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kiwigem_gw

Would you keep this accessory structure/ cottage?

Kiwigem
9 years ago

Hi, everyone. DH and I are in the middle of a rather perplexing decision. We go back and forth on it quite a bit, and would love your feedback.

The property we are building our new house on has a decrepit little1950's ranch house on it which we will be demolishing. Sometime in the 80's or 90's the PO added a 550 square foot master suite with a covered porch. While the main body of the house is on a slab, the addition has a full basement and is in good shape.

We are toying with the idea of only tearing down the original part of the old house and leaving the room addition as a detached office for DH which could be used as a guest cottage a few times a year.

The property is zoned for one dwelling, so the cottage couldn't have a kitchen or be a proper "granny flat"; just a bedroom, bathroom, and basement.

While DH has always claimed to "want" a private office at home, now that he has the opportunity he's not sure he wants to commit. The idea of a guest cottage sounds so amazing while all the kids are living at home (we don't have a spare guest room and our best friends and most family live out of town) but once the kids move out it might feel like overkill. The property is 3.5 acres, so it won't overwhelm the landscape- but it could overwhelm us, lol.

Anyone have any experience with a detached office/studio/guest cottage they'd like to share or any observations?

Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • Katie S.
    9 years ago

    I believe it greatly increases your demolition costs if you are trying preserve some of the structure. Also, it seems that a seldom-used building has high potential to become a rodent motel

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    I love our accessory buildings, but it will require heat/cool energy to operate. Esp if you live in an area that freezes and want to keep water on year round. So it's up to you whether the payoff will be there or not for the extra effort.

    Ours are not heated or cooled (barn, garden shed, outhouse) and do see their fair share of rodents and such. But then again, we aren't sleeping there.

  • lookintomyeyes83
    9 years ago

    Agree with previous posters. Also, if you are only zoned for one residence, you may have to completely demolish the old house to meet the requirements of your Zoning Authority; saving a portion of it may not be an option.

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you everyone! It would be considered an accessory structure, so it would be permissible. There are several homes with detached offices and studios in the area. The point about increased demolition costs is one I hadn't thought of, and it makes a lot of sense.
    Rodent motel... eeeewwwwwww.......

  • Oaktown
    9 years ago

    My experience: it depends.

    If they're basically two independent houses, you're facing a potential PITA as far as maintenance unless the cottage is often in use. What is the heating/cooling/plumbing/sewer situation? How far from the new house? For our family, private office was a yes, but office located in another building was a no. If your DH doesn't want a detached office, maybe the kids would use a clubhouse? How often do you have visitors who would stay in a guest cottage?

    I think extra buildings are great in the abstract, but you might find that with the expense and time it takes to maintain, you'd rather send visitors to a hotel.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    Oh, what I would give for a detached guest cottage! Mtnrdredux did an adorable little cottage. See link below. Maybe she will chime in.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Thread re mtnrdredux cottage

  • shiltsy
    9 years ago

    Considering the fact that I'm building a house now and planning an outbuilding in the next couple of years, I would absolutely keep it... but everyone's situation is different. I can do a home office in the lower level and would use the outbuilding for toys.

    Even if demo costs are high, a structure with a full basement would definitely be valuable to many people.

  • lavender_lass
    9 years ago

    What is the value of the cottage? How much will it cost to tear it down? How expensive is D-Con?

    I would definitely keep it! What if one of your kids doesn't want to or cannot afford to move out? Or you decide you want your own space? Do you have any hobbies?

    I really don't see the upside of tearing it down...

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    My parents' winter home has a "casita", a little guest house attached to the the detached garage, as do most homes in their community. Some owners use it as a poolhouse, some as an office, some as a studio, most have it double as a guest room. It sounds as though your DH would use it regularly as his home office, yes? So I wouldn't worry about rodents any more than in your own house.

    But, could you attach it to your house with a hallway, or orient the garage in between it and the house?

  • mushcreek
    9 years ago

    I would try to keep it. Properly detailed, rodents shouldn't be able to get in. Unless it's really ugly, I see it as an asset for various uses. While you're considering costs- Have you considered the cost of removing and filling in the basement? I would think that removing the portion that's above grade could be $$$.

  • bus_driver
    9 years ago

    Zoning! Don't you just love it when the omniscient ones have made all your decisions for you? Just as your parents did when you were age 6.

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for chiming in! All your thoughts are exactly why we keep going back and forth on the subject. It's one of those decisions where a reasonable person could land either way, and it feels as though figuring out what is best for us would require a crystal ball.
    I'm off to read about mtnrdredux's cottage to see if it sways us either way...

  • Kiwigem
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh my! Mtnrdredux's is positively gorgeous. Ours would be a bit more utilitarian :-)

    We were completely gung-ho about it when we started building... then we realized that our basement is enormous. We didn't realize how big it would seem. That's when we started to think the idea of even more space was over the top. There is plenty of room to finish a home office and guest suite in the walkout basement. Doesn't have the same charm as a guest cottage, though, does it?