Steps To Rehab A Single Family House
Can someone tell me the correct steps in their proper order to conduct the necessary repairs to rehab a house?
I know it will vary somewhat. I've recently cleaned out the property - taken out old kitchen cabinets, ripped out old carpet., taken off all electrical face plates.
Do I do replace windows first or paint the whole house interior? Do I wait until I install new kitchen cabinets before painting the kitchen? Any advice would be appreciated.
Do things in a logical manner so that you aren't wrecking what has already been fixed. I would paint the kitchen first before installing the cabinets. The labor will be approximately half and you might need to spend 5 minutes on a couple of touch ups when you are done installing the cabinets, instead of having to cut in the paint around all the cabinets.
I would install the windows before I painted the interior.
Do I do replace windows first or paint the whole house interior?
Do I wait until I install new kitchen cabinets before painting the kitchen?
If you have completed the interior items to remove and any future work being done that does not interfere with or damage the painting work paint first, it you are doing interior work that may cause damage to the prior painting work complete that work first.
[addsig]
I have a background in construction and I respect the replys that have already been posted. Before actually doing any work, you may want to contact a local real estate agent to give you ideas of what can be done to improve the look and resale value of your home.
In any event, perform all demo and trash removal first, replace windows, install cabinets, and paint last.
I start from the top down, roof, attic, ceilings ,walls , floors. I also start in the room farthest from the entry from where I am working. I do one room completely ( I should probably do all the painting at once, all the trim work, all the flooring, etc, doing one thing completely before moving on, but I find I am faster if I see a progression of accomplishment for my labor-plus, I get bored easily doing one thing over and over-it stays more fun if I do a little painting, a little trim work, a little etc.) and then close that area off and move on to the next. I also try to first do the rooms, when possible, that are going to take the least amount of money, like bedrooms. I know my kitchen will cost me the most; I usually do that last.
In any event, perform all demo and trash removal first, replace windows, install cabinets, and paint last.
jkenney's 100% right, but for one aspect.
You mentioned carpeting, and a new carpet (or new hardwoods) should always come last, after you paint.
The last thing you want is to spill a can of latex on a new rug or a floor with a fresh coat of sauce.
Plus, the old floor or old rug can serve as your drop cloth (withing reason, of course). When recarpeting or refinishing hardwoods, it's okay to get some splatter here and there on the old carpet or wood floor. And not having to cover every inch of the room with drop cloths can save time and a little money.
Good luck.
[addsig]
You may want to hire an experienced GC for your first few rehab's and work closely with them to learn more about the construction process. Another option is get someone with experience to act as a consultant, directing you through the process but having you actually do the planning, coordinating, and execution.
Good luck, Mark
Some great replies!
When I take on rehab projects I sort of section off the projects based upon exterior and interior all the while trying to sell the property during the rehab project.
I only do what is necessary to get the property suitable for the retail market (viewable surface first and then repairs that can not be seen by a simple walk through).
[addsig]
The order in which you do things is not always as straightforward as demolition first, rebuild then finish materials... although that's the preferred sequence. If you are rehabbing something like a Condo or Townhouse without a garage, the staging and storing of items can be very challenging.
It depends largely on what items you will be replacing, repairing, painting etc. All rehabs are different and you can't always do the things you want, when you want to do them to maximize efficiency. I don't want to make it sound more complicated than it is but sometimes it can be challenging to determine the correct order for maximum efficiency because there are dozens of little things that present you with more than one approach in a major rehab.
For instance, if you are replacing any exterior doors or windows, you can't demo first then come back at a later time to replace. You sort of have to do that in one step. If the exterior doors are wooden, the outside must be primed and painted before they get wet if they are directly exposed to the elements.
If replacing all the window coverings, when do you remove the old ones? You have all of your expensive tools over there and you don't want strangers peering in to see an easy target.
If you are removing all the toilets to replace flooring underneath then you have another mini delimma. You need at least one functional toilet in your rehab for you know what. It's always much easier to paint behind toilets, rebuild them, get to the trim work etc while they are removed. If you are putting ceramic tile in the bathrooms then the logical order is (1) remove toilet (2) remove baseboards (3) walls (such as removing wallpaper, texturing, and or painting) (4) have tile installed (5) replace baseboards (6) reinstall rebuilt toilet.
How long will you be without a toilet? You can do this a bath or 2 at a time but that becomes inefficient.
When to remove all that nasty old carpet? You can do this right away but if it's going to be several weeks before you paint, leaving it in place has some benefits. It soaks up spills nicely and is great for wet or muddy feet. Some people are tempted to TSP the baseboards before removing the carpet so as not to tear their hands up on the tack strips only to find that when the remove the carpet and pad, it kicks up a ton of dust and you have to rewipe the baseboards anyway. Others are tempted to paint the baseboards with the old carpet still in place. I would'nt advise this because you will only get the top 3/4 of the baseboard and carpet fibers will get stuck and dry on the new paint.
These are just a few examples. The key here is thinking through each task from beginning to end to determine the most efficient means to accomplish it.
From my experience, there is no simple one-size-fits-all answer.
Within the framework of demolition first, rebuild second, finishes last, I use a kinda anal mantra of "Top to Bottom, Left to Right, Start in the NW Corner". It eliminates some of the head scratching on where to start and helps you remember where you left off.