So true!! And the budget that HGTV gives is ridiculous. I design kitchens and bathrooms, and am also the construction estimator for a local company, I am told by avid HGTV watchers, first time remodelers that their full kitchen renovations should only cost about $18,000, or their fancy Texas sized master bathrooms should be less than $20,000, but that includes an aerated freestanding tub, and curbless showers (on concrete foundations), and giant frameless, glass, shower enclosures without any extra hardware to support the giant plates of glass. Augh, so annoying. I design and price them, but still have builder grade myself, because I do know how much it costs.
New home owner here, this channel makes me feel more confident with diy projects. Thank you for all the information you give us. It shows that you genuinely care for people.
@@fallguy4209 100% agreed. There is a balance on spending that kind of money vs return vs finding a home already meeting those needs. Imo, it seems too much to do, time to sell! Lol
I'm a recently graduated civil engineer from Baghdad , Iraq .. and this channel is really an amazing treasure teaching me more than what 4 years of university did ☹️❤️ I hope I can find a job soon and start seeing all this beautiful process in person and one day .. be the leader of it 💕
Would have been nice if the camera showed us more what Jeff was talking about and less of Jeff just standing there talking. When he's pointing at things or referencing certain features follow what they are seeing - put a camera where Jeff is... Great content though!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Made sense, I could picture what Jeff and the homeowner were talking about. Lots of things pop to mind when you're building something in your head. Can't explain everything especially big projects with lots of moving parts.
Until there's more from the engineer, that's all there is. There's nothing to demo, no layout. Just two people talking, seeing where the homeowner steers the conversation and a really cool opportunity to talk to a pro.
Old wife here. Get married at city hall. Throw a small party after COVID. Use money and save yourself the grief and hire out. Ask Jeff for references. Trust me on this life gets busy and things happen. Living through a renovation is NOT FUN and apparently I have the patience of a saint and it has been tested.
City Hall idea was what we did! I couldn’t rationalize all that expense for just one day. Hire out but FIRST go see examples of their previous work!!! Some contractors have an “it’s good enough” mentality that I just can’t stand.
I agree. You should DIY if and only if you will actually enjoy doing the work yourself. It's generally not so much cheaper that it's worth sacrificing your sanity.
we're so spoiled now we redesign shit for no reason but looks.... functional is no longer enough. it's just silly. two posts work..or none. you cook food in the thing... i would rather spend the money on a room i'm in majority of the time. unless you just cook all day or have some youtube cooking channel i would just leave it as it is. in this market people will buy it anyway.
So true, Wife and I bought a house and ended up having to pay 10-15k over asking just to get to closing. Fast forward to today 4/17/21, people are ending up paying 30-40k over asking.... what is going on lol.
@@asawoszc yeah, but they don't have to sell now. It's not like they are slumming it. Live in the home as is, then sell. You will not increase the value of the home to equal what you are spending on something this extreme being its not bad as is.
Either do cut outs of the walls leaving the breams and structure in place or sell and buy a new home with open floor plan !! Jeff gives good advice and good martial advice!! 😄
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Agreed. I'm in Brantford and have been brainstorming a major remodel/addition for a few years now and comparing that to moving. While it's easy for people to say "Just move" they overlook the cost of even just moving and it's likely you would move and still not get what you really want. You would have to do some renovating on the other end. I'm with Adam in the logic of bite the bullet now and get it done the way you want so you can enjoy it for decades. Not everything has to be done for resale value. There's huge value in being happy in your home that nobody else can put a price on but you and when you divide the huge up front cost over the period that you'll be living there (decades) it almost becomes a wash vs the costs of moving, taking on more debt, paying more interest over the long haul. Remember when you move, real estate commissions are going to take 5% right off the top before you even get your keys and it's built into the price you're paying on the other end too. Even on a "modest" $500k home that's almost half the price of what this is going to cost. Adam likely likes where he lives and doesn't want to sacrifice location which is the same boat that I'm in. I like where I live, I just don't like my house and you can definitely remodel for less than the cost of moving and upgrading and if you can do most of the grunt work yourself and sub out the stuff you're not comfortable with, it makes it a much more compelling argument to go ahead with a project like this.
100k Reno makes sense on a house that will see it back in resell value. I think in most peoples situation they would never see that back. With my house I definitely would never see that back in my neighborhood. It would make a whole lot more sense for most to move.
I actually loved this specific guidance and the encouragement it gives a homeowner. I'm preparing a large basement renovation to convert our property into a duplex and renting it out in Ontario. Amazing advice and the choices of different layouts which is our concern.
Here's a simple comparison as to how fast costs can rise. You want to remove a single 10 ft load bearing wall under a second story, to tie to the exterior wall would be another 8ft. Does not include drywall or finishing, just the structural work. 3 options: - 3x 2"x10"x12' cut to desired length of LVL lumber combined (glued and nailed/bolted together) into one single beam from the new stacked post (which is the end of your existing wall) to the new post that will be in the middle of your floor, this may be made up of a 6x6 for a the standalone, and 2x 4x4's at the other end (or 4x 2x4's). the LVL will be a visible bulkhead just covered by drywall. ~$6500 - same option as above, but the joists above cut, and the beam tucked into the ceiling (joists cut and hung using hangers) so when finished the ceiling will look like a single continuous span. ~ $9000 - steel h beam, 8" tall, 3" wide 20ft long (not 2x10 like Jeff said in the video), with additional support (since you're now carrying double the load) which may create a visible bulkhead jutting out from the wall if its cement block (if you have an older home), this home will just require the addition of 8x 4x4's into the existing wall. ~19000 - $22000 (depending on how well you know your steel supplier) Notice how sharply the cost increase is for an H-beam. Steel is exceptionally expensive. There is a 4th option, but least desirable for the amount you would pay. You can also get 22' spans of 2x12 and 2x14 LVL, if you do want to do a single span but cant afford the extra few thousand for a steal H beam, but, it would have to be a combination of bulkhead as well as the joist hanger tucked since you wouldn't be able to fit that 12" or 14" beam into your 10" joists holding up your second floor. But those are also expensive, the materials and labor would still ballpark ~$15000, and you would now have a 4" bulkhead travelling the full span of your ceiling.
The supplies for the work probably cost $2,000, they just upcharge 1000% for the labor. Just find a couple of amigos who are licensed, you get it done for literally $6,000, not the crazy amount he is saying.
@@mp-sv2cp honestly no... you have to add in the drywall electrical bracing supports time etc! And plumbing etc??? You are spewing misinformation. Just the beam is 2000... also the duct work and opening walls for that! This is the main load bearing wall!!
$150k? For some extra light in the kitchen? You will never seen a return on that. It would be about as much money to purchase a blueprint that has already been stamped, rip that house down, and build the house you actually want. An island with integrated posts is the only sane thing.
