I think your very wise to consider building an addition. You may find you come out ahead and get exactly what you what. Make sure to take into consideration the costs involved with a move when you compare the numbers.
You already know what problems your current house has. If you move some problems may remain hidden and surprise you later. I'd prefer to make my existing home better knowing what it needs to make it my dream home.
Good Luck to you, whatever you decide!

I think you are wise to stay in your home and maybe have an addition added to it. You don't want to be making mortgage payments after you retire. Also, in just a few years Lauren will be out of the house, you won't have exchange students and your son won't be coming home on weekends and for the summers. The bigger your house is, the more there is to clean, heat and cool.

Kath, I understand about the house and yard size in the future.

I will go small.

Are you sure, you need a dining room in your future? I decided NO.

But for the extra bedroom and bathroom I can only vote YES. :)

My thoughts.

Moni

While you are looking at the additions/changes you want to make, think about accessibility or aging in your home. Things like 3 foot wide doorways, low/no steps to get outside or into garage. Taller toilets are easier for older folks [and I'm talking those of us with bad knees, etc.] Spend a little & get those things that make life easier - rollout shelving for under cabinet storage, pull down shelving for tall cabinets. If you are adding or changing doors to the outside, if you are doing patio style, get the ones with the blinds built inside the glass.. Make a really specific list about what you would like. Good luck!
ps: Trees are expensive to trim, or cut down, but most of us in the midwest would not be concerned with standing water -- we're had so much rain, everyone has it!!!

You might check the forums about "Remodeling" and "Buying and Selling Homes".

I wouldn't remodel and add on as much as you have listed. Remodeling is more expensive than building new! You have to take things apart first, and you never know what you will run into when you start tearing up. It also takes longer than you can imagine, and it is merry 'heck' to live in a construction zone for many months.

DH and I are very glad we didn't remodel, but did a teardown and built new. We have those wide doorways, wood floors without thresholds, 9-foot ceilings and big bathrooms -- and the house is 'all of a piece', not some old and some new.

Maybe you haven't looked enough.

(Maples are not known for their long life spans; silver maples are worst.)

Give the idea at least a week's thought.

Probably a month might be better ... or a year?

If you add that much on to your current house, will it move it up beyond other houses in the area so much that potential buyers won't want to pay a premium, due to the lower-level average of the neighbourhood?

ole joyful

Others have given some really sound advice. Another way to approach this is if really want to move, are you looking for a newer home or is the one you have found, about the same age as yours? Remember things like plumbing, heating/cooling units have to be replaced at some point in older homes. Look also at locations and make sure that the surrounding area is holding its own as far as upkeep and prices.

Another consideration is if you present home is the your forever home. I wouldn't sink alot of money into it if its not going to be where you want to stay for a long time.

We have gone through this thought process recently. I love my home, my yard and neighborhood but its really too big for just us now (4 bedrooms and 3 full baths plus formal LR & DR as well as family room, breakfast area and kitchen). However, we would get a lot less in a newer home as far as size and appointments, even with the bad economy. We could buy a foreclosure home but in our part of the state, that means there are probably quite a few in the same neighborhood and many are being bought for investments and that means being in an area with lots of houses being rented out. Don't want to buy for ourselves in that situation. So for us, its smarter to stay put and finish paying off this house in a couple years.

I looked at your other post. Personally, I would not move. It's costly and time consuming. From your description, I think you might eventually hate the next house also. What you need is more storage. That can be obtained in a variety of ways. Assuming, you have room, the cheapest option might be to just add a big storage shed in the yard. It would be a great place to keep the lawn mower. You could add shelves to store garden items and other seasonal items like tubs of Christmas stuff, etc. You could finish it out and add windows and a window air unit if you wanted to make it more like living space.

Something popular in my neighborhood is a garage with an apartment or bonus room over it. It's great for storage or for guests an gives you more garage space. It's more expensive and you risk over-improving. If you could rent it out, it might pay for itself eventually. My HOA doesn't allow that here.

Extensions to any house are expensive. Get several estimates.

If you decide to remodel why not try and get double use out of some rooms - for instance combine the dining room and den. How often would you eat in the dining room and how many people would normally be there? What if you had a drop leaf table or a round table that expands into a larger oval when you need more space. If you design your room for multiple use it won't look like an afterthought. Take extra care with placement of windows and doorways so that the room is balanced.

Some random thoughts...

Re: the trees. Some maples are solid trees, some aren't as said so I'd get someone who knows trees to look at them. The real estate agent *can't* say anything against the house by obligation. They have a fiduciary obligation to the seller so never trust a real estate agent. They're out for the money. If they'll put it in writing that the trees are solid, fine, then they're responsible but of course they won't. Real estate agents rank very close to telemarketers IMO. Also, if you need to remove the trees, that can be rather costly. So be careful. However, again, they could be good trees and I'm a fan of trees.

Re: the lawn. I like a big yard. If you're not too finicky, just get a riding mower and you can handle mowing. Or if you don't like it, hire it done or in the future you could hire someone. I've been hiring occasionally when I just can't handle it. Not very expensive and I find great value having distance between myself and the neighbors.

