Additions and remodels- out vs. up? (sale, house, neighborhood)

[family first]

Curious for all you who have remodeled the house. Is it generally cheaper to add out or build a 2nd story on the stick built homes? The house is built on a slab foundation and I'm thinking of adding a living room/great room and possible bedroom. I've already remodoled in the last two years (new kitchen) and am deciding to do it again. Which way would return more dollars on a sale and which is generally more appealling for more buyers when the time comes to sell? Any info would be helpful.

[ferretkona]

If you build up you may have to strengthen the foundation. Most counties want a 2 foot by 2 foot base on the perimeter.
You will also have to have more sheer walls on the first floor. You may want to consider where you want the stairwell.

It would be quicker and possibly more reasonable to build out. Your rear yard will suffer unless you have a large yard.

On resale it would go either way. Two stories sound fun, untill you live in one. Whatever you need is where you are not, a lot of trips up and down thru the day. Having owned one before, I might but I would rather own a one story.

[mono#9]

I agree--one story is preferable for resale. I just attended a Christmas party where everyone (mostly baby boomers) was talking about their joint replacement surgeries. Once you've gone there, you don't want too many stairs in your life.

[streetscenes]

Overall it's more expensive to build up rather than out. There is more work to do to the older first floor foundation and framing to be able to handle the loads of the new second floor. An exception would be a hillside lot where you would have to do significant site work for a one story addition. For resale value it really depends on the lot size and market for your home. If you have a large lot and your outdoor space won't suffer from an addition I would go with one story. If you are on a smaller lot a second story may make more sense so you won't loose your back yard. If you are in an area where the potential market is seniors or very young families with kids the one story will have more market potential with a one story. The overall value is probably a wash but the time on the market would be less.

[DMenscha]

What all of the above said! IN your area, if you have the room to go out, go out. The snow load factor is going to be the factor which dictates the engineering. If you want contractor recommendations, send me a PM.

[humboldtrat]

Try the House forum.

[family first]

DMenscha...thanks...I will let you know as we get serious. You and I live in the same general area and would know similar names. BTW, where is your office? We have the room to go out and still have large yard left over. Thanks for the info.

[family first]

How many people have converted the garage to add another room? Is it worth it when time comes to sell? I've seen a few garage conversions in my neighborhood and they didn't look to nice on the outside. Granted, it would be a nice way to gain another room, but I don't like the idea of giving up my garage.

How many people are also doing un permitted jobs???How does that work when you go to sell?? I hear people say they do these all the time and forget the permits???

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by family first

How many people are also doing un permitted jobs???How does that work when you go to sell?? I hear people say they do these all the time and forget the permits???

If the buyer makes an issue of it, they can make you go get a permit and inspection. Then you find out it was done wrong and the city makes you spend thousands fixing it. On the other hand, if the buyer doesn't say anything and buys it, its his problem now.

[DMenscha]

Make life easy on yourself and get the permit. It can get very dicey when you go to sell the property and don't have the permits. As pointed out above, the buyer will discount the offer price if the proper permits haven't been pulled far in excess of what the permit costs.