@Jeff... just wanted to say thanks again for the consultation and all of your advice. We did end up hiring a designer so we can get an idea of what the space would look like with and without posts. Still waiting on the designs now. COVID is definitely slowing down absolutely everything we want to do. I'll be sure to keep you updated if and when the project is finished! Cheers.
@Adam Have you considered vlogging your journey? I would be interested in following your progess and thought process. I'm just in Brantford and have similar goals.
@@realtacos Followed you. Ours: instagram.com/looksgoodtous/ I've been blogging (no videos QUITE yet though I have them unedited) of our remodeling. Nothing major like what Adam is doing, but I love sharing my progress for other homeowners, and Jeff has helped quite a bit!
Great video! I had the same experience, and I chose to do the lesser expensive cutout and it fully satisfied my need for open concept. I'd love to send in a before and after picture. Thanks Jeff for this one!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY hey Jeff, do you have any videos of this process? Wife and I are planning on opening up the floor plan in our rancher. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Take care.
I like the house better as is. Wide open spaces are nice until you need a little privacy. Or quiet. Adam spoke of raising kids. If he hasn't lived with a 2 year old recently they're adorable but they can make a truly astonishing amount of noise at any & all hours. I recently added a wall to a house because the grownups wanted to soak up a bit of that noise and a little separation from the chaos. Jeff spoke of adding value to the house which seems like a moot point if it's their forever home. But if I disemboweled that house I'm pretty sure I could live with a structural post or two - in fact I'd insist on it just to feel safer. But then it ain't my house and nobody asked for my opinion. Good luck to Adam & family whatever they do.
When I was getting my house ready to put on the market, I ran into the scenario you spoke of about contractors getting a check and sitting on their sofas. Needless to say, I didn't get my house on the market until August 2021. Had to sit on it all winter. Luckily, I got my house sold just recently for above my asking price. Had a heck of a time finding a house for myself I could afford. It's going to be a fixer upper. Already have carpet and flooring people hired to go in the day I close and get the key. Lots of work!!
I just need to say Jeff, at nearly 18:30 you did something that was EXCELLENT in customer care. I don't know how many times I have seen "pros" drop on this one little technique... You helped someone who misunderstood what the question was without making it an issue or even letting them feel "dumb" about missing what you meant. He likely felt like you asked a follow up question vs asking the same thing. Why do I mention that? Because you aren't restricted to being a contractor - as a contractor. The amount of times I need to say things a different way so that a client can hear what I mean takes skill. One that you displayed here very unassumingly. Well done! Now I see this aired Mar 2021, you need to post when you are coming to the GTA so that I can flag you down haha! Keep up the great work!
Man, I can't imagine what my partner would do if I demanded we spend $100,000 on completely redoing the structure of our house to make it look more like Pinterest, accepting no compromises. He generally lets me do whatever I want, but he would be totally justified in telling me where to shove it. I find the "happy wife, happy life" discourse in the home improvement community to be incredibly troubling. Decisions this big should be made jointly.
I had a bit of a similar thought. If this is the line that most partners are taking then it will be a challenge. Starting to get similar pressure on my end for a renovation we are undertaking this summer. Which is why I’m pushing to get all the plans and scope agreed to up front.
@@mattsmith321 as a woman with access to Pinterest, I dream big too. But the way I keep it under control is that if I want it done, I have to do it. I’m not particularly handy, but when I wanted floating shelves, did I demand he make them for me? No. I just learned how and did it myself. He helps me out when I need it but if I want the bathroom done it’s going to be me doing the research and the larger portion of the work. It’s only fair.
Fairly young house to do that too. My childhood home built in 71 had the den/living room wall removed along with kitchen wall that formed those spaces. They also sealed off the pocket door to the kitchen off the main entrance. This was done 1 or 2 years ago after my mother moved.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 that is not necessarily true. If it is not a trussed roof, especially a hip roof, you are going to have one or more load bearing walls on the first flloor to hold up the ceiling. It is also common for a portion of the roof to be transferred down in a roof with hips and valleys stick built.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 I'm sorry, *PumpJackMcGee. I wasn't very exact with my statement. I guess I should have maybe said, tubular skylights. There's an attic above the space where the wall lies.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 The wall is probably still load bearing, but would be bearing the load of the roof only, not a roof and a second story. So, still loadbearing, just not as much load.
All 80's, 90's and even homes today are made this cheaply. How else do you think builders maximize profit. Still meets code. The only good thing is they're a little less toxic than the older homes from the 70's and earlier... that used asbestos laden felt with a tar/bitumen as floor underlayment, and roofing underlayment; asbestos laden fiberboard to provide a temperature barrier sandwiched between the perimeter of every register in the house and the diagonal wood subfloor which was never glued down, just loosely nailed (why all old houses squeak with every step); highly toxic 'cellulose' in the attic space, as that 'cellulose' used formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals in its manufacture. Cant forget the cloth and paper wrapped wiring fire hazard, and other various hazards.
@@JSLEnterprises oh I know, my friend. It just amazes me how some people are blinded by just how.good the home looks and not how it's built. That is why I like my home. It may be a raised foundation, but if.I have a busted pipe all I have to do is go under my house and fix it. No busted walls needed.
My wife and I are wrapping up a similar remodel where we pulled out a dividing wall in the living room and built out an accent wall right in the middle during a simple "oh let's just get rid of the carpet for some vynil plank. that should be relatively cheap and easy!" That was thousands of dollars and three months ago. The carpet underlayment turned out to be a duraflake particle board which was failing. And while we had that out we decided to do walls now rather than later. What an adventure this has been.
He is so accurate about the issue of the problem of finding a contractor. I bought a rehab thinking I would hire subs to knock out the work and ended up camping in the house while I did all the work. I can relate so much of what he stated in this video, and yes it can get to be a mind game. And I am talking huge projects, gutting kitchen, living area, floors, master bath, etc.
"why not move" yall dont understand, the market in canada especially in the GTA...its BRUTAL. reno's will cost less than moving to a place that will likely be smaller, farther from ur prime location and will probably still require some renovations. in the gta you can't even find a townhouse under a million anymore. a detached, 4 bedroom with an open concept space and update kitchen/baths will cost 1.5M in most areas and in hot locations 2M or more. my sister bought herself a two bedroom bungalow in Toronto this month for 1.1M, 200K over asking 😭 and the kitchen still needs a total gutting. it was surprising the cheapest and biggest of all the places she'd seen after EIGHT months of looking.
I swear I saw Adam gulp when you tell him to reinstall the kitchen in the living room "it'll take yout 6-8 months"... Oh man, the realization of DIY'ing your own kitchen in this age.
