Adding on to a too-small house?

[fuzzybee]

I’ve been looking around my area for property that I could potentially have horses on. Unfortunately, most places with a large enough house and decent, useable land for horses is out of my price range. There are quite a few 2-bedroom homes that are in my budget, or at least within negotiating room. Some of them even have barns and outbuildings and some fencing in place.

But I have a family of 4, and possibly 5 if my mother ever decides to come live with us. I’ve BTDT with the kids sharing a room and not at all eager to go back to that (they keep each other awake at night, no one can get away and have a quiet space to themselves, etc.). Plus my mom would want a separate but attached space where she could feel independent but still have help a moment away.

My thoughts with some of these two bedroom homes would be to add on with a master suite, and a second “generational suite” as home builders are sometimes calling them. Basically, it would be a bedroom, bathroom, small living space with small kitchenette.

I have no idea how much it would cost to add on to a house. Has anyone here done something similar? I wouldn’t want to get terribly fancy, and I’m not concerned with the price of trimmings, etc., just the cost of the basic construction to get to the point of finishing it. It would have to be ground level, as my mom has mobility issues. I would be ok with our master suite being above the generational suite (mother-in-law quarters? I’ve also heard that term) if that cuts construction costs, as long as it flows well with the rest of the house. Any thoughts or can anyone give me a ballpark on what something like that could cost? We are in the upper Midwest, if that helps for construction costs.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=fuzzybee;8560381]
I’ve been looking around my area for property that I could potentially have horses on. Unfortunately, most places with a large enough house and decent, useable land for horses is out of my price range. There are quite a few 2-bedroom homes that are in my budget, or at least within negotiating room. Some of them even have barns and outbuildings and some fencing in place.

But I have a family of 4, and possibly 5 if my mother ever decides to come live with us. I’ve BTDT with the kids sharing a room and not at all eager to go back to that (they keep each other awake at night, no one can get away and have a quiet space to themselves, etc.). Plus my mom would want a separate but attached space where she could feel independent but still have help a moment away.

My thoughts with some of these two bedroom homes would be to add on with a master suite, and a second “generational suite” as home builders are sometimes calling them. Basically, it would be a bedroom, bathroom, small living space with small kitchenette.

I have no idea how much it would cost to add on to a house. Has anyone here done something similar? I wouldn’t want to get terribly fancy, and I’m not concerned with the price of trimmings, etc., just the cost of the basic construction to get to the point of finishing it. It would have to be ground level, as my mom has mobility issues. I would be ok with our master suite being above the generational suite (mother-in-law quarters? I’ve also heard that term) if that cuts construction costs, as long as it flows well with the rest of the house. Any thoughts or can anyone give me a ballpark on what something like that could cost? We are in the upper Midwest, if that helps for construction costs.[/QUOTE]

May want to try posting this on the OT forum?

There is more discussed there about houses themselves.

[goodhors]

Always cheaper to go up for more space, than expanding the footprint too much. A 2-story addition, putting more room upstairs, could be slightly cheaper for the kids room spaces, plus yourself.

We added a second story to our house, gained 3 good size bedrooms, bathroom, small nursery size room now used for sewing. Lots less costly than expanding on the ground floor.

You might also check out “tiny homes” which come in all kinds of floor plans. You could just get a prefab one, drop it in the back yard on a slab for Mom. Attach it or not, but would have what you wanted in rooms, one floor level to get around on with the mobility issues. Specify wide doorways when ordering, at least 36" for possible wheelchair needs later.

We lucked out having BIL as the Carpenter, he got stuff around quickly, finished all the adding, new roof, in short order. Not quite 3 months start to finish. Great addition, we love it.

We had an architect draw the plans. BIL did modify them a bit, but it came out well.

[Jim_in_PA]

It’s always a good idea to work with an architect or design/build firm to determine what the possibilities are as well as insure that what comes up will meet local jurisdictional requirements. Plenty of folks have added on to existing structures, but there are many considerations relative to what can work with a given existing structure…engaging a pro is worth the investment to insure a successful project can be planned.

We added 2200 sq ft onto an 1900 sq ft structure in 2008. While I came up with most of the initial ideas, it took an experienced architect to work out the intersections with the existing structure for elevation, roofline, etc., and also to produce the official plans for approval by the township.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

You can usually get an idea from local builders on cost per sq foot.

