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a 3rd garage stall that could be refinished into a 4th bedroom or family room?
a 4th bedroom that could be used as either a small family room or 4th bedroom?
a 4th bedroom
a family room
Smaller rooms but more rooms (4th bedroom, family room but all the other rooms smaller too)
I'll be building as a single senior. I already know I won't be there till I die Wondering what would be least cost to build, but flexible enough to make into a bigger house as house size vs. new build cost is probably going to be an issue. So I of course like the garage idea. I personally don't need a family room or 4th bedroom. And honestly don't know if I can afford it. But I want to lay out all my options. It might be possible to delay somethings or cheap out on some things if its super important. Or maybe have smaller other rooms but keep the overall size something I can afford
Lake lot so don't want to get into the basement scenario. My mothers basement developed water problems after 30 dry years. Sick of dealing with that. Hate second stories, will have the pull down stair to attic for some storage. I should add that the neighbors have one of those 5' cement crawls which is basically a basement that is only 5' tall. They seem popular on lake lots around here although the ones I have seen are a hole in the floor with a step ladder for acccess. I don't know, maybe others value that but I just see myself on the floor yelling "help I can't get up"
I don't know what a crawl is, or why someone would build a retirement home with so many rooms and so large. ???
Anyway, I'm fond of smaller bathrooms & bedrooms, and large living areas. I don't hang out in the bathroom, and when I'm in the BR, I'm in bed. But I'm in the minority, judging from new houses, which have what to me is wasted space in big bathrooms and large bedrooms, but hard to find a place to put the tv in the LR without having to walk through the line of vision between sitting area and tv...because the LR is poorly planned.
What new houses don't have: Storage space, closet space, large living areas without doors in the middle of the wall, solid doors without windows for burglars to peer in.
Good advice 3 bed, 2 bath although do I even need 2 bathrooms? No. Have to do it for resale though yes. Is 1 bathroom and a 3/4 good enough? Hardly anyone takes baths! You need one for bathing little kids then its done. I want one of those low step showers for me and don't want to take up real estate for 2 bathtubs and a separate shower.
Yes, you absolutely have to have a 2nd bathroom. Many people will just bypass your listing if you don't have it, and you'll have to price the home in the realm of a starter home, even if it has 3 or 4 BR.
Just put a traditional tub/shower combo in the hall/guest bath and a stand-alone shower only in the en-suite. This is rather common these days from what I've seen.
At some point everything will be sold.
If that time frame is so short that the sale is a real consideration...
1) absolutely don't build 2) don't buy at all
Kind of what I was thinking. Unless she has a ton of money burning a hole in her pocket and no heirs....
Yes, you absolutely have to have a 2nd bathroom. Many people will just bypass your listing if you don't have it, and you'll have to price the home in the realm of a starter home, even if it has 3 or 4 BR.
Just put a traditional tub/shower combo in the hall/guest bath and a stand-alone shower only in the en-suite. This is rather common these days from what I've seen.
Yes, this is fine. Make the master shower big and luxurious and while there is a small group of buyers who want a tub in the master, there are more who want a big shower rather than a tub they will never use and a tiny shower crammed into a corner
I’d call a real estate agent who is experienced selling in that area and pick their brains for ten minutes. They should know what features are desirable. Send them a $25 gas card in thanks.
Me, too. I'd ask the most successful real estate agent in the area what resale features are important to buyers.
Do you currently own this lakefront lot? By "Senior" I would assume 60+. WHY in the world would you build something new at that age? And a 60+ female, why would you want to build a 3-4 bedroom house that you don't intend to live in until they scrape your remains off of the floor when somebody finds you a month later? Take your money and travel...go have fun. Not worry that you have a 2,000sf house to keep clean. Property to pay to take care of. Go buy a condo.
There are some good suggestions that the OP really should consider. Bluntly they are badly mistaken if they believe that homes near lakes or any other recreational type amenity are more "recession resistant". The lessons not just from the Great Real Estate Melt Down of a decade ago but many other periods of declining / flat real estate are that buyers will often reject all properties in tough times unless the sellers are desperate and massively discounting below replacement cost...
