Akiya Lab Articles | Roopt (Makigumi)
Makigumi, which operates Roopt, constantly researches case studies and other information on vacant house revitalization and publishes it as columns.
We will explain how to proceed with self-renovation based on actual experiences. We will discuss the difficulties, successes, and failures, and what those new to renovation should anticipate from the start.
Noi: Hello everyone. I'm Noi, the host of this channel. In this video, we're discussing the evaluation of old, small detached houses for investment in modern times. Following up from last time, we'll be asking Mr. Yoshii, an experienced renovator of old folk houses, about renovation know-how. Mr. Yoshii, please go ahead.
Yoshii: Thank you. In 2017, when I got married, I moved from Tokyo to Tottori, and now I live with my wife and child. Both my wife and I work with computers, working from home, so neither of us has a daily commute. We used our free time to purchase a vacant house and self-renovate it. Today, I'd like to share our renovation experiences, what went well, and what didn't.
Noi: Let's get straight to the topic. We'll be discussing renovation know-how. First, please tell us what should be decided first.
Yoshii: The first things to decide are the purpose and the budget. In my case, the purpose was for us to live there, but the renovation method changes significantly depending on whether it's for investment or for personal residence. If you're renovating for an investment property, others will be using it, so if you're renovating for people who will rent it, you can decide based on what renters prefer, considering cost-effectiveness, budget, and expected income. This makes it easier to determine the investment aspects. However, in my case, it was our home, so when my wife and I started thinking about what we wanted to improve for ourselves, it became endless.
When I got an estimate for my ideal vision, I asked a construction company, and the estimate was about three times what I had expected. It turned out that way because I didn't have a budget in the first place and didn't really know how much it would cost. When I saw the estimate, it looked like I could build a whole new house with that budget, so I was left wondering what to do next.
In such cases, it's very important to decide on a budget beforehand and then ask the construction company for ways to achieve your goals within that range, or even for self-renovation, to set a budget for yourself. If you decide on a budget, you'll know what can be done within that budget, or how to make various efforts to reduce costs. If you tell the construction company that you primarily want to do DIY, they can propose content that is possible within a small budget. So, I believe it's very important to decide on the purpose and budget first.
Noi: Indeed, as you mentioned in the previous video, it seems quite possible for the amount to swell to many times the initial expectation.
Yoshii: When that happens, if you don't have a purpose or budget, you won't know what to cut, and if you're unclear whether you're doing it for personal preference or investment, it becomes difficult for everyone involved to make suggestions. So, I think it's less likely to go off track if you clearly define your purpose and budget.
Noi: Among those, there's talk that self-renovation can save money, but when amateurs actually try to renovate, I imagine the hurdles are quite high. I'm a DIY beginner, or rather, I've hardly done any DIY, so I think many people get stuck on where to start to succeed. Could you tell us how to succeed in amateur renovation?
Yoshii: In my case, I initially tried searching online and on YouTube, but there are so many how-to videos, almost too many to choose from, that it's hard to know which ones are good. And if you start searching online without a clear overall picture, it's really difficult. So, I think it's best to start by buying books.
Even when buying books, it's hard to know which ones are good, and since I was about to build a house, I wanted to reduce expenses as much as possible. So, I went to the library, which I hadn't done much before, to look for books. Libraries often have quite extensive DIY sections. For example, the Tottori Prefectural Library had a lot of books on DIY, so I borrowed a few that seemed suitable and learned from them.
In that process, it's important to first understand the general types of renovations, such as painting or cutting, and what kind of DIY tools are available. Once you have that overall understanding, you can then search online for specific details and watch YouTube videos for only the necessary parts to learn concrete work methods and how to use tools.
Also, while studying progresses in this way, it's important to be careful. DIY can be done by amateurs, and tools can also be used by amateurs, but especially circular saws and similar items are very dangerous. So, I watched many YouTube videos about the dangers to be aware of and how to use them properly before attempting the work.
Also, when you actually try to do the work, there are often things that you just don't understand from information written online or in books. So, it's important to have someone you can consult with whenever needed. When considering renovating an entire house, you'll likely have a list of things you're unsure about. So, first, make a list of those concerns. Then, when purchasing DIY tools, you can ask staff at a home center, or ask a construction company when buying lumber or other materials. If you're hiring a contractor for plumbing, prepare a list of questions and ask the carpenter who comes for a small job. By doing this, you can clarify specific points and learn how to handle them.
Noi: Thank you. It was very informative to learn that reading books, researching online, asking people, and then going to buy things, following the steps properly, is very important.
Noi: Could you tell us about the difficulties you encountered after actually starting the work?
