What Repairs To Do First When Rehabilitating Homes

By Gavin J. King

Taking the first step, they say, is always the heaviest. Once off the ground however, the progress should be rapid and well planned. In the home rehabbing business, this seems to be common difficulty. Many times the most glaring issue that is wrong with a home is not easily discovered. Rehabbing houses could be a headache if you don't know where to start. To assist you in discovering your best plan of attack I have included a brief list of typical issues you may want to address first.

The first thing you need to take care of is not always the most obvious. Finding a good place to start will help you keep your rehab project proceeding in the right direction. To save you from all that stress, here's a lose list of what repairs you must do first when rehabbing houses.

First thing you should do is create a time-line for repairs. If you have a contractor, consult him and set a deadline for repairs. Can you get this or that done is a set period of time? Ten to twelve days? After you establish these time lines then you can work hard to meet that deadline and continue through each one.

Now, it is time for the demolition. This is the phase that you remove all the old, antiquated parts or materials in the home. This can be as extensive as removing a wall or completely gutting a kitchen. This can be as simple as carpets and padding to removing lathe and plaster. All appliances must be taken out of the property. There are plenty of refurbish stores that will gladly resell your materials to people who may need them. The proceeds will go to your repair budget. Repainting an old home also brings a new vitality to any old home.

Now, on to the bigger types of issues. Your projects will never have a budget big enough to anticipate all the repairs you want to do. Keeping a list that tracks your most important repairs and accounts for them first will help you stay on budget. Anything structural must be taken care of first and by a licensed professional. After that you focus on the obvious cosmetic repairs. Anything to do with any substance or material that directly support the roof is considered a structural repair.

The HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) will be carried out next. Plumbing and electrical systems must be updated if necessary. Completing your finish work is where you want to end up the process. Cosmetic changes may include updating light fixtures, new mop boards and any repainting that needs to be done. - 23200

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