Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 3/1/2009

Question
Hello - we have a small colonial house (approx 1400 sq feet) with an attached one car garage built in the 1950s in NJ.  We would like to enlarge the kitchen by expanding it through the garage and convert approximately 1/2 the garage into additional kitchen space.  There is currently a door in the kitchen that leads into the garage w/ 2 steps down to reach the garage floor.  The garage roof is pitched.  I am told we would need to build up the garage floor, "flatten" out 1/2 of the pitched garage roof, and also remove the load bearing wall that is between the kitchen and garage.  This was just based on discussions with one contractor.  We plan to have talks w/ an architect regarding this but I was wondering if you could please provide any initial thoughts.  We have never worked w/ an architect before.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Ann - thanks for your question!

It sounds like you have a pretty straightforward project in mind - hope I can help you a bit.

For the roof re-building and the wall removal, you do need someone with structural knowledge to do the calculations...but not necessarily an Architect.  A good contractor might also be able to take care of this.

But in either case, you need to be absolutely sure of his credentials; we do a surprising amount of work in my office fixing horribly-designed and horribly-built remodeling projects.  We're working on one now where the roof very nearly collapsed from some very incompetent framing work!  Could have been a disaster.

If you work with a contractor only on this, get a long list of references from him and call them all.  Visit jobs he's done and ask the owners how things went.  Check that he's a member in good standing of the local chapter of the National Association of Home Builders (www.nahb.org).

If you work with an Architect, do the same - check with the American Institute of Architects (www.aia.org).  Most importantly, make sure he's a specialist in residential work - first-hand knowledge of how houses are put together will save you a lot of headaches!

You can find local Architects at www.aia.org, but you should also ask around your area for references - maybe a neighbor or friend that had some work done?

With that in mind, let me tell you a bit about working with an Architect.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that the greatest value in an Architect's service is at the beginning of the project.  Architect are trained to evaluate many options, look at the costs between them, and recommend the best course of action to you. Making good "large scale" decisions at the front end can make all the difference between a good project and a bad one.

For example, even though I haven't seen your home, I'd want to know whether it makes sense to enlarge the kitchen into the garage.  Many homes we work with have plenty of space (1400 SF can be a very comfortably-sized home); they're just not arranged well.  I almost always advise my clients to analyze the entire home for unused or poorly-used space before adding on.  Most of the time, a few interior walls moved a bit gain most of the space they need - and makes the entire house work better.

"Flattening out" the roof, building up the floor, and removing a bearing wall are going to cost more than your new cabinets and countertops and appliances together - and you're losing half of your garage in the bargain!  Is there a better way?  Maybe the problem is the layout of the kitchen - is it the most efficient layout possible?  Does it get the most from the available space?  Can you steal a little space from somewhere else in the house?  I assume you have a budget here - are you spending too much on demo and framing?  And what about resale - can you sell a one-car garage home?

Would it be more efficient to add on to the back of the house instead of going into the garage?  That might cost less than remodeling the garage roof and floor, and might give you more interesting options in the layout of the kitchen.

These are the kind of questions your Architect should be asking you.  In fact, you should hear many of these at you initial meeting.  If you don't, find someone else.  Again, it's the beginning of the project where an Architect is most valuable to you!

Hope this helps, let me know how it works out.

Best Regards,

Richard Taylor, AIA
www.rtastudio.com