Low Cost Home Improvements

[JAG2955]

In the near future, we'll be looking at renting our house as we move to the Houston area.

I know that we have some construction and/or architect guys here on the board. So what are the best cheap (or not so cheap) home improvements?

Obviously curb appeal. I re-did the landscaping in the front in 2011 or 2012. I just need to clean it up and add some more mulch. Everything will be pressure-washed and the fence stained. Grass cut. Etc. I'm on top of this part.

But inside, what else is popular right now? I've installed LED recessed lighting in the kitchen, so now it has plenty of downward facing light. I just need a piece to cast some light into the upper corners, which will replace the crappy fluorescent tube pillow diffuser that just collects dead bugs. Track lighting? Semi-flush fixture?

I need to re-do all of the sheet vinyl floors in the house. It's garbage. Holds dirt, feels cheap. The kitchen vinyl has a circular hole from a FN49 charging handle. Normal people have these problems, right? I'm planning on using LVT tile, unless someone can tell me otherwise. Do I need to go with the highest-quality premium 4mm stuff, or can I get away with the 2.5mm peel and stick stuff in low-traffic areas?

I'm in a good location, especially now that I think I got my turd neighbor evicted (owner was not happy his tenants had a pitbull, broken down car, TV on the curb, grass not cut in months, drugs in the house, etc). Average rent will more than cover our mortgage.

What can I do to set my house apart and make it rent faster?

[Jered]

From what I've heard from my friends that rented houses, you're probably better off financially if you sell it.

[Precision]

If you are going to do the floor in vinyl, use these planks that look like wood.

http://www.lowes.com/Flooring/Vinyl-Flo ... 96059_4_#!

Looks very good for vinyl. Is really easy to install and assuming you do good floor prep it stays down.

Having said that, real tile isn't much more expensive to buy, last a damn long time and can also be done by you. It takes longer, but is well worth it.

Or get some liquidation laminate. I see it here for $.25 ft sq all the time. Just assume it will last 3 years and call it a wear item. Super easy, with a chop saw a helper and you can do + 500 sq ft easy in a day including laying the vapor barrier - maybe as much as 1000 sq ft.

[Rumpshot]

We are building a new house and had planned on sheet vinyl in a couple of locations, 2nd bath and laundry. Learned it would be cheaper to lay tile instead. Also about 100% more durable. Go hit a couple of flooring places and check it out.

[Weetabix]

Make everything you do durable.

Make sure you have an electrician, an HVAC guy, and a handyman you trust so you can call them with renter complaints.

Make sure all those systems are up to par.

Ask realtors what paint colors are "least offensive." You want something that won't clash with any renters' hideous decorating ideas. Make sure you pick a color that's permanently available.

Ask the realtors if there's a distinctive but not garish color you could paint the front door. I think I've read that that makes the front "pop."

Maybe a shower head with just a few features? If you do that, make sure it's a reputable brand.

[BDK]

What area of Houston are you looking at?

[arctictom]

I have over 20 years experience in the real estate rental business, imho sell your house if you are going to be gone for more than a year , also get a profesional management firm to handle the rental, too many weirdos, crazys , and scamers to anticipate, by the time you get up to speed and figure out the scam etc your house is trashed, stripped of copper, etc. The rental world today can be very unforgiving , be very carefull.

[evan price]

The best money makers in a home are the kitchen and bathrooms. You have to balance the expense of doing repairs or updates against the condition of the rest of the house and the expected return. This assumes that the big items- plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roof- are all good to go.

The biggest thing to improving a house is curb appeal- neaten everything up, mulch the flowerbeds, plant some marigolds. Paint the front door a nice contrasting color and do the shutters and trim the same.

First impressions are important. Make sure the doors and hardware are in good shape, no creaking hinges or sticky locks. A fresh coat of neutral paint on everything looks fresh and clean. Ceilings too!

Good lighting is a plus- dumping a spec grade lamp fixture for something a little nicer isn't hard or expensive.

If your commodes look old and stained you can drop in a new one for under $200. People like a nice new sh*tter.

We just bought Casa Price #2 this January. The previous owners for some reason carpeted the bathroom. That had to go.
We were going to go sheet vinyl. But the truth was that ceramic tile was about the same price plus it is a 'nicer' floor. I did the work myself. You can get a nice neutral 12x12 tile for under $1/sqft including materials to install. If you are even slightly handy and take your time you can do an acceptable job on a tile floor in a room like a bath or kitchen.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_60384-43276-A30 ... RRWidgetID

The review by "Ragabash" is me.

A matching or contrasting backsplash is not much more work, too.

I've also done laminate/Pergo type floors in Casa Price #1. The dining room got a nice cherry plank and the kitchen got a porcelainized tile-looking finished laminate. Looks and wears way better than laminate.

[Lokidude]

A nice surface-mount track light set is inexpensive, easy to install, and can make a world of difference. Also, when you paint, consider updating your switches, outlets, and cover plates. The parts are cheap, and can bring a dated space to life.

[Denis]

Good luck! We've just got through a complete house renovation - everything bar the supporting walls and roof was torn out and replaced.

For flooring, we went for bamboo parquet in the living room - nice and warm, but hardwearing. Ceramic tile in the bathrooms, and this stuff in the bedrooms and corridors. It's a kind of vinyl tile with a hard wear layer and no cushioning, which is layed onto self-levelling cement plus a primer and adhesive - it goes under trade names Karndean and Amtico here, but no idea what it might be called in the US. The wood-print / stone versions are indistinguishable from the real thing, unless you bend down and scratch the surface with a fingernail.