Informative video, but the commentary on the workers and unemployment/stimulus checks is so cringey and out of touch. Maybe pay them more and they won't feel the need to sit at home collecting "free" checks that their hard earned tax dollars paid for. Who would want to risk their health to work at a job that doesn't do hazard pay or offer medical benefits during a full blown pandemic. Again....so out of touch and capitalistic.
I having trouble visualizing what they're talking about because they're not showing the walls or the kitchen they did a quick glance at them and then they film just two men standing there talking. It's a good conversation but some people like myself can't visualize when he says what are you going to do with this well or that well and he's pointing out of picture
Did the same, and planned the material delivery, and contractors, and garbage bin right when I bought my 64' home in 2019. Spent 2 weeks demo and doing the wall, then another month skim coating the ceiling, running new electrical, plumbing, and doing the kitchen from scratch. Kitchen, appliances, reclaimed 7x5 island, 11' wall, and everything cost ~13k finished. I did the majority of work. Lots of other things needing to be done. But totally agreed. 1 story raised bungalows are much easier to deal with structurally.
which for this Burlington dweller would mean finding a house deep into Flamborough… aka "out in the boonies" Even Waterdown (just up the escarpment from Burlington, would still be quite a bit. However, when he bought the house, he's already probably made 100-300k just living in it as is.
Thanks for all the insights into the process & options. It shows how important it is to pick out a Home to start with that is acceptable because of all the considerations and expenses involved with changing walls & flooring.to remodel a home.
I sold kitchens and was in the trades and owned 12 homes... I could pretty accuratly estimate costs for projects.. one estimate I stated nice 160k plus project. home gutted add on too.. yes it is but my fired contractor stated only 80k.. he could not afford the extra 80k..so he was doing the work himself..
Jeff , idk about Canada , but in the USA a person needs to state they are unable to find a job to collect UI benefits , If they are home saying they don't want to come back to work , Then it's the owner/bosses fault for not reporting them to the UI office for not wanting to work
@@jarjar0653 idk why we aren't in lock down , maybe these bosses are doing some shady shit to let their employees collect UI while working under the table
Great video! We are in month 2 of a major renovation. We moved walls and put in beams, new floors, walls, ceilings and kitchen. Based on Jeff's recommendations, we set up our living/kitchen in the basement. We also hired a contractor to do everything. My husband and I are not DIYers. So it was worth it to us to hire one contractor who would bring in his own trades (who actually show up) and get it done! yes, it is very expensive, but we are doing it exactly the way we want it for our true forever home. Sometimes you got to know when to spend the cash!
Whole neighborhoods of mediocre houses built with the same model by the same contractor, that’s what you get! Those suburbs are boring, they don’t have anything interesting in them and you can’t anything without your car.
If they don't mind a 'rustic' wood beam look, why not go with posts and also clad them to look like the matching upright beams -- I believe you see that look in ski lodges - especially if the back of the island could use bar stools which would pull the living area into the kitchen area.
If we went with 2 posts on either side of the island then the main beam would likely be sized small enough to fit inside the 2x8 cavity and thereby eliminating the bulkhead across the entire span. At that point it would be a cosmetic thing.
I was gonna do a reno-addition. Decided to buy a different house. To me, after seeing new builds and renovated houses that are " open concept" if the house is small to medium sized you have the " couch in the kitchen / fridge in the living room effect". The UPS guy can count the dirty dishes in the sink from the front door. Frying Bacon grease can gather on the TV , etc. Sure, you're part of the family room conversation while you're cooking supper but geez it's like camping. I boldly predict in less than a decade, every home improvement show will be about people adding interior walls because open-concept gets old fast. My daughter in laws 4 year old open concept house is driving her nuts.
I think that is where we are right now, especially after the pandemic people need it more and privacy. Plus you lose a lot of storage space with the open concept. Plus every room in the house will smell like cooking now.
'The UPS guy can count the dirty dishes in the sink from the front door.' 😂😂😂 I really don't understand why it's desirable to see the kitchen from the frontdoor.
I said the exact same thing you said to your wife..."The wife makes the decisions!" I just do the work. Sadly she disagreed with my thoughts. Back to Square 1!! LOL
having gone through as many reno's as i have in my time, I wonder if the idea of this being their "forever home" is realistic ? seems neighbours have been down this road ahead of them and either decided it wasn't worth the 8 months? or the money. Then chose to live with it? or move? Rock or hard place? Good luck. Thanks for sharing
I really appreciate as well the expectations management and soft skills in this video. I like the world of things and customer service is always something I can improve on. Quite the model to work from.
"ROB A BANK," JEFF?🙄 LOL! This is a smart couple! Have there been any other videos entitled, "what would Jeff do?" This is the first one that I have ever seen!! Lots of great information Jeff!
They aren't that smart. They are looking to turn a 50k job into a 150k job because they cannot compromise on layout. It seems they picked the wrong house
@@DM-ee5je actually we'd be in and around $50k based on Jeff's advise and doing some of the work ourselves. The quotes we got from contractors were in the $125k+ range. That was the entire reason we signed up for this video to see whether tackling parts of the project ourselves made sense.
Amazing video Jeff! As someone who's in the planning stages of similar major reno, I tip my hat to you sir. Would love to see a follow up video with Adam. Also I think the subject of creating "open concept" living room/kitchen can be very popular and we need more videos like this that show planning stage and pre-reno analysis.
Damn Jeff, making house calls now with HGTV quality editing. You guys are phenomenal ! Adam good luck bro! That’s hella’ DIY. Get comfy with the drywall finishing’! :)
Another great video! If you're wanting to widen a walkthrough opening a couple of feet on a load bearing wall, do you need to add some sort of support?
Didn’t see an answer but from a fellow DIYer myself, I would reinforce the beam over the walkthrough. Not sure how wide you are going but I opened a doorway up from a normal 3ft to a little over 5 and just threw a massing 4x8 over the door instead to boost the strength
We want (like many other couples) to do an open concept as well. Unfortunately our stairs to the upstairs and the basement are kind of in the middle. I like the idea of DIY and when Jeff spoke about temporarily relocating your kitchen it really hit home. We'd have no choice but to do that; solid advice you can tell comes from a place of personal experience. After watching this I'm guessing we will have to wait quite a few years before attempting this - it's just too expensive and I don't want to be saddled in debt for a kitchen.
Don't do it. Relocate kitchen is ok, but Open Concept is a no no. Get a playpen for the baby, and keep the kids and dogs out of the kitchen, unless you want to spill hot items on them.
@@Whistler-jx7pk We don't want a baby and we like the the open concept. No idea why you think it's a no no. almost 1/2 our time is spent in our kitchen and it's one of our favorite places.
I like semi open concept... not a fan of welcome to my kitchen dining living room. Especially when it is the first thing you see when you open up your front door YUCK. Even worse is welcome to my stairs and tripping hazard split entry house.
