Add on or demo & put up modular?? (modular home, buy)

[regarese]

My friend and her husband are trying to decide what to do with their house. They have a cape in EB and have decided that they do not want to sell and buy another but they need more space. They are trying to decide whether to do an addition or tear down the house they have and put up a modular. Her husband is very handy and has connections in the construction world so he may be able to do a lot of the interior work himself, but may not want to commit that kind of time either. So what are the pros and cons of their choices? Again-selling is not an option. She's a stay at home mom, they are happy to be able to send their kids to EB, and their taxes are pretty reasonable where they are at. They understand that they will go up once they add on, but they want to stay on the property they are at.
Thanks for any info I can pass on.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by regarese

My friend and her husband are trying to decide what to do with their house. They have a cape in EB and have decided that they do not want to sell and buy another but they need more space. They are trying to decide whether to do an addition or tear down the house they have and put up a modular. Her husband is very handy and has connections in the construction world so he may be able to do a lot of the interior work himself, but may not want to commit that kind of time either. So what are the pros and cons of their choices? Again-selling is not an option. She's a stay at home mom, they are happy to be able to send their kids to EB, and their taxes are pretty reasonable where they are at. They understand that they will go up once they add on, but they want to stay on the property they are at.
Thanks for any info I can pass on.

after doing a couple of renovations, I would vote for doing a tear down versus a renovation. You need to crunch the numbers to see if it makes financial sense. When you renovate there are always issues tying the old to the new and sometimes it is just easier to start from scratch, you can plan it exactly the way you want without the compromises of renovation.

[njmom8]

As an interior designer, I couldn't let this go by without commenting. Unless you spend big $$$, an addition/ renovation will have more charm, character, curb apeal, etc. than new construction. I have seen many capes with a 2nd story put on, and maybe a porch addition, that look adorable. On the other hand, we all know the cookie cutter boxes that are put up in place of a small home torn down. Try to balance the desire for space, with the need for quality and design integrity.

Just my two cents...

[hrjersey]

My brother is a contractor and he would tell you that sometimes it can be cheaper to tear down BUT he would never recommend a modular home.

[BobKovacs]

The economics of teardown vs renovate/addition depend on the condition and layout of the starting point. If the structure is capable of supporting any additional loads, and the existing layout can be salvaged at least in part, it'll normally be cheaper to renovate and add on. If the structure is weak, or the layout requires major changes already, a teardown may end up being more cost effective.

WRT modular construction, they've come a long way in recent years, and I wouldn't hesitate to put one up if I needed to get closed in quickly. Their main advantage is time savings- cost differences between stick-built and modular aren't that great, especially if you start getting really custom.

Bob

[regarese]

Thanks for all the responses everyone. I'll let her know your input