You’re finally ready to buy that fixer upper or pull the trigger on a big renovation-now comes the hard part: figuring out how to tackle it. Whether you’re in for a gut renovation or just a major facelift, there’s a lot more to renovating a property than you might think.
Today we’re talking to a renovation powerhouse Mina Starsiak, who’s going to share some very common mistakes, so we don’t have to make them!
With the limited TV series A Very Brady Renovation becoming an instant hit, the competition show Rock the Block, and her own show Good Bones which is a cult favorite- it’s impossible to turn on HGTV without seeing Mina Starsiak Hawk working hard to transform homes.
She’s been remodeling and selling homes for years with her mom, Karen E. Laine-and is the co-founder and owner of Two Chicks and a Hammer, an Indianapolis-based home renovation business, with a mission to revitalize their favorite neighborhoods one house at a time.
Mina is an absolute wealth of knowledge, and we’re honored to learn from her today.
By the end of this class you’ll have a checklist for determining if a home has good bones, some pointers for avoiding common DIY fails, and some kick-ass motivation for tackling the good, the bad and the ugly of home renovation.
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF A HOUSE HAS GOOD BONES?
- Foundation (look for moisture and cracks)
- Framing, roof and structure (make sure the house isn’t leaning)
- Plumbing, electrical and HVAC
WHAT ARE SOME COMMON RENOVATION MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE?
- Underestimating time and budget.
- If the contractor says a month, plan for 2.
- Always budget for more time and more money.
HOW DO YOU AVOID GOING OVER BUDGET?
- Assume you’re redoing everything.
- Add a 10-20 percent contingency budget.
WHEN DO YOU DIY & WHEN DO YOU CALL A PROFESSIONAL?
- There’s so much you can learn! Look at the big box stores for classes.
- Painting, tiling and flooring are things you can try!
- Figure out the worst case scenario and if you can live with it, then do it!
- Things like major electrical have a more serious worst case scenario.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED DURING THIS PROCESS?
- Plan for the worst and hope for the best!
MONEY SAVING TIPS:
- You can find remnant pieces for countertops .
- Check out salvage and resale stores.
- Dig around on Facebook and Craigslist.
3 TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED ON BUYING FIXER UPPERS:
- Educate yourself on the area, comps and city changes in the pipeline.
- The money you put in shouldn’t be your life savings! It should be money you can potentially loose.
- Have fun! Do things that make you happy and creative.
WHAT ARE YOUR TIPS FOR PICKING PAINT COLORS?
- Get the fan deck! Don’t try to figure it out with all the paint cards at the store.
- There’s a strip with all the shades. Pick 3 colors from the same swatch.
- 1 or 2 shades darker from your interior color are great for accent colors.
HOMEWORK:
- Attack that thing on your list you’ve been putting off. Plan it, get the supplies and just do it!
FIND MINA!
INSTAGRAM: @twochicksandahammer
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/twochicksindy
WEBSITE: 2chicksandahammer.com
