Adding on to a house... how exactly do you go about it?

[flot]

Homeowner question for you guys...

I bought a small house about a year ago, and I should be able to adjust my equity line of credit upwards by about $15,000-20,000 in a couple months. (appreciation)

I have pretty conclusively decided against doing anything with that money other than major home improvements. (IE I won't be using it to pay off a car or credit cards etc) However, it seems to me like the money would be well spent on significant house changes - for instance adding a 3rd bedroom or extending my house a bit out into the backyard. I believe these changes would have a positive impact on the value of the house (it is currently a 2/1, and it has a nice big backyard but no view of it from most of the house) so I think it would be money well spent. Another detractor of the house is that it is just plain plain. It has little architectural interest - but I suspect that could also be dramatically improved by adding on a walled in patio to the front, or some minor changes to exterior walls etc.

However, I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, and I'm really not sure where to start. I'll probably start doing some sketches/plans of my own at first, but when do I bring in a professional? And for that matter, who do I get and how do I find them? Am I looking for an architect at this point, or...?

 

[T2T III]

You could check with a local contractor to see how much per square foot the building costs are in your area. From there, you could determine how large the addition could be. Then, at that point, you could take your sketches to an architect - or, maybe even the contractor might have an architect that he/she works with.

 

[T2T III]

Also, you could use the tools here to give you a basic estimate of how much the costs would run for your area based on whether the addition would have a basement, built over a crawl space or on a slab:

Contractor Estimation Tools

 

[Mermaidman]

Adding to the living area of your house is a good way to increase its value (unlike making it fancier, e.g. a fancy deck), so you're on the right track. Plus your enjoyment of the home would be better. OTOH, the increased value of the house won't be realized until you sell it, and you're adding to your debt. You may even pay higher property taxes! If money is a major concern, paying off the car and credit cards would be a better idea.

I've not remodelled my homes before, but my parents have. My father's an architect and the first thing he did was to draw up some plans. He then got estimates from general contractors. You'll probably need to get permits for altering your property so drastically. Do you have a homeowner's association to consult too? If you know a co-worker, neighbor, or friend who was happy with a remodelling job, get a recommendation.

 

[Ameesh]

i would suggest building as much as you can at the same time, if you can turn a 2/1 into a 4/2 and add some common space, i don't think 20K would cover that in costs but if you can afford it you will totally upgrade your house and probably make a lot more back

 

[flot]

Thanks for the comments guys. The house (ironically) suits my needs just fine, basically I just needed a step up from an apartment so I had somewhere to put my toys. Ideally I'd turn the 2/1 into a 3/2, but not sure if I have the $$ for that.

The really strange thing is that the house has a large backyard for the area, but really only has one small window that looks out into it. If I can work around that and add some sort of den or something to the back, it should be a dramatic improvement. It isn't so much an issue of space but an issue of style. In the simplest addition, I'd basically just be adding an empty room with some french doors, which would then give me a nice view of the yard from the kitchen and living room...

Tiles2Tech, that estimator was pretty interesting. I want to say that construction costs in my area are around $125-150/sq ft (I think I may have gotten that # from my insurance agent) but obviously that'll vary a lot based on what I'm building. Doing a quick estimate on there it said a 20x10 addition would cost $24,000 and a 20x20 addition about $30,000.

Ameesh, you bring up a very good point, and it's something I've been wrestling with since I bought the house. For instance, the back lawn needs new sod (which would probably run $2000-3000 or so) - but I know there's no sense in doing that if I am going to be adding on, because it will all get destroyed in the construction process. Same with the front lawn - I don't want to pay $900 for grass and then 6 months later take it all out if/when I redo the driveway. It'd be great to add on a master bedroom and a bath, and then sort of casually work in the den as well, but doubt that I could swing the $$ since that would involve significant new plumbing, bath fixtures, etc, etc. Ideally I'd be adding a master bedroom/bath, den, pool, and patio... lol... I have a feeling that would set me back about $60k, and would probably increase the house's value by $80k... but then I'd still only be $20k ahead of the game which is exactly where I am now!

 

[MrDudeMan]

first of all, architects know nothing about how the house is made. talk to a builder/contractor and then get it engineered. im not going to get in a pissing match with anyone, but dont be satisfied with what an architect offers you...get it professionally engineered. its worth it.

 

[flot]

DudeMan, I'm not going to get into an architect vs engineer argument, but my problem right now is that the house is in desperate need of an "artistic" touch more than anything else.... Right now it is very square and very ugly - homes in my neighborhood were either built with a lot of flair or none at all, and I need to figure out how to jump the gap. Increasing the square footage of my house will raise its value - but adding style at the same time will be cheaper and raise its likelyhood of selling later.

