Finally. The contractor comes and sees MAH HOUSE

[kyburg]

And basically warns me he might just give me a bid for the house version of the new radiator cap.

You know the story on that one, right? When you take the car in for service and they tell you it needs a new radiator cap?

"Yeah, pull the cap up and drive a new car underneath it."

I'll dub it the "new front doorknob" treatment. *facepalms* And he says he doesn't take jobs that are under $200,000.

UH.

Okay.

The fire insurance policy says it would take about $150,000 to rebuild the house as it stands. A little more, a little less.

In all truth, knocking it completely down and redoing it would be faster than retrofitting...and has some very good side benefits.

We know the back house MUST come down. No choice. And a closer look at the front house is showing some things that really might be deal breakers on saving the structure. Sixty years of creep and slab on clay foundation has taken its toll - I strongly suspect the foundation is cracked or damn near close to it. I could just do what we could to get that extra bedroom and bathroom, but we'd still be dealing with that.

And if we built new, I'd be able to put solar in...and anything else we had been wanting. Usable closets, for one. I wouldn't put air conditioning in, but I could put something central in...and that fireplace/wood stove thing.

But the financing. Ah. Well, people must be doing this because the home refit business continues to boom like no tomorrow - so, I'm thinking there must be so way to do it and I might be able to roll the money for the second adoption into it (and put that WAY aside).

Waiting to get more information. Guy was out here for two hours - that's what you get for getting the contractor who did an Extreme Home Makeover out to look at your house. Vic can stay.

Will the house? Stay tuned.

Comments

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

To paraphrase Reagan at the Berlin Wall in the mid-1980s:

Tear Down This House! =D

Sorry... in very silly mood at the moment.

I know the financing will be a pain, but I think it would work out in the end... since you could put in what you wanted/needed.

C.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

And since you're the one who's seen the house, you got it.

Fireplace. I could actually have the bathrooms I want...and a fireplace. *swoons*

[yeoww.livejournal.com]

Doesn't take jobs under 200K...wow.

[amanda-nye.livejournal.com]

Kris and I are looking into building new, and construction loans are really not so hard. The main trick with most is that you need to have the land, have elevations of the plans you want to build (sometimes the plans,too), and have an architect signed on. We got the last two without too much trouble (see www.eplans.com), and there's no commitment to keep those that you got to get the loan.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Well, we already have a contractor with an architect, and he says we need to get the topo done of the lot. Sounds just in line - which is good news.

I'm just a bit leery of adding another $200,000 worth of debt, y'understand.

Rather win the lottery, if you get my drift.

[amanda-nye.livejournal.com]

I know the feeling... but if you get what you want and need all at once, it's also not a bad option. The problem with fixing something that perhaps shouldn't be fixed is that it's forever needing something else. New tends to have a few kinks, then just be good for awhile. Not paying for maintenance can be really good.

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

If the house comes down, how long will it take to rebuild?

On another note, has LA Cty health condemned it? Or just this guy. I'd be painfully sure before you do it.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

You forget, I've had three house fires - two of them to the ground.

One that wasn't, 90 days and 60 of those was waiting for the HOA to approve the contractor.

The others? 6 - 9 months.