I need a ton mor einfo and floors plans to scale what the house looks like now and the new plans . Ther eis no way to answer this question with no context . Where is your architect/ I hope you have one. Moving stairs is huge undertaking and affects many things so we need info and plans . Sometimes staircases can be grandfathered so I need to see the issues.

You dont move stairs. Its a huge expense. Forget that entirely. They are grandfathered as is. Leave them be.

A ground floor master suite add on should double as your age in place need, so forget the elevator entirely.

If that ”space” is a porch or other exterior space, it wont be up to code as interior habitable space. Which means a complete rebuild, not an enclosing. Forget that as well. Play games at your kitchen table.

A second floor kitchen that needs rearranging, plus all the rest says you own the wrong home for your actual needs. Go home shopping. Single level.

Just an fyi: some friends planned for an elevator, basic small residential to go up one floor, $30k plus you need a dedicated landline phone installed in it for residential code in CT.

I think the first thing to decide is if it is better to do the renovations or to buy another home that better fits your needs.

Renovations on older homes can turn into massive money pits. I know that HGTV projects always come out with profits for the home owner, but that is simply not true. Most renovations cost far more than you get back when you sell. If you are not doing the labor yourself you can generally expect that the cost of the renovation will be twice the return. There are lots of variables, but you really need to know what this will do for the value and figure out if it is a good investment.

I'd seriously consider looking for another home that better suits your needs. Living thru this, especially if you phase construction, will be a nightmare if you try and live in the house. If you move out, there will be that much more expense.

I do not agree with Jennifer I have renovated a few of my homes all to huge advantage not only for my life but we always made money on those projects.But without seeing plans there is no way IMO we can help.BTW I have a client tha put an elevstor in her carport for elderly visitors since her entries were both needing to climb stairs to access the main living space . It did not cost anything close to 30K and aslo did not require a telepne hook up since it in not inside the house and needs to ba used only with the home owner operating it.

Just to play devil's advocate here: I moved the stairs in my 1920s bungalow in a phased remodel. It was neither cheap nor easy, but the end result was worth it. (The previous stairs were much steeper than allowed by modern code, plus they hogged the center of the second story.)

I started the project by hiring an architect to draw plans of both first and second story, including structural elements that would have to be added. Then I got a bid for the first phase - moving the stairs, tearing the roof off the second story, and rebuilding the second story with an additional bedroom and bath as well as conversion from hot water baseboards to in-floor radiant heat. I got a building permit for the entire project and our local inspectors signed off on each distinct phase of the project.

Then we did phase 1. It was 2012. At the end of that phase, the second story and the new stairway were fully functional and the layout of the second story was much more spacious because there was no longer a stairway and landing in the middle of everything. The new stairway went above the stairs to our basement, in a mudroom that previously was only one story. The first story also still contained the old stairway, which was located in the center of the house and was covered/hidden until we were ready to do the kitchen.

In 2017, with another bid in hand for phase 2, we started the kitchen reno (including eliminating the old stairway to nowhere and adding that space as a pantry wall in our new kitchen layout). Because I was making custom cabinets myself (which I don't recommend unless you are very skilled and enjoy the process), we began the rebuild with only base cabinets because that's how much of the cabinetry I could produce and store at one time. Then I added an upper cabinet as each one was finished. At the end, our electrician came back to finish the undercabinet lighting (which was already wired into walls) and a tile craftsman did our backsplash.

I'm very happy that we moved the stairs to get a safer stairway that is now up to code, AND we assimilated the old stairway space into our kitchen for a larger and more functional layout. The total cost was approximately the same as the price we paid for the house. In our case, it was worth it because the rest of the house has charm and a decent layout, and we love the location (large property with mature trees on a river).

In short, it's very expensive and challenging, and doing it in phases stretches out the challenges - which can be a double-edged sword (time to rest/relax in between, but also more total time in chaos). My DH acted as GC for the first phase, and I was point-of-contact with a hired GC for the second phase. Having one of us acting as GC was much more stressful than hiring a GC. At one point, I told DH that if X wasn't done that week, I'd fire the contractor and then fire the GC (DH) - fortunately it didn't come to that!

You have a big decision. Good luck.

ETA: Our second story reno (phase 1) also included a master suite (bedroom; bath with tub, shower, and WC; reach-in closet for him; and walk-in closet for me :) ). Just noticed that is one of your goals as well.

This information may help you decide on cost vs value

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2020/

Hi all! Thank you so much for the comments and stories. A couple of things to add on here....

1. We bought the house with about 10 acres of land. Honestly, it's in the country, so there aren't codes. It's just the wild west to be quite honest. We LOVED the location, so the house was one of those things that we just said....yeah, we have to take it as it is and make it our own. If I were to build a new house, it would be 1st floor living only. No questions.

2. Because of the "no codes" the original stairs lead down to the 1st floor "basement feel". That first floor was enclosed. the house is built on stilts...think beach house in the country...I know. The stairs are too low and people constantly bump head to get down to 1st floor.

3. We absolutely hired an architect. And just sent info to General Contractor.

4. Going house shopping isn't really an option. Nothing goes on the market in this tiny town (took us 5 years to find this little gem). We are so lucky to have this piece of land.

5. We plan to own this home for the long run...including when we get old and can't use stairs (but want to make it good for our parents to come in and enjoy the home).

Also, this is our vacation house. We live in another state full-time, so only here during kids' vacation. So we wouldn't live in, but would have to check-in from time to time on the place. This is something that I need to think through more bc we are a plane ride away.

Built in an area where there is no codes enforcement doesn’t mean that there are no codes. The IRC covers 98% of the US. It just means that there is no way of catching the scofflaws. That’s bad news. Having a house with some immediately visible and obvious codes violations mesns there are a lot more that you can’t see.

That just went from a way too expensive remodel for the results that would be achieved, to being a complete teardown and rebuild, if you want to keep the property. There won’t be a lot to ”save” on a house like that. It’s not worth the expense to even try.

Have your architect draw up plans for a new home on the property. Locate it close rnough on the property that youndont have to add drivewsys snd a new power drop. Then you can live in the old while the new is being built. To a code compliant design, created by your architect. And hopefully, a licensed and insured and competent builder.

Agree with Joseph P. Your money will go much further and the results will be better if you build new on the property. It will be easier to oversee new construction from a distance as well.