Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to the weekend warriors home improvement show, built by bar lumber. When it comes to big or small projects around the home, Tony and Cory have got the know how and the answers to make your life just a bit easier. Here they are, your weekend warriors, Tony and Cory.
You know, Tony, we talk about cost versus value on the show. Seemingly every year, we go to this website. It's a local journal that takes projects. They send them to contractors all over the country, and then they send them to real estate agents all over the country, and they come up with this value system where they. They say, how much does this project take to do, and how much will you get back out of it? So they get this data, and they put out this report every year, and we love to talk about it because it's for homeowners like us and weekend warriors like us. It really matters. The money that you put into your home, you expect to get back at least some of it, right?
[00:01:13] Speaker B: For sure. I mean, you want to get it as much as possible.
One of the factors that we're going to talk about that we can't really put a price on, of course, is, you know, happiness, comfort, you know, what is satisfaction in your life, right? So there's always going to be that sort of unknown value. Like, for example, if I spend $1.50 on a Charleston chew, what is the value of the happiness that I get while I'm eating that? Do you see what I'm saying? Like, that's $10 worth of happiness for a $1.50 candy bar. It's the same way with your. With your house, maybe. We say, do you really need to have a theater room? Well, no, you don't need a theater room, but if it's what you want, then you should have it. However, resale value does not take into consideration your wants and desires.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Right.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: It takes into consideration the general population's wants and desires. So there's a couple of things, right, untangibles here. One of them, of course, is the value of your happiness. And the other one is the lack of value that you'll get for people that maybe don't see things the way you do.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Like, historically, putting in a swimming pool has never netted you 100% return on that investment, ever. It's always way down the list, because it costs a whole lot of money to get one installed, and you just won't ever recoup it unless you get.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: Somebody looking to buy your house. That is their number one priority, is a great swimming pool.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: I mean, it's all subjective.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: It's all subjective, which is what I have. The point. I was trying to.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: But there are other things, too. Like, for instance, removing a bedroom, taking out a bedroom and turning it into something else that will typically reduce the money that you get because your house and the formulas that go into it and, you know, bedrooms, if you've taken out the closet and you've turned it.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: Into, if you change it from a three bedroom two bath to a two bedroom two bath, that changes things.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: It changes the way people search for the house they're looking for. It changes all of the things.
[00:03:37] Speaker A: Right.
[00:03:37] Speaker B: So you have to take some of that stuff into consideration while we're doing what we're doing today. But we're going to give you some very good ideas of what kind of projects will give you the best return on your dollar and be the best investment for you.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. And there's some other things in this.
So for instance, this list, you can break it down. It's on remodeling.net dot. It's a, it's a really cool list. But you know, the very top one, the 104% on their list, and this is actually from 2023. 2024. Numbers aren't out yet, but as of, as of the time we're recording this. But for instance, h vac conversion is their number one. And it's converting a fossil fuel burning furnace to an electric heat pump in a 2000 square foot home. Remove and dispose of the existing furnace. Remove and recycle and dispose of existing metal duct ductwork. I mean, it's got this whole thing. And you're installing a new 48,000 btu inverter type heat pump. But I'm going to tell you right now, a vast majority of heating systems in our area are not burning oil. Totally. I mean, again, you know, you could be anywhere. But in Oregon, at least, Oregon and Washington, fossil fuel burning boilers are just not terribly common. They're out there.
[00:05:10] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. Somebody's listening to this and say, I have one.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: But to have it be the top thing on your list, like you would think that a lot of people would have had to say, this is something that I did, this is what it cost me and this is the value that I. Yeah.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: And they're saying that the job costs night almost $18,873. But the resale value will net you name 19,770. So you're getting 105, almost 105% back of what you invested into that. I just don't know because it just seems so far out there.
[00:05:49] Speaker B: It's out there yeah. It's certainly not something that you or it would be on mine or your to do list.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Right. You know, and here's the, the smallest, here's the lowest return on your investment. It's a primary suite, a master bedroom suite.
Addition.
Upscale is what they're calling an upscale addition. You're adding a 32 by 20 foot bedroom suite over a crawl space. You're adding french doors, a bathroom walk in shower.