Why would you take genuine hardwood and replace with …vinyl or anything non-organic. We doing a massive remodel of our newly purchased hone to get rid of everything non-organic and moving towards Japandi, because mainstream sucks
The homeowner should focus on paying off the home before renovating. My step dad renovated his home, went bankrupt and someone else enjoyed that house.
Hi I am planning on buying my deceased mom’s Los Angeles 1923 home, it has 3 bedrooms and 1bath and I plan on renovating with a homestyle loan and added bathroom and extending the laundry room. The home is small currently 1089 sq ft but with the additional bathroom and extending the laundry, you mentioned in several videos to employ tradesmen over these design construction companies but I don’t know how to determine which is which. Also because I have to have lender approval along with a licensed contractor, can you recommend how to find these tradesmen?
Thanks for sharing. I live in a small ranch style home and want to have open concept kitchen and living room. But there is a second floor so does that mean we need an engineer to evaluate?
Hey Jeff, great video, very helpful for getting ready for our own open concept remodel. Something to think on for your next video; not all designers are women and not all structural engineers are men!
Sure sounds like this house is not a good candidate for an open floor plan... if this is your forever home, that's a problem if you keep wondering about what-ifs.
Thanks Jeff. I'm considering taking out a couple walls. Not as complicated as this but my house is an ugly disaster because I don't want to renovate anything on my main floor until I figure out the wall situation. There is even a chance that my wall in question is not even load bearing. I may just get an engineer to come out and take a look and go from there. You are so right about renovation stress and I didn't even start yet.
living through a renovation is a challenge. it can make or break with a partner. Think carefully. I just replace my toilet and it not usable for 3 hours and it's like living hell inside the house.
Great video! The information and prospective, options, direct instructions on so many levels. He now has a solid plan, with no stone unturned! Kudos Jeff!🌺
Can I call you uncle? I love my uncles. He is worried about taking out the wall. Tough cookie to crack. Let's get thinking. Did he just say "retail market as low as it is"? How long ago was this TH-cam video made? Today a structure under water, foundation can run you in the millions. Get it done. Quit pulling this guy's leg
I get it for a two story house, I wouldn't even consider it for that price, but what about one story houses? I see people just open up walls, including load bearing, and not getting an engineer. At a certain point, it becomes about the city wanting money, and not safety. People should be able to renovate all they want, with no ones permission. It's absolutely no one's business at all. With that said, there is safety to be considered. Where is the line?
Hello Jeff, I just purchased a 2 story time home about 3 months ago I spoke with HOA and per the home owner's manual it States I can do whatever modification needed inside only, so I'm currently remodeling the kitchen and a pantry closet/laundry closet, it's load bearing, how do I tackle this, I do have pictures and videos if needed..
Ah, HGTV except the budget ACTUALLY matters.
and they actually know what the fuck they're talking about. Jeff might not have the brawn but he sure does have the brains.
So true!! And the budget that HGTV gives is ridiculous. I design kitchens and bathrooms, and am also the construction estimator for a local company, I am told by avid HGTV watchers, first time remodelers that their full kitchen renovations should only cost about $18,000, or their fancy Texas sized master bathrooms should be less than $20,000, but that includes an aerated freestanding tub, and curbless showers (on concrete foundations), and giant frameless, glass, shower enclosures without any extra hardware to support the giant plates of glass. Augh, so annoying. I design and price them, but still have builder grade myself, because I do know how much it costs.
New home owner here, this channel makes me feel more confident with diy projects. Thank you for all the information you give us. It shows that you genuinely care for people.
I love the slow changes in facial expressions as the total scope of the project becomes real lol.
Yep, near the end there was a definite "deer in the headlights" look.
He needs to just sell the house and buy another one lol
@@fallguy4209 100% agreed. There is a balance on spending that kind of money vs return vs finding a home already meeting those needs. Imo, it seems too much to do, time to sell! Lol
If he has that extra cash for the Reno, moving into a better neighborhood would make more sense. With out the headache of a huge renovation!
I'm a recently graduated civil engineer from Baghdad , Iraq .. and this channel is really an amazing treasure teaching me more than what 4 years of university did ☹️❤️
I hope I can find a job soon and start seeing all this beautiful process in person and one day .. be the leader of it 💕
Loving your dream!
If you learn more here than you did in school, you better look for another career.
Would have been nice if the camera showed us more what Jeff was talking about and less of Jeff just standing there talking. When he's pointing at things or referencing certain features follow what they are seeing - put a camera where Jeff is... Great content though!
we will work on that in the future. Cheers!
Yes, b roll, recording pov....
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Made sense, I could picture what Jeff and the homeowner were talking about. Lots of things pop to mind when you're building something in your head. Can't explain everything especially big projects with lots of moving parts.
Until there's more from the engineer, that's all there is. There's nothing to demo, no layout. Just two people talking, seeing where the homeowner steers the conversation and a really cool opportunity to talk to a pro.
Old wife here. Get married at city hall. Throw a small party after COVID. Use money and save yourself the grief and hire out. Ask Jeff for references. Trust me on this life gets busy and things happen. Living through a renovation is NOT FUN and apparently I have the patience of a saint and it has been tested.
Agreed. We took the money we would have spent on a big wedding and bought an investment property instead. Best decision ever.
City Hall idea was what we did! I couldn’t rationalize all that expense for just one day.
Hire out but FIRST go see examples of their previous work!!! Some contractors have an “it’s good enough” mentality that I just can’t stand.
I agree. You should DIY if and only if you will actually enjoy doing the work yourself. It's generally not so much cheaper that it's worth sacrificing your sanity.
That's some of the best advice a person or couple could hear. Worth just as much as the amount of college loan forgiveness
The two posts on the island...best choice for speed. NEVER allow yourself to get too emotionally attached to a home. It will bury you if you let it...
I agree its what I would do also
Posts destroy sightlines....if you want open concept and you are already doing a huge project then do it how you want it the first time.
we're so spoiled now we redesign shit for no reason but looks.... functional is no longer enough. it's just silly. two posts work..or none. you cook food in the thing... i would rather spend the money on a room i'm in majority of the time. unless you just cook all day or have some youtube cooking channel i would just leave it as it is. in this market people will buy it anyway.
Would love to see the finished project at some point.
12 years later...
@@tiefive in the spongebob voice.
My wife and I agree, sell the house and buy one that has the desired features. 🤣
Not in this market!
So true, Wife and I bought a house and ended up having to pay 10-15k over asking just to get to closing. Fast forward to today 4/17/21, people are ending up paying 30-40k over asking.... what is going on lol.
@@nathan3647 houses here are going 300k over..
Whats the fun in that lol
@@asawoszc yeah, but they don't have to sell now. It's not like they are slumming it. Live in the home as is, then sell. You will not increase the value of the home to equal what you are spending on something this extreme being its not bad as is.