Yoshii: There were three main things: first, the demolition work; second, the extensive painting; and third, the significant amount of waste generated and the cost of its disposal. A lot of time was spent figuring out how to reduce waste disposal costs.
Demolition work was the toughest. Breaking down walls was fun in itself, but then a lot of trash and dust would come out. I used cardboard boxes to dispose of the trash, including wall fragments and such. I was surprised that just breaking down one wall produced enough fragments to fill about 30 cardboard boxes.
For the kitchen, I peeled off tiles, and for the bathroom, which was also tiled and cemented, I removed everything to install a unit bath. There's a construction term, "hatsuru," which means to chip away or shave off concrete. I used a drill to chip away all the concrete to create enough space for the unit bath. The demolition work for that was quite intense. The drill made a lot of noise, and chipping concrete created a lot of dust, so I had to wear a mask. It was a pretty tough job that was physically and mentally draining.
: Next, I struggled quite a bit with the painting. For painting, I finished most of the walls and ceilings with paint. When painting, it's important to mask off areas you don't want to paint and apply masking tape. After that, I applied a primer called a sealer about twice before painting. This took about two to three months, so it can be a bit tedious, but how you approach that time is important. As I mentioned in another video, I spent that time listening to audio content like Audible and Voicy.
The third point is reducing waste disposal costs. In my house, four rooms were Japanese-style with tatami mats, but I converted all of them to flooring, so all the tatami became waste that needed to be disposed of. In total, there were probably about 50 tatami mats. When I tried to dispose of them, contractors quoted about 2,000 yen per mat, which would have been a significant amount. So, I researched and found that if I cut them and put them in garbage bags, they could be disposed of as combustible waste. Since I couldn't dispose of them all at once due to the volume, I cut and disposed of one or two mats with a circular saw each week.
Noi: How long does it take to cut one mat?
Yoshii: It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to cut one mat, but I kept doing that for about three or four months, and it was subtly tough. It also got in the way of other work, so I put all the tatami mats outside the house. Then, from the perspective of people in other areas, there were so many tatami mats piled up that it looked like a suspicious house. People would say, "Oh, that's the house with the tatami mats" (laughs). I really understood that there was a lot of work that required perseverance.
I think whether you can make time is really important. If you can make time, even for tasks like disposing of various types of waste, a little effort can lead to cost savings. So, the more time you can make, the more you can reduce costs, making it a battle against time.
Noi: Next, regarding the renovation areas, could you elaborate a bit more on the parts you outsourced and the parts you did yourself?
Yoshii: The main areas I outsourced were the wet areas: toilets, kitchen, unit bath, washbasin, and the EcoCute. I converted to all-electric, so it involved purchasing and installing the EcoCute. I wanted to do most of the DIY myself, but for wet areas and electricity, qualifications are required, and electrical work is difficult without proper skills, so I decided to outsource those.
I did the demolition work myself, such as removing the existing kitchen, washbasin, and toilet, and for the bathroom. I separated the tasks so that I would ask for help only at the stage of installing the equipment.
We coordinated with the construction company beforehand regarding the necessary sizes for installing new items like the unit bath and kitchen. They inspected the site before construction to confirm there would be no installation issues, and then we handed over the baton to them to proceed with the work.
As for the EcoCute, I arranged for it myself online, and after the product was delivered, I requested installation. Considering after-sales care, it would be better to have the construction company handle the entire purchase, but buying online is often cheaper, and the construction company even advised me to buy it online. So, I think it's good to consider it based on your budget and discussions with the construction company.
Noi: We've heard a lot about the difficulties so far, but conversely, if you remember anything about the successful aspects of the renovation, please share it with us.
Yoshii: As for what went well, I think the painting was a success. The house was a Showa-era house, generally dark, and I wondered how to improve it, but I boldly decided to finish the entire house with white paint. By doing so, the house itself became much brighter.
Initially, there were "mawari-buchi" (picture rails) between the walls and ceiling, and baseboards between the floor and walls. Since it was originally a Japanese-style room, these were made of wood, and even in the Western-style parts, there were plastic ones. If I tried to paint, I couldn't paint those areas, so I only painted the parts that could be painted white. However, by purchasing liquids that allow painting on plastic for the picture rails and plastic baseboards, and painting everything white, the entire room became white, giving even the Japanese-style room a modern feel. So, I think it turned out well.
As a result, I was able to renovate a significant portion of the house with minimal effort, mostly just painting, without having to strip down all the walls and ceilings, and make it a bright home, which I think was a good outcome.
Noi: Conversely, are there any aspects you'd like to redo?
Yoshii: If I had decided from the beginning to paint everything white, I could have significantly shortened the time spent on masking and protecting surfaces, which I did for everything. I feel that there was a considerable loss of time in that regard.
