Question for those who have put on additions

[kelleyrn2000]

Here is our current situation. We live on a large lot in a ranch home. I feel that the house is too small for our family. There are five of us total. DH loves the lot and the fact that he has a nice workshop. I love the schools, that's about it. I would love to move to a bigger house on a smaller lot. DH disagrees and does not want to give up the land.

IMO a good compromise would be an addition of a master suite, either by adding a second floor or adding on to the back of the house. I understand neither would be inexpensive, but I feel kind of claustrophobic in the current situation. We would also still need to remodel the kitchen, family room, and put in a mudroom, which we had originally planned when we purchased the house. So, all in all we are looking at a huge expense!

So, my question for those that remodeled...did you regret not just moving in the first place? Did you and your spouse fight/argue alot because of the remodeling going on? Is it worth it if one of you really loves the location?
I honestly feel overwhelmed by the thought of all the renovation, not to mention I would have to go back to work full time just to pay for the cost!!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Our first house was a small ranch house with 3 bedrooms (1 was more like a closet than a bedroom), 2 baths (1 was really tiny) and a 1 car garage. Small kitchen and a basement, part of which we turned into our family room. We loved the neighborhood and location of the house.

When we had our 2nd child, we had outgrown the house. We looked at putting on an addition to give us a master suite and enlarging the kitchen so the 2nd child could have our master bedroom and we would have more space in the kitchen.

We found out that it would make the house overpriced for the neighboorhood and we would never recoup the cost when it came time to sell the house.

Instead we decided to sell and bought a bigger house. I still miss the old neighborhood but the schools are better where we live now and the house size fits us well.

 

[SandrA9810]

Don't outdo the neighborhood. But often times you can recoup the costs in the equity of the house. I'm sure it'll be a trying and stressful time, but just think, it'll be EXACTLY the way you want it. Many people on here have posted about their home renovations and how much it was worth the stress of doing it all.

My grandfather built/remodeled the house several times over the years of ownership on the house. While it technically outdid the neighborhood, it still went for a hefty price. Mostly because, the back addition was a 2 bed/2 bath on each floor apartment. Which made the place easier to divide and rent out the units, but legally it was sold and used as a single family home.

But I don't think any family today could survive in a house that size, which was built in 52. And many homes in the neighborhood, besides those owned by older empty nesters, were renovated to some degree, usually taking the car port and turning it into another bedroom.

 

[semo233]

There is a lot to consider!

did you regret not just moving in the first place? No. We loved the house, the area and the lot. It was what we could afford at the time.

Did you and your spouse fight/argue alot because of the remodeling going on? No. We have similar tastes and one of us always backed off if the other felt very strongly about something. There are a few things I regret backing off of (I know I was right), but nothing major.


Is it worth it if one of you really loves the location? Yes. You know what they say "location, location, location"

I honestly feel overwhelmed by the thought of all the renovation: It will be a trying experience. Do you have to do it all at once? Or can it be done in stages with or without time in between?


not to mention I would have to go back to work full time just to pay for the cost!! : That's a big one. Discuss this first to see if it is a project that you both want badly enough

Make a list of priorities, what you definately want, what you would really like to have and what would be just nice to have. Is the most important thing to you right now a master suite? It is definately worth it to talk to a designer. Even if you have to pay for a couple of hours of their time, you will get a lot of input on design and even some info on pricing. You mentioned putting on a second floor or adding on the same level. These are things a designer can help you with. It might be a couple of hundred dollars, but is SO worth it! Also ask for recommendations for general contractors from him/her.

Decide on what you can afford and try to stick to it. Leave yourself a little wiggle room for unexpected costs or upgrades.

Good Luck!

 

[Green Tea]

Remodeling is a great idea. It really wasn't stressful for us. Not having a washing machine for a few days was bad, but other than that it was not a problem.

My advice is to figure in architect's fees as part of the process. If you don't have a solid set of plans for the contractor to work from, I think the construction tends to actually cost more in the end. Plus you can end up with a house that looks like it has always been a house, not a ranch with an addition stuck on.