Either do cut outs of the walls leaving the breams and structure in place or sell and buy a new home with open floor plan !! Jeff gives good advice and good martial advice!! 😄
Lol in this market there's no way we're getting what we want already done for less than 1.2 mil. I'll take on the $50-70k Reno cost instead.
@Adam some folks watching this won't get the value here since the housing market is different everywhere.
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY Agreed. I'm in Brantford and have been brainstorming a major remodel/addition for a few years now and comparing that to moving. While it's easy for people to say "Just move" they overlook the cost of even just moving and it's likely you would move and still not get what you really want. You would have to do some renovating on the other end. I'm with Adam in the logic of bite the bullet now and get it done the way you want so you can enjoy it for decades. Not everything has to be done for resale value. There's huge value in being happy in your home that nobody else can put a price on but you and when you divide the huge up front cost over the period that you'll be living there (decades) it almost becomes a wash vs the costs of moving, taking on more debt, paying more interest over the long haul. Remember when you move, real estate commissions are going to take 5% right off the top before you even get your keys and it's built into the price you're paying on the other end too. Even on a "modest" $500k home that's almost half the price of what this is going to cost. Adam likely likes where he lives and doesn't want to sacrifice location which is the same boat that I'm in. I like where I live, I just don't like my house and you can definitely remodel for less than the cost of moving and upgrading and if you can do most of the grunt work yourself and sub out the stuff you're not comfortable with, it makes it a much more compelling argument to go ahead with a project like this.
@@realtacos excellent comment. Agree with everything.
100k Reno makes sense on a house that will see it back in resell value. I think in most peoples situation they would never see that back. With my house I definitely would never see that back in my neighborhood. It would make a whole lot more sense for most to move.
I actually loved this specific guidance and the encouragement it gives a homeowner. I'm preparing a large basement renovation to convert our property into a duplex and renting it out in Ontario. Amazing advice and the choices of different layouts which is our concern.
Great video. I like this “what would Jeff do” type of episode, a lot of good ideas and information.
Glad you enjoyed it! As soon as we can travel we will do more
Here's a simple comparison as to how fast costs can rise. You want to remove a single 10 ft load bearing wall under a second story, to tie to the exterior wall would be another 8ft. Does not include drywall or finishing, just the structural work.
3 options:
- 3x 2"x10"x12' cut to desired length of LVL lumber combined (glued and nailed/bolted together) into one single beam from the new stacked post (which is the end of your existing wall) to the new post that will be in the middle of your floor, this may be made up of a 6x6 for a the standalone, and 2x 4x4's at the other end (or 4x 2x4's). the LVL will be a visible bulkhead just covered by drywall. ~$6500
- same option as above, but the joists above cut, and the beam tucked into the ceiling (joists cut and hung using hangers) so when finished the ceiling will look like a single continuous span. ~ $9000
- steel h beam, 8" tall, 3" wide 20ft long (not 2x10 like Jeff said in the video), with additional support (since you're now carrying double the load) which may create a visible bulkhead jutting out from the wall if its cement block (if you have an older home), this home will just require the addition of 8x 4x4's into the existing wall. ~19000 - $22000 (depending on how well you know your steel supplier)
Notice how sharply the cost increase is for an H-beam. Steel is exceptionally expensive.
There is a 4th option, but least desirable for the amount you would pay. You can also get 22' spans of 2x12 and 2x14 LVL, if you do want to do a single span but cant afford the extra few thousand for a steal H beam, but, it would have to be a combination of bulkhead as well as the joist hanger tucked since you wouldn't be able to fit that 12" or 14" beam into your 10" joists holding up your second floor. But those are also expensive, the materials and labor would still ballpark ~$15000, and you would now have a 4" bulkhead travelling the full span of your ceiling.
Span is actually 28' exterior wall to exterior wall. It'll be a big beam depending on what design we actually go with!
You can literally see Adam's excitement being slowly destroyed throughout the video. Poor guy was not prepared.
The supplies for the work probably cost $2,000, they just upcharge 1000% for the labor. Just find a couple of amigos who are licensed, you get it done for literally $6,000, not the crazy amount he is saying.
@@mp-sv2cp honestly no... you have to add in the drywall electrical bracing supports time etc! And plumbing etc??? You are spewing misinformation. Just the beam is 2000... also the duct work and opening walls for that! This is the main load bearing wall!!
I think 2 post next to the island will look amazing and better then no posts. Like geoff said if u frame it right etc it will look amazing
5 mins in and this is going to painful
$150k? For some extra light in the kitchen? You will never seen a return on that. It would be about as much money to purchase a blueprint that has already been stamped, rip that house down, and build the house you actually want.
An island with integrated posts is the only sane thing.
@Jeff... just wanted to say thanks again for the consultation and all of your advice. We did end up hiring a designer so we can get an idea of what the space would look like with and without posts. Still waiting on the designs now. COVID is definitely slowing down absolutely everything we want to do. I'll be sure to keep you updated if and when the project is finished! Cheers.
Cheers Adam! don't get too bogged down in the comments. Appreciate you adding some context. Cheers!
@Adam Have you considered vlogging your journey? I would be interested in following your progess and thought process. I'm just in Brantford and have similar goals.
@@realtacos not really into that sorta thing but I'm sure we'll take photos and videos of the entire project.
If you're on IG follow me an I'll follow you back if you post any pics I'd love to see how it goes. Either way best of luck with the project.
@@realtacos Followed you. Ours: instagram.com/looksgoodtous/
I've been blogging (no videos QUITE yet though I have them unedited) of our remodeling. Nothing major like what Adam is doing, but I love sharing my progress for other homeowners, and Jeff has helped quite a bit!
Great video! I had the same experience, and I chose to do the lesser expensive cutout and it fully satisfied my need for open concept. I'd love to send in a before and after picture. Thanks Jeff for this one!
Me too! I wish my contractor had been this knowledgeable!
"I'm sure his wife will get exactly what she wants." Jeff, you're 100% right on that. Lol. We're going full open concept or nothing at all!
@Adam, 👍brave heart and good man. Jeff telling it exactly how it is.
@Adam Let me know when you are moving ahead. Perhaps we can swing by and offer some assistance as a follow up?
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY will do!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY hey Jeff, do you have any videos of this process? Wife and I are planning on opening up the floor plan in our rancher. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Take care.
Awesome video Jeff!!!! Greatly enjoy watching your mind work!!! God Bless!!!
Thanks 👍
I like the house better as is. Wide open spaces are nice until you need a little privacy. Or quiet. Adam spoke of raising kids. If he hasn't lived with a 2 year old recently they're adorable but they can make a truly astonishing amount of noise at any & all hours. I recently added a wall to a house because the grownups wanted to soak up a bit of that noise and a little separation from the chaos. Jeff spoke of adding value to the house which seems like a moot point if it's their forever home. But if I disemboweled that house I'm pretty sure I could live with a structural post or two - in fact I'd insist on it just to feel safer. But then it ain't my house and nobody asked for my opinion. Good luck to Adam & family whatever they do.