The works.
[00:06:25] Speaker C: It's.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: I mean, it's the works.
[00:06:26] Speaker B: 32 by 20, that's a big addition.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: It's a big addition, but they're saying that this edition would cost you $357,000, and it will only net you 71,000.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: What is 32 by 2600 square feet or something?
You know, you can get a, you can get a 1500 square foot house for that price. I don't know why you would put an addition on your house. You would have to really, really, really be in love with your house to.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: Spend $557 a square foot.
[00:07:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: You would have to really be in love with your house to spend that kind of money.
Here's the thing, the other thing that we're going to, that we're going to share with you today, a lot of these prices are inflated. They include maybe the most expensive materials you can buy from the most expensive supplier and the most expensive contractor who's charging the maximum amount of money. I mean, I feel like these prices across the board are inflated.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: It was possibility. You know, there is a labor shortage. Right. Going on right now. Inflation has gone out of control. So the cost of materials has skyrocketed. The cost of labor has skyrocketed. So some of these things don't feel that far off to me. But we're weekend warriors.
We don't pay $350,000 for an addition.
[00:07:59] Speaker B: A bedroom edition.
[00:08:00] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: You and I are going to be doing that work, a lot of that work ourselves.
[00:08:04] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: And, you know, and that's what we're gonna talk about today. We're gonna. We're going to go through this list and we're gonna pinpoint out projects that they say you won't get all your money back out of them. However, if you do the work you're doing, you will not only get all of that money back, but you will make way more money.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: Right. That's absolutely the truth. This is something that you and I have benefited from a lot over the years. The ability to do a lot of the work ourselves, the ability to source the materials ourselves.
And it has decreased the spend and increased the return on investment, 100%, and it's really good. So I love the angle that we're going on this list, and I'm excited to get through it.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: And some of the things on here, obviously, we're not going to touch h vac conversion. I'm not installing a furnace. I'm not doing that. The next one on the list, Tony and I had an argument about this, because he seems to think that it is doable. I don't necessarily think it is. But, for instance, siding replacement, and they have vinyl as you're going to get more money out of installing vinyl than you would James Hardy, which I don't know about that.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: I disagree with that.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: In this market, at least where we live in the Pacific Northwest, James Hardy rules everything. They. It goes on almost every house here.
[00:09:28] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: And I haven't seen vinyl go up on a new project in 20 years.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: Here, it's been a long time, for sure.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: You go other places in the country, the east coast, Midwest, you see tons of vinyl, but here in the Pacific Northwest, it's just not the case. So we're just going to talk about some of these things. For instance, siding, vinyl replacement, it costs you 18 grand. You're going to net 17, nine back out of that. So 98% return.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: And just really quickly, while we're talking about it, the reason why vinyl specifically is not viable is as far as competing with other products that are as affordable but outperformant, vinyl will. It will melt, it will break, it will oxidize. It will just warp and become unsnapped. It is not the ideal siding, and it is not on your house to protect it. I can tell you that right now. It is just hanging on there, barely. In my opinion, even if it's installed correctly and it is dressing, it is not performing any.
Any really good protection to your home.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: There's my vinyl siding guy listening to this right now.
[00:10:52] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: Whose blood is boiling.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: I think vinyl is. Vinyl is an option. I think it's the last option for you, in my opinion.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: Is that just my opinion?
[00:11:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:02] Speaker A: There's a lot of benefits to vinyl. You go up to even Alaska, they sell tons of vinyl up in Alaska, and it's just what it is, you.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: Know, right after it, you throw a rock at the house right after it, you know, some of the newer, and it just crumbles.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Some of the newer vinyl is way better at that.
But there are, you know, there's drawbacks, but there's also positives, you know, like, they make vinyl with foam in it, so it adds our value to the exterior of your home. There's other things, like it's. You don't have to paint it ever. It's. You get it the color that you want, and it just stays that way forever.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Kind of stays that way, but the sun bleaches it, and then it starts to change.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Well, I mean, you know, the same thing they've added. It's. Vinyl has gotten better over the years. It really has. I visited my sister last year in Nashville, Tennessee. Every house there had vinyl. Every single one.
