Flipping a House: Which Part Should I Renovate First? Part II
If you’ve recently purchased (or are thinking of purchasing) an old home to flip to sell or renovate for you and your family, you may be wondering which renovation project to tackle first.
The first part of this blog can be found on our sister company website, Klaus Roofing of Ohio. That part discusses checking the condition of the roof and gutters when you first buy a home and replacing those if need be.
The next most important thing to check is the stability of the home’s foundation, and that’s where we come in. Let’s go over some common signs of foundation failure and some other things to watch out for before renovating the whole inside of the house.
Check the Stability of the Foundation
- Two of the main signs of foundation instability are stair-step cracking and bowing. If you have a cement block foundation, the easiest way to check for this is to look inside and out for any cracks or breakage around the seams of the blocks. If the walls are not exposed in the basement and have paneling or drywall, finding cracks inside can be a little more difficult. With paneling, the wall may be uneven or wavy. With drywall, you may not be able to tell at all without taking it down. Either way, a professional foundation repair contractor can come out and evaluate it with a laser level to tell you for sure.
- Another way to check the stability of the home is to look for sagging floors above the basement or crawl space. If the floor you walk on isn’t level or is sagging in the middle, that is not a good sign. In this case, you may need support jacks like our SmartJack system to prevent further sagging or even collapse.
Check for wetness, mold, and moisture
- While you’re in the basement and crawl space, it’s a good time to check for wetness and moisture. If you find a wet basement or nasty crawl space, this is a great time to fix those issues. These improvements will not only add value to the home, but they will prevent future water damage if you choose to finish the basement, and provide a safe and healthy environment within the home.
- If there isn’t any visible water at the time, you can also look for mold. Mold can often be found in corners of walls, on old fiberglass insulation, on ceilings, and virtually anywhere else. Mold can be unhealthy for anyone visiting or living in the home, especially if they have allergies or asthma. Mold is a sign of any moisture at all in the basement and not necessarily a full-on leak, but it’s still a good idea to have the area checked out and the mold mitigated. A dehumidifier might be a good idea too.
- A white powdery substance called efflorescence is also a sign of water. This material is leftover on walls and floors after the water evaporates and leaves minerals behind. In this case, it would also be a good idea to have the area inspected for leaks and humidity.
Check the insulation
- If you have moldy and old insulation, especially fiberglass, replacing it with a new insulation product or spray foam would provide better insulation and cleaner conditions.
If you are flipping or renovating a home for yourself and have concerns about any of these issues, schedule a free estimate with us to investigate. If there aren’t any issues, we’d be happy to let you know you can move on to other projects!