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jeanniemer

Renovation - please review plans and find issues!

JeannieMer
12 years ago

We have a 1600sf house in Maryland, and we are adding 15 feet to the side + up 3 stories, and finishing the entire attic space. Total after the renovation: 2600sf.

FIRST FLOOR: Adding a mudroom + family room + powder, combining the kitchen and dining area into one large space

SECOND FLOOR: adding the master bath/closet, bathroom and bedroom #2 and converting the existing bath to laundry

ATTIC: adding two rooms and a bathroom

The pics below are the architects 2nd set of plans. For the most part these work, but we are interested in knowing if there are any huge issues that we should bring up...this is our first renovation.

There are a few specific questions that we'd like help with as well:

- where should we be adding built in shelving?

- when adding a bath in the attic, is it better/cheaper to add above an existing bath? Is this a large cost differential?

- should we add a radiator to the powder room if there is a radiator in the mudroom?

- is the family room well laid out, or should be reconfigure?

- can the master bath/closet be better configured? It is 15 x 12.5 [14.5 at the bump out] and it is very difficult to configure with 2 closets and a separate toilet compartment + two sinks. We would like a large shower instead of a small shower + small tub.


Your advice is appreciated!

Here is a link that might be useful: More about this Renovation including Kitchen Layout

Comments (9)

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    I would try to let the window in the M bath closet be seen from the bedroom even if the sill is high to allow privacy and a dresser under it. The toilet compartment could be narrower and the space used more effectively.

    The toilet on the 3rd floor seems like a long walk from the bed. OK for the youngsters.

    Nice to see a hand drawn plan. It's hard to believe that was the only way to design a building once upon a time.

  • chisue
    12 years ago

    It all looks fine to me. However, I have to ask why you would add a three level addition instead of moving or building new. Perhaps the house is historic? Maybe this would make more sense if we could see the 'rest' of the house, but in the end you will have a half-old, half-new structure.

    We set out to remodel a 1950's ranch on a lovely lot in a neighborhood we loved. We didn't do that. We took the advice of a bank appraiser instead. We did a teardown and built a new home. We would never have recouped the remodeling expense, but the new house is worth more than we spent.

  • JeannieMer
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    HI, the link below provides more information. Thanks, yes, I WILL ASK that the bathroom be moved. And I am working on the master bathroom/closet area, have a few ideas, and most comments relate to the light...

    Note, we are only adding 7 feet of foundation, but the house is sloped [see the bottom of the link below, and we gain 15 feet on the second and third floors. A new home of 2600sf in our neighborhood on a 1/10 acre lot would cost $1.4 million. We are expecting the addition to be $300K tops [hope we are not dreaming...] and our home is worth $900K approimately. We considered moving, but our house is so small, that buying another lot with a tear down house on it would be about $900K as well + moving costs. The house is historic [built in 1929], brick, super solid, and in pretty good condition. The cost of construction of a new homw would be much more. It has some upgraded plumbing and electricity already. Hope I have convinced you that we should RENOVATE.

    The addition is in shown in blue!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Extensive Renovation Plans

  • chisue
    12 years ago

    Your existing house is charming, and the addition looks tasteful. I hesitate to argue. You are surely very invested in the plans.

    Can you get some 'ballpark' bids instead of waiting to have detailed plans? (Add at least a 20% 'fudge factor'.) What are quality builders getting per square foot for new homes in your area? Ask a few realtors to value your house 'as is' and with the addition.

    What you plan is a 1000 sq ft new house, including all the most expensive components: kitchen, baths, heating and cooling, electrical. How much will you be doing with the old house to integrate it? Will you re-roof? Buy new HVAC to serve both parts? I'm afraid you'll be at that $1.4 mark, and have to live through the mess for over a year, then discover you could never sell for what you've put into the house.

    The RE market in your area may be stable. In mine, you can buy existing homes for much less per square foot than you pay for new construction.

