest bedroom/man cave/whatever. Keeping 4 bedrooms will make your home much more valuable in the long run. If anything, I would upgrade the bathrooms you already have, if you haven't already done so. Then if you want another bathroom, skip the tub and use minimal space to create the new bathroom. A shower doesn't have to be boring. Kohler has an "all inclusive" one that uses jets and steam and from what I have seen....it is like the most exclusive spa. Plus it is 5 x 5 so you aren't giving up valuable real estate!
Second IZ
Nearly all bathrooms butt up to a closet. Old construction and new construction. Not sure why it is done that way but it makes it easier for DIY'ers to work with it, provided you are careful around the plumbing and it isn't a load bearing wall, which it rarely is. Yup, this chick knows her construction.
I hear you on the house security part....provided you live in an area that hasn't been devastated by the housing crash. Otherwise it becomes a nightmare that many struggle to wake up from.
Agree with the ownership and putting your own touch on things. I like that part and we are complete DIY'ers. Weekends are fun and often spent at Home Depot, the adults toy store.
Permit? No you don't TECHNICALLY need one to do any interior work by yourself and many don't get one. Why? Tax reasons. The moment you apply for a permit, the tax assessor views it as "improvements" and increases your property taxes accordingly. Having said that, if you ever plan to resell that house, you bet your ass you will want one. No potential buyer wants to hear "Non-permitted" bathroom. Since you are planning to do this yourselves, I would caution you though that since you two are "non-licensed" people, you want a city permit. It adds to the cost for sure but they will verify the plans and make adjustments as needed. Things you may not have thought of can be fixed prior to knocking down walls. It literally could save you thousands in the long run, not to mention when you want to sell the house.
Not trying to give you a lecture here. . Can I ask though if instead of converting a bedroom, are you able to perhaps use a part of the bedroom (keeping most of it) and say a hall closet to create a bathroom? I ask this because losing a bedroom shaves $30k off of the value of the house in most areas....at least here in Houston. A bathroom adds $20k so you are net negative $10k. Can you maybe skip the tub ( a space waster) and build a smaller bathroom. Sink, toilet and shower?
Hah - Lowes is our store here! We have a Home Depot, but we get crazy deals on clearance items at the Lowes. We are complete DIY'ers. We even applied for Renovation Realities (for this bathroom project in fact), but I think our video we sent in was really week, so we didn't get picked
As for the bedroom, it was a small bedroom tucked in the back of the house where a den was. We never used the den and the bedroom was just kind of there. We had plans all along to make the unused den our master bedroom and turn that little bedroom into a bath/closet for the master. We really just lost the den in this conversion. That said, the house was listed as a 3/2, it will be a 3/3 after this. I don't know what kind of value the den added, but our original plan was to merge two of the bathrooms to one big one accessible from the master... We ultimately decided against demolishing a bathroom and chose to go with a 3rd smaller bathroom making it a 3 bathroom house.
I don't think converting the den into a large bedroom would be too negative to the value of the home. I don't know though, it does give us much more living space though
P.S. Don't mind the lectures at all... thoughts are always appreciated
Cherry, listen to him. Your house currently is a 4, 2 which is near ideal for any potential buyer. 4, 2 1/2 IS ideal. If you could keep most of the existing bedroom and convert a hall closet plus partial bedroom in to a half bath (although technically a shower doesn't make it a half bath), financially that makes way more sense than losing a bedroom and having a 3, 3. You literally lose half your buyers with that situation. Yes, most people have two kids but most families also want a study/guest bedroom/man cave/whatever. Keeping 4 bedrooms will make your home much more valuable in the long run. If anything, I would upgrade the bathrooms you already have, if you haven't already done so. Then if you want another bathroom, skip the tub and use minimal space to create the new bathroom. A shower doesn't have to be boring. Kohler has an "all inclusive" one that uses jets and steam and from what I have seen....it is like the most exclusive spa. Plus it is 5 x 5 so you aren't giving up valuable real estate!
Second IZ
Nearly all bathrooms butt up to a closet. Old construction and new construction. Not sure why it is done that way but it makes it easier for DIY'ers to work with it, provided you are careful around the plumbing and it isn't a load bearing wall, which it rarely is. Yup, this chick knows her construction.
