Hello all, I am a new addition to the forum and am currently vacillating back and forth about doing a major remodel of our house. Our home is a 1960’s bungalow (slightly split level) of about 1100 sq. feet. It has a good flow to it and is bright and open with lots of light. We live in a urban setting and it’s location rocks. When we moved in we updated and modernized by adding a skylight, redoing floors, updating kitchen and bath, removing panelling etc. Well, 5 years and 2 children later, the house is now SMALL!
Here’s the quandry – house prices in our area are high but what you gain for additional $$’s is either way out of town and/or in bad need of further updates. So, we keep going back and forth on the merits of adding say 700 sq feet or so and improving the space efficiency a la Not So Big principles.
Guess what I’m looking for is some general thoughts on whether it is worth it to remodel, pros and cons from those who have gone through it, or the decision process you used to decide.
Hope this is not too vague…once I make a decision, I’ll be back for more advice!
Outtaspace
Replies
i personally would go w/ the add-on.
you like your area, you like your house.
sounds like a winning situation to me.
your only adding on to what you're already are happy w/.
fast eddie
I did a reply post yesterday to the ranch remodel thread stating how much I liked the style of my ranch style home built in 1956. Your post gives me an opportunity to give the flip side.
Your story sounds a lot like mine except I went back and forth for ten years trying to decide whether to remodel or go with new construction. During that time, I kept on making improvements until I got to the point that I did not think I could afford not to stay in the home. It became home to us and I did love the flow of the house and the character that only an older home has. We finally decided to do a major remodel about six months ago. We got hooked up with a designer who missed the cost by 350%...the cost was going to be almost as much as a new house so we decided to demolish the house and build on the same site. It was the best thing that could ever have happened. As we started demolishing, we soon saw that the house was a structural trainwreck. Had we proceeded with the remodel, we would have spent a lot of money only to find out that it needed to be demolished anyway.
My advice to you is to get a structural engineer to look at the house before you make a decision, no matter how attached you are to the place. Its really hard to think about your home in these terms, I know, but it could be costly mistake. Remodeling is extremely expensive.
Oh, by the way, don't wait until your children are grown up. We've been talking about "the house" since the kids were toddlers. We will get the new house finished and my children will only be able to enjoy it a few years before going off to school. And, if you think it is small now, just wait to the teenage years.
Thanks for the response - really useful particularly since I am now back to thinking that we should just do a couple more minor space saving renos and try to stay for another couple of years...obviously still lots more to think about and mull over.
Do you like the schools where you are? You are probably just beginning to get your children to school age, I would guess. What kind of opportunities does the location offer the kids in the long run?
We raised our daughter in a close-in suburb with bus stops a half-block from our front door and a subway station seven blocks away. She could go down town on her own, she could walk to a local business center to see movies and take music lessons, and when she started at the University, she could take a direct bus home with her laundry. She spent one semester of high school going to a school in a further-out suburb and the teens there could not do a thing without cars. And the school was not as good as our local school because it did not have activist parents. We bailed on the "special" program.
Now we live in a close, but not so close, suburb and we are locked into car culture. Our sons, now 7 and 9, will not even be able to ride their bikes to the nearest business center when they are old enough to need that freedom. Living away from the city can be great for younger children, but urban life was wonderful for my daughter. It gave her freedom and confidence and lots to do.
I'd vote remodel, but it depends on your structure and whether you are going up or out. You love the house, you love the location, and you just need some more space. If you are going up and the structure can handle it, great. Many structures can't, which means adding structural support from the foundation up - a very expensive proposition, and you are probably better off not doing it, at least from a financial sense. Additionally, I've seen a lot of before and after pics and when people go up on a bungalow it almost never looks right to me. Also, you need to check on height restrictions in your neighborhood. Some neighborhoods have them to protect a view, so you would be out of luck.
If you are going out, you are guaranteed to need a foundation, which is somewhat expensive, but you don't have to mess overmuch with the existing structure, so this can actually be a cheaper alternative. In that case, you really need to check on setback restrictions, because your house was probably built before the current ones were established, which also means a trip to get a variance. Even if the new part is well within the restrictions, if the existing home is out of compliance you need a variance (at least around here) to make a modification to the footprint.
All that said, if you like it, do it. We added on to our home, and we never expect to realize the cost monetarily. But who cares? We needed the addition, it has enhanced our living experience, we use all the space in our home regularly, and everyone who comes into the house comments on great it is. If I can, I will stay in the house until I retire. There is a lot to be said for liking where you are and making the changes necessary to stay there.
Even if your not thinking of moving you need to consider how much of the money you spend on an addition will be recouped if you sell. A good idea is to find the realtor who sells the most homes in your neighborhood. Ask the realtor to look over your plans and get advice on what items will return value and which will not. This all depends on buyers in your market and will very from region to region.
I live in a neighborhood of older homes. I try and go through all the homes that sell in my neighborhood. I noticed that the homes that were selling for the most money in my neighborhood did not have fancy designer Kitchens, but just average quality Kitchen remodels. The homeowners that spent their money on perserving and enhancing Historic details and adding Family Rooms and second Bathrooms to the older homes appeared to have gotten the highest sales prices. I determined that If I spent too much on a designer Kitchen I likely would lose money at resale.
Good Luck!
Mike K
Amateur Home Remodeler in Aurora, Illinois
Remodeling is the greatest recycling act. Stops the sprawl, you can't put a price on location, if you like it, stay.
I'm in the middle of a long drawn out remodel and we've loved every minute of it.
If you can afford the renovations, are willing to put up with a little mess and disturbance etc and if you actually are excited by getting things exactly the way you want them... then it should be a no-brainer! Go for it.
I think I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to have my favorite house and be able to get it exactly the way that I want it. We still have a few months to go until it is all done, but I am confidant that it will be worth all the hassle and all the expense.
FWIW, before you change a thing, get many bids on all the work needed. It is crazy expensive and you will quickly find little things that you will want to do "while you're at it". That's one expensive phrase! LOL.
edited to add: before you do anything, get a structural engineer out to your house ASAP. That alone might make your decision. That is money very very well spent.
Edited 2/13/2004 9:13:41 PM ET by Mer