[Farmgirl22]

OK, we're looking at this house that's going up for auction--it used to be what looked like an old schoolhouse or church that someone converted into a house. It's got these SUPER high ceilings (probably 20-25 feet high) that aren't particularly pretty(?) as far as "vaulted" ceilings go, but I think it would be awesome to put in like a "floor" up there (with a railing) and make it overlook half of the living area. I think it would make a particularly neat office area, and it would take up some of the massive wasted space in that house.

Is that sort of thing possible? How "un-Budget Friendly" is it probably going to be? Has anyone done anything like that? Did it work for you like you'd hoped?

Also, what about redoing electrical wiring in an entire house? Is that possible to DIY, or does a professional need to be called in? Is it pretty expensive? How long does it take either way?

Lastly, the kitchen in this house, while large enough....isn't exactly what I'd call "efficient". How hard is it to match new cabinets to "vintage" ones...ya know, like from the 20's where they all had those tacky handles and had thin flat wooden doors?? I'll look for a picture, but in the meantime if you just think about "grandma's kitchen" I'm pretty sure that it had those same cabinets. I don't mind the cabinets themselves, (just the hardware mostly) but there simply aren't ENOUGH cabinets, and I'd have to find some to put above appliances. Would they probably match if I just put new doors on maybe??

Thanks for your help, the answers you provide will help us determine whether or not we actually want to bid on the house or not.

[Farmgirl22]

Here's some similar cabinetry that I found online...blech!


The countertops in the house we are looking at aren't anywhere NEAR that nice--but as far as ugly cabinets go, this is pretty close. The handles are slightly different though.

[hewee]

Looks like the cabinets at my dads. His home is a track home made about 1970. But the cabinets were all made at the site and not pre-made and then put in like they do today. They are just cabinet grade plywood. So the hard part will be finding the same type of wood with the same looking grain and getting it the same stain.
I would take off a door and get more pictures of the grain and take to home centers, cabinet shops etc and ask around and tell them what you want to do and see if you can find the same looking wood, stain etc. Also find out just how it should be stain. Like if a sanding sealer goes on first etc. Sanding sealer make it so things stain more even.

[buck52]

Howdy Farmgirl22...

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

OK, we're looking at this house that's going up for auction--it used to be what looked like an old schoolhouse or church that someone converted into a house. It's got these SUPER high ceilings (probably 20-25 feet high) that aren't particularly pretty(?) as far as "vaulted" ceilings go, but I think it would be awesome to put in like a "floor" up there (with a railing) and make it overlook half of the living area. I think it would make a particularly neat office area, and it would take up some of the massive wasted space in that house.

Is that sort of thing possible? How "un-Budget Friendly" is it probably going to be? Has anyone done anything like that? Did it work for you like you'd hoped?

Your idea about a loft type of area is a great idea and very doable but... lots of things to consider and be concerned about... How will it be supported? It is doubtfull that you could hang it from the roof...the roof construction is probably not such that it could carry the "live load" of a living space. You could support it from below with columns, but their placement could be in the way of the floor plan and would need to continued down to a footing in the cellar... very doable but fairly expensive and not easy for anyone but a pro or acomplished do it yourselfer

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

Also, what about redoing electrical wiring in an entire house? Is that possible to DIY, or does a professional need to be called in? Is it pretty expensive? How long does it take either way?

rewiring an entire house is nothing short of a nightmare unless the house is gutted and even then a daunting task...

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

what I'd call "efficient". How hard is it to match new cabinets to "vintage" ones...ya know, like from the 20's where they all had those tacky handles and had thin flat wooden doors?? I'll look for a picture, but in the meantime if you just think about "grandma's kitchen" I'm pretty sure that it had those same cabinets. I don't mind the cabinets themselves, (just the hardware mostly) but there simply aren't ENOUGH cabinets, and I'd have to find some to put above appliances. Would they probably match if I just put new doors on maybe??

