OMG are we really doing this.....

[Amy_jellybean]

Selling our lovely 4x2 house that we built 4 years ago, to buy FIL's investment property to rennovate. All over xmas, in the heat of summer and it will all be with a newborn arggghhh!!!!

We are getting the property for a bargain price and and it is on a massive block but there is a tonne of work to be done

We are going to completely gut it and live in it at the same time arrggghhhh. New kitchen, bathrooms, laundry...god I feel exhausted hahaha! Although it will be good to reduce the mortgage by $100k while we do it.

Please tell me im not insane!!!!

[feeb]

Wow thats very full on but so exciting at same time!!!!!!!!

Good luck and enjoy!!!!!

[Sopdet]

Are you a member of my family that is something we would do.

Not insane at all, I'd do it.

[HotI]

We did a decent reno while living in the house and having a 4/5 month old. We only have one bathroom /and toilet that was guttered and replaced. We had to use a mate's shower who is a 5 min drive away for a couple of weeks. only couple days without a toilet though! We did cheat by having tradies in for alot of it but we still did the demolition and all painting and some of the timber work. Looove our new bathroom, laundry,study and linen cupboard.

[Beach Mama]

Good luck hun!!! We are about to sell our place that we gutted and reno'd! Such a labour of love we are feeling sad but so proud of what we did!!!

[Cassius2]

i am jealous! although with a new baby...i do like my showers lol.

[Amy_jellybean]

Well this place does have a bathroom and an added on ensuite, which we will be ripping out and replacing as well down the track. Also. It sure of this is a good thing or not but MIL lives 2 houses up from us so when we dont have showers, a kitchen etc we don't have to disrupt the baby to much to be able to have those things.

[Rowellen]

I don't know that I'd want to do it with a newborn but we did our second one when I was pg with DS. We stayed with the PILs for a few weeks though. Good luck!

[Netix]

Crazy I think, but I'd probably do it too! Good luck, hope it all goes according to plan.

[Cass72]

Good luck!!

How terribly excting for you....hopefully that will be us next year!

[Amy_jellybean]

I just keep telling myself that if we don't know any different about renno'ing with a newborn then all will be ok.

[Sopdet]

at least your bubba will be able to sleep through anything by the end of it

[Miss.B]

You're not crazy hun, that's exciting news yay!!! And I agree with Sopdet, your little one will learn to sleep though anything! lol xox

[ladybirdflies]

better then doing it with a toddler. as long as you look after yourself with rest and eat good food and fluids, bub will be fine!

[LuluHB]

Yep, you're certifiably insane. I say this with love and from experience!!! We built a beautiful brand new house and moved in in January 2007. We then sold it and moved with a 1.5 and 2.5 yr old into a 20 year old sad and tired house in 2009. If it stood still we reno'ed it both inside and out - all while living (and DH working) in the house. We had some interesting times, some noisy times and some just plain awful times but all in all, it could have been so much worse.

One word of warning - if you are doing anything with internal (or external for that matter) walls, cover EVERYTHING. Brick dust is the finest dust I have ever seen and it gets into and onto everything.

Good luck. I love renos, and building, and decorating, and designing, and . . .

[Amy_jellybean]

Thanks heaps Lulu

Yep I thought we were insane I think the biggest thing is that we have to look at the big picture, sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards. It has the potential to make us a lot of money over the next few years. The block is subdividable and even after the renno's we intend to do, we can still sell off the back half of the block. It's a maximum 10 minute walk to the beach, 5 min walk to shops and primary school and the area is very sort after. Basically we are buying the crapest house on a big block in a great area. I'm up for the challenge, we want to be mortgage free by the time we are 30 and I think this is the only way we are going to make some money. The good thing is DH works a week away and a week at home so we will have a whole week at a time to do the things we can do ourselves and I can have contractors in doing things on the week he is away.

[LuluHB]

Sounds like a really smart move - just keep your budget well and truly under control. We knew we were doing it, but so many times we would say "oh, its just $1,000 more than that one so let's get it". Amazing how all those "just $1,000 more" really add up!