 

[przero]

Find a GOOD remodeling contractor in youe area.Listen to his ideas, look at some of his work, talk to his customers and decide if he is your man. Continue this process until you find the right guy, then proceed. An architect/engineer will eat up the 20K and never drive a nail.

 

[badmouse]

Try driving around the neighborhood and looking at other houses, and see what other people have done to make their house look interesting. It might give you some ideas. If you live in a neighborhood like mine, and you decide to take some pictures, notify the cops first because people get really nuts.

Check with the zoning/tax/whatever people, or just ask around at the barber shop, and find out which improvements add to your taxes. For example, around here, a deck and an extra bathroom will trigger an increase, but more bedrooms and a kitchen expansion won't, unless they send the sq. footage over certain limits.

Once again in my neighborhood, the main purpose of the architect is that you won't get building approval if you don't have an architect who's professionally connected with the zoning board - and that's even more important if you need variances. Not that architects are bad or anything, but the best ideas I've seen come from either builders or homeowners. After all, if you've lived in the house a while you know what works and what you need to improve.

Have fun, sounds like you know what you're doing.

Edit to add that if you want to change the look of your house, a landscape architect would be worth talking to. They're really good at this stuff.

 

[Squisher]

You have to watch doing expensive home improvements, often you will not recoup the money spent.

Would you say that this home is significantly less in value than the surrounding homes? If so, then I would think about it, but $20,000 won't buy you much.

The exterior looks of a house can often be improved by adding false roof bump outs, porch coverings, shutters, bay windows, siding coverings, landscaping, etc.

 

[XZeroII]

Talk to a local contractor. If you're in FL, I don't think 20k is going to get you much, but it never hurts to see. It really depends on the house you have now. Is your house that nice that adding on to it will make it better? Or will adding on just turn your house into a 2 sided house...one side crummy, one side nice? There is a lot to consider and I would talk with friends and family first and get their oppinion. Lay it out using paint or whatever just to get a rough idea of what you want and show LOTS of people. Get as much feedback as you can, revising your plan as you go. Then talk to the contractor and see how much it will cost to do it. Whatever you do, don't rush into it. I would say get at least 5-10 people to give you advice before talking to the contractor. Good luck.

and remember, PICS??????

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

my neighbors just extended the back of their house and only spent 70K :Q

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: flot
DudeMan, I'm not going to get into an architect vs engineer argument, but my problem right now is that the house is in desperate need of an "artistic" touch more than anything else.... Right now it is very square and very ugly - homes in my neighborhood were either built with a lot of flair or none at all, and I need to figure out how to jump the gap. Increasing the square footage of my house will raise its value - but adding style at the same time will be cheaper and raise its likelyhood of selling later.

i wasnt talking about how to make it look nice...obviously, take it to a good architect for that. i was talking about the actual construction...take it to a contractor and get a bid on materials and labor, then take it to an engineer to get the floor and ceiling designed properly. contractors know how to build a house by "feel" but engineers do it with math..you make the choice

P.S. i work at an engineering firm, so im not talking out of my butt

 

[flot]

Hah, well I appreciate all the comments, guys.

I bought the house as an "investment" as well as a place to live, it is a 2/1 not too far from the beach and about 1100 sq ft. Here in south florida that translated to about $200k. The preivous owner had done all of the necessary updating (recent roof, new low-end kitchen and bath, knockdown walls, new flooring) so in general the house is nice to live in. The odd thing is that the house sits on a deep lot, and is located pretty much within the front 1/3 of it. So I'm smashed up against a road on one side, but have a surprising amount of space on the other side. (Enough for an addition, and a pool, and I'd still have something of a yard)

3/2s in the general area are going for anywhere from $250k-$400k. New construction in the general area is going for $350k (luxury townhouse) to probably $550k for a new 2 story house. In general I think the house would sell better as a 3/2 simply because they are more desirable and practical than a 2/1.

Just today I looked at a house a few streets over (better location, less traffic) which was similar to mine - house was originally 1100 sq ft, and had a 320 sqft addition. Oddly enough, while the addition was "nicely done" they hadn't really updated the rest of the house, which looked pretty well used and obviously needed a facelift. House was listed for $360k and they'll probably get $320k for it.

A landscape architect isn't a bad idea at all - but I've been avoiding that because I know I could easily eat up 5,000-8,000 that way... I put in about $1000 worth of mediumish trees and plants and it was a tremendous improvement, but decided I need to work on more substantial changes first.