For a lower priced home, would you use, say a $10/square yard FHA-grade carpeting or a cheap "wood" flooring? What is a cheap, nice looking "wood" flooring?
I have gotten sooo tired of replacing carpet every time I turn around. I'd opt for the wood flooring or TILE. In the long run, it will save you money (not to mention time) because you don't have to replace it so often.
I am with 64Ford. Just make SURE you keep extra tiles in case a tenant (and you know they will) busts one or two. This will cut down on your cost as well, since you will not have to redo the entire floor because you did not carry a reserve.
Wood & Tile will last and is easy to refinish or replace (tile).
I have used the laminate flooring on a couple homes.....never again. It's price
is no different than the real stuff, wood.
Its drawbacks is that it does damage and at times delaminate, as was the case with Pergo.
I have a builder friend that does nothing but rentals...(new construction) everything is wood. When a tenant leaves he just has it refinished when necessary. In the long run it is cheaper.
If you are strictly looking at selling in a few years than you may want to reconsider....however you can never go wrong with wood.
I just replace the carpeting in one of my rental units. I found that parquet flooring could be purchased at .99 cent per sqft. It could be installed at near the same price range. I installed the parquet throughout at a price of $1,680.00 The unit shows well, the first couple to view the apartment wants rent the unit. I painted throughout, new stove, frig, rangehood. For under $3,000 the place looks like a million.
Unless I'm missing something, everyone is taking your question in regard to long term ownership and renting the property out to a tenant. If that is the case, I think you got some excellent advice. Keep in mind real wood floors can get just as damaged as carpet, after a few years of abuse they will be scatched to hell and need to be refinished.
If your question was directed more towards rehabing and reselling, then you always have to walk the fine line between what is the cheapest you can put in without hurting the resale of the house. Sometimes spending a few extra bucks on a few upgrades can pay off by setting your home apart from all the others the buyers will be looking at.
Lower priced housing should have lower priced floor covering. Something clean is all that's necessary. When you do the post morteum (read eviction/rent-up) it will all probably have to be redone.
FHA grade carpeting at $10 / S.Y.??? Who are you? Donald Trump???
I'm for the "laminated flooring" not pergo brand though,Sams Club sell the same stuff for about $1.30 ****Must Reach Senior Investor status before posting URL's***stall very easy.
Mike
TILE (ceramic or simular) if I need to replace carpet if already exisiting carpet is bad.
I can get this cheaper per SQ FT versus replacement cost on carpet if your renting. Wears excellent and has long long long life. Renter can get rugs if they feel froggie. I dont like having to replace flooring every few years (or months if rents are th type of individuals who destroy your carpets, you know pets that are hid or kids and red koolaid) and tile is more durable but still appealing to look at.
I am playing around with the new idea stained concrete in rentals as well.
All new construct rentals we will probably do the stained concrete.
As far as resales we try to look at the area housing in the residential district we are in for what is going on (ie: houses on the market that are selling well and what look is selling) to see what needs to be done.
We are penny pinches but we like a good look on our properties.
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) has nice vinyl tiles that "look like wood" and they are very inexpensive (@! dollars for a box of 45) and they're very inexpensive to replace. Also, maybe throw in a nice area or oriental rug (you can get them cheap if there is a "bootleg" store or bazaar in your area). Trust me, I KNOW what it's like to be on a budget. Also, to play it up, mention to the potential buyer/renter that the reason you decided against carpet is because of the preservatives used in carpet like formaldehyde that can aggrevate asthma and cause cancer with long term exposure. Relationship with your prospects and show that you care about their well being. Remember "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Happy Investing!
Recently toured a house that had the stained concrete floors with an impression pattern and wash over stain that gave the look of slate, very impressive and a great value.
Yes I agree it is a excellent and impressive flooring option that is why we are looking that direction.
We may do this in all of our development projects. When we find a contractor that does a good quality job and works quickly (time is a factor). This is in the test stages, but the contractor whom does the job we expect will get a lot of work from us in the future. He may not need to many other customers if things work out well and the syndications we start work out.
We are thinking of doing this on rehabs but the cost appear to be better on new construction versus slabs that are aged.
mfinley is correct -- I'm thinking in terms of reselling. Basically, I'd like to maximize the resale value while minimizing the rehab costs. Will carpet do, or will wood or stained concrete be a better option?
This is my opinion. I have 2 girls (5 and 3mths). Most home buyers are either planning on having children in the future or already have a small tribe (like me). When I see carpet, all I can think about is spit-up, kool-aid, and crayons all over the floor (and spending hours scrubbing to clean it up ). From a woman's point of view (who basically has the most pull in the purchase of the property {right ladies?}) anything BUT carpet works for me.