The thought of anybody building a new house with a strong interest in trying to make it "more desirable to potential buyers in 10 years or so" is completely out of step with has been happening in residential real estate -- buyers at all levels are more fickle than ever! Style and similar trends are switching faster than ever -- that is seen in lots of different ways include the big discounts some sellers of existing homes have to make in areas where buyers can get homes finished to their exact taste. The further fact that many homes that are not in areas with high demand are having long time on market while those in the hot markets get multiple offers; what is driving the hot markets right now is access to high paying jobs and manageable commutes. People have smaller families and are not really looking for just bedroom count but things that they've seen in hotels, remodeling shows, and magazines including spa-like bathrooms, gourmet kitchens, well planned outdoor living areas, and easy to care for spaces with low maintenance features. Those things almost certainly will shift SEVERAL times over the next decade and trying to plan for a new build today to sell in a decade is folly.
If the OP owns a lot on this lake and would enjoy the challenges of building a new home there they should plan for just their own needs. If they need to consider the most financially prudent course of action it is not very likely that new construction makes any sense at all. Perhaps they would be better off considering purchasing an existing home or condo; if the only homes available do not meet the OP's needs they need to consider the fiscal implications of renovation. If they are so wealthy that they have no such concerns that is all the more reason to do only what makes them happy...
There are some good suggestions that the OP really should consider. Bluntly they are badly mistaken if they believe that homes near lakes or any other recreational type amenity are more "recession resistant". The lessons not just from the Great Real Estate Melt Down of a decade ago but many other periods of declining / flat real estate are that buyers will often reject all properties in tough times unless the sellers are desperate and massively discounting below replacement cost...
The thought of anybody building a new house with a strong interest in trying to make it "more desirable to potential buyers in 10 years or so" is completely out of step with has been happening in residential real estate -- buyers at all levels are more fickle than ever! Style and similar trends are switching faster than ever -- that is seen in lots of different ways include the big discounts some sellers of existing homes have to make in areas where buyers can get homes finished to their exact taste. The further fact that many homes that are not in areas with high demand are having long time on market while those in the hot markets get multiple offers; what is driving the hot markets right now is access to high paying jobs and manageable commutes. People have smaller families and are not really looking for just bedroom count but things that they've seen in hotels, remodeling shows, and magazines including spa-like bathrooms, gourmet kitchens, well planned outdoor living areas, and easy to care for spaces with low maintenance features. Those things almost certainly will shift SEVERAL times over the next decade and trying to plan for a new build today to sell in a decade is folly.
If the OP owns a lot on this lake and would enjoy the challenges of building a new home there they should plan for just their own needs. If they need to consider the most financially prudent course of action it is not very likely that new construction makes any sense at all. Perhaps they would be better off considering purchasing an existing home or condo; if the only homes available do not meet the OP's needs they need to consider the fiscal implications of renovation. If they are so wealthy that they have no such concerns that is all the more reason to do only what makes them happy...
The OP still hasn’t given us that much information about the property other than it’s lakefront property on a small, no-wake lake somewhere up north. I think it’s going to be a given that this is not in a hot market or going to have all the hottest, newest, amenities.
I think the recommendations for what else to put in the house would be helped with more information on how much land there is, how big the house is, etc. The recommendations for a small 1500sqft home on a huge lot might be different than the recommendations for a 2200sqft home on a small lot. For the former, it might be better to spend more on outdoor features since it is lakefront, and on the former, more on interior features if there is not much room outside and more room to put in a bigger bathroom with separate tub/shower.
I don't feel I should have to give a dissertation on all the personal details of my life, finances and all the ins and outs and whys of what led me to this place. Let me just say that, yes I know that building at this stage in my life is stupid and no it is not my preferred scenario. However, without writing pages and pages of the whats and whens and why's - just please accept it and stick to recommendations. If you want to help me make a questionable decision better. Thank you.