Okay - I'll try to paint a pic of this layout the best that I can in just words The large "den" was located on the very back of the house. The small bedroom (8x10) was through the den tucked in a corner. It was very useless really, with no access to a bathroom except by going all the way through the house. It was part of the reason it was never used.... So now the whole back of the home is our master suite... it is a large bedroom, fairly decent size closet, laundry area and a bathroom. I think that's more appealing than a large den with a small bedroom attached. All in all, we have two bedrooms in the front with two bathrooms and now we have a complete master suite.... Well, technically we now have two master suites... One is just smaller
Hah - Lowes is our store here! We have a Home Depot, but we get crazy deals on clearance items at the Lowes. We are complete DIY'ers. We even applied for Renovation Realities (for this bathroom project in fact), but I think our video we sent in was really week, so we didn't get picked
As for the bedroom, it was a small bedroom tucked in the back of the house where a den was. We never used the den and the bedroom was just kind of there. We had plans all along to make the unused den our master bedroom and turn that little bedroom into a bath/closet for the master. We really just lost the den in this conversion. That said, the house was listed as a 3/2, it will be a 3/3 after this. I don't know what kind of value the den added, but our original plan was to merge two of the bathrooms to one big one accessible from the master... We ultimately decided against demolishing a bathroom and chose to go with a 3rd smaller bathroom making it a 3 bathroom house.
I don't think converting the den into a large bedroom would be too negative to the value of the home. I don't know though, it does give us much more living space though
P.S. Don't mind the lectures at all... thoughts are always appreciated
I misunderstood then. I thought you had a 4, 2 and wanted to take it down to a 3, 3 and I was screaming NOOOOOOOO. If the house was listed as a 3, 2 and you want to make it a 3, 3....there is nothing but upside on that!
So how many rooms do you have? I mean all rooms.
Also, get a permit. Here in Texas it isn't needed for interior work (scary) but honestly, something as important as a bathroom needs to be done right. I would also seriously consider hiring an electrician. It doesn't matter how skilled you are as a DIY'er, anything involving water and electricity needs a professional. Lastly, the tub. Runs with a Dog is correct. A claw foot tub can weigh upwards of 600 lbs UNFILLED and you very likely will need structural support if it is upstairs. So that is something to consider. If you go with a whirlpool style tub, you need to consider your hot water heater. Those things suck up hot water at epic levels and you may very well need a larger tank and that also means added water expense.
Okay, lecture over.
Okay - I'll try to paint a pic of this layout the best that I can in just words The large "den" was located on the very back of the house. The small bedroom (8x10) was through the den tucked in a corner. It was very useless really, with no access to a bathroom except by going all the way through the house. It was part of the reason it was never used.... So now the whole back of the home is our master suite... it is a large bedroom, fairly decent size closet, laundry area and a bathroom. I think that's more appealing than a large den with a small bedroom attached. All in all, we have two bedrooms in the front with two bathrooms and now we have a complete master suite.... Well, technically we now have two master suites... One is just smaller
So where will the new bathroom be located? Sorry, I'm confused. Are you expanding your current master bath?
I misunderstood then. I thought you had a 4, 2 and wanted to take it down to a 3, 3 and I was screaming NOOOOOOOO. If the house was listed as a 3, 2 and you want to make it a 3, 3....there is nothing but upside on that!
So how many rooms do you have? I mean all rooms.
We have a dining room, kitchen, living room, 3 bdrms and currently 2 baths (soon to be 3) And you asked about updating the other baths.. We did that with the main one, complete gut job except the original tub. Funny thing is that I wanted that original tub gone when they were doing the gut on it. It's a little dingy (it is over 50 yrs old).... But now I love it! The other bathroom was part of an addition many years ago, so it was fairly new to begin with.
On a side note, my H does flooring professionally, so we've been able to do all of our flooring updating ourselves fairly cheap. We updated our kitchen and bath flooring/surround for less than $500 in tile and materials And that was for slate tile.
10Likes
Re: Tub choices 
Despite the fact that I have been accused of "settling", I know that trying to earn credentials for a career (instead of a job) is nothing short of ambitious. However, no matter what I earn, it will never be enough to own property. I truly married for love; my husband lost his job while we were engaged and I stayed with him even though people were telling me to leave. 
This was also the time of the first homebuyer credit, you know the one where you get $7500 off the top of your taxes - cash back if you don't owe anything that year. 
I've read it can range anywhere from $400 to $800, depending on the condition of the tub originally. Someone we know had a regular old 1950's tub reglazed, it was right around $500.
. Can I ask though if instead of converting a bedroom, are you able to perhaps use a part of the bedroom (keeping most of it) and say a hall closet to create a bathroom? I ask this because losing a bedroom shaves $30k off of the value of the house in most areas....at least here in Houston. A bathroom adds $20k so you are net negative $10k. Can you maybe skip the tub ( a space waster) and build a smaller bathroom. Sink, toilet and shower? 
