Anybody done a master plan for a multi-phase/multi-year remodel?

6 years ago

I've lived in my house seven years and have reached the stage where I have a pretty good sense of what I love about it and what drives me crazy, and I now know where the systemic problems are. It's time to start Doing Things other than the cosmetic. I am thinking the sensible thing is to pay for a chunk of an architect's time to make a long-term plan, so I know where any given piece fits in the big picture and I don't end up spending a lot of money on something I'd just want to redo a few years later.

Have you made a long-term, multiphase plan for remodeling in stages? Any advice about how to go about it? What to think about, how to involve professionals, whether you ended up making a plan and sticking with it?

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Comments (4)

User
6 years ago
Yes. I’ve created master plans like that for plenty of folks. But it ends up WAY cheaper to sell and move. Or do a teardown and start over.
maddybeagle
Original Author
6 years ago
Not in the cards. I bought this house to spend the rest of my life in and I couldn't get another like it for love nor money. And I would NOT tear down a 1922 bungalow.
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roarah
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
We have done our house in phases. We did the guts first with the future addition needs included. For example our HE gas boiler/ hot water system was over sized for a few years to accommodate our master addition. We added lots of empty breakers when we upgraded our electrics to support a kitchen update in the near future.

we finished the basement first for it gave our growing family more square footage. We DIY this for less than 5k but it assesses at over 20 k in added value, but we spent 20 k worth of free time making it...

We added a gunite pool. What I call my English husband's American Dream. This is a superadequacy worth less than 20 k costing ten years ago over 60 k with landscape and fencing.

We did the bath addition next because we did not already have that feature but do have a nice enough kitchen so the bath actually added more value to our home to do. Although I believe the assessment was over valued the addition of a master bath actually, on paper, added more value to our house than we spent. This was zero DIY and cost over $650 per sq ft. I trust this will not be the case if we actually sold.

We hope to add a kitchen addition soon.

I do not think we saved money so to speak, it would have been cheaper I believe to have done everything at once, or yes to have moved but we do not like loans so preferred to spend more on labor costs but less on interest charges. We chose not to move because our location trumped the cost savings moving would have provided.
maddybeagle thanked roarah
maddybeagle
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks, roarah! The HVAC situation is part of what's making me think seriously about working to a big-picture plan. My boiler is showing signs of crankiness and my a/c was dead before I bought the house. I'd hate to replace either of those without taking into account a likely expansion a few years down the line.

Anybody done a master plan for a multi-phase/multi-year remodel?

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Anybody done a master plan for a multi-phase/multi-year remodel?

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