RamenAddict - it has been a hot market, that has been one of the problems. If you all are really that interested, its Traverse City Michigan. Knock yourselves out.
In terms of lake property being more resistant to recessions. I do realize that there is always a bottom where no one is buying anything. But I dont think its wrong to think that when, and there has always been some sort of when so far, when the market moves bac up, lake property in that area will be first in line. If there is no when on the market coming back, well all owners will be screwed.
Right now I think building costs are about 200 sq ft. So a 1400 sq ft house would be 280,000 which is really a max max. I would prefer to be at 250,000, less the better. The minimum build by township regs is 960, too small. I probably overpaid on the lot at 117,000. But the lake has a pair of nesting loons and I really really wanted that.
1400 really is I think the max for 3 bedrooms and 1 and 3/4 baths. I don't think there is any room for a bonus/family room. Hence the wondering about the garage. I suppose siting the house so that there is a place for a 1 car detached garage would allow for the option of finishing out the garage if some future buyer wanted to get creative. Siting is my least favorite part and will be hard. .84 acreas but the area near the lake is spongy wet and there are a lot of setbacks and easements. Hopefully the builder has some ideas. Septic will be a pump back which is expensive.
People sometimes recommend making the attic such that is future possible space. The roofline would certainly be more expensive but I dont think that matters as I think something about modern building trusses it can't be done anymore? At least not cheaply.
I don't want the house to end up a bizzillion dollars per sq ft. I'm going to try to do quality structural things like good windows, lots of them facing the lake etc. and go cheap with formica and laminate which suits me as I like formic and hate tile. That is something and can be remodeled more easily than cutting in windows. Of course it will be more expensive per sq foot. argh.
Left up to me I too would have small bedrooms and large living spaces, especially with no basement option. What is considered a small bedroom in a 1400 sq foot or less house? And as a poster above who also feels this way, yes, my house in NE had the walk through living room and I had a hard time with furniture placement. That was my least favorite part of the house layout. Could have islanded the furniture in a much bigger walk through room but the house was...1472? Loved everything else though. Bathrooms were small by todays mega standards but that didn't bother me personally at all. I think the buyer changed might have combined the two small into one big to accomodate a wheel chair. I did make doorways and hallways wider than builder standard so it did have that going for it to the buyer.
I can't find a forum on city data for people building. Years ago Garden Web was hopping with builders. Now that is Houzz? Anyone know of good I'm building forums?
My other option is just to live in my mothers old house (passed to me, my sister and nephew who all have houses). That is where I'm moving in an interim hop north. Spend 30 thousand on tree removal, driveway, camping pad, electric and get the 6 month permit for camping that the township allows. The neighbors won't be happy but more importantly I'm not sure how much I'd like that. I went to a RV world and spent some time hanging around in campers and it just didn't thrill me.
As far as resale goes, most people don't like conversions of what used to be a garage turned into living space. If you want the space, then build the space!
More bedrooms are typically also better for resale, but if it's just you I would think 3 bedrooms that are a good size is plenty unless you always have a lot of guests. People would rather have 3 good size bedrooms instead of 4 small rooms, especially in a 1400 sq ft house!! Number of bathrooms is also a huge plus. Make sure you have at least TWO FULL! Most people also prefer a garage and definitely a two car (not one)! Space for the car and storage.
If it was me......I'd have 3 good size bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, good size living room, nice size kitchen and a 2 car garage. $200sq ft in Michigan is high unless you're actually on the lake. I see existing homes listed in Traverse City with 1,500sq ft around $210k. If you're building do your research. I think you can get that price lower.
Last edited by CGab; 08-07-2018 at 08:02 AM..
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Wondering what would be least cost to build, but flexible enough to make into a bigger house as house size vs. new build cost is probably going to be an issue. So I of course like the garage idea. I personally don't need a family room or 4th bedroom. And honestly don't know if I can afford it. But I want to lay out all my options. It might be possible to delay somethings or cheap out on some things if its super important. Or maybe have smaller other rooms but keep the overall size something I can afford