Get a great contractor that you trust.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

When we started to consider adding a second child to the family, we knew we needed to do something about our space. It was late 2004/early 2005, which was close to the height of the market boom here in Florida. At the time, I would have had to go back to work full-time to make a larger mortgage payment, and the prices were insane, so we really wouldn't have gotten a lot more house for a whole lot more money. Instead, we added a playroom/office and expanded dining area and new a/c for about $21,000. It helped a LOT with the space, and didn't break our budget. We loved our neighborhood - its convenience, location and schools, so it was the right decision for us.

Fast forward 10 years, the market has busted, we were able to buy a much larger house for $100k less than it appraised for 4 years ago. We love it. We have not sold our old house yet (figured it would sell better empty) but are hoping that when we get it listed in the next couple of weeks that it will sell easily. Even though we pulled out the equity to build the addition, we still owe far less than it's worth and hope to make a small profit.

So, yes, sometimes building an addition is the best course of action. It was for us! The construction didn't bother us much, but it was not so much remodeling as just adding on space, so it didn't impact our daily life too much.

 

[Darcy03231]

DH is in the construction field and says its always less expensive to up than out. If you plan your new upstairs in a way to take advantage of your existing piping, that will help too (i.e. a bathroom over an existing bathroom).

I would definitely hire an architect to draw up plans for a builder to go by.

 

[Psychodisney]

We put an addition on just as the housing market was failing. I'm glad we did, we really enjoy the space. That being said, we don't plan on moving any time soon. The projest wasn't too stressful. Seeing the project moving along keeps you going. Be realistic about the time frame. Whatever the contractor says, add a few weeks. We were without a kitchen for 3 months, all 5 of us shared one shower and I had to go to the laundromat too.

 

[runwad]

Well the only remodel's we've done are a kitchen and a bath. I hated it and could not imagine doing anything more extensive. To me I'd just move. I hate all those strange men in my house for weeks on end. I don't know why but it just messes up my routine and I can't do what I normally do with others about. But that's just me. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, if it were me, i'd just move or make do.

 

[Hannathy]

Remodeling is a great idea. It really wasn't stressful for us. Not having a washing machine for a few days was bad, but other than that it was not a problem.

My advice is to figure in architect's fees as part of the process. If you don't have a solid set of plans for the contractor to work from, I think the construction tends to actually cost more in the end. Plus you can end up with a house that looks like it has always been a house, not a ranch with an addition stuck on.

Get a great contractor that you trust.

Agree with this 100% get an architect! My BIL&SIL added onto their house almost doubling the living space and it is gorgeous! It all flows together you would think it was designed and built like that. They added a Kitchen, great room, made their room into a master with Bath, added another bedroom, rearranged the lower level and added to the basement.

Did this make their house worth more than the neighbors yes it did but as we talked about when they were thinking of moving vs adding on. they love the location. They love the neighborhood, they are all friends and have holidays at each others houses etc. If they moved there is no guarantee they would like the new neighbors or ever be as close with a new neighborhood as they are now. And they have no intention of moving from the general area in the near future so resale is not that important. plus if you add in the expenses of moving and paying more for the new house than you are now, it really made adding on more reasonable.

While it is indeed smart when you are buying initially you don't want to be the most expensive house in a neighborhood, but if you have been there awhile and love the area and don't plan on moving in the future go ahead and add on even if it makes it the best house on the street.

 

[kelleyrn2000]

Thanks for all the great advice!

I wish DH and I agreed on the location. It is close to all our schools, which is nice. But unfortunately the neighborhood is full of retired people, so there aren't any families with young kids. There are no other kids for ours to play with, which is an issue for me. I would love to move to a neighborhood with kids, but DH isn't willing to give up our large lot, or his workshop (he has a garage that he uses for his hobbies). It would be nearly impossible to convince him to ever move. I hate the neighbors always burning leaves, the fact that our road has alot of traffic, as opposed to living on the inside of a neighborhood, and that we don't have "good neighbors". We have neighbors who are maybe cordial, but have nothing in common. I really wish I hadn't agreed to buy the house in the first place!!