[00:11:52] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:53] Speaker A: And it looks good. I mean, it really does. I don't know.
[00:11:56] Speaker B: I disagree. I don't think it looks good.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: But it stands up in their climate, our climate, I think. I don't know what it is about the Pacific northwest. Maybe it's because we live in a rainforest.
It's just not as. I don't know. It just does.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: If you're comparing it to a product like fiber cement, which doesn't burn, the bugs won't eat it, it doesn't rot. It's hard as a rock. Literally.
You can, you know, you can use it as a backboard with a baseball. And just the thing is, is it's really strong, cementuous, and it's a really, really, really great product and priced competitively with vinyl. I don't know why anybody would ever choose vinyl, except it's easier to install. That is the difference. Vinyl is much easier to install. Yeah, but homeowners don't install vinyl.
[00:12:48] Speaker A: Well, and this is kind of what they paid this argument, because, for instance, down the list, two down the list is fiber cement. So James Hardy would cost you about $19,765, but your return on that investment would only net you 17,172. So they're saying that getting vinyl on your house, you would resale value would be higher than James Hardy. And what I'm saying is, that's not the case here in Portland. Yeah, in the Portland market, if you had a buyer roll up to a house with vinyl siding, it would probably instantly be valued less. I'm not a real estate agent, but I would almost guarantee that. Yeah, but anyway, we only bring it up because replacing a whole house full of siding is.
It's more of an advanced DIY project. And I argued to Tony that that's probably not something that the average Diyer is going to do. And Tony said, I said, well, that.
[00:13:52] Speaker B: Depends entirely on the complexity of the house. Um, you know, my next door neighbor has got a single story ranch with eight foot walls, and the only thing you have to work around is a couple of small square windows and a. And a door. And so we sighted that whole house, and it was a breeze.
Also, if that was a single story, if you had a second story and it split with a belly band, it's a breeze. You know, there are houses out there that are cut up and have a lot of weird angles and. And are really high and difficult to get to some of those places, but it's not always as difficult as some of them are. And depending on your situation, it is a project that a weekend warrior could do at the very least with help.
[00:14:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. Like, just like you said. 1200 single. 1200 square foot. Single story.
Sure.
[00:14:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:48] Speaker A: You know, 2800 square foot two story.
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Right.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Probably not.
[00:14:52] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: I mean, split level.
[00:14:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:14:56] Speaker A: Anyway, challenging. We're gonna skip some of these projects, you know, like, the next one on the list is a garage door replacement. It's highly recommended that you don't install your own garage door.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: It is highly recommended that you replace your garage door if the one you have is in disrepair or if it's old wood or has broken glass. I'll tell you what, I agree with them that the replacement value of replacing.
[00:15:21] Speaker A: A garage door is almost 100%.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Is almost 100%. It's a great investment, and you should definitely do it. What you shouldn't do is diy it.
[00:15:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:30] Speaker A: The DIY ing garage doors, replacements, it's not recommended. So anyway, the very first one on the list in my.
[00:15:39] Speaker B: To say the least.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: To say the least.
[00:15:41] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: The very first one that I think that I would attack, for instance, is an entry door. Yeah, I replaced my entry door last year, as a matter of fact.
[00:15:51] Speaker B: A pair of doors, actually.
[00:15:53] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I replaced two as. Yeah. But this says an entry door replacement in steel, which another. This is another thing. In the Pacific Northwest, fiberglass is king.
[00:16:07] Speaker C: Right.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: Fiberglass entry doors. Thermo true entry doors are phenomenal for longevity, for durability, paintability. They're just fantastic.
[00:16:18] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:16:18] Speaker A: I would not recommend putting a steel door in here, and that's a lot of it has to do with our moisture level here.
[00:16:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: In the Pacific Northwest, it's gonna rust. But they're saying that replacing your entry door and this thing is a basic, basic 3068 entry door, replacing the jams with a new 20 gauge steel door, including a clear, dual pane, half glass panel jambs, an aluminum threshold, all. All of that, which is pretty standard. But they're saying that that would cost you if you hired someone out to do it. About $3,800.
