Have you had architectural plans and a scope of work drawn up for the contractors to bid on? If not, then it's a total crapshoot to compare apples and oranges that they'll talk about with you.

If I am just remodeling what is already there with minor adjustments, for instance the footprint of the hall and bedrooms will remain the same, but the half bath turning into a full bath, would be using up attic space. If that's the case, I'm not sure why I would need to go to the expense of architectural drawings? Am I wrong?

Well, I guess I've never remodeled anything this large. We did our kitchen over once and didn't have drawings for that. You learn something new every day. Thanks for that advice. :-)

So flag it and it will go away. That is one of he distinct Houzz improvements over GW.

hi prairiemoon2 z6 MA, no disrespect but houzz has always been a site for business'. ive been a lurker on both sites. finally desided to join gw. then both sites merged. I glad I can give advise to diyers and home owners. also gw was a nice place to give advise without telling anyone I was a pro. but now I give advise along with the pros. I went pro here so home owners new who they were dealing with. on this site I can have a website and more. the spam I noted was a lead website. not associated with houzz. I take being a pro on this website or any where for that matter very seriously. so being here is not my entire purpose to promote my business but with a website I can show pictures of my work and a brief description of who iam. thank you

I would take the time to make a very specific scope of work for your project before talking to contractors. If you're not moving walls, you don't need architect drawings, but a written list will help immensely when you talk to contractors. They can still give you input, and you may tweak the plan based on that. But having contractors come over for a generic walk through/"here's what we're thinking" discussion won't be as productive as a concrete plan.

If you need help making it more concrete, post the floorplan, more details, and your questions/quandries here and we can help you flesh it out.

hi prairiemoon2 z6 MA, in nj as the home owner you are able to do your own drawings. you might want to check with your location. you said you wanted to enlarge one window and install operating sky lights as well as changing a half bath into a full bath and if you do decide to go with permits your choice im just giving advice. you will have to submit header (beam) info as well as venting for the plumbing and gfci location in the bathroom. if you are removing insulation and replacing you will need a insulation inspection. that's a good start. your contractor can help you with all that. but like weedyacres said scope of work is key.

GeneC - I haven’t any idea how Houzz has operated in the past or in the present, but the kind of post I just complained about, has not been a part of GW. As a matter of fact, on GW, this kind of post was considered spam and accounts of people who attempted to use the site in that way, were pulled.

Gene, the post I complained about was not yours, correct? They are both gone now, and I don’t remember the screen name of the person who posted it. I did however look at his Houzz page before complaining, and the only posts he had made were promotional.

I understand that Pros post here and are able to advertise their business on their Houzz page. That wasn’t what I was complaining about. So I’m not sure why you have posted what appears to be a defense of your presence on the site?

Weedyacres - I am starting to develop our list. I like lists a lot. [g] I have our first appointment with a contractor soon and in our initial discussion, I did indicate to him the major aspects of the job we want to have done, but I will make it comprehensive and detailed before we meet.

I don’t think we are moving walls, but I am looking for input from contractors who might see a potential change that we have not considered that would improve the overall renovation. We would not be opposed to moving walls. Our plans at present would not include moving any walls, except to extend the bathroom space into the attic space.

I like your suggestion to have a concrete plan. I have some graph paper, I can draw up a specific plan on paper as well. And I can post the floor plan when I get that done.

Thanks very much… :-)

hi prairiemoon2 z6 MA, I apologize I thought you were making a general statement. the post name was ... smith and was on a couple of forums . millworkman responded to my post about it. thank you

GeneC - I am unfamiliar with the building code in MA - but I do know that I wouldn’t consider doing renovations without permits. I look at the building inspector as my friend. :-) In the news here just last week, a contractor was killed when the three story deck he was working on collapsed. He was doing the work illegally without a permit unfortunately. So, having a qualified building inspector be another set of eyes to make sure everything is done right is an advantage to everyone as far as I can see. And yes, I would depend on the contractor to pull the permits and provide all the information necessary. Thanks.

GeneC - I was actually making a general statement. Smith was making a promotional comment on my specific thread, that had nothing to do with the thread. It was basically an advertisement. There's no place for that in these forums. Pros are free to list their business and what they do and their phone number on their Houzz page. I think that's a great idea and allows people to find a professional when they need one. A win win. But the forums are for the exchange of information. If a professional has the time and inclination to participate on the forums and share his expertise, that is very generous of him from my point of view and appreciated. In doing so, it also benefits him because the information he shares is his advertisement about his knowledge, skill and experience. Do you agree?