When I was getting my house ready to put on the market, I ran into the scenario you spoke of about contractors getting a check and sitting on their sofas. Needless to say, I didn't get my house on the market until August 2021. Had to sit on it all winter. Luckily, I got my house sold just recently for above my asking price. Had a heck of a time finding a house for myself I could afford. It's going to be a fixer upper. Already have carpet and flooring people hired to go in the day I close and get the key. Lots of work!!
congrats!
I just need to say Jeff, at nearly 18:30 you did something that was EXCELLENT in customer care. I don't know how many times I have seen "pros" drop on this one little technique...
You helped someone who misunderstood what the question was without making it an issue or even letting them feel "dumb" about missing what you meant. He likely felt like you asked a follow up question vs asking the same thing.
Why do I mention that? Because you aren't restricted to being a contractor - as a contractor. The amount of times I need to say things a different way so that a client can hear what I mean takes skill. One that you displayed here very unassumingly. Well done!
Now I see this aired Mar 2021, you need to post when you are coming to the GTA so that I can flag you down haha!
Keep up the great work!
I watched that part just to see what he said, and you’re right!
Yeah, very conversational way of doing business.
Man, I can't imagine what my partner would do if I demanded we spend $100,000 on completely redoing the structure of our house to make it look more like Pinterest, accepting no compromises. He generally lets me do whatever I want, but he would be totally justified in telling me where to shove it.
I find the "happy wife, happy life" discourse in the home improvement community to be incredibly troubling. Decisions this big should be made jointly.
I had a bit of a similar thought. If this is the line that most partners are taking then it will be a challenge. Starting to get similar pressure on my end for a renovation we are undertaking this summer. Which is why I’m pushing to get all the plans and scope agreed to up front.
@@mattsmith321 as a woman with access to Pinterest, I dream big too. But the way I keep it under control is that if I want it done, I have to do it.
I’m not particularly handy, but when I wanted floating shelves, did I demand he make them for me? No. I just learned how and did it myself.
He helps me out when I need it but if I want the bathroom done it’s going to be me doing the research and the larger portion of the work. It’s only fair.
^ good woman right there. And what kind of woman wants to carry her husband's balls in her purse anyway?
🤣👍
Please do a follow up. That’s an interesting one.
It’s been 8 months. Wonder if he ever did it. Lol.
I think my Dad would have gone with the renovation considering how bad I was at holding a flashlight. ;-)
Lol
Fairly young house to do that too.
My childhood home built in 71 had the den/living room wall removed along with kitchen wall that formed those spaces. They also sealed off the pocket door to the kitchen off the main entrance. This was done 1 or 2 years ago after my mother moved.
Watching this video has just convinced me to put in skylights and leave these walls right where they lie!
If skylights are an option, that should mean that there's no second floor above that space, and therefore, that wall's probably not load-bearing.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 that is not necessarily true. If it is not a trussed roof, especially a hip roof, you are going to have one or more load bearing walls on the first flloor to hold up the ceiling. It is also common for a portion of the roof to be transferred down in a roof with hips and valleys stick built.
@@jrhenry24 True. I'll add a "probably". Because it's not that common.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 I'm sorry, *PumpJackMcGee. I wasn't very exact with my statement. I guess I should have maybe said, tubular skylights. There's an attic above the space where the wall lies.
@@pumpjackmcgee4267 The wall is probably still load bearing, but would be bearing the load of the roof only, not a roof and a second story. So, still loadbearing, just not as much load.
It you watch closely, you can see the exact moment he realizes how big of a job he's about to take on
YYYYYYEP! Just saw that...😂
28:50?
11:35 yeah that's a headscratcher. I'd love to do something like this in my home, but the costs just don't make sense for my 1940s cottage.
It’s cheaper to just sell and move or build something they both want
@@crazykev6491 where do you live? Because if you lived in the GTA you would know that's not true.
Man Jeff pointing out how cheaply they made the house, and the corners they cut on that floor.
All 80's, 90's and even homes today are made this cheaply. How else do you think builders maximize profit. Still meets code.
The only good thing is they're a little less toxic than the older homes from the 70's and earlier... that used asbestos laden felt with a tar/bitumen as floor underlayment, and roofing underlayment; asbestos laden fiberboard to provide a temperature barrier sandwiched between the perimeter of every register in the house and the diagonal wood subfloor which was never glued down, just loosely nailed (why all old houses squeak with every step); highly toxic 'cellulose' in the attic space, as that 'cellulose' used formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals in its manufacture. Cant forget the cloth and paper wrapped wiring fire hazard, and other various hazards.
@@JSLEnterprises oh I know, my friend. It just amazes me how some people are blinded by just how.good the home looks and not how it's built. That is why I like my home. It may be a raised foundation, but if.I have a busted pipe all I have to do is go under my house and fix it. No busted walls needed.
Love this candid planning stage video where you can see the thought process that comes before a project is started. Cool idea.
My wife and I are wrapping up a similar remodel where we pulled out a dividing wall in the living room and built out an accent wall right in the middle during a simple "oh let's just get rid of the carpet for some vynil plank. that should be relatively cheap and easy!" That was thousands of dollars and three months ago. The carpet underlayment turned out to be a duraflake particle board which was failing. And while we had that out we decided to do walls now rather than later. What an adventure this has been.
renovation rabbit holes!
My kind of thinking. Husband always hates when I suggest something,.... he knows it will ALWAYS turn into a much larger project 😉
lol I know for a fact if I touch the floor upstairs, the entire upper floor is getting reno'd, so I'm NOT touching it until I'm ready to face that :P
At least you caught the problem! Egh I empathize.
He has no idea what he's getting himself into... A nightmare
This was great!
He is so accurate about the issue of the problem of finding a contractor. I bought a rehab thinking I would hire subs to knock out the work and ended up camping in the house while I did all the work. I can relate so much of what he stated in this video, and yes it can get to be a mind game. And I am talking huge projects, gutting kitchen, living area, floors, master bath, etc.
Wow, at least you knew what to do. You can now spend all that money on a long vacation that includes a nice message!
"why not move" yall dont understand, the market in canada especially in the GTA...its BRUTAL. reno's will cost less than moving to a place that will likely be smaller, farther from ur prime location and will probably still require some renovations. in the gta you can't even find a townhouse under a million anymore. a detached, 4 bedroom with an open concept space and update kitchen/baths will cost 1.5M in most areas and in hot locations 2M or more. my sister bought herself a two bedroom bungalow in Toronto this month for 1.1M, 200K over asking 😭 and the kitchen still needs a total gutting. it was surprising the cheapest and biggest of all the places she'd seen after EIGHT months of looking.