For me putting in carpet or wood floor, depends on the price of the house (which equates to how large the house is). This has NOTHING to do with the price or quality of the materials (carpet or wood).
Let me explain: Generally speaking, wood floors go in high traffic areas and adds a "spark" to those areas, but theses houses have other areas that get carpet (think a family room AND a living room). Smaller houses do not have that luxury.
The first house I rehabbed had fairly nice hardwood floors under the nasty, rotted carpet. Being new and naive, I thought "Wow those will look great", so I had them refinished. And everyone who came to look at the house, said "Wow, those look great", BUT then they said "Those floors will be cold in the winter, why didn't you put down carpet?".
The only way I could sell the house was with a carpet allowance.
Also, check with your local tile store. The tile store here in town has a back room that is filled with "leftovers" which means I can get name brand ceramic tile for as little as 50 cents-$1.25 a square foot. Installation can be done for about $3.50 a square ft. or you can always attempt to do it yourself. The quantities vary from 25 sq. ft. to over 300 sq. ft. of the same patterns. Don't overlook this valuable little resource for flooring and bathroom surround tile.
If this is a lower priced home adding anything other than new carpet is going to be a waste of money.
The exception would be if you are in a market with many, many similar homes on the market near your house and you need something to set it apart.
For the most part your buyer won't be able to tell the difference between a $10 a yard carpet or a $15 a yard carpet. Go for the cheapest carpet that doesn't look cheap and you should be fine.
Lower priced homes are going to be bought by first time home buyers who are blind to everything. They will most likely be coming from an apartment or mommy's basement and as long as the crapet doesn't stand out as someting wrong with it, they won't pay any attention to it. The guy will be looking at the back yard dreaming about barbequing, and the garage, dreaming about having a place to change his oil. The wife will be checking out the kitchen and the laundry room, dreaming about how she will decorate it, and finally not have to go to the laundramat to do laundry.
The floors just have to not draw attention to themselves and be an issue. If this is a high dollar house it is the opposite.
My aunt is a major mover in the RE market and she has alays maintained that if your sellng refinish the floors.
Good wood is more expensive than carpet, takes longer, and will require much more maintenance and care over time.
I have been contracting for years and have almost never seen "worn out carpet" carpet mostly "uglies out".
IF it were me and I was rehabbing for resale I would opt for the carpet. Pergo would be a good choice if it is for resale and I have frequently found it n the $2 sf range by looking around. I don't like it for the long term hold however for many of the reasons stated in a post above.
I found a great company called LUMBER LIQUIDATORS that has very nice wood flooring. Some of it is as low as
$ 0.89 per sq ft. with a 10 yr warranty.
Sounds like it's easy to install too. I'm just figuring out my first order now.
My 2 cents: Reselling moderate priced to lower priced housing quick I'd do the carpet as Stockpro suggests. It is much cheaper and quick to have installed. If youre not holding less is more as long as it is nice. Berber is back and there are cheaper berber products available.
Many families with children like carpet in the bedrooms and living room but look for hard easy clean surfaces in high traffic/bath/kitchen areas, at least around here.
Take a tour of new homes being built in the area. The builders of your area have a good handle on what sells quickly or creates more interest from buyers. Tile has made a bg come back recently but I am still finding for the Bedrooms and main family room carpet is being maintained as a given. Wood has appeal for baby boomers but the younger couples see to like the tile/carpet combs from what I see.
I still personaly like, in long term holds or homes you are going to hold the note on, doing more permant long wearing flooring like tile/stained cc (this gives you much better return on your investment especially if you end up with it again on an O/F).
Just to nore: I am not sure if the stain cc on older construct is a feasible cost as the concrete is "aged" since this is a newer option we are personnally holding off on using this option for new construction until we have tested the staining of aged concrete and its term of life for ourselves.
But if you havent seen stained concrete go to a new mall or store you may not realize unless you look very closely that they are now using stained concrete
check out www.lumberliquidators.com , they sell "cheap wood". 99c/ sq/ft
3/4"x2 1/4"...it has alot of open knots and what not but for the price you cant go wrong...
My part time job is installing hard wood floors for people. I charge 3.50 CDN per square foot, and as for the wood, since I get contracting prices, its like 3.15 CDN per square foot. And this is nice, Very nice wood finish.
OAK
Cheap wood?
I think they have some wood grain peel and stick squares
Hello
Pergo is cheap and fake although nice looking wood. For more info see http://www.pergo.com .
