If you have the space, I would do some serious soul searching about building new. You would have the advantage of building to meet your needs and have the distinct advantage of having a familiar and convenient residence while the new house is being built. Then, if the local authorities permit, you could have the
existing house as a guest house, office space and a fantastic workshop and storage space.

My parents farmed and my brother now lives in the house so I understand there are considerations which extend beyond the dollar signs. You will have to deal with the gossip and the naysayers whether you build new or put on the addition, so don't let outside opinions sway you too much.

Fifty years ago, my parents outgrew the original one car garage/shop and built a large new shop building. They and their "huge" new shop were the subject of many conversations. A few decades later, my brother put on a shop addition and more recently has added a quite large new building. Each project has been built for today's needs and as an investment in the future and provided a topic of conversation. At least once every generation, existing facilities have been outgrown and led to a major addition, remodel or replacement project.

Look around and you will see many buildings which were built as the minimum possible solution at the time and could not keep up with the demands of later years. Unlike a typical homeowner, you aren't going to be in a position to sell this home and move on so think long and hard before you accept the current proposed solution.

So well stated and all good points to think on Lyndee. This is the cycle of our last 15 years. Wait to build- add on- leave it alone and be content. We’ve been stuck on the leave it alone and be content page for 15 years because of all the things you all mention. We can’t build new and we can’t tear down. We’re getting older, kids are growing up, and we want more space/ function for our family in the season we’re in now. 10 years ago actually.
The porch, foyer, and street view is not a necessity. I know it doesn’t make sense for the cost. Just included it as a long term “want” list.
None of my addition ideas are a necessity actually. We’re blessed to live here as is.

laura, do you have enough land to keep the old house and build new? I ask because we live on a farm and that's what we ended up doing. We lived in the original 1950s bungalow (we did add a dining room onto the kitchen) for 25 years, and about five years started building a new house on our land, closer to our corrals. Originally we thought about subdividing and selling off the old house and a sliver of land, and then as we kept delaying the new build (waiting for time to build the house ourselves), the kids got older and several decided they wanted to farm, so we decided against selling off the old house.

Becky that would be ideal! Maybe we just continue the wait and someday we can.

You will have to deal with the gossip and the naysayers whether you build new or put on the addition, so don't let outside opinions sway you too much.

This is pretty much what we had to deal with too. When we first got married and moved into the house, our "five-year plan" was to build a new house. But then we had three kids in four years lol and got busier with the farm, and then ended up home schooling etc. But everyone knew we wanted to build new, and because my husband is also a carpenter, we heard literally hundreds of times from friends and neighbors that "the cobbler's children have no shoes", and yes, it was thoroughly maddening.

But in the end, after building the new house, it's all been so worthwhile. And waiting was actually helpful, because I didn't even find GardenWeb (Houzz) until late 2009, and so much of what I learned and read about informed our house creation process; the longer we waited, the more good ideas we had : ) . In the end, the cobbler's children have the most gorgeous, custom shoes, and it was well worth the wait!

You keep mentioning that you can't build new or you can't tear down. May I ask why?

Could you draw (to scale w/measurements noted) for us what you now have, indicating all doors and windows and post that, including which side faces north and south and east and west. . Then tell us what you want to add and how much room on your lot -- front and back and side -- you have to add it and any other ( building code ) restrictions of which you are aware,

Is limited options because you have a mortgage on your current home and/or a modest budget or because you own this home without a mortgage and don't choose to move? or don't want to move because this location meets your needs as to / neighborhood location (work, school, family)?

Also, how many people will be living in your home -- how many bedrooms and/or baths are upstairs, if any -- and/or do the stairs go both up and down (laundry in basement) -- stairs atop stairs?

On the single pic you posted about six hours ago

" This is a pic of the front of the house now",

that seems to show a large back yard (and a side yard with a large tree), is that back yard where you want to build a new living room and master bedroom suite?

When was the last time you redid your kitchen and/or are you planning to redo it again any time soon? Is the back of your home the sunny side you want for your living room or great room? Where do you park now with your carport enclosed?

If yes, have you considered that as you plan where you want what rooms ... such as building a new great room on the back and then rearranging the use of the rooms in front ... perhaps using the now enclosed carport and kitchen space to create one bedroom and bath?

