# Restoring bathroom wall and ceiling to put my house up for sale



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

wow...

rip it all down, start the whole bathroom over... you'll probably need to open that wall to install the fan correctly... that wiring is SO illegal!!!

DM


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Disconnect that wiring, light & fan right away
Dangerous & illegal

Your best bet is to rip it all down & start over from bare studs

You _might_ get away with ripping it off & putting on a textured finish
Those wires need to be run INSIDE the wall without exception
The fan needs to be installed in the ceiling & vented corerectly
NOT thru the shower

Use of paint with proper mold & mildew prevent/additives will stop mold from growing
That & properly installed & sized ventilation fan


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

yup, any pre-sale inspections will surely fail, so you really have no choice but to do it to code.

DM


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## derf36 (Jul 4, 2009)

I've got to echo the previous comments. 

Any smart buyer is going to see this as a huge red flag and is not going to touch your house with a 10 foot pole; unless of course they factor in a huge discount. 

Either way is not the outcome you want. 

You want to sell your house for the best $$. This means that the smart, and financially correct decision, is for you to 'gut it' and make it right. 

Put another way... spend $5,000 now or spend $20,000 on a lower sale price.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

$5,000??? i have to assume you mean if he hires a contractor. lol
he can DIY that for anywhere between $200 and $500 if he's a wise shopper and handy.
all the walls may not need to be gutted too, just the affected areas. it also depends on how (easily???) that lino is to remove.
but that wiring certainly will need to be brought up to code. that's dangerous, for sure.

DM


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Yeah, I didn't spend $5k gutting & redoing my last kitchen

If those glue/nail tiles are in the shower area I'd take 'em down & tile in there


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## derf36 (Jul 4, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> $5,000??? i have to assume you mean if he hires a contractor. lol
> he can DIY that for anywhere between $200 and $500 if he's a wise shopper and handy.
> all the walls may not need to be gutted too, just the affected areas. it also depends on how (easily???) that lino is to remove.
> but that wiring certainly will need to be brought up to code. that's dangerous, for sure.
> ...


ok ok you got me with the $5k, maybe a bit on the high side. You are right. You, I, and maybe the OP, would not have to hire a pro and spend that kind of money.

I am guilty of reading between the lines. The photo shows a bathroom that needs some serious care and attention. The OP's father worked on it last so I am assuming the OP is not that handy? I could be wrong and he/she is ready to take on this challenge and if so I commend them. 

My $5k comment was simply to make a point. Maybe an assumption but not correcting the bathroom the right way now could cost the homeowner some serious $$ during the sale.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

True, if needed hire this out
But this also depends upon the condition of the rest of the house
And it depebds upon the neighborhood, size of house, # of bathrooms, average selling price in the area
A fancy bathroom with a so-so house/neighborhood will not increase the value that much, if at all


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## sturmnacht (Aug 5, 2009)

DangerMouse said:


> $5,000??? i have to assume you mean if he hires a contractor. lol
> he can DIY that for anywhere between $200 and $500 if he's a wise shopper and handy.
> all the walls may not need to be gutted too, just the affected areas. it also depends on how (easily???) that lino is to remove.
> but that wiring certainly will need to be brought up to code. that's dangerous, for sure.
> ...



I realize about the wiring. I guess I'll just take the fan out and sell. All that wiring is only because of the ventilation fan; lighting will not be affected.

I tore some of the lino out earlier today. It did not look too bad. The old paint under it has to be scraped out too. Use of compound to fill the holes, then wipe the walls clean, then repaint.


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## sturmnacht (Aug 5, 2009)

Scuba_Dave said:


> True, if needed hire this out
> But this also depends upon the condition of the rest of the house
> And it depebds upon the neighborhood, size of house, # of bathrooms, average selling price in the area
> A fancy bathroom with a so-so house/neighborhood will not increase the value that much, if at all


The neighborhood is sub-par, and it's a bungalow with one bathroom. The house itself is over 60 years old. I can sure bet the houses next to mine have worse interior and exterior.


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