Mike
[addsig]
I have gotten sooo tired of replacing carpet every time I turn around. I'd opt for the wood flooring or TILE. In the long run, it will save you money (not to mention time) because you don't have to replace it so often.
I am with 64Ford. Just make SURE you keep extra tiles in case a tenant (and you know they will) busts one or two. This will cut down on your cost as well, since you will not have to redo the entire floor because you did not carry a reserve.
My vote is with 64,
Wood & Tile will last and is easy to refinish or replace (tile).
I have used the laminate flooring on a couple homes.....never again. It's price
is no different than the real stuff, wood.
Its drawbacks is that it does damage and at times delaminate, as was the case with Pergo.
I have a builder friend that does nothing but rentals...(new construction) everything is wood. When a tenant leaves he just has it refinished when necessary. In the long run it is cheaper.
If you are strictly looking at selling in a few years than you may want to reconsider....however you can never go wrong with wood.
Hello Galabar,
I just replace the carpeting in one of my rental units. I found that parquet flooring could be purchased at .99 cent per sqft. It could be installed at near the same price range. I installed the parquet throughout at a price of $1,680.00 The unit shows well, the first couple to view the apartment wants rent the unit. I painted throughout, new stove, frig, rangehood. For under $3,000 the place looks like a million.
Unless I'm missing something, everyone is taking your question in regard to long term ownership and renting the property out to a tenant. If that is the case, I think you got some excellent advice. Keep in mind real wood floors can get just as damaged as carpet, after a few years of abuse they will be scatched to hell and need to be refinished.
If your question was directed more towards rehabing and reselling, then you always have to walk the fine line between what is the cheapest you can put in without hurting the resale of the house. Sometimes spending a few extra bucks on a few upgrades can pay off by setting your home apart from all the others the buyers will be looking at.
What kind of wood flooring our we talking about? Cost?
[addsig]
Lower priced housing should have lower priced floor covering. Something clean is all that's necessary. When you do the post morteum (read eviction/rent-up) it will all probably have to be redone.
FHA grade carpeting at $10 / S.Y.??? Who are you? Donald Trump???
I'm for the "laminated flooring" not pergo brand though,Sams Club sell the same stuff for about $1.30 ****Must Reach Senior Investor status before posting URL's***stall very easy.
Mike
TILE (ceramic or simular) if I need to replace carpet if already exisiting carpet is bad.
I can get this cheaper per SQ FT versus replacement cost on carpet if your renting. Wears excellent and has long long long life. Renter can get rugs if they feel froggie. I dont like having to replace flooring every few years (or months if rents are th type of individuals who destroy your carpets, you know pets that are hid or kids and red koolaid) and tile is more durable but still appealing to look at.
I am playing around with the new idea stained concrete in rentals as well.
All new construct rentals we will probably do the stained concrete.
As far as resales we try to look at the area housing in the residential district we are in for what is going on (ie: houses on the market that are selling well and what look is selling) to see what needs to be done.
We are penny pinches but we like a good look on our properties.
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) has nice vinyl tiles that "look like wood" and they are very inexpensive (@! dollars for a box of 45) and they're very inexpensive to replace. Also, maybe throw in a nice area or oriental rug (you can get them cheap if there is a "bootleg" store or bazaar in your area). Trust me, I KNOW what it's like to be on a budget. Also, to play it up, mention to the potential buyer/renter that the reason you decided against carpet is because of the preservatives used in carpet like formaldehyde that can aggrevate asthma and cause cancer with long term exposure. Relationship with your prospects and show that you care about their well being. Remember "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Happy Investing!
Recently toured a house that had the stained concrete floors with an impression pattern and wash over stain that gave the look of slate, very impressive and a great value.
Yes I agree it is a excellent and impressive flooring option that is why we are looking that direction.
We may do this in all of our development projects. When we find a contractor that does a good quality job and works quickly (time is a factor). This is in the test stages, but the contractor whom does the job we expect will get a lot of work from us in the future. He may not need to many other customers if things work out well and the syndications we start work out.
We are thinking of doing this on rehabs but the cost appear to be better on new construction versus slabs that are aged.
Let you all know how it works out later!
mfinley is correct -- I'm thinking in terms of reselling. Basically, I'd like to maximize the resale value while minimizing the rehab costs. Will carpet do, or will wood or stained concrete be a better option?
This is my opinion. I have 2 girls (5 and 3mths). Most home buyers are either planning on having children in the future or already have a small tribe (like me). When I see carpet, all I can think about is spit-up, kool-aid, and crayons all over the floor (and spending hours scrubbing to clean it up ). From a woman's point of view (who basically has the most pull in the purchase of the property {right ladies?}) anything BUT carpet works for me.
