If anyone may be in Darwin (or travelling through) I would love to get some advice/mentoring in renovations.
I have an old housing commission house that needs a face lift, but unsure where or how to start by not overcapitalising…
I’ve got ideas and done some figures, but not sure if it’s the best choices for what I have!Any help/advice would be appreciated!
Hi Menunes,
What kind of face lift are you thinking of, is it just a paint job ?
The house was built about 1985 and nothing has been done since.
I’m looking at floors, kitchen, bathroom, paint at a minimum.
Garden has absolutely nothing in it but lawn.I guess I’m just looking for some opinions on how to raise the value without going overboard.
There is a lot of work to be done, but nothing structural, house itself is sturdy, just a “stinky boys house” that really needs a face lift.I don’t want to spend a lot but am willing to spend what it needs, if that makes any sense?
The house is valued at $400 IO loan is $236
3 bed 1 bath
Similar ‘nice’ houses in the area are going for $450-480There are %ages I’ve read on renos (ie 5% of house value on kitchen, 3% on bathroom etc) Not sure how much truth is in these when you actually get in to do it though.
Hi Menunes,
I don't have a lot to be able to assist with this one, but I have learnt through my beautiful wife that having a good kitchen and bathroom is a must if you are going to appeal to women.
If you wish to get a family or couple in the house then make the presentation of the house towards the female, at the end of the day she will decide whether they live there or not.
I hope someone else can give more advise !
I agree, the kitchen and bathroom are high on the agenda!!
I’m looking at things like outdoor living areas, do they add value to the proprty? In Darwin (I think) they are a must so perceived rental value will be higher, just not sure what valuers actually take into consideration.
If I were to spend say, $Xk on a deck & covering, would it increase the value by that much or more?
Do I put in an automated watering system
LandscapingI’m not looking at selling just yet but would like to increase banks valuation to access equity keep purchasing other IPs. I don’t want to be spending on things that don’t increase the value.
I will be doing a lot of the work myself for this one so labour costs will be kept to a minimum.
I lived in Darwin for a while. Your place probably has all these but I found them a must up there.
Ducted air con (if it's affordable, if not then separate air con to at least all bedrooms and living room)
Ceiling fans in all bedrooms and living room
Shadey outdoor living area (as mentioned above) – provide a ceiling fan out there too if possible
Include BBQ + food prep area for outdoor living area.
Some big shadey plants for the back yard
If the house is "stinky" try and improve natural air flow through the house, maybe a take out/move an internal non load bearing wallOne more tip put stockings over the fan blades, due to the humidity the paint seems chip off the leading edge over time
I’ve been here 30+ years and never thought of stockings over the fan blades – that’s a fantastic idea!
We usually just get the old ladder out and get covered in dust to try to clean them… Not a great job!With the a/c we have a split in the main living, but each of the bedrooms have the box style, they all still work fine but would it be worthwhile changing these to splits as well?
As for the ‘stinky’ It’s all open plan so no walls could be removed, I think it will just be a matter of removing the Lino that’s been there since the house was built.
Any comments on floating floors? I’m a little wary of timber in the humidity here, but it’s a lot cheaper than tiling so is looking good at the moment. Is there an expected life span of timber floors in Darwin? (retailers are not too happy about answering this question) I dont want to be doing them again in 5 or so years, so tiling is still high on the option list.
How much of the tights do you leave hanging off the ends of the fan blades ?
the stockings trick is only applicable to the cheap metal fans that are more or less made from sheet metal. Something to do with the blades spinning so fast and the humidity maker the paint start to flake off. If you have timber fans it shouldnt be a problem. A real estate agent up there told me he advises alot of tenants to do it so they dont get caught out when vacating and have to pay for the damage.
Timber floors I’m not so sure about i never saw any places with them every rental was tiled. Maybe Timber laminate would perform better in those conditions. I would stick to what works up there and thats tiles, no mould, easy to clean, what if your “bloody southerner” tenant heads away for a week and completely locks the house up in the middle of the wet .
Have a chat to some agents about what they think (but steep clear of the yellow and black mob that sounds like main and born in Stuart park, dodgiest pricks!)Hi Menunes,
I live in darwin. Renovated and made abit of cash on 2 properties in Melbourne but moved up here and now bought a couple here. About to start renovating got 8 studios and 2 houses to do fun fun hey. Anyways I'm interested to chat with anyone in Darwin interested in same thing as me and thats investing in property!
Send me a message if you want and maybe I can come by and give you some ideas when I get back in couple weeks.
Keenan
Hi Keenan that would be great!
I’ve got afew things on the go at the moment so any thoughts would be great.
Your profile won’t allow me to send you an email, so let me know when you are here and we’ ll catch up for coffee.No worries,
I might have to learn how to change that got no idea how it works. Ahh well anyways drop me an email on [email protected]
Talk soon.
Wish that I could help you out or think of someone that would be in the area that could have helped you out. Did you meet with anyone to help you?
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