[00:16:55] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:55] Speaker B: The only thing on that description that you didn't read was it did say that it was pre finished with a color of your choice. So that does add a little bit of money, but.
[00:17:04] Speaker A: Oh, I did. I missed that.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: But not anywhere near the amount of money that they're talking about. Like, you and I are looking at each other and saying there is no way it's costing $4,000 to replace an entry door.
[00:17:16] Speaker A: That's the thing. And like you said, the pre finishing, I recommend it. I think it's a great thing to get.
[00:17:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: You pick out your color, it shows up and it is beautiful.
[00:17:27] Speaker C: Beautiful.
[00:17:28] Speaker B: It's perfect.
[00:17:29] Speaker A: So I recommend that. But to get it, they're saying it's $3,800. I would say with a basic 3068 entry door, depending on the style, depending on the glass, options can get crazy out there when you start picking different things.
[00:17:45] Speaker B: Sure, there's definitely a way to spend.
[00:17:46] Speaker A: A lot of money on entry doors, but with a standard entry door with no sidelights, no transom, no anything, I would say all in. Less than $1,000.
[00:17:57] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: In materials.
[00:17:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: So if you feel like you could replace your entry door for under a $1,000, they're saying that you would net a resale value of about 3400. So you could triple your money on.
[00:18:11] Speaker B: An entry door replacement if you could do it yourself.
[00:18:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: Well, double. You spend a thousand, you're gonna get 2000 to 2500 back out of it.
[00:18:19] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:20] Speaker A: I think that's a killer DIY project.
[00:18:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: Double your money. You bet. Absolutely.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: Next one on the list, Tony. And this one is kind of interesting. Manufactured stone veneer. So they're saying to take 300 sqft off the front of your house and put up manufactured stone.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: Hey, look, it is all over the place. But it's all over the place in houses that were built ten or 20 years ago. Yeah, I mean, it's not gone entirely. It's just not as prevalent as it used to be.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: It really isn't. And this is one of those things. Basically it boils down to curb appeal. Any project that you're putting money into your house that boosts its curb appeal, you will typically get more money out of it. Anything that's not curb appeal, for instance, installing new insulation.
You know what I mean? They tend to not, people don't care so much about that because they can't see it. Sure, they see a nice entry into a home with nice stone veneer, you get more money back out of it. But do you feel, Tony, that installing stone veneer, manufactured stone veneer. Do you think that's a DIY project?
[00:19:42] Speaker B: Well, I. So I've seen a lot of different ways that that manufactured stone veneer can be installed. There's a lot of different ways. There's a product called Culture stone that is a very rock heavy. You know, it goes in a specific way. Wire thinset. You know, you put them.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: It's got to be done right, and.
[00:20:02] Speaker B: Then you grout them right. It definitely has to be done right. But there's less expensive products that give you the same look that are made out of foam or other kinds of extruded products that are really just, you know, you just hang it up there with a. With a nail, just like you would hang vinyl siding and then trim it out. And that. That is something that a homeowner certainly could do.
[00:20:26] Speaker A: There's even a product. A product out there that looks really, really like stone, and you install it with a finish nailer. Oh, really?
[00:20:33] Speaker B: You just nail right through it?
[00:20:35] Speaker A: Right over top of your Tyvek.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: Interesting.
[00:20:38] Speaker C: It's.
[00:20:39] Speaker A: It kind of crazy. So that's one of those things that if you put up, you're just looking for that look.
Manufacturer stone veneer, I feel like, could be a DIY project.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: Could be.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: And it could net you about $10,000 in resale value on your home.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Yep, that's right. And it is. If it's something that you enjoy, there's no reason why you wouldn't go after it.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: It definitely is. It's a good look. I feel like on the outside, it's kind of getting dated, but it is a good look on the outside.
[00:21:10] Speaker A: It depends on the stone you choose.
[00:21:11] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:21:12] Speaker A: The next one on the list is a minor kitchen remodel, and they're calling this a mid range. The return on your investment is almost 86%. They're saying it would cost you about 20. What did this say?
$28,000.
And you would get about 22,000 back out of it. So let's talk about this.
