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Time to renovate!

acurAspec

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I am in the process of finishing my 2BR unit to complete it and the last stage is the kitchen... I want it durable and updated so that I can increase the rent for the next tenant and make it cashflow as much as possible when I move out of this unit. Considering that I am trying to get the most for my buck-- Should I get higher quality counter top?



I am going with a home depot basic kitchen which will look a million times better than the 1958 original design currently in place. I am thinking to go with a vynil/laminate countertop as opposed to a harder, more durable stone of some kind. Is this a time to put the better countertop to prevent damage to it in the future and get me the most for my rent? i intend to keep this triplex forever so i will get my money back sooner or later.



Current quote on a kitchen I picked out is $3,000 with me doing all the assembling/installing. Not a bad price. I had this unit rented out at $800 before and I am hoping to rent out for $950 + hydro when I move out of it so the increase will be a good amount. I guess I just dont want to be replacing countertops and other large items for a very long time..



Any thoughts on the ideas?



Also should i consider putting in a water softener so that I can save my faucets and washing machines etc?



Thanks for your inputs!



Sasha
 

Karma

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I'm not sure how handy you are but I built my own countertops for our 1 BR Apt. that was a complete reno. last year. I was able to make custom countertops (formica on plywood with tile backsplash) for less than half the price of laminate on particle board.



S.G.
 

housingrental

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I would spend extra on the countertop and have done this last week in a few units

I would not purchase a water softener
 

DK123

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Try IKEA



I just finished 4 complete renos, in 2 units we installed kitchen from Home depot, what a bunch of crap!! the construction so flimsy that it does not stand on its own, we had to reinforce almost all cabinets on the bottom.



The ikea stuff on the other hand was installed in other 3 units, nice color, nice selection of doors and shapes as well as it does look a millon bucks better then home depot design from the 60's.



also it is much easier to install then home depot.



I found that ikea has the best selection of coutnertops for the price conscious investor, sometimes you can go tier sale section and pick up a counterop for 40 dollars that has a dent which can be covered easily by placing it in right direction.
 

Tyson

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We renovated our own personal kitchen a year ago. In Vancouver we have a number of kitchen stores that sell Chinese made cabinets which are easily found on Google or Cragslist etc. The price difference compared to Home Depot was amazing....less than half price!....and Home Depot stuff comes from China too so the quality is about the same. What was really great was the installation...the cabinet store had thier own installers and only charged $900........I was going to do the instal myself during my vacation but for that price I chose to put my feet up and enjoy the 24 beer that I got by posting my old cabinets on Craigslist for 'free'. The story was the same for countertops....went with granite from a similar type store but they specialized in countertops and had a better deal than the cabinet store. Believe it or not the difference in price from formica to granite wasn't that much about $500 for a 18 lineal feet if I remember right. Conventional wisdom in rental properties is to go with formica but with the competition out there with stone a few extra $ might get you a premium tenant and better rent depending on where you are and what your tenant profile is....and you don't have to worry so much about setting a hot pot on your new counters! Though making your own as highlighted in a previous post would definitely cost the least.



Not sure where you are and if you have the same type of kitchen stores where you are but you can google Mama's kitchens and Brilliant Stone in Vancouver to see what I am talking about. Moral of the story...Home Depot is not always the cheapest or I should say usually isn't the cheapest despite what they tell you on the radio!!
 

invst4profit

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My personal opinion is stay with laminate counter tops. They should last 20 years.

They are far less expensive to replace than the granite counter top your tenant breaks when he decides to use it as a work bench to rebuild his Harley motor cycle engine.



Keep reminding yourself it's a rental, they are only tenants not owners.



If on the other hand the counter top by itself can guarantee a higher rent, with say a 8-12 month payback, go for it. But that obviously is not going to be the case. In which case it is money wasted.



Tenants paying $950/month are, in my opinion, not living in granite country.
 

acurAspec

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Thank you all for the replies!



I was just thinking as well... Is the landlord able to charge the tenant the replacement cost of the ruined countertop? If a countertop is ruined in the next 5 years for example-- Can I forward this cost to the tenant? Or is this the case of-- "Good luck with that one! No one will pay for it."



Sasha
 

invst4profit

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If a tenant voluntarily pays for damages consider yourself lucky. This being Ontario and landlords not having the right to collect damage deposits it is extremely unlikely the LTB will force a tenant to pay if it could be argued the damage is as a result of normal ware and tear. Counter tops do get damaged with normal use.

S**t (accidents) happen and in Ontario the landlord usually pays. Intentional damage is difficult to prove.



When a landlord does take a tenant to the board and win a damage claim the likelihood is it will end up in small claims court to collect.
 

NathalieLiuHiller

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It depends how it got ruined and it to what extent. I got a countertop in one of my properties where over time, the edge just bulged up due to poor quality. In that case, I need to replace at my cost. There are also normal wear and tear like small insignificant scratches that should be considered usual when a tenant has stayed there a long time. But significant damages caused by tenants can and should be at their expense, not yours, as long as you have an inspection report, to prove there was no significant damage like that when they moved in. Also make sure to take a photo when you see it ruined, that way you have proof to show RTDRS if it ever gets to that point.



Your lease should also state they should be responsible for the cost of fixing any items they break during their stay. This is one of those ways you can see if tenants are good. Bad tenants will give you trouble even if they should be the one shouldering costs for repairs. I should know, I just fought some and caused them to rent somewhere else...which was good, because now I can get better tenants. If you do not put your foot down the minute you know they should be paying for their damages, they will cause more down the road and demand you pay for it. Always document and take photos if possible, of things that are damaged, and keep track in writing of the repairs and upgrades you did while they are there. Tenants are usually more scared of landlords who document everything.
 
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