What are the height restrictions in the area? Can you go up?
Up would be very expensive. The house has a crawlspace with walls that would need to be beefed up. The floor is built on a post and beam system and there are no bearing walls anywhere in the interior of the home, so no place to support floor joists. Lastly, all exterior walls are 2x4 with celotex sheathing except in the corners so there would be a lot of extra work there as well. Height restrictions are 2 1/2 stories, but, if I'm going to live here a long time I really don't want to add stairs.
Interior room is really not the issue. I think we have enough. A little tight perhaps, but enough. The two primary reasons for thinking about moving in the first place were to have our own place and an opportunity for a larger shop. Both of those fall into the "like" column rather than the "need" column. So, I guess both are optional.
Rob, I agree to a point, but only when we are talking about businesses, a home is not the same. When you close down a business you have certain one time expenses, but when you walk away from a home, you still have to put a roof over your head each month.
As to finances, I do not know Rennie's situation, so I have no way to comment on that, I very much doubt that Rennie is so irresponsible as to let this expansion put him in a bad financial situation, and I'm not saying that you think he is irresponsible either Rob. You are correct that paying off the mortgage is always a good thing, maybe the expansion could be spread over a longer time frame, to defray the cost, while paying more on the mortgage each month?
So if you go ahead with the expansion, you would put a veranda in between the two, or an uncovered porch? Would you grow some shrubs or something fro some privacy?
Thanks Stu. My financial situation is not the greatest, but suffice it to say that I have no debt other than the mortgage and there is more than enough in the bank to pay off the mortgage and live for a few years more without income. I have a low rate mortgage and it makes financial sense for me to keep it because the income I earn on my savings plus the tax benefits of mortgage interest out weight the interest cost of the loan. Not by much, but it is positive.
Yes, the open porch would fill the space between the expanded garage and the bedroom wing. It would have arts & crafts style columns and railing with some shrubbery in front. A walkway would come off the front of the porch opposite the front door and branch out to both the driveway and street.
Looked at the first picture again. You might have to do something with the 2 vent/ exhaust pipes and the chimney could be real close to the new valley also. Without knowing the width of the house, I am thinking the new ridge, over garage, will be higher then the other two ridges. Won't notice it from the front, but you would see a small upside "V" from the back.
My initial looks at this tell me I'll be OK on the vents and the ridge should match the one on the opposite side of the house - but it's something I'll keep my eye on. Thanks.
Rennie,
It's a nice plan, and certainly doable, and it would be aesthetically pleasing to the neighbors, too. There might be a bit of problem with altering the grade on the left side of the driveway, adjacent the birch tree, though. It appears to be a bit steeper drop to the street than the right side.
My one big question, though, is your budget. Unfortunately, $10K doesn't go very far these days. With the grade work, the re-roofing of the whole house, the concrete work, and the materials cost for the addition (assuming you're doing the building work yourself), I'd be thinking something more than triple your estimate.
Contrary to Rob's opinion, I think you should do it. Make the house/shop into what you want to spend the rest of your days in, and let your heirs be the ones to worry about the market value.
You've seen my place. That's what we're doing. We've got/are getting it the way we want to live in it, and we'll let somebody else quibble over what it's worth when we're done with it.
The grade on the left is not as severe as it appears in the photo but worth exploring.
Yes, you are right. If this will likely be my last house it needs to fit only us and our kids can worry about marketability.
I have a firm quote on the roof without the porch and garage extension of $4K. Most of the porch work I would do myself contracting out the tie-in to the existing roof and some of the primary framing. The electrical and interior finishes in the garage would be all me as well. I need to add more for the driveway and, admittedly, I have little experience in pricing that out. I don't believe it will triple, too many hungry contractors and willing friends around here, but it will be more than $10K.
My wife brought up this exact point last night when I was talking to her.
It reminded me of the fact that when we bought our home 12 years ago, the reason it was forsale was that the previous owner had been widowed, and he was now getting remarried, and they wanted a new place to build new memories.
I also have to say that Rob makes a very good point. The financial position of you and your fiancee is really none of our business, but it sounds like you owe quite a lot on this mortgage yet. Please be careful, prudent, and wise with your money!
That said... I believe that this is what you are talking about?
View attachment 45651
And a porch of some sort would fit along the front of the house between those two wings?
Thanks for the drawing Art - you hit it! Janet and I have talked long and hard on this. Yes, we would like our own place, I have spent many hours designing it and we would do it tomorrow if we could. In fact, we could, but it would leave us with less savings than we would be comfortable with. We are both looking at this from a practical stand point. She feels comfortable here. I don't need "things" to remind me that Linda was such a blessing to me for 25 years so most of her things have already been passed on to the kids. What remains in the house is mostly all "me" (the TDW guys can tell you my house is nearly empty as some had to sit on the floor during their visit
). Janet will be bringing some of her furniture with her and we have been working together picking out cabinets and colors for the rest of the interior updates. I have no fear that she will know that this is her house when we are done.
I have never believed in simply agreeing with a friend to make him happy if i cannot in all conscience agree with his point.
Since this is our safe haven from the World outside i will refrain from further realistic comment on this thread as to my line of thinking.
Now as to alterations if they gonna be done I would go with move the garage out sideways. That way the roof pitch continues, it only adds a few extra rafters, you only need to expand roof, front and rear walls to the width required.
Rob, your comments are always welcome. Everyone needs someone to help them keep firmly grounded in reality and kudos to you for taking on the tough job.
Keep it up!
Going out to the side is not an option due to setback requirements. One of the blessings of owning a corner lot.
Rob, if the side is pushed out, then all the trusses would have to be changed out or a beam installed to hold them up. I do also believe that 10,000 is a bit short. Sorry Rennie, not sure this is what you was wanting to hear.
I think the best bet would be find a "very" good local contractor and go from there. Oh, don't get the one's with new trucks. You will be making that payment also.
I hear you on the new trucks.
No truss changes going out to the side, but can't go there anyway. See answer to Rob's post above.
Continued in next post....