It says, in a functional but dated 200 square foot kitchen with 30 linear feet of cabinetry and countertops, you're leaving the cabinet boxes, but you're replacing the fronts with new shaker style wood panels and drawer fronts, including new hardware. You're replacing all of your appliances, including the stove, the range, the refrigerator. Basically, you're replacing all of your appliances, and then you're replacing laminate countertops and installing mid priced sink with a faucet. And then new flooring, new paint, new trim, all of that. So you're just basically, you're sprucing up your old kitchen.
[00:22:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: Get rid of the lamb of countertops. You're putting on quartz or something, granite.
And then you're putting new flooring down, some LVT new appliances, and they're saying that's going to cost 28 grand. Well, I tell you what, that's a DIY project.
[00:22:45] Speaker B: Oh, I agree. I mean, most of it is a DIY project. Um, the countertop is probably going to.
[00:22:51] Speaker A: Get put down by the professionals 100%.
[00:22:53] Speaker B: Um, and they. They do that. It's included in the price. So if you just. You say it's going to be $50 a square foot, that's going to include installation, and, uh, and you just go with that.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: What do you think that project would cost? Because they're saying a minor kitchen remodel costs you 28 grand. You're going to net 22,000 back out of it. I would venture to say that you could get that done for under ten. I would have said 15 DIy in it.
[00:23:18] Speaker B: I would have said 15. You can definitely install the floor, and there is a lot of very affordable flooring out there. Luxury vinyl tile is not expensive.
[00:23:30] Speaker A: It is not hard to install, and it is.
[00:23:31] Speaker B: It's very easy to install, and it's very functional. I mean, it's a really good product. I really like it a lot. I feel like that's an inexpensive way to go, and you can definitely install that yourself. Appliances are not difficult to install. Of course, there is something there about gas. You know, I'm not. I'm not super versed on installing gas appliances, but it's basically mostly a DIY project.
Maybe with a. Maybe with a consult or two.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. You know, I went out recently and bought a new stove, and we went to the place, our local place here in Portland, and he said, well, do you want electric gas or dual fuel?
[00:24:17] Speaker B: Dual fuel.
[00:24:18] Speaker A: I did not know this. I honestly had no idea what dual fuel meant, and I felt really dumb.
But it turns out it's very, very common, because you'll have a gas stove.
Stovetop.
[00:24:32] Speaker B: Oh, in an electric oven.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: In an electric oven. That's what it means when. Cause when I hear dual fuel, my mind goes to things like generators. A dual fuel generator can run on propane gas, you know, other things, or, you know, different things.
[00:24:50] Speaker C: It'll.
[00:24:50] Speaker A: It'll have options to run it on different types of fuel. So that's where my mind went.
But, I mean, honestly, if you're replacing your refrigerator, stove, microwave, washing dishwasher. You could get that entire kit for under five grand, depending on what you spent.
[00:25:12] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: At least on the Google world.
[00:25:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: Five grand. Five grand for the appliances, five grand for the countertop.
[00:25:19] Speaker A: Countertop, that's ten.
[00:25:21] Speaker B: And what are you going to spend on your cabinet doors and drawer fronts? And they're going to be what? Pre finished?
[00:25:27] Speaker A: I mean, that's the thing too.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: And the hardware.
[00:25:29] Speaker A: So I would recommend, and I did this in my kitchen. When I redid it, we had custom cabinets put in, but I had to get all the doors and drawer fronts painted. So I, I found a local painter who has a shop. They did, they sprayed them and then they baked them in their oven. And it was not expensive. Yeah, I think I only. I paid under dollar 500 to have everything painted, my entire kitchen. And to get door and drawer fronts. I mean, you just have to find a company to do it. You can buy them online.
I wouldn't recommend it. That wouldn't be my first choice. I. What I would do is call local cabinet makers and ask what it would cost to get all your doors, have all your measurements and ask questions. And maybe if they have the showroom, you can go in. Because one thing about buying online, if one shows up wrong, damage broken. Now you got to wait.
[00:26:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:26] Speaker A: If you got a local person, you can drive over there and get what you need. It's gonna be quicker, it's probably gonna be less.
[00:26:32] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:26:33] Speaker A: That's my recommendation.
