When a house needs a lot of work, the hardest part is not any individual project, it is deciding the order. Do the kitchen or the roof? The bathroom or the windows? The answer is usually not the one that is most exciting.
There is a reliable priority order, and it is the same for nearly every house. It is not glamorous and following it will save you from doing work twice.
The order to do things in
- Anything actively causing damage. A roof leak, a failing gutter dumping water at the foundation, a plumbing leak, a basement taking water. These get worse and they damage everything downstream of them. Nothing else matters until they are fixed.
- Systems at the end of their life. Heating, electrical service, and supply plumbing. Not glamorous, but replacing a furnace during a renovation is far cheaper than replacing it in January after it fails, and rewiring is much cheaper with walls already open.
- Envelope. Insulation, air sealing and windows. In this climate this is where comfort and running costs actually live, and much of it is only accessible during other work.
- Structural and layout changes. Removing walls, additions, anything that changes the plan. Before finishes, obviously, but also before you spend money on rooms you are going to change.
- Kitchens and bathrooms. The expensive rooms. Do these once the systems and structure behind them are sound, or you will be opening the walls again.
- Finishes and cosmetics. Flooring, paint, trim, lighting. Last, because everything above disturbs them.
Mistakes we see most often
- Renovating a kitchen in a house that needs rewiring. The new kitchen has to come apart for the wiring.
- Replacing windows before insulating and air sealing, when air leakage is usually the larger problem.
- Finishing a basement before solving why it is damp.
- Doing the visible work first because it is more satisfying, then finding the invisible work destroys it.
What this means in the Capital Region
For older Capital Region homes there is a specific version of this order. Knob and tube wiring, galvanised supply lines and uninsulated walls are all common, and all three are cheapest to address when walls are already open for something else. Sequencing a renovation so those happen alongside other work rather than separately can save a great deal.
The envelope deserves particular emphasis here. In a climate with five to six months of heating, air sealing and insulation pay back more than in most of the country, and in a pre-war house they are frequently the single highest-return work available.
Want this priced for your own home? Jeffrey Mason will walk the project and give you a free written estimate. No obligation, no sales rep. Call (518) 308-6427.
Frequently asked questions
What should I fix first in an old house?
Anything actively causing damage: roof, gutters, plumbing leaks, water in the basement. Then systems at the end of their life, then the envelope, then layout, then kitchens and bathrooms, then finishes.
Should I do the kitchen or the roof first?
The roof, without hesitation, if it is failing. A leak damages everything beneath it including a new kitchen.
Is it cheaper to do everything at once?
Usually yes, because mobilisation, permits and trade visits are shared, and because work that requires opening walls can be combined. The constraint is cash flow and how long you can live in a construction site.
What gives the best return in this climate?
Air sealing and insulation, consistently. They are invisible, they are not exciting, and in an Upstate winter they change both comfort and running costs more than anything else you can spend the same money on.
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