Articles on Akiya Lab | Roopt (Makigumi)
Makigumi, which operates Roopt, regularly researches and publishes columns on case studies and other information related to the revitalization of vacant houses.
We will explain how to proceed with self-renovation based on actual experience. We will discuss the difficulties, successes, and failures, and what those who are new to renovation should consider from the outset.
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 on 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 from home using computers, so we don't have a daily commute. We used our free time to buy a vacant house and self-renovate it. Today, I'd like to share our renovation experience, what went well, and what didn't.
Noi: Let's get straight to the content. We're going to hear about renovation know-how. First, please tell us the very first thing that needs to be decided.
Yoshii: The first things that need to be decided are the purpose and the budget. In my case, the purpose was for us to live in it, 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 the cost-effectiveness, budget, and expected income. This makes it easier to decide on the investment aspects. However, in my case, it's our home, so when my wife and I start thinking about what we want to improve for ourselves, there's no end to it.
When I got an estimate for my ideal plan, I asked a construction company, but the estimate was about three times what I had expected. I didn't have a budget in the first place, so I didn't really know how much it would be when I got the estimate. When I saw the estimate, it was so high that I thought, "Couldn't I just build a new house for this amount?" After that, I was at a loss.
In such cases, it's very important to decide on a budget beforehand and ask the construction company for ideas that can be realized within that range. Even for self-renovation, if you decide on the budget you're willing to spend, you can figure out how much you can do with that budget, or how to make various efforts to reduce costs. If you tell the construction company that you want to focus on DIY, they can propose options within a limited budget. So, I think 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 several times the initial estimate.
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 help keep costs down, but when an amateur actually tries to renovate, isn't the hurdle quite high? I'm a DIY beginner, or rather, I've hardly done anything, so I think many people get stuck wondering where to start to succeed. Could you tell us how to succeed with 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 sift through. It's hard to know which ones are good. When you start searching online, you don't get the full picture, 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, although I hadn't done it much before, I tried looking for books at the library. Libraries often have quite extensive DIY sections. There's a prefectural library in Tottori, and they had a lot of books on DIY there. I borrowed a few books that seemed suitable for me and learned from them.
Through 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 just those parts to learn concrete work methods and how to use tools.
Also, while studying progresses in that way, it's important to note that DIY can be done by amateurs, and tools can also be used by amateurs, but especially circular saws and similar items are extremely dangerous. For such tools, I watched many YouTube videos about the dangers to be aware of and how to use them properly before attempting anything.
Also, when you actually try to do the work, there are many things that are hard to understand just from information written online or in books, so I think it's important to have someone you can consult with whenever needed. When you consider renovating the entire house, there will be many points where you wonder what to do. So, first, make a list of those concerns. Then, when you buy DIY tools, you can ask the staff at the home center, or ask the construction company from whom you buy wood and other materials. If you're hiring a professional for the water areas, you can prepare a list of questions and ask the carpenter who comes for a small job. By doing so, you can clarify how to handle specific parts and learn as you go.
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 you started working on it?
Yoshii: There were three main difficulties: first, the demolition work; second, the extensive painting areas; and third, the significant amount of waste generated, and the high cost of waste disposal. A lot of time was spent figuring out how to reduce waste disposal costs.
The demolition work was the hardest. Breaking down walls was fun in itself, but then a lot of debris and dust would come out. I used cardboard boxes to dispose of the waste, including wall fragments and such. I was surprised that just demolishing one wall produced enough fragments to fill about 30 cardboard boxes.
For the kitchen, we peeled off tiles, and for the bathroom, which was solidified with tiles and concrete, we stripped everything down to install a unit bath. There's an architectural term, "hatsuru," which means to chip away or shave off concrete. We used a drill to chip away at the concrete, making a space large enough for the unit bath. Using a drill creates a lot of noise, and chipping concrete generates a lot of dust, so I wore a mask, but it was a pretty tough job that was physically and mentally draining.
: Next, I struggled quite a bit with the painting work. For painting, we finished most of the walls and ceilings with paint. When painting, we had to mask and tape off areas to avoid getting paint where it shouldn't be. After that, we applied a primer called sealer about twice before painting. This took about two to three months, so it could feel a bit tedious, but it's important how you approach that time. In my case, as I mentioned in another video, I listened to Audible or Voicy, or other audio content, to pass the time.
: The third point was reducing waste disposal costs. In my house, four rooms were Japanese-style with tatami mats, and we were converting all of them to flooring, so all the tatami mats became waste that needed to be disposed of. In total, there were probably about 50 tatami mats. When I got an estimate from a company to dispose of them, they quoted about 2,000 yen per mat, which would have been a considerable amount. So, I researched and found out that if you cut them up and put them in garbage bags, they can be disposed of as combustible waste. Since I couldn't dispose of such a large quantity all at once, 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?
: It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to cut one mat, but I kept doing that for three or four months, and it was subtly difficult. It also got in the way of other work, so I put all the tatami mats outside the house. When other people in the area saw so many tatami mats piled up, it looked like a suspicious house, and they would say, "Oh, that's the house with all the tatami mats" (laughs). It really made me realize that there were many tasks that required a lot of patience.Yoshii
: I think whether you can make time is really important. If you can make time, even for tasks like disposing of various waste, if you put in a little effort, you can reduce costs. So, the more time you can make, the more you can reduce costs. It's a battle against time, I think.