Suezbell thanks for your help.
Yes, the front faces south and the east has the most amazing views, wildlife, sunrises... We spend most of our time together in the living room so putting it on the east side is ideal if we’re changing things up.
The carport is only 10-11’ deep so a bedroom there + being so close to the driveway seems weird to me. I do like the kitchen facing west to see who’s coming and going and the carport (now sunporch) allows a view while shielding the kitchen from the hot summer sun. The kitchen is in dire need of a remodel. Stuck in the 50s! We’ve put the kitchen on hold too, waiting to decide on a “master plan”. The garage is detached and north of the kitchen. We need a new one (it’s from the 20s) and I’m trying to convince my husband to move it to the west side of the driveway to open up our backyard. (My north kitchen window looks at the garage now)

We love our existing back patio and huge tree in front. Driveway is close to the house on the west. So we have space to go out front about 10’ and unlimited to the east.

Laura is there a reason you're avoiding answering the questions we keep asking? We ask because we're trying to help you but you're not being completely forthcoming.

Just don’t feel comfortable talking finances here. Trying to keep up with all the other questions tho!

(I don't blame you. Your finances are your personal business.)

So is the reason not to do a tear down or build new because of finances? Because if it is, doing the addition that you want will cost almost as much if not more.

I was originally just looking for input on the layout we (thought) we had decided on. I do appreciate all of the ideas and things pointed out I hadn’t considered. (Still trying to vision how much light will/ won’t come in those east windows.)

Realize that east light is morning light. You can plot it during the day. Now that it's winter the sun is a bit lower in the sky versus in the summer when the sun is higher in the sky.

Thanks smalloldhouse. Circumstances do differ widely and ours is very unique. I’d love to see your old & new floor plan if you’re willing to share!

You are going to spend more to do a half measure type of remodel than to do a new build. If your demotivation for doing a teardown is financial, then you’re in Upside Down and just don’t know it. You will spend more, and get less, by doing anything of the scope that you are talking about doing. It’s time to have a sit down about expense vs goals. You may need a much more downgraded goals. If your children are pre teens or teens, they are not going to be there long enough to need a big house.

We have no mortgage - no house payments. But thank you.

CP in your drawing you’d add a patio door here? (in red) My husband thinks the fireplace should be centered with the wall. I think it should be centered with furniture...
Have any thoughts about furniture placement?

My fireplace is similar to what i just posted for you. And yes the door in red. What that does is create a pathway along the bottom wall of the living/dining area.

Here's some pics of mine where I basically did the same thing.

This first photo shows the "pathway" from front foyer to the kitchen/dining. I have 2 sofas facing one another. (Still need a coffee table.)

I have sliders to the left so needed to leave almost a 3' space between the sliders and the back the sofa on the left. If you have a wall there, you don't have to worry about that.

All my furniture and the rug is "centered" on the fireplace. The area to the right in this photo becomes a pathway (implied hallway)

Yes that’s what I was thinking. Centering furniture with the fireplace with walk paths around. The walk path thru the center of the furniture is annoying. Your home turned out so pretty! Love the craftsman details and furniture. And that green wall :)

We did a similar remodeling of a 1950s slab on grade 3 bedroom house. The roof was completely reworked, and raised for a higher ceiling, but no square footage was added and no bathrooms were changed - only given new fixtures.

The dining and living areas were opened to the kitchen, and that received all new cabinets, tops and appliances., plumbing and electrical. The cabinets were IKEA boxes with custom doors. All new flooring was installed in this living to kitchen area. The windows and doors were replaced, and of course new (metal) roofing was added.

Total cost (in a low to medium $ area a decade ago) =$640,000.

Yikes. That is big $! You had to refinish all of your ceilings then?

We were told 90k for a master suite. I’m clueless as to how much bringing our roof forward and adding a porch will be. But I’ve been told porches are big $ too.

Do you generally use the front door or the back door? You being the family, not guests.

Here is an idea to consider. I think you should go UP, not out. No foundation work, living in the same envelope and going up is less expensive. If you do that, things work out pretty nicely...maybe something like this... I just sketched in rough areas. The architect can do the pretty porch and get the look that you want.