Re: Standing water. Can be important or not. How much water? Can it be modified slightly to drain better? With the bottom of the outbuilding rotted it suggests an issue although that could depend on the age. Have you had an unusual amount of precipitation recently, snow and rain that would make this a fluke or is it normal amount of water? If it's normal, expect it. If it's going to pond water in the summer, you could have mosquito issues. What's the soil conditions? Sandy? Clay? If there's not very good drainage that would be a consideration.

Re: the outbuilding. The owner saying it's good, well, that's a representation. If they don't make a disclosure you could have recourse against them if it turns out it's more rotted than you think. I might still have it inspected and do some negotiating that they misrepresented the place so they're not trustworthy. Are there any disclosures on the place about it, the drainage, etc?

Re: Mailbox. You can buy a new mailbox for $10-$20 and up if the looks of the mailbox really bothers you. That wouldn't be a consideration to me nor would replacing the glass on the light fixture. That's petty cash expense. You'd spend more buying a piece of Tupperware than those two expenses combined! I wouldn't let that determine whether or not to buy a house.

Re: Outside looks (brick, etc) To me, would see the inside of the house more than the outside so to me, the inside is more important. Much like I'm more concerned about holiday decorations *inside*, that I'll see, than outside. I'm not here to put on airs for others. Some people take a lot of pride in the outside looks of their houses and want it a certain way. If that's you, there's treatments for brick, even paint, which I dislike, but many like it.

Options: Have sellers remove the trees, remove or repair the outbuilding or deduct from the price appropriately.

As far as adding on...

Are you going to get what the other house offers you, or a different house should you decide to keep looking? Remodeling can be expensive but doesn't have to be. If you can get what you want, and if you like where you live, then it's worth considering.

Sit down and write out what you REALLY want in a house. Include room sizes, costs, payments if applicable, don't forget taxes, insurance, how close to shopping, doctors, recreation, etc. Then, see if the house you're looking at has it. How about the house you have? How does it compare? Then look at a few different modifications to the house. With it done, how would it compare?

For me, an attached garage is a very important feature on a house so when I look for places, it really subtracts value if there's not at least a single attached garage. It helps if it would be able to be added easily. I've run across several places I really liked, but when I went home, sat down and looked at my priority list, well I haven't moved yet... Years ago I made a list of things I really like about my place and a list of things I really don't like, together with things I would like in a new place and might like. There's been things on other houses I've seen that impress me so I noted them. I know I'll never find "the perfect place" but it helps to evaluate different ones. And now as I'm getting older, accessibility is more and more important. But I try to keep it realistic. For instance a new place would be nice if it was one level living, however as long as there's the main rooms, a bathroom and a bedroom on the main floor, it would work for me. A place with all bedrooms and bathroom(s) upstairs would not. Also with looking at places I've seen some modifications to certain common style houses that were well done and really would work well for me. Maybe some of these would help you in your considerations.

Kinda makes your head spin, I know. In most places, it's still more of a buyer's market so don't let a salesperson scam you. And keep in mind there's LOTS of houses for sale even if you don't get this one!

Everyone has given you really good advice. I just want to add my two cents worth. IF you decide to add on a bathroom, consider making it a "grown-up" bathroom. When we remodeled our master bath last year (we have a 2nd "kid friendly" bathroom with standard 14 (or 13?) in. high commode and 32 in. high double sinks) I insisted on 37 in. high sinks and a 17 in. high commode. Love, love, love not bending over into the sink when I'm washing my hands or brushing my teeth. LOVE the taller commode! Just something for you to think about. :-)

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Drewsmaga, I'm only 5 foot 1 so I don't think I'll be getting anything high. I already feel like a little kid sitting at tables because they make them so high. If I ever redo the kitchen counters, though, I'll definately make them shorter and hang the upper cabinets lower.

kath..once again before setting your self up, visit the bank first!!! hate to sound like a broken record but they're just not lending like they used to...and if they figure your addition will value the home out of current prices, they just won't do it...

next, play around with drawings of potential floor plans... the more knowledge YOU have the better off your remodel will be...buy how-to books...

start watching diy network...they have several shows which can give you some solid information...from 10 grand in your hand (he shows how to save $ by doing things yourself) or sweat equity, rescue renovation...

oh for resale value i suggest you stick with standard counter heights and cabinets...know it's hard to live with a step stool, but you do have to think of the future...

If you buy a house, you need to get a professional inspection. They can tell you objective things about standing water rotting the bottom of the outbuilding and/or an outlet too close. Could pose a possible electrical problem.

I would definitely get estimates on an addition, so you have all the information to make a good decision. And I agree with the poster that said to consider your life when both your kids are out of school/out of the house etc. Your space requirements may be different than now. But like you said 10-20 years from now, you may not want to be dealing with a big yard/maintenance.

Regarding the trees, if you do consider the purchase and those trees have already caused damage you will have a problem with insurance. Most insurance companies are now doing home inspections, if they see a liability issue with those trees, they will cancel the policy (usually giving you 45 days to clear up the problem) unless you have the problem solved. That could mean trimming branches or removing the trees altogether. I just paid $500 to drop a black walnut and shape another. I'm still picking up branches, chopping wood and stacking. Its a big job.

I don't have time to read all the suggestions but consider that you are going to spend a ton of money to get those additions and then in the end, you will end up with a house of small rooms that you didn't like to begin with and the main living area of the house. I saw it so often in the Northeast when we were looking for a home.......so many many homes were actually quite small and then had some huge improvement that they would never get their money back on because most of the home was still small.........