Expert: Ted Barnhill (Principal, Design45 LLC) - 6/21/2008

Question
House is in Berthoud Colorado area (between Boulder and Ft. Collins).  It is a brick ranch over a mostly finished basement, 1400 sq ft total each level. It sits on almost 5 acres so plenty of space to add on.  Questions:  since the house was built in 1978, how hard will it be to find brick to match existing?  Can we skip brick and use siding for the addition?  Is there a cost difference between the two options and if so, how much would you expect the difference to be?  Also, we will not enlarge the basement so the addition will either be on slab or over a crawl space to keep it at the same level as the existing spae floor (our preference).  That said, what's a ball park per square foot figure for an addition - it will house a master bedroom/retreat plus walk-in closet, bathroom, and laundry room (around 600 sq ft total).  Here's a link to the listing so you can see the house.  We would tear off the sunroom and do the addition off that side.

www.coloproperty.com - search MLS - 550055.

Thanks!

Answer
Barb,

A good rule-of-thumb to start with is about $200 per square foot.  This will allow finishes similar to those I see in the photos, though brick siding and your selection of finishes and fixtures could put you above this mark.

I doubt that you will have a problem matching your brick and mortar (both are important).  It appears to be standard size and is not the most unique color - I have matched much stranger brick.  Be sure that your mason brings sample bricks to gauge the range of colors in new versus old.  Certainly you could use wood siding to match the gable ends of the existing house.  How good this looks will depend on your designer's use of windows and other elements to make it feel appropriate.  Wood will require much more maintenance over time, and you will lose the thermal mass benefits of a brick home.  

As for cost, brick is typically about double the cost of wood lap siding.  For a project like yours, this may add up to an extra $5000 to use brick.  Of course, costs vary regionally, so you should get local bids before deciding on a siding solution.

Good luck, and enjoy your expanded home.  (I like the kitchen!)

-Ted