My mother is aging and we are planning on having her move in with us. We want her to have her freedom and her own space. We were wondering which would be cheaper? Adding onto the house or building a separate unit for her on our property? We would like to give her at least 900sq. ft. of living space with a small kitchen and bath. Thought I would ask an building expert before we pursue any further. Great site by the way. It's nice to get free advice!
It is amazing how many times I have been asked this same question by my prospective clients. The answer is almost always, adding on to the existing house. There are many reasons why people decide to go this route and I would like to share some of them with you.
First of all you need to have the room on the lot to accommodate and addition. This usually means you would first apply and supply a drawing to your city or county zoning department, showing your existing home on your lot with all the lot size measurements including the distance of the house from all the lot lines and show the proposed addition as it would be attached to the house with measurements to the lot lines as well. See the example below.
In this example set back for the lot, or how far from the lot lines your structure is allowed to be is 15' on the sides, 40' in the back and 50' in the front. So, the addition shown would be built to meet the set back requirements.
In some cases when a home owner would need for the addition to be either wider or deeper, then a variance would need to be applied for. A similar drawing would be given along with the amount of variance requested. For example if in the plan above the rear set back was 50' and the back of your addition was to be 40' from the rear line, you would need to apply for a 10' variance, which is a request to allow you to build the addition 10' beyond the allowed 50' set back.
To get this approval, letters will be sent out by the zoning department of city or county that you live in to the all the neighbors that adjoin your property as well as the neighbor across the street. Depending on where you live, this could be different. Always check with your zoning department for their specifications and requirements.
So if there is enough room on the lot to build the addition and you get the zoning approved, you would then submit completed drawing to your building department for approval. Once you get the plans approved, you would then be able to start construction of you new addition.
But, before you do all of that, there are a few other things to consider.
One of them is how much do you like your neighborhood? Another is how much do you like your lot? What would a new lot cost in a neighborhood as nice as yours. Sometimes the cost of a new lot could be a much as the cost of the addition. Do you like the school system in your area? Basically, do you like your location for your own personal reasons. If so, then it would be logical that you would like to build onto your home and stay where you live now.
Here is another important thing you should take into consideration. How long do you plan to live in your home. If the answer is five years or more, then adding onto your home is a good idea. The reason for this is the longer you stay in your home, the more you will be up the value of the addition.
For example if you home is appraised for $160,000 and the average home value in your neighborhood is $190,000 for a similar home as yours and you spend $50,000 for the addition, with the addition your home may not be able to sell for $210,000 right now. However in five years, it may appreciate to that value or more. So, in this case it would be a good investment. Remember, your home value increases when you put on the addition.
Also, how much would you need to borrow from the bank to put the addition on? How much do you owe on your existing home. Let's say in this example that you owe $80,000 on your home and you need to borrow the entire $50,000. Your new loan amount would be $130,000 which would be $60,000 less then average home value in your neighborhood, so you would still have equity in your home.
Keep in mind that people are looking for "Mother-in-Law" suites more these days and having this type of addition on your home, will attract people looking for a house with one built on which makes the value of the home to them much higher then someone not looking for one.
Finally, what should be included in an addition like this. The addition should be built like a small one bedroom apartment. In the example drawing above, there would be room for a one car garage in the front with the living space behind. Below is an example of layout of a possible addition fitting in the space in the drawing above.
The key is to allow enough space, plenty of light from the window. which is why the bay window in this drawing would really light up the living/kitchenette area and also provide closet/storage space. The room above is on the smaller side, but still would make a comfortable living area for parent.
So, you should now have some good information to help you make your decision, but from my experience, if you like where you live, and if all of the items mentioned above make sense, then a new home addition with living space for your loved one would be the ideal choice.
I hope this helps. Rick
Rick Maselli is Founder and Editor of Showroom411.com