DIY Chatroom Home Improvement Forum

DIY Chatroom Home Improvement Forum (
-   General DIY Discussions (
-   -   Need Some Advice and Input (

TrailerParadise 01-03-2013 03:54 PM

Need Some Advice and Input
Hello. Me and my fiance recently purchased our first home and are busy doing some remodeling to it before we move in. The list of to-do's is steadily growing, but i think it has finally come to an end. Can some of you seasoned remodelers please look at this list and tell me what can be done while occupying the home? We need to move in as soon as possible. Thank you for any opinions.

- 14G wire
- Receptacles
- Switches
- Insulation
- Drywall
- Drywall Compound
- Drywall Tape
- Drywall Corners
- Paint
- Baseboard Trim
- Ceiling Trim
- One Interior door, pre-hung
- Ellerton Laminate Flooring
- Flooring Underlayment
- Base Cabinets, cabinet paint, polyurethane
- Laminate Countertops
- 20 ten-foot CPVC pipes
- 5 CPVC Tees
- 5 CPVC Elbows
- 5 Water Shutoff Valves
- 1 Entry Door
- 1 closet system for master suite
- new bathtub
- new vanity
- new bathroom faucet
- tub faucet
- wax ring
- hot water heater
- Vinyl siding
- House wrap paper and tape

these are the items we still need to buy and install, we already have everything else we need. Can anyone offer any help as to what can wait and what is necessary to legally inhabit this home?

ddawg16 01-03-2013 04:10 PM

You can do all of it while living there...It may not be pleasant at times...but makes for great experiences.

I remember when we bought our house...2 weeks after moving in we gutted the kitchen....for 6 months our 'kitchen' consisted of a table with a microwave, electric kettle, electric skillet and George Forman was stacked under the table and we washed dishes in the bathroom or back yard. Some of the most enjoyable times we had.

The only time you can't live there is when you don't have a functioning bathroom. Othere than that, go for it.

BTW....what is it with everyone wanting to do all these mods to homes before they move in? Just move in....then figure out what you really need. What you think you need now will be different 3 months from now....

TrailerParadise 01-03-2013 04:19 PM

Well the day after we closed on it, we went to prepare it to move to our lot and found a mouse. Then we tested electric, and half of the house didnt work. Stupid, i know, that shouldve been done before closing but it wasnt. So, since we already owned it, we decided to go ahead and remodel it. Only way to fix wires is by pulling down sheetrock.

ddawg16 01-03-2013 04:27 PM

That I can understand........

Just move long as you have a warm bedroom and 'some' power....and a working's all good.....

You want to see rough? Right now I'm in the middle of a 2-story addition...all 3 of our kids are sleeping in one bedroom...wife and I in the other.....every waking moment at home is spent working on the house....and it's fun.

Click on the link in my signature to see what we are doing...

TrailerParadise 01-03-2013 04:47 PM

so we just need to finish the master bedroom, bathroom, and the wiring to legally inhabit the home? Great, that cuts down the list considerably

ddawg16 01-03-2013 05:17 PM


Originally Posted by TrailerParadise (Post 1085513)

Legally? Unless your area has local codes saying otherwise, move in now. In my area, as long as it's safe....I can live in it....

Go ahead.....move in.....just do's your house...time to enjoy it....

jbfan 01-03-2013 05:43 PM

Whats wrong with the wiring?

Did you get this house for a steal?

ToolSeeker 01-03-2013 05:58 PM

I assume this is a mobile home since you said move to your lot. Check your area because in some the codes are different for mobile homes and houses. And you don't say what year it is, this could affect the work you have planned and how you do them.