So, I guess the next step is to decide if we can afford to build up. I have no idea how much it would be to build a second story and also do the kitchen/mudroom remodel. If I loved my house, it would be so easy to go for it!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Whatever you think it is going to cost add thousands more. There are so many things that cost money that you don't think about. Will you need a pod? Will you need moving boxes to store your stuff? Will you have to be out of the house during the day? (This will cost you money- trust me) Will you just want to be out of the house during the day? You WILL run into unexpected problems/costs. That is without a doubt going to happen.
Construction can be great but there is a lot of little costs that you never think about. Good luck!

 

[lunalibre]

Choosing to do an addition is a difficult decision.

Why we chose our addition:

- we liked our location
- we liked our neighborhood
- we liked our schools
- we didn't find ANY new houses we could afford that we liked half as well as our existing house
- we figured that by the time we paid realtor fees, moving expenses, and the much bigger mortgage for the new house that would actually be what we wanted, we'd spend tens of thousands more than what the addition would cost.
- we looked at our addition like putting in a pool. You put in a pool because YOU want a pool, NOT because it adds value to your house. Realistically, we don't expect our addition to add much value to the house at all when we sell it. However, it's already added TONS of enjoyment to us. Also, we have absolutely no plans to move.

We added on a new game room over our garage, so that our former game room could become my office (I work out of our house). We found a TERRIFIC contractor who completed the job in 7 weeks. That included recarpeting and repainting the entire inside of our house as well as the addition. We absolutely love the addition and have no regrets. We added on two years ago.

I worked with a guy who I suspect had a house situation similar to yours. They had an older bungalow in a neighborhood they loved. To add on, they added an entire second story. They moved out for 6 months while the work was going on because with two small children they just couldn't live in a house without a roof. If you add on a second floor, you ought to plan to move out while the work is being done. That will mean putting most of your belongings in storage, plus the rent on the apartment. My coworker's family said the experience was a HUGE hassle for those months, but they love their house and are glad they did it.

My advice:

Sit down and decide exactly what work you want done to your current house to make it worth it to stay. You need to know what you want out of a remodeling before you get estimates.

Next, get SEVERAL estimates -- at least 5. It can be cheaper to add on than to move, but remodeling is more expensive per square foot than new construction. The estimates can help you decide if moving or remodeling is more practical. If you're doing a big addition, ask if you can stay in the house during construction or if you would need to move out. If the work can be done 2 months faster because you're not there, that's something else to consider.

For a big addition, like adding on that second floor, or even a significant addition to the first story, definitely hire an architect. (We didn't for our job, but it was because we had a 2 story house with a 1-story garage. It was easy to rip off the garage roof and incorporate another room into the rest of the house.)

Ask the contractor where trash will be kept, what times workers will be working, how long you'll be without water/power/a roof, how they get permits for their work, etc.

Ask the contractor how they'll be paid! Most (reputable) contractors will want to be paid when a significant chunk of work is done. For our job, we wrote a check about every week to 10 days. For example, the first week we paid for demolition of our old roof, framing of the new room, and roofing. Second week we paid for walls, insulation, and wiring. The reason you want to pay in chunks like this is that you can be fairly sure that the subcontractors are being paid. The contract should be written such that, once you pay off a chunk of work being done (like the roof), then *you* are not liable if that contractor isn't paid. BE VERY CAREFUL. It can be very tempting for contractors to use cash from one job to cover late payments from another!! You want to be sure that *your* subcontractors are being paid so that they don't come after *you* for more money. And yes, we knew people who got stuck in this situation when the contractor's business went under during construction :-(.

Talk to both the contractor and your homeowner's insurance about liability during construction. Who pays if a worker is injured? Who pays for water damage if it rains while your roof is off? Find out what coverage you have.

I'm not saying any of this to scare you off of remodeling, but it *is* a decision that requires a lot of thought and a lot of groundwork if you're going to be happy with the results.

 

[marie1203]

We haven't done a big remodel we just change all our flooring a few months ago. My DH was deployed so that wasn't a big deal. I will never do any other project while I am living in the house. I love thing clean and organized everything everywhere was stressing me out just to see it. We have 5 dogs to work around it. we probably will be moving in the next year or two and I decided that all the changes that we want will happen before we move including painting.