Does it “Just Need Cosmetics?”
How do you know when you’ve found a home that’s a good candidate for rehab/remodeling?
In the words of one of my favorite contractors, Phil Raskin, “it has the right things wrong.”
Definition: the home has good bones and a nice floor plan, but discrete, correctable problems.
Black, White — and Gray
So, what are some examples?
An ancient gravity furnace (“octopus”), decades-old wallpaper, or ancient appliances.
By contrast, examples of “the wrong things wrong” include: a foundation problem; “location issues” (in the shadow of a busy freeway); an incoherent floor plan; or poor construction quality.
P.S.: a bad odor would be . . . an example of something that’s in the gray zone.
If it’s attributable to a single, obvious source — yes.
If it’s pervasive — for example, animal odors — the risk that it will linger even after extensive remediation efforts is much higher.