A lot of contractors these day,like myself ,have CAD design software and can design and print drawings for your proposed project.Permits can be pulled from these drawings.If there are structural changes they need to be stamped by a SE but most of the work is done for him.He simply has to review and stamp his approval.

The drawings can be submitted to you for approval and any changes you require are simple to make and you have a visual of exactly what you will get when the job is done.

hi prairiemoon, yes I agree 100%

Precision Carpentry - That's a good idea too. I am actually more familiar with contractors working without an architect than with. I didn't realize you had to have blueprints to get a permit, but again, very little experience. Even when I've been exposed to construction projects, the whole permit process has been behind the scenes. That will be a good question for contractors. Thanks.

You don't have to have "blueprints" but some type of a drawing.How else is the building dept. going to know what you are doing and what they are approving.

This all varies by location but they have to have some type of drawing to approve for the permit.

What are your goals for this space? Will it be 2 bedrooms and a bathroom? Or just an expansive master suite? What are the issues with it now? What doesn't work that you want to change?

Is it feasible to move the bathroom or do you need to keep it where it is?

Also, what's the current layout of the bathroom fixtures?

Feasible or not to move the bathroom?Moving a bathroom is a very big budget breaker some times.You have to move all of the plumbing,electrical and HVAC and usually some walls .

This is the most expensive room in the house to remodel after the kitchen.While it can be moved it is very expensive.Not like on the internet where you just click a couple things with your mouse.

Hi Weedyacres - I guess it depends on whether the contractors see some obstacle to moving it and if the added cost would be prohibitive and if the move made the layout much more satisfactory.

In the current layout, both the toilet and the sink are on the wall the bath shares with the closet and the rest is just empty space.

PCarpentry - I've heard that it can be expensive to move a bath. I do wonder though, the kitchen is below the second bedroom, so maybe rerouting pipes when all the walls will be down to studs upstairs, wouldn't be that much more trouble? And the current bath has linoleum on the floor and beadboard on the walls so I wouldn't have a lot of tile to rip out.

I'm a pro on other sites & have been noticing the pro status some posters have here. here I'm just a wordy poster with a lot of years...
LOL!

OP, two words AIR SEAL! while walls are down to studs,
caulk sole plates to floor, insulate walls, caulk on studs
before sheet rock is installed. do a modified air tight drywall
approach. insulation is a no brainer...but do the air sealing
work so that the insulation can perform as designed.
start with a case of caulk, buy more as needed.

keep us informed & as always...
best of luck.

Thank you Energy Rater :-)

We will also have the ceilings down to studs too. We've had water damage from ice dams this winter with over 100 inches of snow and single digit temperatures. So we are anxious to do remedial work on the insulation below the roof and improve the ventilation. I'm not sure how much room we will have up there. We have a Cape with a dormer on the back and low ceilings on the second floor, so I hope there will be enough room to get the right conditions to prevent future ice dams.

I also posted another thread on trying to remodel 'green'. So I'm looking to find insulation that is non toxic. I want to avoid chemical treatments on the materials and fireproofing and fiberglass. Not sure what's left but I hope there are now products to choose from. I wonder if you are familiar with any?

For some reason I can no longer see your floorplan, so my comments are from memory. I was thinking you could move the bathroom to where the closet is, in the center of the space. Then have it accessible from both bedrooms. I think that would be preferable to the 2nd bedroom occupant having to pass through the master to use the bathroom.

I had some ideas on closets too, but can't remember the detail enough to explain.

So when you say move the bath between the two rooms, You mean the wall in the middle of the floor plan? Let's call the Bedroom on the Left - Bedroom #1 and the Bedroom on the R - Bedroom #2. So you are suggesting moving the bathroom in Bedroom #1 to where the closet is in Bedroom #2? I'm not sure where the closet for Bedroom #2 would fit though. Even if I eliminate the linen closet in the hall way at the south end of BR #2, that ceiling slopes. So it would provide a small amount of wall space there, but I doubt it could provide much of a closet. Maybe some built in lower drawers.

Also thinking about plumbing location. If you look at BR#2 on the outer wall where the window is, the kitchen window and sink is just below that.

Yes, with the bath where it is now, BR#2's occupant uses the downstairs bathroom most of the time.

