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With real estate being so expensive now and not wanting to move to a 55+ community, we are thinking about keeping our 3200 sq ft, 15 yr old house in a quiet suburban area and want to update the interior. Would like to turn it into our forever home by converting a rarely used Living room & Dining room into a 1st floor master bedroom and full shower stall bathroom to create first floor living. There would be 4 bedrooms upstairs with including a master suite. (Our family and grands always come to visit our family home which is why it’s dear to us!) We have a large eat in kitchen that flows into a spacious family room. There is a study across the foyer from the living room, that can be converted to a midsize dining room or flex room.
~My concerns are for future resale by doing away with the dining room :
**Are there families out there who would find this floor plan attractive? Especially those looking to have elderly parents moving in, older kids having to come back home, or planning for their own future retirement needs on a first floor while accommodating family and friends upstairs?
~ Just trying to weigh this renovation as it changes the original floor plan.
Any thoughts or input would be so appreciated!
I don't think that would hurt or help either way. If you're going to stay, do it. I expect most folks (older) that might be upset by the missing formal dining room would also appreciate a first floor master suite.
My first thought is if this is your forever home - resale is a non issue for you. Do what makes you happy. You don't say if you have another bathroom on the first floor of the house. That would be important - you don't want people needing to access your master suite to use the bathroom.
I moved to a 2B 2B condo when I retired. I turned the dining area into a den and moved my eating area to the large wrap around enclosed porch. Works for me.
I would do it a first floor master and bath is a must if your going to age in place. We have a 2 story home but our master is on first floor. Have you thought of putting in an elevator or a chair lift? It may cost less to do that.
I would sell and purchase a smaller one level home with extra rooms/space that would get used regularly. . . why clean, heat and cool dead space, simultaneously you’d get rid of clutter ( win/win). . . .sooner is better than later, father time is unforgiving, as one ages stairs get harder to climb and areas more difficult to clean.
What do you mean by a big 55+ community? The Villages or the original Sun City are big communities. 5000 homes? 10000 ? What is big to you? I know Sun City has over 27,000 and The Villages even more.
I'm also curious about what you think a 55+ community is. Are you talking Active Adult with golf, tennis, pools? Or some senior living building? When you said Coddled it made me wonder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary2014
My first thought is if this is your forever home - resale is a non issue for you. Do what makes you happy. You don't say if you have another bathroom on the first floor of the house. That would be important - you don't want people needing to access your master suite to use the bathroom.
I moved to a 2B 2B condo when I retired. I turned the dining area into a den and moved my eating area to the large wrap around enclosed porch. Works for me.
Forgot to mention there is a nice size powder room next to the study! Thank you!!
It's a BIG change. But if you choose to do it... then do it VERY VERY well.
Have a few contractors coming over to give estimates to do this and will make a decision from there. Yes, if we move forward will do it very well. Thank you so much!
From what I've heard, there is now a demand for single level homes. In the 1980's the trend was for lofts and upstairs bedrooms. But Boomers aged and now they can't get up there.
I'd say go ahead and convert. Live how you want, don't worry about resale. However, I would also look into a lift? Those tubular home elevators look very cool.
I would not feel good if there is a part of the house that I can never get to. Thinking long term, without a lift, you really depend on others to tell you if, say, the roof is leaking up there. Or if you hear noise upstairs, you can't even investigate.
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