As brand new homeowners, this VCT tile renovation was our first experience in a home renovation of any kind.
It’s no surprise that home projects take longer and cost more than expected, so I tried to mentally prepare myself for that happening. Even still, when it did happen, I had numerous freak outs and anxiety filled moments.
Below are my key takeaways:
- Budget for at least double the cost of your project. And if you have money leftover, great.
- Mentally prepare yourself for the project to take longer than estimated.
- Google/research the materials you’re buying plus the installation and maintenance processes. Have a sense of what goes into the process. To ensure things are being handled properly, don’t be afraid to ask your contractor questions.
- Document your communications with your contractors (ideally via email). Keep them informed about your materials and the questions you have so that you CYA when/if stuff comes up in the future.
- Be prepared to deal with many inconveniences and send multiple follow ups to the people you hired to make sure your project gets moved along. Make sure you receive all the documentation (ex: asbestos test results, etc).
- Save all documentation in a folder somewhere.
- If you buy an older home, test it for asbestos so you know what you’re dealing with in advance.
- Never do another renovation again. Kidding (sort of 🥴).
The amount of times I had to follow up with people, verify processes, and get my questions answered was beyond frustrating. The folks we hired made quite a few mistakes. I had to get folks out numerous times. It was a fairly stressful three week process.
We cleaned, sealed, and polished ourselves to get the job done faster.
As far as costs go, here is an “accurately as I can get” breakdown of what went into the VCT tile renovation:
Tchotchkes Design consultation: $750
VCT Tile: $824 (Jubilee: $242 / Cool White: $582)
*we bought a fair amount more of this than we needed
Baseboards: approx. $180
Cleaner: $80
Flat microfiber mop/supplies (bucket): $50
Roller Rental at Home Depot: $25
Asbestos Removal: $3941
GC for Tile Install: $1803
Total = $7809
* Not including laundromat costs, extra fast food… from lack of access to our kitchen and washer/dryer.
Below are some helpful resources that I used along the way:
Blog Post – How to Seal VCT Tile
Blog Post – Flooring Options for Renovations : helpful section on VCT tile
How to Lay VCT Flooring article
Asbestos Air Testing Link
Blog Post – DIY VCT Flooring
5 Midcentury Modern Flooring Options – blog post
So that’s about it. Our first renovation in the books. We’re tired. And we still have a few more things to finish in the somewhat more immediate timeframe. Thankfully they’re not a massive priority (the dining room and the primary bathroom floor).
This VCT tile renovation has been an experience but I’m still not at the point where I have buyer’s remorse.
Yes, I wish someone (like our inspector) during the closing process would have explicitly stated, highlighted, and recommended we do asbestos testing prior to closing and prior to doing a renovation.
But I love this house and the neighborhood. And I hate dealing with landlords. I still sent a bunch of follow ups when we rented, the only difference being that we paid for the job ourselves this time.
It feels good to “invest” in a place that’s “ours” and a home that I feel more of a sense of pride and responsibility toward.
We knew going into it that we were buying an older home that needed some work/upgrades. And the security that comes with “owning” my own place still wins over renting. I’m in control. I have a fixed mortgage payment that no one can decide to raise on us or kick us out if they want to sell or whatever. It’s a different kind of feeling of security that I craved after renting for so long and reaching my threshold with landlords and property management companies, especially in an overinflated housing market.
I’m definitely eager to rebuild our emergency savings fund and get back on track with our other financial goals. But having tile in those rooms now instead of carpet has already made a huge difference for the better.
It’s also times like this that I’m grateful for having two incomes and working toward the financial security that we’ve been striving for since we graduated college. The process has reminded me of all the ways in which we are (and are not) privileged.
It feels so good to be able to do something like this without going into debt. I don’t take that for granted 💕💸
Click here to read the first part of this series and stay tuned for more housing updates here.