Would you fix up a 1.5 bath room house or buy a new house with a better floor plan?

[Jumpem]

My current house was $150K, is 1,400sq.ft., and has 3 bed rooms and 1.5 bath rooms. There isn't really room to add a second full bath room for my kids. Perhaps a shower stall could be squeezed in to the downstairs half bath room, but it would be very cramped. The laundry is also in the basement, so it all has to go up and down two flights of stairs.

We have already replaced the roof, windows, some carpet, upstairs shower, bathroom flooring, garage door and opener, and other smaller things. at least in this area it seems like you don't get very much of the money spent on improvements back out. We could continue doing things, but would never be able to fix the lack of a second full bathroom and inconvenient laundry location.

A new house would be 1,500-1,600sq.ft., and have two full bathrooms. Perhaps a ranch style. Laundry would be located near the bedrooms. A new house would probably cost between $250K and $300K.

---

Moved to our Home and Garden forum thanks to WHAMPOM's suggestion (below).

Harvey
Senior AT Mod/Admin

 

[WHAMPOM]

You do know there is a Home&Garden forum?

 

[Jumpem]

You do know there is a Home&Garden forum?

That forum did not exist sixteen years ago when I joined.

 

[JTsyo]

More than a $100K for a jump in just 100-200 sqft? If you can afford a new house, it'll probably work out better than sinking more money into you current house. Where is the area?

 

[Jumpem]

More than a $100K for a jump in just 100-200 sqft? If you can afford a new house, it'll probably work out better than sinking more money into you current house. Where is the area?

The price jump is due to comparing the values of a twenty-five year old house to new construction. I can afford it, but it would mean less money going into savings for other things.

The area is the relatively close suburbs on the northwest side of Syracuse.

 

[Hacp]

My current house was $150K, is 1,400sq.ft., and has 3 bed rooms and 1.5 bath rooms. There isn't really room to add a second full bath room for my kids. Perhaps a shower stall could be squeezed in to the downstairs half bath room, but it would be very cramped. The laundry is also in the basement, so it all has to go up and down two flights of stairs.

We have already replaced the roof, windows, some carpet, upstairs shower, bathroom flooring, garage door and opener, and other smaller things. at least in this area it seems like you don't get very much of the money spent on improvements back out. We could continue doing things, but would never be able to fix the lack of a second full bathroom and inconvenient laundry location.

A new house would be 1,500-1,600sq.ft., and have two full bathrooms. Perhaps a ranch style. Laundry would be located near the bedrooms. A new house would probably cost between $250K and $300K.

I would look into the cost of adding a shower to the downstairs basement half bath. Are the basement stairs not sturdy? I don't think laundry will be hard once the kids start showering in the basement and leave their dirty clothes downstairs. Have them pick up finished laundry themselves.

Remember, if you wish to sell your current house, you'll need to pay 6% closing costs + buyer closing costs for the new house. I estimate that'll be $9000 in seller closing costs + 4000 in buyer closing costs.

 

[Jumpem]

I would look into the cost of adding a shower to the downstairs basement half bath. Are the basement stairs not sturdy? I don't think laundry will be hard once the kids start showering in the basement and leave their dirty clothes downstairs. Have them pick up finished laundry themselves.

Remember, if you wish to sell your current house, you'll need to pay 6% closing costs + buyer closing costs for the new house. I estimate that'll be $9000 in seller closing costs + 4000 in buyer closing costs.

The basement stairs are fine. It is simply the inconvenience of carrying all of the laundry up and down two flights of stairs. Modern homes, for the most part, seem to have the laundry close to the bed rooms.

 

[Hacp]

The basement stairs are fine. It is simply the inconvenience of carrying all of the laundry up and down two flights of stairs. Modern homes, for the most part, seem to have the laundry close to the bed rooms.

If your kids shower downstairs then you won't need to bring laundry down is that right?

 

[Brainonska511]

You mention that it would be cramped to add a shower stall to the basement bathroom: could you expand the bathroom by taking some room from a nearby room? My parents redid their basement 1/2 bathroom two years ago by taking space from a neighboring utility room so that a shower stall could be installed.

 

[Jumpem]

If your kids shower downstairs then you won't need to bring laundry down is that right?