90K for a master suite is for a very easy, everything in the right place in the old house, plastic shower, small bath, small closet, addition. That’s the bottom price for builder grade everything. No one goes through a renovation like this for the cheapest possible result.

I actually love that Jean! Showing my husband. I appreciate you doing that! I never thought to put stairs there.

We use the back door. Even guests. Only the pizza guys uses the front. But with this, maybe we could add a mudroom somehow also

Keep on thinking creatively @laura_04! And not to hijack your thread, but you inspired me to post an update to my slow-moving project here

Laura - with the plan above, you could also have a patio outside the living room, and either french doors or sliders coming from living room and master bedroom suite to the patio. Lots of light...

In the plan above i don’t see your master suite

The 2 bedrooms in front would become the master suite. This is something the architect suggested also. But I didn’t explore it because the original two bedrooms are too small.

Yes lots of light! We’re so used to small cozy rooms I wonder if we’d feel like were swimming with all that space.

We are just finishing up our reno - 1981 house to 2020 house. We had a long narrow dark kitchen and a long narrow dark living room. Fireplace in the wall between the rooms. Architect said it could easily be removed and a header added. We did that, putting the fireplace on the other side of the living room and my goodness, what a change. I could swear the house grew larger, although I know it didn't! And now the kitchen gets sunlight. (It was on the west side, and only received natural light in the late afternoon/evening). We love the result.

What are the dimensions of the two rooms in front and the bathroom in between?

That entire space is about 15 x 33. My husband wants a giant closet. He’s all for open concept. I’m not. But this would be a good compromise. My dream home would have a historic looking center stair hall. I love staircases when you walk in the front door. Our house would look ginormous!

Going up was not an option til I saw your drawing. Just never envisioned that. I’ve drawn out our floor plan 100 ways over the years but never saw something like what you did Jean.

We’re so used to small cozy rooms I wonder if we’d feel like were swimming with all that space.

I can't speak for anyone else, but we went from a one-story 1950s bungalow with basement, where our family of five was pretty cramped without a lot of extra space to have friends and family over, to a new two-story house with basement. It's been magical. Enough space to live and breathe, there's a place for everything, and I actually find it easier to clean with more space around things.

Oh -- and all the extra light (we put in A LOT of windows) is amazing. Between all the light and airy space, this feels like a vacation house, which is very nice for us because with farming we don't have a second home or get away much.

We moved from a classic two story house with upstairs bedrooms to a 1 1/2 story with 2 bedrooms main floor and a 500 sq ft open master suite upstairs. At first, it did feel like trying to sleep in the middle of a train station but I have adjusted to having all the extra space. It doesn't take any longer to use the dust mop in the larger space as there aren't many obstructions with the same furniture in more than double the floor space

Both of my sisters have recently went from smaller choppy homes to two story, open homes and both say the same. Easier to clean. We recently had a window seat and bookcases built for our back 9 x 11 bedroom for an extra sitting/ reading room. I love the coziness. But smaller rooms is all I’ve ever known. It would be an adjustment!
Our current living, “dining”, and kitchen is just separated by archways. So not open but not totally closed off. I do like that separation. Allows wall space for my piano, curio cabinet, an old dresser... Im wondering if my walls would look cluttered with all these things lined up against them.

Please do nit confuse "cozy:" with an inadequate warren of small rooms and a house inadequate to meet the true needs. You are doing just that : )

You may or may not have the foundation structure to go up.

Yeah I’m not sure. We haven’t discussed a second story with the architect.

Anyone have ideas on how to create a mudroom/ larger back entry area? Maybe with room for laundry and/or washtub sink? I use the bathtub in that small bathroom as a washtub now :) Wouldn’t miss the toilet view from the kitchen but I’d def miss the tub. More kitchen counter space would be awesome too.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to help us find solutions, brainstorming with me! Thank you so much!

Hi laura_04, I just read through your thread ... We are also considering a master suite addition, and I found lots of helpful info here from the commenters who've gone through the process. Lots of interesting things to consider!

Anyway, just curious if you've decided to proceed with adding space with a 2nd story, or keep everything on the same level?

Was the quote you received in line with your expectations?

Hi there
We cancelled our meeting with the builders after all the opinions from this thread. We’re just fixing up the house as is and maybe someday we can build.
Hope your additions go smoothly!