I hate wall paper...

 

Awww. Buy the stuff that gets it off and if it's thicker ONLY if it's thicker use the wheel that scores it. If you use it and it's super thin you will score the dry wall and mess up that paper!

If you have popcorn ceilings and hate them I have a scraper for that you can borrow or hit Home Depot. It attaches to a pole and you use a bag to catch the falling debris. Works like a charm.

I have you beat for wall paper when I bought literally every wall was covered with it. 2 tone too with a chair rail(door molding actually) separating the two. Complete with plastic tack-on on every corner!

Make sure to primer the wall behind the wall paper.

 

Me too. My first home had no paper;second home not so lucky. It was positively scary.

Congratulations and welcome to home ownership.

 

Easy way to remove wallpaper: use a steamer. I have done two rooms with it, and it peeled right off, with no effort.

 

Most towns and cities near the main cities around New England have houses that were built around mid to late 1800's, your better off just gutting the whole thing, new insulation, and fresh dry wall to paint, re-sand the floor, and some Harvey thermal windows and your well on your way. Most of this stuff can be done on your own also, if you can plaster you can probably do it all. The kitchen is a whole other nightmare, and thats were the dollars really start to add up, its nice to find a home that the kitchen is at least half done.

 

House was built in 1957, and we're gutting it and redoing everything. It's not meant to be a fixer upper, but I'm not arguing with the Mrs.
List includes:
Wall paper removal, entire interior being painted, redoing all floors- hardwood and tiling bathrooms and kitchen/ dining room, finishing basement and adding a bathroom, kitchen- totally redone with custom cabinets, new appliances, granite counter tops, removing a wall, still more to be done... ongoing.

 

We wanted to buy a house and do that then I thought, nah I'd rather enjoy life...

 

LOL

But then you end up spending the same money on rent and end up with almost nothing when you retire, unless you have some really generous parents.

 

9:45am- 5pm with a 20 min lunch break worked on the house. Have about 1/3 of a room left to remove wallpaper.

 

I actually had a discussion with some of my engineer co workers recently, and adding up the math, we're not so sure it really is that big an advantage in the long run. The main advantage to owning is that you can do what you want with the place, and make a happier home.

Adding up everything spent on upgrades and maintenance, or just cosmetic niceties, and factor in eve a portion of the TIME spent doing all of it if you're a DIY type, and it's not nearly the investment people make it out to be.

Of course, I'm kinda bitter, because I've only owned since 2005, and now I own 2 places and rent out one. Both have lost value, and my house has taken a LOT of my time just for basic upkeep, let alone all the projects I thought I'd be able to get done.

It's the rewarding sense of self identity, home, satisfaction, and independence that drives people to buy houses. The financial side really isn't that rosy.
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Congratulations Josh! Sounds like your'e ambitious enough to attack it head on and make the place what you want it to be.