I swear I saw Adam gulp when you tell him to reinstall the kitchen in the living room "it'll take yout 6-8 months"... Oh man, the realization of DIY'ing your own kitchen in this age.
He didn't say anything about the tile floors when he took the heat vent out.
You could hear it in his voice…lol. Just assume worst case scenario. Needs a subfloor and cutting areas to fit new floor.
Love the practicality of living in a construction site recommendations.
real advice for real DIYER"S
Informative video, but the commentary on the workers and unemployment/stimulus checks is so cringey and out of touch. Maybe pay them more and they won't feel the need to sit at home collecting "free" checks that their hard earned tax dollars paid for. Who would want to risk their health to work at a job that doesn't do hazard pay or offer medical benefits during a full blown pandemic. Again....so out of touch and capitalistic.
Sounds like someone who has never owned their own business. A little humble pie never hurt anyone - try it 😉
you are insanely helpful!
Happy to help!
Fantastic chanel! Thank you so much for the work you do
Personally I would not get into that major renovation until I was married.
Exactly.
I would do it before I marry. If the current girlfriend does not like his home I am sure he will find another one.
This renovation will be a test for their relationship.
I hope he owns it. I just divorced.
Jeff drives a Ford! He knows quality.
Cheers!
Fix or repair daily.
@@thagreatone402 You're just jealous of FORD
Agreed, what a mess we made for ourselves, we will have many lazy people afterwards
Sounds like folks are being underpaid to start with if the government is paying them more. 🤷♂️
I having trouble visualizing what they're talking about because they're not showing the walls or the kitchen they did a quick glance at them and then they film just two men standing there talking. It's a good conversation but some people like myself can't visualize when he says what are you going to do with this well or that well and he's pointing out of picture
I'm taking 8ft out of loaded wall in a 1 story home built in 1977 with a 20 ft hallway. A lot simplier than a 2 story home.
Did the same, and planned the material delivery, and contractors, and garbage bin right when I bought my 64' home in 2019. Spent 2 weeks demo and doing the wall, then another month skim coating the ceiling, running new electrical, plumbing, and doing the kitchen from scratch. Kitchen, appliances, reclaimed 7x5 island, 11' wall, and everything cost ~13k finished. I did the majority of work.
Lots of other things needing to be done. But totally agreed. 1 story raised bungalows are much easier to deal with structurally.
It's so important to move the kitchen as these jobs can drag on for years, if life gets in the way....and it will.
Sell it, get an open concept home
Where do you live? In this area it would cost way more than we're interested in spending. Reno is the cheaper way.
which for this Burlington dweller would mean finding a house deep into Flamborough… aka "out in the boonies" Even Waterdown (just up the escarpment from Burlington, would still be quite a bit. However, when he bought the house, he's already probably made 100-300k just living in it as is.
Not in the UK ahahaha
Thanks for all the insights into the process & options. It shows how important it is to pick out a Home to start with that is acceptable because of all the considerations and expenses involved with changing walls & flooring.to remodel a home.
Love this video!!! Thank Jeff. Can you recommend some Structural engineers in the Toronto area!!! Thanks
I sold kitchens and was in the trades and owned 12 homes... I could pretty accuratly estimate costs for projects.. one estimate I stated nice 160k plus project. home gutted add on too.. yes it is but my fired contractor stated only 80k.. he could not afford the extra 80k..so he was doing the work himself..
Jeff , idk about Canada , but in the USA a person needs to state they are unable to find a job to collect UI benefits , If they are home saying they don't want to come back to work , Then it's the owner/bosses fault for not reporting them to the UI office for not wanting to work
People are being asked to stay home because we’re in the middle of a world wide pandemic.
@@jarjar0653 Jeff where is your mask?
@@jarjar0653 idk why we aren't in lock down , maybe these bosses are doing some shady shit to let their employees collect UI while working under the table
Great video! We are in month 2 of a major renovation. We moved walls and put in beams, new floors, walls, ceilings and kitchen. Based on Jeff's recommendations, we set up our living/kitchen in the basement. We also hired a contractor to do everything. My husband and I are not DIYers. So it was worth it to us to hire one contractor who would bring in his own trades (who actually show up) and get it done! yes, it is very expensive, but we are doing it exactly the way we want it for our true forever home. Sometimes you got to know when to spend the cash!
Amazing how a 20 year old house is poorly built
Agreed.
Whole neighborhoods of mediocre houses built with the same model by the same contractor, that’s what you get! Those suburbs are boring, they don’t have anything interesting in them and you can’t anything without your car.
@@Ogilla little boxes made out of ticky tacky haha
@@mybleachhouse Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same!
If they don't mind a 'rustic' wood beam look, why not go with posts and also clad them to look like the matching upright beams -- I believe you see that look in ski lodges - especially if the back of the island could use bar stools which would pull the living area into the kitchen area.
If we went with 2 posts on either side of the island then the main beam would likely be sized small enough to fit inside the 2x8 cavity and thereby eliminating the bulkhead across the entire span. At that point it would be a cosmetic thing.
We have two wood posts vertically and one across. We stenciled with spackle material and stained. It looks like carved wood.
This is awesome..Im really feeling this Mr Reno ninja Sir
Cheers Cudda!
Jeff "Real Talk, Eh" Thorman
What would Jeff do!!
I was gonna do a reno-addition. Decided to buy a different house.
To me, after seeing new builds and renovated houses that are " open concept" if the house is small to medium sized you have the " couch in the kitchen / fridge in the living room effect".
The UPS guy can count the dirty dishes in the sink from the front door. Frying Bacon grease can gather on the TV , etc.
Sure, you're part of the family room conversation while you're cooking supper but geez it's like camping.
I boldly predict in less than a decade, every home improvement show will be about people adding interior walls because open-concept gets old fast.
My daughter in laws 4 year old open concept house is driving her nuts.
I think that is where we are right now, especially after the pandemic people need it more and privacy. Plus you lose a lot of storage space with the open concept. Plus every room in the house will smell like cooking now.
'The UPS guy can count the dirty dishes in the sink from the front door.' 😂😂😂 I really don't understand why it's desirable to see the kitchen from the frontdoor.
I said the exact same thing you said to your wife..."The wife makes the decisions!" I just do the work. Sadly she disagreed with my thoughts. Back to Square 1!! LOL
having gone through as many reno's as i have in my time, I wonder if the idea of this being their "forever home" is realistic ? seems neighbours have been down this road ahead of them and either decided it wasn't worth the 8 months? or the money. Then chose to live with it? or move? Rock or hard place? Good luck. Thanks for sharing
I really appreciate as well the expectations management and soft skills in this video. I like the world of things and customer service is always something I can improve on. Quite the model to work from.