[00:26:34] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:26:34] Speaker B: It's good tip. Really good tip. You can definitely make a lot of money remodeling your own kitchen.
[00:26:39] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, that's a, that's a really big win.
[00:26:42] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:43] Speaker A: Honestly, you go from only making 80% on your return to 150%.
[00:26:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:50] Speaker B: Or something.
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Yeah, that's my, that's what I would say. Next one list, Tony, is vinyl window replacement. This one's one of those iffy ones as well.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: I mean, this is. There is a lot of ways to properly flash a window there. I shouldn't say that. There's a lot of ways to flash a window.
[00:27:09] Speaker A: There's only a few ways.
[00:27:10] Speaker B: There's only a few ways to properly flash a window. And if you, if you haven't got that on lock, then maybe a little bit of. Maybe some pre preparation, some, some training or a class or some sort of understanding. It's not difficult work, but there is a specific recipe that you need to follow because the installation of a window, you know, it gets a lot of weather and you wouldn't want it to be done wrong. Done wrong, expensive, done. Right. Not so. I mean, I think that I would want to get someone who knew how to do that to show me how it's done. Maybe on a. You know, maybe on a sample window or a mockup. And then once I feel like I got that in my brain, then I would tackle it. I have done it, and I've got it. I've got it. Shingling, the whole thing. I got to figure it out.
[00:28:09] Speaker A: I could.
[00:28:09] Speaker B: I could tackle it, no problem. But until you've done it once, you know, it's kind of a question mark.
[00:28:14] Speaker A: There really is a whole thing with installing windows and proper flash, because I've seen people take windows out and not remove very much trim, and they're putting in this tape that barely covers anything. And I'm always worried when I see these systems go in that. I mean, how are they flashing that properly? I just don't get it. No.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:36] Speaker A: So remodeling windows is a.
That's a tough one. Like I said, if you don't real. Right. And say, and it leaks, you're causing yourself a lot more money.
[00:28:44] Speaker B: Right.
[00:28:45] Speaker A: So, not.
[00:28:45] Speaker B: Not hard work, but there is a specific plan you follow.
[00:28:50] Speaker A: And one thing, too. If you hire a good company, they're gonna have a warranty.
[00:28:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: For sure.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: So that's just one of those things. Here's another one on the list, Tony. A bathroom remodel, mid range. They're telling me that your average bathroom remodel for a mid range is $27,000.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: No.
[00:29:11] Speaker A: And you're only going to get back around 16,900, netting you 62% return on that investment. So my question to you is, could you remodel the bathroom, a mid range bathroom, for under $17,000?
[00:29:27] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: Let's look at the details.
[00:29:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I did it. I just did it.
[00:29:31] Speaker C: You.
[00:29:31] Speaker A: Well, you're. Yeah, you did a high end. Well, I did high end.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: You remember now? I did two. I did the guest bathroom in the hall. Oh, that's right.
[00:29:38] Speaker A: First.
[00:29:39] Speaker B: And I left the tub. I cleaned it.
And so we got it white again, but we left the tub, and then we replaced everything else. The floor, the countertop, the sink, the toilet, faucets. The faucets.
[00:29:54] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: Everything else that was inside there, we replaced the shower curtain and put up new hardware inside there. Painted the walls, of course, and it turned out really, really good. But I'll tell you what.
With the exception of, you know, not changing the tub, it was a lot less expensive than that.
[00:30:13] Speaker A: Well, this is the details on this one, particularly. You're taking an existing five foot by seven foot bathroom, which is pretty standard.
[00:30:22] Speaker B: Mine was five by nine.
[00:30:23] Speaker A: Yep. You're replacing all of the fixtures to include a 30 by 60 porcelain on steel tub with a four x four inch ceramic tile surround, new single lever temperature and pressure balance shower control. So, basically, a new handle set.
Standard white toilet, solid surface. Vanity counter with integral sink. Recessed medicine cabinet with light ceramic tile floor, vinyl wallpaper. Basically, you're just gutting it. Not even gutting it. You're just replacing the tub and shower surround and putting in a new vanity in new toilet. I mean, I did this exact same thing in my bathroom, minus the tub, because my tub was in good shape, and I got the entire thing done for under dollar 800, including the vanity toilet.
