10 Steps Planning Your House Addition or Renovation

In this video I walk you through the 10 major phases of planning to build an addition on your house.

Step 1 – Why are you considering building – 0:25
Step 2 – Recouping Value – 1:36
Step 3 – Paying for it – 4:39
Step 4 – Labor – 5:49
Step 5 – Design – 7:06
Step 6 – Legal – 8:50
Step 7 – Site Planning – 9:20
Step 8 – The Existing House – 11:46
Step 9 – Draw it out – 15:03
Step 10 – Super Structure – 18:38

 

1. Planning your addition

• Part 1 – Why add on?
  • Make a List from each family member
    • Major Problems
    • Needs
    • Wants
  • Prioritize the list
  • Define the solutions next to each problem
  • Think about this list in terms of Going Forward
  • Ask around, feedback of friends and family
• Part 2 – Recouping Value
  • Should you Move or Improve
  • How much to improve
    • Don’t improve more than neighboring houses
    • Try not to spend more than 20% above the value of your house
    • If no one else is improving? don’t.
    • Don’t make it to customized (re-sale)
    • Remember capital gains (keep receipts)
  • Consider Room Cost / Value
    • Garage – 30% back
    • Leisure – 100% back
    • Bathroom 40% back
    • Kitchens – 120% back
  • Create dual use rooms (bed, office, living room)
• Part 3 – Paying for it
  • Costs
    • Get a lot of Quotes
  • Financing
    • HELOC, or Loan
    • 2nd mortgage
    • Refinance
    • Read more in the book
• Part 4 – The labor
  • Do I really want to do it?
  • Am I and able to do it successfully?
  • Do I have the time?
  • Do I have the tools
  • Can I save enough money to justify doing it?
  • How will this affect my household, family role
  • Is there some other benefit to me doing it
• Part 5 – Design
  • Architects
  • Engineers
    • Mech
    • Elec
    • Civil
  • Specialists
    • Interior
    • Kitchen and Bath
    • Landscape
    • Design-Builders
• Part 6 – Legal
  • Local zoning
    • don’t give up
      • variances
  • The house
• Part 7 – Site Planning
  • sun wind cars and neighbors
  • Slopes
  • Existing site features
    • water sewer
    • well heads
    • septic systems
    • buried lines
      • elec
      • tele
      • gas
    • paved areas
    • Expensive areas to destroy
• Part 8 – The existing house
  • Internal Flow
  • Where key rooms are that can’t change
    • bathrooms
    • kitchens
    • laundry
    • rooms that can?
  • Where can you add on?
  • Bearing walls?
  • Additions without breaking ground
    • Bump outs
    • attic space
    • adding dormers along knee walls
    • covert garage space
    • convert basement space
    • Adding a story
• Part 9 – Drawing it out
  • Document the existing house
    • measure
    • draw
  • Plan your rooms
    • Home office
    • New Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Bedroom
• Part 10 – SuperStructure
  • Foundation
  • Loads