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unexpected move so need some opinions
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Posted by
lsudude (
My Page) on
Fri, Dec 12, 08 at 0:34
| New job and have to move into the territory. We have six mos. Were in the process of renovating our masterbath. Now just trying to finish and looking for ways to save money. What are some places I can trim? In new bath I enlarged our shower. We have to do custom doors. It's $650 for a 42" framed chrome clear glass door. It's 1000 for frameless. Another saving expense is the sink fixtures. It's cheaper to do a 4in spread vs 8in. I guess that's a start. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| Have you considered a plain old shower curtain? We recently re-did our master bath and with all the tile and granite, the shower curtain just adds a lot of warmth and color to the room. You can also get matching towels and accessories. Shower doors show their age a lot of times also. Besides, when the liner gets gross, I spend $3 on a new one. Those beautiful glass shower doors look like a total PIA to keep clean to me! I agree that 4in is cheaper than 8 and also plain old chrome (which to me is always timeless) is also cheapest. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| If you get one of those large rain type shower heads that spray down instead of an an angle, you might not even NEED any kind of glass or shower curtain. My shower is like this. We designed the shower for needing a glass surround. Instead, we got the rain head (approx $100 or less)and there is no need to enclose the shower. It is used daily and water does not splash. It looks great and is easier maintenace too. A rain type shower head will likely please buyers. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| I agree with the shower curtain suggestion, but hang it on a tension rod. We have a textured glass door and one 1/2 wall. It is hard enough to keep clean, I would never want the clear glass doors. The rain head suggestion might work too depending on your layout. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| sweet_tea If you get one of those large rain type shower heads that spray down instead of an an angle, you might not even NEED any kind of glass or shower curtain. Oh boy do I disagree with that advice... one time running the rain shower was all it took for us to have frameless doors installed. The PO cheaped-out and hung a curtain rod. We got a great deal so didn't say much when we saw the rod prior to closing, but if the deal was no-so-great we definitely would have amended our bid to reflect their cost cutting measures. (They had the bath completely torn apart when they had an unexpected move.) What price range is your house for the area? If the bath is done cheaply, and potential buyers can tell, you may be doing yourself a grave disservice. If you were over-improving for your own enjoyment and now want to cut back, that is one thing, but if you cut back and that results in a bath that may hurt your resale, that is quite another. For those that think the clear glass is difficult to clean, nothing could be further from the truth. Use clean-x twice a year on clean glass (clean with vinegar). Use a squeegee after every shower. Take under 30 seconds to squeegee the shower down, takes 15 minutes to apply the clean-x. The clean-x is like rain-x on your car windshield. It beads up and the water drains down smoothly. The squeegee gets the rest off. You don't have water spots, streaks, dirt, nuthin'. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| The real estate agent suggested 255-265 as per the comps. It's not up for sale yet. The house is 18years old. I put in a 5.5 ft soaker tub. The shower was 3'x3'and cultured marble. Now it's 42"x41" and I used marble. I put in a niche with a shelf backlined with glass tile. I also put in a granite seat. The countertop is not in yet it will be granite and it's beautiful. If I had a place picked out that needed it, I would save it and get a different one for this house, but I can't save it just in case. The lighting is awesome. I did buy cheap cabinets (home depot stock) which I regret. But, I did this before we knew we were moving. The door is the last big thing. I don't know if I have the space to opt for no door. I would hate to put a curtain up and cover up the marble. Do you think the 4 in spread faucet is a big deal or should I suck it up and do 8? |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| Suck it up and at least do a wider than the 4" especially if this is a master bath. It will look cheap otherwise from your description. There is likely the same number of holes needed and you can find faucets with a good deal even with a wider spread. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| Is $255K high end, low end or moderate pricing for your area? |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| Get out and go through some open houses. What is normal in houses that would be your competition? Ask some Realtors for their advice about the bath and other parts of the house. You're unlikely to recoup your expenses but the new bath may make your house sell faster. Any financial moving help from the new employer? |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| If the houses in you 'hood are only 18 years old -- my guess is that most have the original bathrooms -- in that case, whatever you do will be a big advantage over the competition. Our homes are about 20 years old and we are the only house I know that did a total (including tile) bathroom remodel(s). |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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Sometimes Habitat for humanity has remodel stores around in some areas, with cheap new and used items, ALL KINDS OF STUFF!
Try craigslist.com - |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| I love craigslist and habitat restore. I check both regularly. My house is in the moderate price range. There are not so many in this range for sale and it's hit or miss on the updating. Their are a lot more houses in the 400's that are sitting. If I were staying in the area I would have to spend that amount to truly upgrade (size and style) from what I have. |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| Chinzy work kills the sale. Do it right and move on. Just get the 8" faucets at the depot - what is it, like $30 more? Don't do a shower curtain - do the frameless - that $350 may get you 2K more at closing. When it's time to negotiate on the house, the numbers back and forth will be in the thousands, not the hundreds. You want to stand out as "turn-key," and frameless is an upgrade everyone wants. Paint the cabinets with cabinet coat if they look bad. Just make sure the house is sqeaky clean (including windows) and uncluttered. Paint and carpet are ways to save money. |
Also-
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| Also, I don't know where you are located, but you must time the listing correctly (here it was around late Feb). Don't put it out until EVERYTHING looks PERFECT or you will lose thousands, and may not sell at all. You have ONE chance to be the newest house on the market - don't sabotage yourself leaving obvious flaws... |
RE: unexpected move so need some opinions
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| I personally like shower curtans but at this point it sounds like you spent a bunch on your bathroom, just get it done now. the few bucks your going to save on the framed door or 4 inch faucet is not much. Now if it were do a stock vanity with a HD Granite counter vs custom and custom, I would say HD all the way. mainly don't do anything new that is going to cause custom work. |
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