Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 2/1/2008

Question
Hello.  We have a three bedroom old farmhouse on 2 acres.  It was built in the early forties.  Our family has grown quite a bit.  We are looking at remodleing the house and adding three additions to the home.  One going up, one going out towards the left and one going back.  I would like it to look like one home and not two or three.  We would sell and get what we want in another home, BUT the real estate market is for buyers right now.  We have had our farmhouse up for sale for a year and nobody has even looked at it.  So now we're considering redoing the house.  What should be our first step.  We have thought about hiring an architect, but should we?

Answer
Hi Kristy - thanks for your question!

It sounds to me like you're thinking of adding the space(s) you need, and not considering enough what you have, or how what you have might be affected by the addition(s).

What I mean is this - you should start by analyzing the space you have, and how you can rework it to make the whole house do what you want...then only add what you still need, if anything.  I've seen many cases where people add on, then move into the new addition and abandon some of the existing house.  That's wasteful and expensive.

When we approach such a situation, we usually end up adding much less space than the owners originally thought they needed to.

Three separate additions are going to be expensive, and as you've begun to see, may not be attractive or appropriate for your house.  Remodeling existing space is cheaper, and you might be able to build a smaller, smarter addition - and spend less overall.

I'd recommend you talk to a design professional and see what they think.  If you hire someone, you can get them to do preliminary design work first, before you commit to final construction drawings.  Get prices on the prelims then decide if you want to go ahead.

Check you local chapter of the AIA (www.aia.org) for firms that specialize in residential work, or ask around the area for references.

Good luck!

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com
www.rtaplans.com