The house I'm in now is vintage 1950 and had the same basic kitchen that the picture shows... You will never match the stain/patina of the existing cabinets. I made new razed panel doors and painted everything inside and out white...It made the space look and feel bigger and brighter.... inexpensive and a very worthwhile project...

Don't know where you are located but remember most of these projects with the exception of paint require inspection of the local authorities

buck

[blues_harp28]

In addition to the above.

Hi here in the UK many old church type building fall into the category called grade 1 listed building.
Meaning that no interior or exterior alteration can take place without Local Authority approval.
All alterations need to pass prior approval to keep the the property as much as possible in it's
original state.

Would be worth you checking if this property falls into that sort of category.

As for cost of installing a false floor in the loft space the floor would need to be supported from the
external brick walls with either RSJ [Roll Steel Joist] or very large timbers to carry the weight of the
floor across the ground floor.

None of this comes cheap.
I was working on an old Chapel a few years back [Lead flashings to the roof] and the cost of a
raised floor to cover half of the floor space came in at £12.000.
Floor space was approx 40ft x 20ft.
Raised floor was approx 40ft x 12ft.
Can you get local builder to give at least a verbal estimate of possible costs?

[kiwiguy]

In most countries you will need planning permission and an engineers design report for structural work as described.

[hewee]

Buck my dad cabinets look just like it and my day added more where the seting over was and where the riffer was because the riffer got put into another wall and the space now has a dishwasher and the added cabinets. He made the cabinets but don't know how hard he looked for the wood. The place where the over used to be he did first and that wood is not even close and the others he did was better but still no way the same wood or grain. Then the staining does not even come close. But also doing things like this is the way my dad is. Made my mom so mad too because he will just do it but the looks of it is well you know tacky.

[Knotbored]

Lots of luck on your bidding for the building.
I wonder if you should consider it only temporary housing with few alterations but convert it for a future antique or botique store where the high ceilings would be a benefit instead of a problem.
Another thought is to lower the whole roof-I am serious-just chainsaw a 10 foot section the whole perimiter and use house jacks to lower the whole roof down onto a new sill directly under the existing rafters. Check the price with a house mover contractor-they do similar work and have all the equipment-maybe get a rough bid over the phone even.
Cabinets-hmmm-I lived with almost identical cabinets in a house built in '63. I liked them but wife thought they made the kitchen dark and gloomy. I suggest getting some trim (like picture frame) around the perimiter and paint them a light color-not bright white but a very light cream. You can find doors cheap at building products salvage stores to match the shape if you want to stay with the same doors-about $5 a door- and $10 a drawer.
Keep us informed how you make out with the bidding.

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by blues_harp28

In addition to the above.

Hi here in the UK many old church type building fall into the category called grade 1 listed building.
Meaning that no interior or exterior alteration can take place without Local Authority approval.
All alterations need to pass prior approval to keep the the property as much as possible in it's
original state.

Would be worth you checking if this property falls into that sort of category.

As for cost of installing a false floor in the loft space the floor would need to be supported from the
external brick walls with either RSJ [Roll Steel Joist] or very large timbers to carry the weight of the
floor across the ground floor.

None of this comes cheap.
I was working on an old Chapel a few years back [Lead flashings to the roof] and the cost of a
raised floor to cover half of the floor space came in at £12.000.
Floor space was approx 40ft x 20ft.
Raised floor was approx 40ft x 12ft.
Can you get local builder to give at least a verbal estimate of possible costs?

Yikes!! Surely the local authorities don't care anymore--it's not a historical site or anything like that. We don't even know for sure what it was--no one seems to remember for sure, but they are pretty sure it was an old school or church. I'm leaning to school personally, but it could also have been a church with the way the walls are set at funky angles.

Originally Posted by kiwiguy

In most countries you will need planning permission and an engineers design report for structural work as described.

Sheesh....I didn't think this would really count as "structural work"....that sounds like it would be more expensive than we can afford to take on.