Also, I converted all the tatami rooms to flooring. I did this with absolutely no knowledge, but I managed to finish it all at once, thinking, "This feels about right." However, when I later asked professionals or looked at flooring work in other houses, the finish was completely different. I saw examples where even amateurs had achieved a beautiful finish. For large-scale tasks, I think it would have been better to have a professional come for about a day to teach me before I started the work.
Noi: I see. Similar to the white paint story, it's easier if you have a clear vision of the final outcome from the beginning, isn't it?
Yoshii: That's right. I felt like I overdid it without really seeing the finished product.
Based on that, please tell us if there are any points you should anticipate or prepare for from the beginning. There's the point about designing the goal image, as mentioned earlier, but besides that, regarding tool purchases, I think it's better to buy everything at once. Things like a circular saw, a circular saw guide, an impact driver, an electric sander, cleaning tools like a blower for dust, an electric drill, and a crowbar. Initially, I didn't buy much and gradually added things, wondering if I really needed each one. But the moment I bought them, the speed of work increased dramatically. For example, I was slowly removing tiles with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer, but when I bought an electric drill halfway through, it was done in an instant. So, instead of buying one by one, I think it's better to boldly buy all the necessary tools at once.
For tools, if you look on Mercari, you can buy and sell them used, so you can sell everything after your DIY project is finished. Considering that, buying everything used and then selling it used would minimize time loss and wouldn't cost that much money, so I think that would have been a good approach.
Also, I think I should have considered the timing of material purchases. I bought flooring boards at the very beginning, but I bought them too early, and they ended up sitting in the house for about half a year. This not only got in the way of work, but wood itself can warp if left neglected for too long. So, while it's good to buy tools early, I realized it's better to procure materials as needed for the work.
Noi: Next, and finally, I'd like to ask about the recommendation for house sharing, including financial aspects. Please go ahead.
: If you live in a house normally, and you set a budget of 10 million yen, you have to work within that range. As a way to increase that budget, I recommend considering subsidies. Depending on the region, there are often subsidies available for immigrants for vacant house utilization, or for renovation costs to improve insulation. These are usually available annually, so it's a good idea to check the subsidy pages of each prefecture or municipality.I recommend house sharing. The house we live in, besides being our residence, is also a property that can be used as a vacation rental and a workspace, so it's also used for business. In rural areas or certain regions, there are often subsidies to promote vacation rentals. This can significantly reduce renovation costs, and for vacation rentals, there are often subsidies of 3 million yen, or even up to 6 million yen for larger projects, so it's worth looking into.
I was also able to significantly reduce the burden of renovation costs and new equipment purchases by utilizing subsidies related to vacation rentals. Also, for old houses that are 40 or 50 years old, there are often many rooms, and toilets might be separated on the first and second floors. Sharing a house can also be an effective way to utilize unused rooms, so I think it's a good idea for families to share their homes.
Also, if you can create a simulation where you share your house and generate income as a business, it's different from just living there yourself. You can then take the perspective of increasing your budget to get better facilities and create a situation where guests will be happy.
In my house, the doors, especially the entrance, couldn't accommodate smart locks, so I renovated by replacing all the doors to install smart locks. Since many different people would be coming to the house, I wanted them to be as comfortable as possible, so I also replaced all the window glass with double-paned glass to improve insulation. There was a subsidy for this as well, so I was able to replace the windows quite cheaply.
When people come to the house, to make them as comfortable as possible, I want them to enjoy delicious coffee, so I have a De'Longhi coffee maker. If it's just for ourselves to make things comfortable or buy good things, it's often hard to decide, but if you consider it as a business and the potential for increased income, it becomes easier to buy slightly better items.
This is a bit off-topic from the budget, but living in the countryside often leads to less diversity and a narrower perspective. Sharing a house provides opportunities to connect with people from outside the region, and even people from overseas. So, I encourage anyone living in the countryside and working remotely to consider it.
Noi
: That's certainly a good point. When living in the countryside, it can be difficult to get stimulation, and the amount of information and number of people tend to decrease. But being able to create such a space and opportunities for yourself is truly wonderful, I thought. This time, we had Mr. Yoshii, an experienced renovator, talk about renovation know-how. I think it was a very helpful session for those who are about to start DIY. We will continue to upload videos on the evaluation of old, small detached houses for investment in modern times, so please check them out. Thank you, Mr. Yoshii, for today.Noi
Yoshii: Thank you very much.
First published: Akiya Lab (2024 - now integrated into this site)
FIND YOUR STAY
Feel free to contact us for inquiries about accommodation reservations, move-in consultations, viewing appointments, media coverage, etc.
Contact Us