But what I wanted to add was don’t make the mistake of overlooking if your HVAC (including vent size) and electrical, etc. can support it, or if you will need to do extensive changes on the existing structure too. I’ve seen that done badly.

[NoSuchPerson]

I bought some property with an older 2 br, 1 ba house on it. I looked into adding on. I was thinking a master br+ba and laundry room, as my washer and dryer are outside in a shed next to the house.

The general consensus was that it would be cheaper and easier to just tear the house down and build new.

My house was built in 1960, so:

As soon as they made the first cut in the structure, I would have lost all my code grandfathering and had to bring everything up to current code.

If they cut any walls, they had to scrape paint down to the bottom layer and send it off for testing. If there was any lead, there had to be a complete EPA lead remediation done (think moon suited workers).

Adding another bathroom would mean that I would lose my septic tank grandfathering and be forced to have the tank and drainfield evaluated. I was told that I would definitely have had to put a larger septic tank in and potentially redo the drainfield.

And so on and so on. I decided to just embrace the Tiny House movement and put the local bed & breakfast on speed dial for guests.

[babecakes]

And, keep in mind that it is more expensive to haul all the excavation equipment, laborers, and pour footings, rough in HVAC and do electrical, hire subcontractors, for a ‘small’ job. That cost averages out less per volume. Don’t short change yourself, do it right the first time so plan wisely.

[js]

See what the average cost is per square foot to build in your area and that will give you a general idea.

[PNWjumper]

We’re doing this right now and we’ve been told by many people to estimate $150-$200 per square foot. Though that could vary, of course, by where you’re located.

We’ve gone through estimates from several builders and the actual estimates are ALL over the place! We have a 2br 1.5 bath house, and we want to add a living room and master suite off of one corner (our house is already 2 stories and going up doesn’t make sense) for a total of about 800 sqft.

So our numbers for adding that space and then remodeling the kitchen and a couple of other minor improvements:

First estimate = $850k (builder didn’t want the job and is an a-hole)
Second estimate = $350k (builder is busy and it wasn’t worth his time unless he made bank, apparently)
We ended up getting the kitchen ready to go through a different person, so the last two estimates don’t include the kitchen and are just the addition:
Third estimate = $130k
Fourth estimate = $85k

Our goal is to spend somewhere around $150k, and we were starting to think it was impossible. But the last two builders have been great to work with and I think that we finally have a realistic plan in place.

Also, as someone else suggested, you might take a look at the small house trend that’s been going on as an idea for your mom. There are some neat “kits” that you can buy that seem like they would be way less expensive than a traditional addition.

[Tornado_Run_Farm]

I did this 3 years ago - constructed a 2-story, 800 sq. ft. addition, renovated every room inside my house, installed fiber cement siding on the whole exterior, constructed a new deck, as well as put on a new roof. I went the UBuildIt route, and am thrilled with the results. I saved a lot of money. However, I know it’s not for everybody. You have to invest a lot of time, and you have to be very comfortable with being in control and making decisions.

If you’re not familiar, the UBuildIt concept is that you hire a project manager (for a set fee), and you act as your own contractor. The UBuildIt manager is the liaison between his lists of licensed subcontractors, who bid for your job, and you. You have the option to use any of them or use your own, but you pay them directly. The UBuildIt manager guides you through the whole building process, keeps track of the budget, directs you on how to obtain permits, offers advice, acts as trouble-shooter and resolves any issues. He also inspects all subcontractor work.

This concept worked for me since I was self financing, and no banks were involved. It also gave me the luxury of doing it within my own time frame. (I even took a 4-month hiatus over the summer from all construction.) I did a lot of the work myself - all the painting & staining, which also saved money.

Anyway, if you have the time, this may be an option.

[arapaloosa_lady]

Most 2 bedroom homes are older, so you would lose all of your grandfathering when you start renovations.

In the area that I am looking, the easiest & least expensive route is to buy land with a homesite and put down a modular home. There are some really nice modular homes these days.

[fuzzybee]

Thanks everyone! You’ve given me a lot to think about and good places to start searching.

It sounds like the easiest would be to keep searching for something large enough for us…I have seen a few with walkout basements that would work but they are generally an hour’s commute away which isn’t so fun, especially in winter.

The small “granny flats” or tiny houses (I guess they are officially known as Accessory Dwelling Units) are very cute and an intriguing idea. I would have to find out more as far as zoning, site prep, etc. Mom also really wants an attached garage, so I will have to see if they have plans that include those (I’m guessing probably not!)