Originally Posted by Knotbored

Lots of luck on your bidding for the building.
I wonder if you should consider it only temporary housing with few alterations but convert it for a future antique or botique store where the high ceilings would be a benefit instead of a problem.
Another thought is to lower the whole roof-I am serious-just chainsaw a 10 foot section the whole perimiter and use house jacks to lower the whole roof down onto a new sill directly under the existing rafters. Check the price with a house mover contractor-they do similar work and have all the equipment-maybe get a rough bid over the phone even.
Cabinets-hmmm-I lived with almost identical cabinets in a house built in '63. I liked them but wife thought they made the kitchen dark and gloomy. I suggest getting some trim (like picture frame) around the perimiter and paint them a light color-not bright white but a very light cream. You can find doors cheap at building products salvage stores to match the shape if you want to stay with the same doors-about $5 a door- and $10 a drawer.
Keep us informed how you make out with the bidding.

It wouldn't really make a good "store" being as it's in the country about 3 miles from town.

The cabinets are from the 20's or earlier--I know this for a fact. They are (or were) in a LOT of old farmhouses around here. I know that we had similar ones in our old farmhouse and they were from 1900--the old lady that owned it before us said that her parents put them in a couple of years before she was born. The picture was just a reference--they aren't exactly the same ones.

[buck52]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

Sheesh....I didn't think this would really count as "structural work"....that sounds like it would be more expensive than we can afford to take on.

Not to sound rude but.... my guess is that it would be...

you did not seriously think adding a loft and rewiring an entire house would be considered cosmetic...

building codes... as they are called in the US... are in place and enforced to prevent people/homeowners from killing themselves or the next person to own the home

as a note... I am a licensed construction supervisor in the US and have seen injury and mayhem caused buy unsupervised and shoddy work...


Do It Yourself projects around the home are very rewarding but safety must always be at the top of the list...

buck

[JohnWill]

I"m at a loss as how rewiring the house counts as "structural" work. Do you really think you're holding up the house with the wires? Obviously adding a loft will easily fall into that category, since it's a load bearing floor.

[buck52]

Originally Posted by JohnWill

I"m at a loss as how rewiring the house counts as "structural" work. Do you really think you're holding up the house with the wires?

silly comment... did you realy think I was refering to the wiring as structual... you know as well as I that it's not structural but as important if not more so than the loft idea...

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by buck52

Not to sound rude but.... my guess is that it would be...

you did not seriously think adding a loft and rewiring an entire house would be considered cosmetic...

building codes... as they are called in the US... are in place and enforced to prevent people/homeowners from killing themselves or the next person to own the home

as a note... I am a licensed construction supervisor in the US and have seen injury and mayhem caused buy unsupervised and shoddy work...


Do It Yourself projects around the home are very rewarding but safety must always be at the top of the list...

buck

No I didn't think they would be cosmetic, however, I didn't think of them as being "structural" enough to require a permit--that's what I meant. And in any instance that I've ever encountered the word "permit", it implies "bend over"...

I agree about the safety part--I'm not trying to get anyone hurt with this idea, obviously. I'm also anti-shoddy workmanship (that's why I won't buy new furniture....that glorified cardboard crap just doesn't work for me. I save my pennies and selectively purchase antique furniture which suits my taste better, and is going to last more than a few years. ) and I would have someone who knew what they were doing working on it, but they wouldn't be "paid contractors". I have a few friends that do this sort of thing for a living--but if it's going to be a HUGE project I would feel bad asking them to do it, even though they'd do it in a heartbeat.

[muppy03]

Just a quick aside. If the work is not 'certified' or had its building code inspection (not sure what you call it in US) then it probably wont be covered by insurance if anything should go wrong or someone should get hurt down the track. Insurance co's will happily take your money but if a probem arises eg 12 months down the track they will find the loop hole to not pay out as it was not 'an approved structure'.

[hewee]

Plus if you do thing yourself no matter what it is and don't have a permit and they find out they can make you take it all out and redo it so get someone that knows what they are doing.