Clean laundry is carried upstairs to their rooms. Laundry goes down, and back up, two flights of stairs. If a second shower could be squeezed into the first floor bathroom, they would have to take clothes down from their rooms.

 

[Jumpem]

You mention that it would be cramped to add a shower stall to the basement bathroom: could you expand the bathroom by taking some room from a nearby room? My parents redid their basement 1/2 bathroom two years ago by taking space from a neighboring utility room so that a shower stall could be installed.

The living room and small kitchen pantry are adjacent to it. The other two walls of it are along hallways. I could narrow the wider hallway a bit, but it would only gain me eight inches of length.

It would be a small rectangular room with a toilet directly to the right of the door, a shower stall directly to the left, and the smallest pedestal sink I could find straight ahead of the door.

 

[Hacp]

Clean laundry is carried upstairs to their rooms. Laundry goes down, and back up, two flights of stairs. If a second shower could be squeezed into the first floor bathroom, they would have to take clothes down from their rooms.

Your system is not efficient. You're trying to spend 150K to remedy it when I can give you a free solution. Carve out a small space on the first floor or basement, where the new shower will be. Have kids dump their clothes in that space after they finish using shower.

 

[Hacp]

The living room and small kitchen pantry are adjacent to it. The other two walls of it are along hallways. I could narrow the wider hallway a bit, but it would only gain me eight inches of length.

It would be a small rectangular room with a toilet directly to the right of the door, a shower stall directly to the left, and the smallest pedestal sink I could find straight ahead of the door.

http://www.trentone.com/narrow-dept...anity-white-ceramic-sink-chrome-small-faucet/

 

[Jumpem]

http://www.signaturehardware.com/mu...id=GooglePLA&gclid=CO7n8KySgM0CFYMkhgodjIQEkA

That's similar to what I would be looking for.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Turn the bathroom into a wet room. Doesn't take up as much room.

 

[Greenman]

There is almost always a way to add on to a house, but without an actual floor plan it's just about impossible to give you any advice.

 

[Hacp]

That's similar to what I would be looking for.

I updated my image to include the full design. If your wife watches HGTV then she will like it!

http://www.trentone.com/narrow-dept...anity-white-ceramic-sink-chrome-small-faucet/

 

[Jumpem]

I updated my image to include the full design. If your wife watches HGTV then she will like it!

http://www.trentone.com/narrow-dept...anity-white-ceramic-sink-chrome-small-faucet/

That with a shower stall to the left is about how it would end up.

 

[Jumpem]

There is almost always a way to add on to a house, but without an actual floor plan it's just about impossible to give you any advice.

I don't want to spend the money an addition would take on this house.

 

[Hacp]

The price jump is due to comparing the values of a twenty-five year old house to new construction. I can afford it, but it would mean less money going into savings for other things.

The area is the relatively close suburbs on the northwest side of Syracuse.

What County/Town are you currently in?

 

[Greenman]

I don't want to spend the money an addition would take on this house.

As part of your due diligence, you should actually look at the numbers before making a decision. Sometimes the cost of moving far outweighs the cost of an addition. I've put a 400 sqft addition on a house that cost less than the total cost of selling and moving. It's something to think about.

 

[sdifox]

The price jump is due to comparing the values of a twenty-five year old house to new construction. I can afford it, but it would mean less money going into savings for other things.

The area is the relatively close suburbs on the northwest side of Syracuse.

New const is mostly crap unless you go custom.

 

[Jumpem]

New const is mostly crap unless you go custom.

I know that is at least the case for the popular budget builder here. Lots of people at my work have had problems with their houses. I sat next to a guy at a wedding that did work for them. He said that he builds their houses, but he wouldn't buy one.

The other more expensive non-custom "luxury" builder still asks too much for too little. Their standard spec sheet is low end: 2x4 exterior walls, traditional water heaters, cheap roofing, thin carpet, etc.

I have, surprisingly, been most impressed with my mom's modular home for the price. Granted some of the finishes and materials are cheap. The workmanship and wood trim appeared better done than some of the stick built model homes we looked at.

 

[Jumpem]

What County/Town are you currently in?

Northern Onondaga county.

 

[Jumpem]

As part of your due diligence, you should actually look at the numbers before making a decision. Sometimes the cost of moving far outweighs the cost of an addition. I've put a 400 sqft addition on a house that cost less than the total cost of selling and moving. It's something to think about.

Point noted.