I also found a few plans online for in-law suite additions. One of those sites also included an estimated cost to build, and for what we would need it looks like we would spend $40,000 to $80,000 for just the in-law suite. Might be doable if the main house is ok, but like a few of you have pointed out, if we have to bring the whole house up to code that isn’t going to work out so well.

I guess we will keep searching for the right house. Inventory is very low right now, but we aren’t looking to move right away. Time frame is 1-3 years from now. Mom has offered to contribute to the house shopping budget if she does decide to live with us but we will have to consider that carefully. That idea doesn’t really sit well with me…

[Jim_in_PA]

If you like a property for everything except the small home on it…don’t walk away from that property without considering either a tear-down or retaining the small structure as a rental after you build what you want (stick or modular) to better suit your own needs. Many times, properties with land come up that are “from a different time” when folks lived more modestly out of choice or necessity, especially as older folks pass away or need to move to different living situations. Those are opportunities to get a great property and make it your own.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=fuzzybee;8562022]
Time frame is 1-3 years from now. Mom has offered to contribute to the house shopping budget if she does decide to live with us but we will have to consider that carefully. That idea doesn’t really sit well with me…[/QUOTE]

there is sort of possible problem that if you were to need to place her into a nursing home under Medicare or any state program financial transactions for a period before the transfer (the 60-month Lookback Rule) are closely reviewed to see if there was an attempt to hide assets

[fuzzybee]

[QUOTE=clanter;8562240]
there is sort of possible problem that if you were to need to place her into a nursing home under Medicare or any state program financial transactions for a period before the transfer (the 60-month Lookback Rule) are closely reviewed to see if there was an attempt to hide assets[/QUOTE]

Good point, I never even thought about that. The plan isn’t to have her go to a nursing home, but I realize one can never say never, and if it becomes necessary we would have to consider it. I would prefer for her to keep her money, anyway.

[ReSomething]

Yeah, I’m in the get a good Architect camp too, although it totally depends where you are. KY is all over the map as each county has different rules. Some places keeping the old house is all that will let you have a house there at all, so no teardowns, you have remodel it to death but save that one wall!

Very old homes you get to keep the unique older features while adding modern insulation or plumbing in a new wing, say. But it will always take money or sweat.

[JanM]

One way to avoid co-mingling of money is for you to build or add on to a house, and your mother becomes a tenant. That way there won’t be any ownership or Medicare issues in the future. I’m thinking an added on duplex with a common door for emergencies, or for visits without going outside would be the easiest. You could also build the MIL side with ADA/handicapped standards.

Plus, if you do it that way, then you could do the add on from scratch, and it would automatically have upgraded utilities, because it’s new, and would be up to code. I think a separate septic tank would be a good idea, so you don’t overwhelm the capacity of the existing tank, and with it’s own HVAC system.

[King_s_Ransom]

Just one red flag: be sure you check the applicable zoning / construction codes. I live in a stupid-strict county where I am guessing real estate developers got themselves in charge and are thinking we are going to be the next major metropolitan area (we are NOT!). At any rate, there are code restrictions that could nix your plans. In my stupid county:

1. You cannot have an auxiliary dwelling. Period. No apartment over the barn, no mother-in-law quarters, no tiny house, no modular home, nothing. One residence per parcel of land, no matter the size. If you want to add another residence, you must split the property and you must do so according their (many) rules. If you have 100 acres, you can only have one dwelling on it. If your kids want to build a house on the back 20, you have to parcel that off and deed it over to them.

2. You cannot add a bedroom or a bathroom to an existing house. Seriously. That’s a rule. The “explanation” is that a bedroom implies more people living in the house, which would mean more water / sewer usage. And no, you cannot add a bathroom, period. Even if you are on septic or a lagoon. You just can’t do it.

Now, people violate these rules all the time because we are, in fact, a very rural county and they can’t police everything. I had a plumber come to do some work for me and he offered, unsolicited, “If you want a bathroom in your barn, just let me know. The county says you can’t have one, but I put them in all the time.”

Hopefully your county is not as nuts as mine, but I’m just saying to be sure before you just assume you can do as you want on your own property.

[Romany]

Search Houzz by your zip code for a pretty accurate $$ on specific renos, additions, etc.