Remodeling working farmhouse - need advice!

10 years ago

Hello! I have been reading GardenWeb for my garden for years. An upcoming house remodel has gotten me reading the home forums and I would love to hear what all the good advice givers have to say! My DH and I live in a 2 (maybe 3) bedroom ranch-style house his grandparent's built in 1970. His aunt and uncle moved in and remodeled in the early 90s, and DH bought the house about 5 years ago and did a lot of basic work like flooring and new windows, but no actual 'remodeling', and nothing to the kitchen! My husband is a farmer and we live at the main farm, and I cook, can, freeze, and preserve a lot, so a very functional home design is a must. I want a kitchen that can go for 30 years with minimal updates, and I really like the semi-fitted style (not all built ins, incorporating family pieces like hutches and Hoosier cabinets). A must-have is a real mudroom/office that DH can run a business out of. We would like to add a master bedroom and bath as well if possible. Our house faces north, but we are planning to add a 'wing' on to the south side. We have a grain handling setup to the southeast and my garden to the southwest. I would also really like a porch/sunroom area to keep plants and have a sunny seat. We are short on south facing windows now, and I really want to get as much sunny south exposure as possible. Any and all suggestions are welcome. DH's grandma says she has the original plans somewhere, so I will post those if/when they are located. Picture below is of the north side of the house, but it gives an idea of style.
Thank you!

This post was edited by LizinIN on Sat, Jan 11, 14 at 14:08

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Comments (4)

User
10 years ago
Budget will play the big part in how well you will realize your dreams. Will you DIY any of the work? Do you have friends and family who will contribute their time and skills? All of ghat will stretch your dollars. Is this a more modest project than the national average master suite addition which costs 100K and national average kitchen project which costs 55K? Even if you livein a lLowe cost of living area, you are proposing a large project that will cost you far more than you may think it will at this beginning investagory stage. Getting a local architect and builder's input would be valuable research for you to do.
LizinIN
Original Author
10 years ago
Hollysprings, we are in a low cost of living area, luckily, so I think we can stay under the national average cost. We have the skills and tools to DIY a reasonable amount of the project, and the estimate we get from the builder will probably determine the percentage we plan to DIY. This whole thing started with needing a new roof, so we have also talked about simply building on the square footage we think we will want and using it as a mudroom for a few years, finishing out rooms as the budget allows. Right now we have enough space with just the 2 of us, we simply really, really, really need a mudroom, and our current kitchen is kind of falling apart. The master bed/bath addition is kind of a 'while we're at it' idea, and hopefully we will need it in the not too distant future!
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lavender_lass
10 years ago
We live on a family farm, too. I think your ideas sound wonderful...lots of south facing windows are so nice, especially if you have a long winter! I think a sunny room (sun porch, living area) looking out at your garden would be a great addition, along with a new master.

Are you sure you want to combine the mudroom and office? Could you have a little nook, maybe tucked between the mudroom and kitchen? Maybe a pantry on one side and the office on the other? When you post your plans, it will be easier to see what's possible :)
User
10 years ago
Any expansion to the south will require a complete change of roof structure. That, plus installing a new foundation will increase the cost a great deal.

How about converting the current garage into the mudroom and maybe moving the kitchen into part of that space plus what ever part of the house is necessary. You could then add new southern facing windows as desired.

The sunroom could be incorporated into the new garage.

You could build a new garage and connect it with a breezeway.