DexterII 01-03-2013 06:34 PM

"Legally inhabit" is only going to come from one place; your local jurisdiction, not the internet. But, that aside, I don't know how anyone could, or could be asked to, provide an assessment regarding occupancy based on a rather lengthy material list. I won't elaborate, except to say that I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and have managed without certain things any number of times in my life, but there are some things that I do not, nor have ever considered suitable for occupancy, regardless of whether they were available and/or attainable, or not. You have a wax ring listed; I'm not spending the night, at least not at this point in my life, if that means that the toilet is inoperable. Water heater, well they have a limited life, so we are all in need of one within the forseeable future, and I can still even survive for a week or whatever with only a creek to rinse off in, but I'm not moving in if hot water is at or near the bottom of a wish list. Bottom line, you need to make an accurate assessment, make a realistic and attainable list of goals, and meet with your local zoning enforcement dude or dudette.

creeper 01-03-2013 07:39 PM

In my area a home needs to have an occupancy permit for it to be legally habitable. I assume thats mostly for new builds.
DDawg makes a very good point. What you think you want can change dramatically once you live it and get a good feel for the place. It doesnt need to be move in perfect.

Have you noticed that nobody has commented on the 'found an mouse' statement? Thats because its not a big deal. Just take care of them as they come so they don't get out of hand.

md2lgyk 01-04-2013 07:34 AM

Why are you replacing everything in the bathroom except the toilet? It's not on your list. You will likely also need some 12AWG wire. And based on my plumbing experience, it's nearly impossible to estimate exactly how many of the various kinds of fittings you'll need. Get a couple extras of each - you can always return them if they aren't needed. That's a lot more efficient than stopping work to drive to the store and back for a single fitting because you don't have enough.

Though you were asked, you have not told us what type of dwelling this is. I assume from your user name and previous post that it is a trailer. They are way different to work on than stick built houses. And moving it to your lot won't be a trivial exercise unless it's a travel trailer, which I assume it is not since they don't have drywall. Have you checked whether the location of your lot is even zoned to allow trailers?? Many places are not, and you have not provided your location. Does your lot already have utilities?

I hope you didn't pay a lot for whatever this thing is.

TrailerParadise 01-04-2013 09:44 AM

We paid $3000 for it, "as is where is" and we had to move it. Yes it is a trailer, not a travel trailer, a mobile home. Worth every penny. We dont need a toilet, the one that is there is still good. We already have a whole roll of 12-2 wire. And we know exactly how many fittings we need because the house already has plumbing but its PB and we are simply replacing whats there with CPVC. Ive checked into all of the legal aspects and weve gotten all necessary permits. My area is a mainly mobile-home area. ON my commute to work there are approximately 57 mobile homes and only 3 brick homes.
I know the mouse isnt a big deal but it scared me to see the furry pest and then the electric didnt work, i figured they had been chewing on wires. and i was right, when we pulled down the drywall and insulation, a lot of wire was chewed and some was bitten in half. So we needed to replace wiring in over half of the house.
The hot water heater will come when i find one. Im not paying $300 for one, so it will get there when it gets there. One was there when we bought the house but the bottom was rusted out and it was leaking water like a sieve so it wasnt the best option.

TrailerParadise 01-04-2013 10:26 AM

No contractor. We are doing the work DIY

md2lgyk 01-04-2013 10:38 AM

Well, it sounds like you've got a better handle on this than I first thought. Good for you. Did you consider pex instead of CPVC? Much easier to run, expecially in a trailer.

Remodeling a home while living in it can be challenging, but certainly possible. I've done it in ten houses over the years.

How do you intend to move the trailer? That can be expensive, and it's not something that's DIY.

TrailerParadise 01-04-2013 10:43 AM

We considered Pex, but then we saw that PEX would cost us twice as much as CPVC and that we had to buy a bunch of special, expensive tools to install it and uncoil it and whatnot, and CPVC just seems like less of a headache. A tee made of CPVC costs 1.50 for ten, whereas a tee made for PEX pipe costs 7.00 for one. plus you gotta buy all of those crimp rings and the pipe itself is so expensive, we might upgrade later on in life but our wedding is coming up and we dont want to end up dipping into our wedding fund to finish this house.