"So I'm looking to find insulation that is non toxic. I want to avoid
chemical treatments on the materials and fireproofing and fiberglass.
Not sure what's left but I hope there are now products to choose from. I
wonder if you are familiar with any?"

not really. but as long as the insulation stays out of the living space..
what does it matter?

make walls air tight from inside by having all joints
esp wall to ceiling taped & floated.
if you use recessed lights, ICAT insulation contact air tight.
and then seal the hole in the sheetrock to the housing
of the recessed light.
seal every penetration in the ceilings.
use gaskets at wall & light outlets.

does the second floor share walls with attic space?

fwiw, to me the greenest thing we can do is to practice
& build with conservation in mind.
seal the house tightly, add fresh air intakes if necessary
& size the hvac system for the house.

best of luck.

EnergyRater - I guess I would rather have the choice of a material that was non toxic. Just because it is enclosed out of my living space, it still is produced and people working in the production of it are exposed to it, people installing it, people removing it are exposed to it, and then it has to break down into the environment too. So if there is a non toxic choice, that would be my preference.

An air tight house is something I’m not sure I agree with. I don’t now enough about it yet. I realize that with an air tight house, it can work if you provide enough ventilation, but I’ve heard of air tight homes that became a hazard. I’m going to have to read up on that more.

We are not doing the first floor, so probably we could not make the house air tight, but maybe you mean, if we are going to try for air tight, we may as well do it that way on the upstairs.

Part of the second floor is storage under the eaves of the roof. We have a cape. The hallway shares that wall.

Thank you ERater… :-)

there isn't really an answer to non toxic insulation type.
if one is sensitive to borate..no cellulose
if chemical is the sensitivity...no foam.
the key is to separate the insulated area
from the living area.
we do this with sheetrock that is sealed.

building science is all about building tight
& ventilating right.
in an existing house...you won't get tight
enough to require a fresh air intake.
not without a lot of effort, which is why

I didn't get into those details with my post.

a tight house doesn't just happen, and when

& IF the degree of tightness is achieved, then a

plan for fresh air is in place.

below is a link to airsealing. look carefully at

page 5 where it details air sealing of kneewalls.

by incorporating this detail it will reduce

attic temp gains into these walls shared

with attic space.

http://www.southface.org/default-interior/Documents/airsealingkeypoints.pdf

best of luck.

EnergyRater - No need to explain tight houses. I understand with an old house, how different the construction is to air tight. I do realize that it takes a lot of focus and expertise to get a house air tight.

I will find this link helpful for preventing warm air from getting into the attic space. Thanks.

Thanks Weedyacres. It helps to see someone else's idea of what could work. Unfortunately, by removing that linen closet in the hall, I don't really gain that space you think I would, because the ceiling starts slanting down, about 40 inches from that doorway. That would make a pretty small BR#2.

I'm meeting with our first contractor this week and I'll suggest this idea and see what he has to say and see if he has any more ideas.

Thanks!

I own a cape, and remodeled last year--put closets into both bedrooms upstairs. Our "knee walls" (the wall that is short because that is where the ceiling comes down to) were 5.5 and 5 feet tall depending on which bedroom. How tall are your knee walls, and where are they in the diagram above. (are they right and left ends of the rectangle, or some place else)? (Actually, rereading, it looks like there is just one, on the "top"?)

Hi Kirkhall, yes, the long wall at the top of the drawing, along the hall going through the MB has a slight slant at the top but is basically a straight up wall. If they had gone back further, it would have been shorter depending on where in the slope they stopped. On the other side of that wall, in the storage area, you can just about stand up in about 2-3ft of space before the slope of the roof interferes. So, taking down that wall and trying to extend into that storage space wouldn't gain much and I'd lose all our storage space.

Did you have a dormer anywhere on your Cape? Where did you put the closets?

We have 2 dormers so each bedroom has a window.

Our closets are semi-walk-in and are perpendicular to the knee walls. So, they'd be equivalent to being in the "N-S" (if N was up in your picture) direction. Their back wall is the fuller height wall and has hanging space and shelves. Then, the 5' knee wall of the closet has 1 shelf and more hanging space. I think (actually, I know) you have more space than we had.

So, you say Weedy's doesn't work because bd2 gets too small... Is the lower wall also a slanted ceiling wall? How much space between the stair wall of that bedroom, and the 6 foot clearance of the ceiling?

Also, what is your slope (ours was a 12/12--essentially 45* angle ceiling).

Kirkhall - Both our bedrooms have good size windows, but on one wall.

I'll have to measure again, Kirkhall. I will check it out and walk it off and take a look at how that would look. I'll notice particularly where the slant of the ceiling starts and find out what our slope is.

Our first contractor will be here tomorrow, so I may have more information after that. But I might be in shock the rest of the week, from the estimate. [g]