Moving to a Home That Needs Work! (Carpet, Counters, Cabinets, Appliances....)

I bought my house two months ago and had a very small repair budget. I found the Habitat for Humanity Restore and can only say "THANK GOD"!!! Their store in Manassas is wonderful. They have entire kitchen cabinet sets for a few hundred dollars. I replaced my stove/oven, dishwasher and over-the-stove microwave for $220. They have carpet remnants for $20. Plus they have a ton of flooring and molding. I bought a bunch of wood for $1 a piece. Their prices are fantastic and the stuff has been great. The staff was very helpful. They have several locations but I have found the Manassas one to be the best. Here is there info... 9506 Center St Manassas, 20108 ###-###-####. One other thing, when you file the change of address forms, Lowes and Home Depot will send you a 10% off coupon for one visit to their stores. Good luck!

dont know about workers but happy to know you are there for your kids. God bless.

You can always check craigslist for free items as well as stuff that is really cheap. People go to re-modle and just want the stuff out, Also Habitat for Humanity has a re-store. I know there is one right off of 95 and Eastern Ave across from the Home Depot on Kane Street. They take items out of homes that are being re-habbed (some new, some used, some lightly used) They carry EVERYTHING. Left over construction materials, appliances, carpet, counters, stainglass, windows, etc & it is pretty cheap. Below is the information. Also check with your Realtor, they should be able to refer you to local contractors that can help you out with some of those projects! Good luck & enjoy being a homeowner!

Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity ReStore
www.baltimorerestore.org

505 Kane St.
Baltimore, MD 21224
###-###-####
Get directions

More information »
Open Tue-Wed,Fri 9am-4pm; Thu 9am-6pm; Sat 9am-2pm

Hi Proud M.! Congrats on your first home!

I'm an ASID Interior Designer, and kitchens and baths are one of my specialties. Some questions that I ask clients are:

- How long are you going to be in the house? Less than 5 years? More than 10? If you're going to be in the house a long time (more than 10 years), it's worth putting a little extra money into the porject for higher-quality items.
- What time line do you have in mind? In other words, how long do you want and think your projects should take? Have you broken your projects down into various phases as to what needs done first and foremost?
- Do you and your spouse have similar or very different tastes? What kind of compromises are you both willing to make to get what you both want?
- What is your budget? Have you priced out items already? What have you found regarding prices?

Some suggestions:
- Carpet and flooring can usually, not always, be found at very good prices with local flooring companies. Customer service is often more personal, and local companies welcome and love your repeat business. Having said that, I have a very good friend (a fellow interior designer) who works in the flooring and design department at Home Depot. Both HD and Lowe's carry good quality products at competative prices.
- You can skimp a little on the carpet itself, but do NOT skimp on your pad! I'm a huge fan of the thicker padding that has a moisture barrier. With children and dogs, the moisture barrier prevents liquids from seeping down into the pad and onto the subfloor.
- If you have children and pets, pass on loop berber carpet. Doggie toe nails, toys, and general play can pull the loops. And they are not repairable. Try to find a California berber, sometimes called a frieze carpet. It's a cut-pile carpet that is soft underfoot and can hold up to wear and tear.
- Good cabinetry can be found on the floors of HD and Lowe's. Sometimes this is referred to stock cabinetry. You can customize it with your own hardware, and it does come in a variety of colors/tones. Going this route can save you hundreds of dollars.
- Countertops: if you are going to be in the house a long time, this is a good place to spend more. I lurves Silestone (engineered quartz). It looks like granite but has none of the maintenence of granite. No sealing, it's stone, and you clean it with Windex. Corian is also wonderful, especially for bathrooms. The color runs through the entire product, but heat can melt it. Concrete countertops are also becoming more mainstream. They are very customizable with colors, patterns, etc. But they are very heavy. Look for stock bathroom countertop vanities on the floors of Lowe's and HD. There are tons out there, with even more that can be special-ordered.
- Appliances: With my last two kitchen clients, we found all of their appliances at Sears. Sears, in my opinion, has the best selection and best prices. Plus they often offer rebates on not just delivery, but also for the products. Kenmore appliances are continuously rated highly by Consumer Reports. Go to www.sears.com and look around at the appliances offered. Make a list of the features you want, and then compare that list to what is available.

Other tips:
- Take accurate measurements!!!! I cannot stress this enough, especially if you are looking to do some of the work yourself.
- Shop around. This time of year is a good time to shop since everyone is having a sale of one form or another.
- You buy cheap, you buy twice. My grandfather told me this, and boy, was he right! So make sure you are getting a great bang for your buck.
- If you don't know how to do the job, hire a professional. Ask for referrals and recommendations. A top-notch professional will not hesistate to give you references.

Wow... lots of info here. If I can be of more assistance to you, please don't hesitate to contact me.

We are satisfied with carpet we bought from Home Depot.

The mistake we made was buying an off-white Berber-style carpet. We would have done much better to buy something in a splotchy-brown pattern. [Of course at the time we weren't parents, and didn't know any better.]

