Susannah I had citizens and got the letter months ago telling me that I would be switched to Landmark One unless I declined. They said the rates would go down so I decided to let the switch happen. They would not give me any info until my renewal date which is next month. I just got the bill and it went down more than $1000 from the citizens rate. I also had the my safe fl home inspection done before the free inspections ended. I waited for the final report and faxed it to my agent and thats when I found out that they wanted the paperwork from the day of the inspection. I wish I had known that sooner. I am curious to see if it will help my rates since my house was built in 2003 and I already get a lot of credits for the new construction. My friend got $1011 back after her inspection due to adding shutters and a new roof to a 1989 house.

"Just out of curiosity, who here thinks that you can build an new old house? " You do not have to use old materials, just old techniques in most cases. Plaster instead of drywall, mud beds for tile floors and walls instead of cement board, etc. You neither can use nor want lead plumbing (DWV or supply), but cast iron is still available (though not with poured lead & oakum joints). Electrical wiring has moved a long way since K&T (and the lack of any electricity before that in many houses). Hardwood floors are not going to be as tight a grain as very old stuff (especially if it was virgin timber) but there is no shortage of wood flooring, even in very large widths of you want to pay the cost. Virgin reclaimed (from old buildings or bodies of water) is also available. There is no reason to use full size dimension lumber (though it can be found if you want to look & pay). Joist spans are likely smaller than in very old structures, so extra wood is likely to be needed (I have never considered the bouncy floors of an older structure a 'feature' worth preserving or repeating. I do not think anyone wants to exactly recreate the old house, just the important parts of the surface finishes. I have repaired 18th century townhouses in Alexandria, VA so that you cannot even tell without putting a hole in the wall to see the new framing and wiring.

It really depends on your city and insurer. In our East Bay city, homeowners can do the work themselves, but it doesn't change the need for permits. I don't think our insurance cares as long as the work is permitted (and they're pretty laid back about the remaining k&t in the house, too). There's a minimum fee on every permit pulled so it's far, far less costly to put everything on a single permit---but then you're stuck with needing to finish the work in six months. (They limit the number of inspections you get at each point, probably to prevent people from calling for separate inspections for every little thing---you pay extra if you need more.) We pulled a permit for the service upgrade and new panel (you don't have a choice on this assuming you're getting new service from the street--PG&E requires that your city send documentation of the finaled permit before they will connect you), but not for small changes to outlets that were done over time. We have always used a licensed electrician and kept records of the contracts, though, and made sure any changes were to code. You'd really need to call your insurer and ask specifically what policies they have, though. If you really want to do the work yourself, I'd say pull the permit and just plan to get it done within your city's timeframe, so that you're covered---both for insurance and if/when you sell the house. (Also, for whatever it's worth, the quote you got sounds pretty reasonable for the Bay Area!)

I'm talking about true upgrades, not routine maintenance that every homeowner should attend to. For example, if your furnace dies, you need to replace it. That's not an upgrade, it's maintenance. But if you rip out all the fake paneling and put up drywall, that's an upgrade. Sometimes, they're mixed. For example, if your Kenmore range dies, you would need to replace it as part of routine home maintenance. But if you replace it with double wall ovens and put in both an induction cook top and a gas cook top and get a hand-crafted wood hood, that would be an upgrade, a big one. So what I'd like to know is how many of you do actual upgrades to your MH knowing that you'll be selling in five years (or whenever) and hoping to get a high percentage of your kitchen upgrade back, as given in the example above? When you paint walls, do you do it in a neutral that you know buyers prefer, or do you do it in the color you love? Or both? How many of you do upgrades with nary a thought of getting your money back? Perhaps if this is the last home you will ever live in, or perhaps you are in a strong financial position to not have to care about getting your money back, such as if it's a vacation cabin. And how many of you try to walk the line between doing what you will love to see and use every day while keeping an eye out on what's trendy for resale? In my case, I know for a fact that when my total gut remodel is finished, my MH will be worth more than I paid for it. I got it for $2,000, so even if I just clean it, I could sell it for more tomorrow. Not a lot more, but maybe $1,000 more. I'm going to spend a lot of money (a lot to me) refurbishing this ole 1979 single wide in a park community. Would I ever be able to get a high percentage of that money back? Not a chance. In our current economy, I will never be able to sell it for more than $10,000, and even that much is rather unlikely. My reno budget for my kitchen alone is $20,000. My total renovation budget for the whole house is between $40,000-$50,000, now that I have researched and found out how much things cost. I know, going in eyes wide open, that my remodel will not increase the value of my home on a significant scale. Not in my neck of the woods. So why am I doing it? Because of three reasons. First, buying an almost free house and then spending the next few years refurbishing it top to bottom, is the way that I am able to be a homeowner. It fits perfectly with my financial situation, that I will pay as I go in cash for the remodeling. Second, because I enjoy renovations! i know some people hate it, are stressed throughout the entire process, and marriages have even broken up over the renovation process. But I love it! And, instead of having to live with a house as is because I have a big mortgage, in my case I get to pick out the things that I love, within my budget of course. I get to pick the floors, the colors, the window treatments, the skirting/siding, etc. My house will be a reflection of who I am; my house will be my work of art. Third, this is my last residence. I will semi-retire there (I'll never fully retire), I can write there, and so I want what my heart desires in this space I hope I spend many, many, many years in. I do not need to worry about selling. I'll never sell. When I die, the house will go to my daughter. She has a big say in what I'm doing because it will be her house some day. She will never sell it either; the house will be given to her in a trust managed by my brother. Long story as to why, it's due to a disability, but that's not important here. What's important to this thread is that I never consider resale value as I plan my big refurbishing project, because I don't have to. It's quite freeing, really. But I realize that most people do have to consider resale value and I'm interested in how that all balances out. :-) Peace and joy, Debbie