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[Lilysmom]

Lynne, if you do go ahead with this reno and this will be the home you stay in, make it elder friendly. Make your doors extra wide so they are wheelchair accessible. Make your bathroom accessible also ... Perhaps a walk in shower, lots of grab bars etc. Consider in floor heat for the bathroom. We did this when we built our house @ age 50 as this is our retirement home. Good luck to you with your decision. LM

[Sweetbay magnolia]

How's access to the construction site, and where are your utilities located? (overhead lines pose a problem sometimes). Is there fencing that could get in the way? How much restoration to the landscape will have to take place because of the equipment? Is there on-site materials storage available, and can materials be taken to the job site efficiently? I come from a landscaping/construction background and these are the things that I always consider right up front. Where will all the construction vehicles park? How will your neighbors feel about the noise and disruption (bribes may be in order).

Of course, hire a reputable architect and check out zoning/building codes on your own. All good suggestions, in my book. I hope you find a great local builder and maybe even a design/build firm. It helps if they know about your local area's administrative infrastructure.

You have probably considered a lot of this already. I don't think I have the guts to go through all that! Best wishes and I'm sure many here would be fascinated to hear what your process is/was. I know I would.

[Group 5 minus 1]

We made a decision not to move because we lived in the middle of 43 acres of forests. It is beautiful out here. I always say the last thing I want to see in this earthly life is looking out the bedroom window and seeing all the trees.

DH says to tell you we also got another dog run out of it. We put a dog door in the laundry room and had a concrete slab put it and high fencing.

Another hint: we hired movers to help us get our furniture down to the new bedroom. It was much easier than begging friends and family to help. We moved into the addition on my birthday in 2001.

I have heard that it is critical to get and pass inspection. We did.

[queendiva]

Your idea sounds like a good one. Line up the financing, if needed, along with architect and builder. Builder should pull your permits. Yes, your property taxes will go up. Prob all still cheaper than moving. I like the suggestion of hiring a mover at an hourly rate to move your MBR furniture and appliances to their new locations once completed. Sorry- can't help you with the budget. That's for the above named pros. Add 15-20% to the final numbers for the real costs.

[sarpy]

We were so lucky when we moved into this house. It is a 3 br ranch, laundry on the main floor, hardwoods in the kitchen and carpet in the rest of the house. We live in the Midwest and everyone here has carpet because it gets mighty cold in the winter. 3 steps to get into the ranch. We now have someone who mows our yard and just cleaned our landscape for spring. We have a very low house payment because in our state there is a homestead extension . If our income in low enough and our medical bills are high enough and we are over 65, we qualify for a reduction of our taxes. For us it means no taxes. Look into it for you in your state too. You might be surprised. Good Luck!

[Group 5 minus 1]

No carpeting anywhere in our house. We hate carpeting!! We have a carpeted guest room and I would like to have that removed. Because it is never used I can't see putting the money into it.

[Lynneuk]

Lilysmom, that is exactly what we were thinking. Make the addition suitable for old age or disability. My MIL has been in and out of hospital and has just gone into a nursing home. It is so upsetting and depressing visiting all these places and my husband and I said we should do everything we can to be able to stay at home for as long as possible. Hope to be able to get some quotes soon. We have a few recommendations of companies so we will see what happens . If we get some quotes I'll post here and let you all know how much it will cost. May start small with having a wall taken down to make a bigger living area and see how that turns out,lol.

[OnlyShopsOnline]

We have a few more improvements that we need to make to our house. We are also thinking about moving. One thing that has helped me make decisions about home improvement expenses is to compare them to the cost of moving.

Real estate commissions and the various other settlement costs, plus the cost of the move itself, can really add up. (Depending on the state where you live.) And, of course, you will probably want to do some things to your new home...even if it's brand new.

If you are happy where you are, and haven't been able to find another home that you love, then making your home exactly what you want it to be is the perfect solution. And, you'll save the expenses of moving. And, that money can be used for improvements to your existing home.

[Lynneuk]

You're right only shops online. That is what we are thinking too. We looked at a ranch in our own neighborhood last weekend and it was so dated that we would spend so much doing it up that we may as we'll stay here and have exactly what we need. We have done so much to our house since we've lived here, roof, furnace, water heater, hardwoods, windows and doors not to mention a brand new kitchen with quartz counters. It seems to make sense to add on here.

[OnlyShopsOnline]

On 3/31/2015 Lynneuk said: You're right only shops online. That is what we are thinking too. We looked at a ranch in our own neighborhood last weekend and it was so dated that we would spend so much doing it up that we may as we'll stay here and have exactly what we need. We have done so much to our house since we've lived here, roof, furnace, water heater, hardwoods, windows and doors not to mention a brand new kitchen with quartz counters. It seems to make sense to add on here.

It sounds as if you are in the same quandary that we are, lol. I wanted to move to a bigger house about 8 years ago. Then the housing bubble burst and we lost property value. Along with that, we then got to the point where we needed to do the "big things"....heat pump, wood stove insert, roof, siding, brick chimney repair, new sets of Pella doors, and on and on and on, lol. Now, except for the basement, we are just about done.

Also, I now have arthritis in my knees and our current home is a rancher. The only thing I would like to be able to do is get my washer and dryer upstairs. But, there is just no way to do it. So, we're going to redo the basement and laundry room. Then, I can just stay downstairs while the laundry is being done, and not have to run up and down the stairs. When it's all finished, my husband can bring it up for me.

So, now I'm glad we didn't move. Plus, we lost the last of our fur babies recently, so we'll be able to travel again, and I'll be able to go with my husband on business trips. I don't plan on being around here that much anyway.

We may even invest in a little weekend house. If we had moved, we wouldn't have been able to afford to do these things.