There is a wonderful online community for just this type of thing. It is Angie's List. I don't belong, but my friend does and it really is great. Check it out at http://www.angieslist.com

Hi- there is a place in Baltimore called the Loading Dock- my friend told me about as she is in the same basic boat in the moving and cash department! They do have a website, I remember checking it out once. Anyway, It is all home stuff like cabinets, new and used, botched orders and such. Also there is a place called Second Chance, also in Baltimore(off Russell street near the Ravens stadium. They scavenge building ready to be torn down and sell the by products- good place to get old world baltimore stuff. Also- Habitat for Humanity has a retail store for the public of donated but unused stuff. There is one of those right at Eastern Ave and Kane street across the street from the Home depot- it's called Rehome or Renew or something along those lines - REsomething. Hab for Hum also has a store on Ft. Smallwood road in the Riveria Beach area of AA county called Renovation Station which runs on the same concept- another friend of mine actually went to this one and said the deals were fantastic- cabinets fistures chandelleirs etc. Check craigs list too- you just never know what you will find there. Good luck! We've renovated or fixed up every house we ever lived in-owned or rented- it's addictive, so is finding the best deal for that matter!

I sent you a private message, just wanted to say it here so you will see it.

Our first home was a fixer upper. Weve been in it for 4 years and just recently replaced the LR carpet because I couldnt take it anymmore. When we moved in we had to carpet DDs room as it was unfinished and we had to finish it. We got both carpets from THe Dump here in Hampton. But you have to get your own installer. If you have wood floors You could go really cheap and just sand them down a bit and put a couple coats of Poly on 'em and get a large area rug for the winter. The kids carpet needs replaced as well, but I am holding out for a bit until they are done making such big messes in there. We tore up the dining room carpet and just left the wood underneath as is. It looks fine.
As for our kitchen we had to get a new stove and dishwasher immediately. We got good ones, they dont have to be expensive. As for my cabnets, at first I liked them, but they got old really quick. As we could not afford to replace them, we painted them. It was very messy and time consuming, but way more affordable. If we did it over, we might have looked into paying someone. Its even cheaper just to reface them (new doors). Cabinet hardware (handles and hinges) can add up and be very pricey. The counters got replaced last year. My kitchen floor is the last thing we need to do, but I havent decided what we will do yet. I am considering those sticky tiles of linoleum.
Just do a little at a time and watch for sales and discontinues items at Home Depot and Lowes. They put appliances on clearance ll the time. Some have nicks and dings and some are returns, but you ccan find a good deal.
If you need a new fridge and live close by we have our "old" one for sale. Its not old though, its white, and in good condition. Asking $400 obo for it. And we will deliver if you are close by. THey also put counters and cabinets on clearance as well. Shop around. Good luck and I hope it all turns out well.

Depends on where you live. If you are near an Ikea go there for your cabinets they are cheap and good quality. You can get a nice kitchen set for about $2000.

Congratulations on buying your first home! We have done the whole fixer-upper thing and it is so worth it!

My husband works for Mill End Carpets in Virginia Beach...he is really good at helping people get the best carpet for their budgets -- the most expensive carpet isn't necessarily the best one (and the cheapest isn't always the best deal). Mill End is at 4740 Virginia Beach Boulevard, west of Independence (near Bank of America), ###-###-####. Ask for Bob (or "Rainman," his nickname because of his savant-like knowledge of flooring)!

My husband is a carpenter...we purchased an older home in 2000. The house was built in 1940. It was not in bad condition, but had not been modified since it was built (radiators, window-units, windows with the weights & ropes that had dry-rotted!) Anyway, slowly, we have tackled each room in the house (currently finishing up the bathroom). Mind you, there are lots of odds & ends left unfinished b/c when he gets an offer to go do a side-job, he goes. We (he & I) tore down our dungeon of a utility room, and added a 16 ft. addition to the back of the house. This extended out our kitchen and gave us a screened in porch off the dining room.

Do as much of the work as you can yourselves. The materials cost enough! If you are local (Hampton Roads area) and need some references of good contractors, we'd be happy to help with that. We always tell people, if he can't do it, he kows someone that can.

Good luck!

I don't know price wise, but I definitely recommend berber type carpetting because it hides the inevitable stains that will occur from having kids!

I just read about Direct Buy and their Consumer Report reviews which were all glowing in terms of service, quality, etc. It's a different concept. You request a visitor pass and are given dates to visit. There is a membership fee. They supposedly sell everything at at least 50% savings. Here's the link DirectBuyremodeling.com if you would like to check into it.

Ikea is a good place to get almost anything you will need for your home. They have tons of options at great prices. If you don't live near an Ikea you can buy some of the items they sell online or look at their inventory and make a little road trip to one. Good luck and happy remodeling.

Direct Buy costs a lot up front so, unless you are making may fairly costly changes, this is probably not the avenue for you. Angie's list is good because it is driven by consumer evaluations and those are the best kind. If you find yourself a good handyman, he (or she) may be able to either do all the work or know contractors who could help you. Even working with places like Home Depot or a cabinet refacing (instead of replacing) company can save you lots of dollars. As far as countertops, don't get seduced by granite until you research all of the other fabulous choices you have and, if you have kids, you may want a really durable countertop in another medium. If you look on the home channels on your TV or go to HGTV.com, there are always great pieces on how to do inexpensive kitchens. I have learned so much! Best of luck.

I work for a countertop company. The owner is a wonderful Christian woman that I've worked with since 2000. We work with natural stone & quartz. She is very reasonable and worth giving her a call. Her name is Jill and our number is ###-###-####.

Congratulations on your new home. When we moved into our new home, we had to get a lot of new stuff. We bought cabinets and carpet and linoleum at Lowes, countertop at home depot, flooring (laminate) at Costco. Our stove and dishwasher came from lowes also. Our fridge, dryer and washer came from costco. If you have the $100 a year membership, you will get a nice rebate buying all your stuff there. We went local and only spent around $6000 on everything. (we did the laminate and linoleum ourselves) We also brought many of our appliances home by ourselves saving delivery cost. Shop around. Lowes had a great deal on a high end carpeting when I was looking.

Good luck!!