True Cost: My reno!

Paint and decent furniture really make a difference.

My partner and I began our search in early 2018. We worked with a wicked smart and incredibly patient agent (before I got my license!) who showed us what felt like hundreds of homes all over the region. We lost on 4 homes (multiple offers every time) before finally winning ours in January of 2019. It was a journey, and has been a journey ever since. There’s always something to do or improve when you own a home, but it’s an absolute joy to do the work.

A recap of our search:

Our must haves:

-at least 2 beds, 1 bath
-open, bright layout
-total privacy, no road noise
-only cosmetic work needed, no new roof or systems

Our nice to haves:

-concrete floors (I still can’t believe we actually got this one)
-big yard for the dog

Our ultimate compromises:

-our home is on 1 acre, a little less than we wanted, and has 3 neighbors visible through the trees. It is also kind of close to the road, which is not busy. We made this compromise because we loved the view AND the property is adjacent to hundreds of acres of farmland protected by an agricultural easement, never to be developed.
-it needed a bit more essential/utilities work than we wanted to take on: drainage around the property, new water heater, whole house water filtration. But it checked about 90% of our boxes otherwise, which is pretty dang good.

Before - Exterior

Before - Exterior

After - Exterior

After - Exterior

After - Exterior

After - Exterior

Before - Dining Area

Before - Dining Area

Before - Dining Area

After - Dining Area

After - Dining Area

After - Dining Area

Before - Dining Area

After - Dining Area

Before - Kitchen

After - Kitchen

After - Kitchen

Before - Den

After - Den

After - Den

After - Den

Before - Bathroom 1

After - Bathroom 1

After - Bathroom 2

Before - Primary Bedroom

Before - Primary Bedroom

Before - Primary Bedroom

After - Primary Bedroom

After - Primary Bedroom

After - Primary Bedroom

Before - Bathroom 2

After - Bathroom 2

After - Bathroom 2

Before - Guest Room

After - Guest Room

After - Guest Room

The View + Farm

The True Cost:

All in, about $100k.

The cosmetics:

• Painting interior (DIY) and exterior (hired): $10,000

• Woodstove install: $5,000

• Gut reno of 2 full bathrooms: $12,000/ea

• Landscaping: $10,000

The utilities:

• French drains at the top of the property, and all around the house: $7,500

• New water heater, tankless on demand: $3,200

• Whole home water filtration system (for sulphur smell): $4,000

• Split unit heat & AC install: $3,800

• Andersen casement windows (17 windows): $20,000

• Exterior door: $2,000

Ready to start your search?