Noi: Next, regarding the renovation areas, I'd like you to elaborate on the parts you outsourced and the parts you did yourself.
Yoshii: The areas I outsourced were mainly the water facilities: toilets, kitchen, unit bath, washbasin, and EcoCute. I converted to all-electric, so it involved purchasing and installing the EcoCute. I wanted to focus on DIY for the overall project, but for water facilities and electricity, qualifications are often required, and electrical work is genuinely difficult without proper skills, so I decided to outsource those.
I handled the demolition work myself, such as removing the existing kitchen, washroom, toilet, and bathroom. I then requested professional installation for the new equipment at the final stage.
We coordinated the necessary sizes for fitting new items like the unit bath and kitchen with the construction company beforehand. They inspected the site before construction to confirm there would be no installation issues, and then they took over the work.
As for the EcoCute, I arranged for it myself online, and then requested installation after the product was delivered. Considering after-care, it would be better to purchase everything through the construction company, but it was considerably cheaper online, 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, could you share any memorable successful aspects of the renovation?
Yoshii: Regarding what went well, I think the painting was successful. The house was a Showa-era house and generally felt dark, and I wondered what to do, but I boldly decided to finish it with an overall white paint job. By doing so, the house itself became quite bright.
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 rooms, there were plastic versions of these. When I tried to paint, those areas couldn't be painted. So, I only painted the areas that could be painted white. However, for the mawari-buchi and plastic baseboards, I bought a liquid that allows painting on plastic and painted everything white. When everything became white, even the Japanese-style room looked modern, 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. I think it was good that I was able to make the house brighter.
Noi: Conversely, are there any points you would 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 preparation. I feel like there was a considerable loss of time in that area.
Also, I converted all the tatami mat rooms to flooring. I did this without any prior knowledge, just thinking, "This should be about right," and managed to finish it all at once. However, when I later asked a professional or looked at how flooring was done in other houses, the finish was completely different. I saw examples where even amateurs had achieved a beautiful finish. For extensive 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. Like the story about painting everything white, 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 did too much without really seeing the finished product.
Based on that, please tell us if there are any points you should have considered or prepared for from the beginning. There's the talk 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 I gradually added tools, wondering if I really needed each one. However, the moment I bought them, the speed of work increased dramatically. For example, I was peeling tiles little by little using a flathead screwdriver and a hammer, but when I bought an electric drill halfway through and used it, the work was finished in an instant. So, instead of buying tools one by one, I think it's better to boldly buy all the necessary tools at once.
For tools, you can find them for sale used on Mercari, so you can sell them all after your DIY project is finished. If you think about it, 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 early on, but I bought them too soon, and they ended up sitting in the house for about six months. This got in the way of other work, and if wood is left unattended for too long, it can warp. So, while it's good to buy tools early, I realized that it's better to prepare materials according to the progress of the work.
Noi: Next, and finally, I'd like to ask about the recommendation for house sharing, particularly regarding finances. Please go ahead.
Yoshii: 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'd like to recommend house sharing. The house we live in is not just for our own residence; it's also set up for vacation rentals and has workspaces, so it's a property that's also used for business. In rural areas or certain regions, there are sometimes subsidies to promote vacation rentals. This can significantly reduce renovation costs, and for vacation rentals, there are subsidies of 3 million yen or even up to 6 million yen, so it's worth looking into.
I was also able to significantly reduce the burden of renovation costs and expenses for newly purchased equipment by incorporating subsidies related to vacation rentals. Also, old houses, 40 or 50 years old, often have many rooms, and sometimes two toilets on the first and second floors. Sharing a house is also good for effectively utilizing unused rooms, even for families.
Also, once you can create a simulation where sharing your house generates income as a business, it becomes different from just living in it yourself. You can then take the perspective of increasing your budget to get better facilities and create a situation that will please your guests.
In the case of my house, the entrance doors couldn't accommodate smart locks, so we completely replaced the doors to install smart locks. Since many people would be coming to the house, I wanted them to be as comfortable as possible, so I also replaced all the windows 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 their stay as comfortable as possible, I want them to enjoy delicious coffee, so I have a De'Longhi coffee maker. If it's just for our own comfort or buying nice things for ourselves, it's often hard to decide, but if it's also a business that increases income, it becomes easier to buy slightly better things, I think.
This is a bit different from the budget discussion, but living in the countryside often means less diversity and a narrower perspective. However, by sharing your home, you create opportunities to connect with people from outside the region or from overseas. So, I encourage anyone living in the countryside and working remotely to consider it.
Noi: That's really good, isn't it? Living in the countryside, it can be hard to get stimulation, and the amount of information and people tends to decrease. But creating such a space and opportunities 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 starting DIY. We will continue to upload videos on the evaluation of old, small detached houses for investment in modern times, so please watch them. Thank you very much, Mr. Yoshii.
Yoshii: Thank you very much.
Source:Akiya Lab
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