[00:31:18] Speaker B: This was the guest bathroom or the.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: Master bathroom, my hall bath.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: Your guest bathroom.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:31:23] Speaker A: My guest bathroom.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: That included the tile.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I did all the tile myself.
[00:31:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:28] Speaker B: I'll tell you what, that's a really good deal. I did my bathroom. And you saw pictures of it, of course. I mean, I spent closer to, I'd say probably $2,500 total.
The vanity was $500. The toilet was $250. The flooring was $500.
So, you know, the sink and the faucet, they all had a little bit of value, but, yeah, not anywhere near what they're telling.
[00:31:56] Speaker A: $27,000.
[00:31:59] Speaker B: Yeah, not happening.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: I mean, even if you paid someone to come out and install a new tub, install new tile around, I think you could still get all of that done for less than $10,000. No question you did a lot of that work yourself.
[00:32:14] Speaker B: Yeah, no question. No question at all. And you get a huge return on that investment.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Almost 17 grand.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:32:22] Speaker A: All right, next one on the list, Tony, is replacing your roof. This is just one of those things that I wouldn't tackle.
[00:32:30] Speaker B: I will also not roof my house. I did roof my shop.
You roofed your shop? You didn't use shingles? Yeah, I used metal.
[00:32:39] Speaker A: Metal.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: I shingled my shop. And, you know, we had a big wind, and I lost some of those shingles. So, I mean, maybe I didn't use the best product, maybe I didn't do the best job, but I definitely would not.
I definitely would not re roof my personal residence. That's not a DIY job, in my opinion.
[00:33:00] Speaker A: Me neither. It's dangerous.
[00:33:02] Speaker C: It's.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: If you do it wrong, it's complicated.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: You could have hard, hard work, and.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: You could have drippy drop drips that you don't see or hear about for a very long time.
[00:33:13] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: And you're just asking for trouble.
[00:33:17] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: Not this kid.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: Next one list, Tony, is a deck edition.
[00:33:22] Speaker B: All right, now you're. Now you're up my alley.
[00:33:24] Speaker A: And this one's kind of weird to me because a deck edition in wood, they're saying, would cost around $18,000 and it would only net you 9500 return. Now, here's the another interesting part.
A deck edition made out of composite decking they said would cost you $26,000, but would net you 97 50.
So they're saying you're only going to get an extra $200 in your, in your investment if you go with composite decking. I would argue this heavily.
[00:34:06] Speaker B: Me, too.
[00:34:07] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:34:07] Speaker B: I mean, I like the look of wood, but it does not have the resale value that composite has, especially here.
[00:34:13] Speaker A: In the Pacific Northwest. Oh, yeah. I mean, our weather is such that you, you can't go two years without refinishing a wood deck. That's what can't happen.
[00:34:25] Speaker B: People see a wood deck on a house, and even if it's really immaculate, it's, it's in perfect shape at the moment that they see it and they see it and they go, oh, that's beautiful. Immediately after that, they say high maintenance, that's going to require so much work to keep that looking.
[00:34:41] Speaker A: Like, if you know, if you don't know, I guess you'd get kind of.
You'd get the, the screws on that. But, yeah, I mean, if you go more than two years without maintaining your deck or three years in, it starts to go south quickly.
[00:34:57] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:34:57] Speaker A: It's gonna get slime, slippery.
It's terrible.
I would always. And here's the other thing. You go with a composite deck. They make composite deck boards now, trucks and timber tech, both that are less expensive than cedar.
[00:35:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:35:14] Speaker A: So there are other wood products out there that are less, but I wouldn't necessarily use them.
[00:35:22] Speaker B: No, I disagree. I think that composite decking definitely is gonna give you a better return on your investment, and it's gonna last longer, and it's gonna be less maintenance. There's a lot of pros for using composite deck. It's not real wood, and that's the only drawback because obviously, real wood is beautiful. But, yeah, composite's the way to go, in my opinion.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: So they're saying for a 16 foot by 20 foot dEck, you're completely building it from scratch using pressure treated lumber, four x four posts anchored in concrete. You are including a built in bench and planter system out of the same material, stairs.