Hey,
For me putting in carpet or wood floor, depends on the price of the house (which equates to how large the house is). This has NOTHING to do with the price or quality of the materials (carpet or wood).
Let me explain: Generally speaking, wood floors go in high traffic areas and adds a "spark" to those areas, but theses houses have other areas that get carpet (think a family room AND a living room). Smaller houses do not have that luxury.
The first house I rehabbed had fairly nice hardwood floors under the nasty, rotted carpet. Being new and naive, I thought "Wow those will look great", so I had them refinished. And everyone who came to look at the house, said "Wow, those look great", BUT then they said "Those floors will be cold in the winter, why didn't you put down carpet?".
The only way I could sell the house was with a carpet allowance.
The market WILL always determine what is best.
Also, check with your local tile store. The tile store here in town has a back room that is filled with "leftovers" which means I can get name brand ceramic tile for as little as 50 cents-$1.25 a square foot. Installation can be done for about $3.50 a square ft. or you can always attempt to do it yourself. The quantities vary from 25 sq. ft. to over 300 sq. ft. of the same patterns. Don't overlook this valuable little resource for flooring and bathroom surround tile.
If this is a lower priced home adding anything other than new carpet is going to be a waste of money.
The exception would be if you are in a market with many, many similar homes on the market near your house and you need something to set it apart.
For the most part your buyer won't be able to tell the difference between a $10 a yard carpet or a $15 a yard carpet. Go for the cheapest carpet that doesn't look cheap and you should be fine.
Lower priced homes are going to be bought by first time home buyers who are blind to everything. They will most likely be coming from an apartment or mommy's basement and as long as the crapet doesn't stand out as someting wrong with it, they won't pay any attention to it. The guy will be looking at the back yard dreaming about barbequing, and the garage, dreaming about having a place to change his oil. The wife will be checking out the kitchen and the laundry room, dreaming about how she will decorate it, and finally not have to go to the laundramat to do laundry.
The floors just have to not draw attention to themselves and be an issue. If this is a high dollar house it is the opposite.
My aunt is a major mover in the RE market and she has alays maintained that if your sellng refinish the floors.
Good wood is more expensive than carpet, takes longer, and will require much more maintenance and care over time.
I have been contracting for years and have almost never seen "worn out carpet" carpet mostly "uglies out".
IF it were me and I was rehabbing for resale I would opt for the carpet. Pergo would be a good choice if it is for resale and I have frequently found it n the $2 sf range by looking around. I don't like it for the long term hold however for many of the reasons stated in a post above.
Luck!
I found a great company called LUMBER LIQUIDATORS that has very nice wood flooring. Some of it is as low as
$ 0.89 per sq ft. with a 10 yr warranty.
Sounds like it's easy to install too. I'm just figuring out my first order now.
My 2 cents: Reselling moderate priced to lower priced housing quick I'd do the carpet as Stockpro suggests. It is much cheaper and quick to have installed. If youre not holding less is more as long as it is nice. Berber is back and there are cheaper berber products available.
Many families with children like carpet in the bedrooms and living room but look for hard easy clean surfaces in high traffic/bath/kitchen areas, at least around here.
Take a tour of new homes being built in the area. The builders of your area have a good handle on what sells quickly or creates more interest from buyers. Tile has made a bg come back recently but I am still finding for the Bedrooms and main family room carpet is being maintained as a given. Wood has appeal for baby boomers but the younger couples see to like the tile/carpet combs from what I see.
I still personaly like, in long term holds or homes you are going to hold the note on, doing more permant long wearing flooring like tile/stained cc (this gives you much better return on your investment especially if you end up with it again on an O/F).
Just to nore: I am not sure if the stain cc on older construct is a feasible cost as the concrete is "aged" since this is a newer option we are personnally holding off on using this option for new construction until we have tested the staining of aged concrete and its term of life for ourselves.
But if you havent seen stained concrete go to a new mall or store you may not realize unless you look very closely that they are now using stained concrete
check out www.lumberliquidators.com , they sell "cheap wood". 99c/ sq/ft
3/4"x2 1/4"...it has alot of open knots and what not but for the price you cant go wrong...
My part time job is installing hard wood floors for people. I charge 3.50 CDN per square foot, and as for the wood, since I get contracting prices, its like 3.15 CDN per square foot. And this is nice, Very nice wood finish.
OAK
That's $7.00 a square foot? Nice carpet installed is under $2.00 a square foot.
[addsig]