"ROB A BANK," JEFF?🙄
LOL!
This is a smart couple!
Have there been any other videos entitled, "what would Jeff do?"
This is the first one that I have ever seen!!
Lots of great information Jeff!
Yes
They aren't that smart. They are looking to turn a 50k job into a 150k job because they cannot compromise on layout. It seems they picked the wrong house
@@DM-ee5je actually we'd be in and around $50k based on Jeff's advise and doing some of the work ourselves. The quotes we got from contractors were in the $125k+ range. That was the entire reason we signed up for this video to see whether tackling parts of the project ourselves made sense.
Amazing video Jeff! As someone who's in the planning stages of similar major reno, I tip my hat to you sir. Would love to see a follow up video with Adam. Also I think the subject of creating "open concept" living room/kitchen can be very popular and we need more videos like this that show planning stage and pre-reno analysis.
Damn Jeff, making house calls now with HGTV quality editing. You guys are phenomenal ! Adam good luck bro! That’s hella’ DIY. Get comfy with the drywall finishing’! :)
“Having a defined space to live in is key to success.” Wow.
Another great video! If you're wanting to widen a walkthrough opening a couple of feet on a load bearing wall, do you need to add some sort of support?
Didn’t see an answer but from a fellow DIYer myself, I would reinforce the beam over the walkthrough. Not sure how wide you are going but I opened a doorway up from a normal 3ft to a little over 5 and just threw a massing 4x8 over the door instead to boost the strength
25:15 I thought I was hallucinating or something and I don't even do drugs lmao.
We want (like many other couples) to do an open concept as well. Unfortunately our stairs to the upstairs and the basement are kind of in the middle. I like the idea of DIY and when Jeff spoke about temporarily relocating your kitchen it really hit home. We'd have no choice but to do that; solid advice you can tell comes from a place of personal experience. After watching this I'm guessing we will have to wait quite a few years before attempting this - it's just too expensive and I don't want to be saddled in debt for a kitchen.
Don't do it. Relocate kitchen is ok, but Open Concept is a no no. Get a playpen for the baby, and keep the kids and dogs out of the kitchen, unless you want to spill hot items on them.
@@Whistler-jx7pk We don't want a baby and we like the the open concept. No idea why you think it's a no no. almost 1/2 our time is spent in our kitchen and it's one of our favorite places.
I like semi open concept... not a fan of welcome to my kitchen dining living room. Especially when it is the first thing you see when you open up your front door YUCK. Even worse is welcome to my stairs and tripping hazard split entry house.
Why would you take genuine hardwood and replace with …vinyl or anything non-organic.
We doing a massive remodel of our newly purchased hone to get rid of everything non-organic and moving towards Japandi, because mainstream sucks
The homeowner should focus on paying off the home before renovating. My step dad renovated his home, went bankrupt and someone else enjoyed that house.
Very reasonable mortgage is the reason why we're looking to renovate now. :)
@@asawoszc learn from my step dad's mistake
Dynamite!!.. quick and very effective.. very effective.
Glad you like it!
Hi I am planning on buying my deceased mom’s Los Angeles 1923 home, it has 3 bedrooms and 1bath and I plan on renovating with a homestyle loan and added bathroom and extending the laundry room. The home is small currently 1089 sq ft but with the additional bathroom and extending the laundry, you mentioned in several videos to employ tradesmen over these design construction companies but I don’t know how to determine which is which. Also because I have to have lender approval along with a licensed contractor, can you recommend how to find these tradesmen?
Thanks for sharing. I live in a small ranch style home and want to have open concept kitchen and living room. But there is a second floor so does that mean we need an engineer to evaluate?
Hey Jeff, great video, very helpful for getting ready for our own open concept remodel. Something to think on for your next video; not all designers are women and not all structural engineers are men!
Sure sounds like this house is not a good candidate for an open floor plan... if this is your forever home, that's a problem if you keep wondering about what-ifs.
Since when are you working in burlington? I thought you were based out of ottawa?
Thanks Jeff. I'm considering taking out a couple walls. Not as complicated as this but my house is an ugly disaster because I don't want to renovate anything on my main floor until I figure out the wall situation. There is even a chance that my wall in question is not even load bearing. I may just get an engineer to come out and take a look and go from there. You are so right about renovation stress and I didn't even start yet.
living through a renovation is a challenge. it can make or break with a partner. Think carefully.
I just replace my toilet and it not usable for 3 hours and it's like living hell inside the house.
God there relationships must be solid here.😂😂😂
Your questioning skills to get exact what customer is looking for is outstanding
Koodos Jeff 👏👏👏
This was an outstanding video
Cheers Michael, a new style that allows us to do some travelling and consultation.
Great video! The information and prospective, options, direct instructions on so many levels. He now has a solid plan, with no stone unturned! Kudos Jeff!🌺
Glad it was helpful!
Can I call you uncle? I love my uncles.
He is worried about taking out the wall.
Tough cookie to crack. Let's get thinking.
Did he just say "retail market as low as it is"? How long ago was this TH-cam video made? Today a structure under water, foundation can run you in the millions. Get it done. Quit pulling this guy's leg
To an average person, moving the kitchen sounds insane.
I agree with the rest who wish to see the result of their decision. Up to them, of course! . . . Make it happen.
I get it for a two story house, I wouldn't even consider it for that price, but what about one story houses? I see people just open up walls, including load bearing, and not getting an engineer. At a certain point, it becomes about the city wanting money, and not safety. People should be able to renovate all they want, with no ones permission. It's absolutely no one's business at all. With that said, there is safety to be considered. Where is the line?
Island with post(s). Yeeeessss!!!
They’re Never talked about in these types of renovations. But it’s such a good solution to cost and function.
Hello Jeff, I just purchased a 2 story time home about 3 months ago I spoke with HOA and per the home owner's manual it States I can do whatever modification needed inside only, so I'm currently remodeling the kitchen and a pantry closet/laundry closet, it's load bearing, how do I tackle this, I do have pictures and videos if needed..
get a structural engineer to visit and draw up a plan. load bearing is not diy without it. Cheers!
Why is it still called a "concept"? It is not a concept once it is implemented and accepted. It's like calling your water heater a HOT water heater.
I'll take renovation and structural advice from this guy, but skip the fiancial please. 😅
Better listen to him on the kitchen advice. I did the mistake of not building a makeshift kitchen. You will loose money eating out EVERY day.
Will reinforced joists with steel plates be strong enough to take all the load from above, after removing the wall and posts?
I would sell an build a barn do an get all the open floor plans, better for your pocket
Really? Wow! 🧐
Ohh, I didn't know that Jeff is shorty 😳, I was deceiving, lol
You sound like you know what your talking about...nice
I liked that he gave the 2 options