    Our teardown decision was also informed by a neighbor's experience with a big renovation. They nearly doubled the number of bedrooms and baths. It took almost two years. When they sold, buyers rejected their house for homes that were originally built that size; they could buy them for the same asking price. The house was on the market a long time, and they lost a lot on the eventual sale.

    All RE is local. This may not apply to your area. Just be careful to weigh the total value you'll have after making this extensive addition plus any renovations to integrate the old portion of the house.

  • JeannieMer
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Some shocking numbers???

    What are quality builders getting per square foot for new homes in your area? Median Price Per Square Foot - $450.What is a typical range of cost per square foot to renovate? Is $300 a good estimate? We had the architect tell us about $300K with fudge factor. 1000 square feet, $300K.

    Will you re-roof? Yes, but only the new section, it is 6 inches dropped from the original roof, a clean line. Solar shingles maybe on the new roof. And the bump out in the rear on the existing roof. Metal roof there.

    Buy new HVAC to serve both parts? Existing HVAC is large enough for all floors except attic - considering putting in a separate heat pump there.

    And, there is really no new contruction anywhere close for under $1.8 mil. in my area.

    Thanks for the advice, thoughts.

  • chisue
    12 years ago

    It's been my experience that architects seldom know much about current construction costs. If builders in your area are getting $450/sq ft, that's what it costs. (You aren't including lot costs, right?) Your insurance agent should have building cost figures for your area.

    Have you had an HVAC person estimate loads and use? It's surprising that your existing HVAC could comfortably serve the enlarged house...unless it is currently over-sized.

    Do many buyers in your area want three floors? How long do you plan to live in this house? (No need to reply. Just food for thought.)

    You would probably get more feedback if you posted on the "Building a House" forum.

  • chaparral
    12 years ago

    One thing to consider is that when architects give you the cost of building per square foot, they typically aren't including the cost of demoing what you have (in order to build it) and the fact that you will be invariably at minimum need to rebuild sections of rooms that adjoin the new addition. We are doing a similarly scoped project. Original estimate were about $300K, bids came in around $400K, and by the time we're done it will be about $450K. (I hope)

    The economic reality is that from a purely financial point of view we would have probably been better off selling and then moving. However we are picky and looked for about 3 years and never found anything we liked in a neighborhood we liked as much. This remodel also will afford us the opportunity to do some "green" upgrades including solar, grey water, and rain water collection.

    We plan on living here a long time and though we are almost empty nesters we hope our kids and eventually their families will enjoy coming back and having elbow room.

    So I guess in conclusion take the estimates with a grain of salt and EXPECT their to be overruns--at least half of which will be due to your own choices. ;)

    For example, we took the opportunity to gut a first floor bathroom at the same time that hadn't really been touched since the house was built in the 50's. And we raised the ceiling height in 2 bedrooms from 8' to 9'. And so on...

    Have fun !!!

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    Even a square foot renovation estimate would normally include demolition. The problem is that it is rarely a reliable indication of the probable project cost regardless of the source. One reason is that it is almost impossible to determine at this stage what needs to be done to the parts of the house that are not directly modified by the work. It should be considered a rough "ball park" estimate until someone is able to do an actual takeoff from complete drawings and specifications. I would guess the architect was shooting high in order to avoid disappointment later. The number sounds high to me.

  • desertsteph
    12 years ago

    I didn't see the adding of a new kitchen in the OP - just a combining of it with DR. that shouldn't be terribly major.

    would you want bookshelves/builtins on either side of the FP? or the bump out? otherwise, I think the FR looks good. french doors to the outside of it?

    I think plumbing over other plumbing is always cheaper. it's closer to connect.

    moving the attic bath to the attic space below the bedroom would make it closer and line up with plumbing below it.

    the mstr bath/closet could most likely be configured in a better way.

    how about in floor heating in the bath off the mudroom? or a wall heater. what climate/area are you in?

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