Looks like it's about 3ft off the ground.
[00:36:13] Speaker B: So it needs railing.
[00:36:14] Speaker A: So it needs railing. So they're saying the material and labor for that are GonnA net, are gonna cost around $26,000. And that's probably. I feel like that's pretty accurate.
[00:36:27] Speaker B: I do, too. I really feel like that's maybe the only one I've seen on here that looks right to me.
[00:36:33] Speaker A: But here's the thing. They're saying the resale value on that's gonna net you about $9,700 material alone for a 16 by 20 deck, I think might be pretty close to that.
[00:36:47] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I hear what you're saying.
[00:36:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:49] Speaker B: So if you're building it yourself, you could break even.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: So. But here's the thing. Instead of losing 60% of your investment, you could break even if you do it yourself.
[00:37:01] Speaker B: Right.
No, I get. I mean, look, we've talked a lot about building decks. We've talked a lot about the, you know, tips and tricks and the things you, we've built them do. We've absolutely been in and out and down and around that track many, many times. It's not out of the realm of possibility for a DIY project. It is, in my opinion, but it's notable that it takes more than one person. I mean, you know, you need two people. You need four hands, two backs, two minds, a lot of patience. But, uh, it is a project that can be done by a DIY or pair of Diyers.
[00:37:40] Speaker A: Yeah, that's what I would say. Patience. That's a good one. Take your time. Read the directions, make sure everything's square, and it's not hard.
[00:37:50] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:37:50] Speaker A: It's really not.
[00:37:51] Speaker B: Watch a how to video or ten.
[00:37:54] Speaker A: Yeah, we got a few of those.
[00:37:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:56] Speaker A: All right, Tony, I think that's probably about it. The rest of the projects on here are, you know, additions, major, major upscale kitchen remodels that are going to be probably out of the realm of DIY.
Not necessarily, but, yeah, that I just.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: You know, I'm looking at that very last item, that primary suite edition for $350,000. And I'm just thinking, I mean, I get it. That's got foundation work, which requires, you know, groundwork and excavator, and, you know, there's, that is not a DIY project. Obviously, there's definitely going to be a lot of money spent there, but, but 356,000 just doesn't sit right with me for the size of that edition, and, and all that goes into it. But, but when you're in, when you're increasing the square footage of your home and it's done right.
It is a nice increase on the resale value.
[00:38:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:38:57] Speaker A: Well, and again, we've talked about this before. The upscale type projects are gonna be more for your wants, necessarily, you know, over needs.
[00:39:09] Speaker B: Sure. Of course.
[00:39:10] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:10] Speaker A: If you're, if you want an upscale master bathroom, that's, you just want it. You know you're gonna do it. So anyway, that's the list.
[00:39:23] Speaker B: That's a good one. I really like that. It's a good show. It's always good to talk about projects that you are thinking about and how they're going to benefit you or how they're going to take away, how they're going to cost you money. It's a good topic of conversation. I'm glad we covered it.
[00:39:38] Speaker A: DIY is always going to get you more money on that investment return as long as you take your time and.
[00:39:46] Speaker B: The quality of the workmanship is there.
[00:39:48] Speaker A: Absolutely. It looks like it's DIY. If somebody walks in and says, oh, that's diY, you could potentially lose.
[00:39:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:54] Speaker B: It's gonna hurt you.
[00:39:55] Speaker A: But anyway, practice makes perfect.
[00:39:58] Speaker B: Thanks so much for listening today.
We hope you got something out of the show that benefits you. If you think that, if you could think of someone else that would appreciate this or could learn something from it, share this show with them, they would love to hear it, I'm sure.
[00:40:10] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:40:11] Speaker A: Make sure you hit the subscribe. We put out a new show every week. Go check out our YouTube channel. We're at weekend warriors or at WWH home show. We've got some other videos that we're putting up at Parlumber, so go check that YouTube channel out as well.
[00:40:25] Speaker B: You can always email us at weekendwarriors.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: Heck yeah. Thanks so much for listening. We'll catch you next time.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: Have a great weekend.
