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March 2002
By
Bill Rauser
 So,
here’s your dilemma—you’re in love
with your location, but your home just doesn’t
accommodate your lifestyle anymore. Maybe your
family has grown … or shrunk. Maybe you have
different interests or responsibilities that require
more space, such as a home office. Or, maybe today’s
space-hogging technology and “fun” lifestyle
items (such as a spa tub, large screen television
or entertainment center) just don’t fit in
that house that was built around the old “modern”
conveniences.
Needless
to say, this quandary boils down to a short but
not-so-simple question: Do we move or do we remodel?
To
begin addressing this issue, start with your wish
list. Ask yourself, “What changes need to
be made to make my existing home perfect?” Forget
the resale value of these modifications for a
moment and just consider your happiness. What
would that list include?
For
many who contact contractor firms, the list includes
a master suite, often with a complete bathroom
modification to include a whirlpool tub, a steam
shower and a compartmentalized toilet. Also on
the list is a kitchen re-do. In some cases, it
is simply to update it and make it brighter and
lighter. Others want more space, including an
island, and room for more appliances, gadgets,
wine racks, pantries, etc. That often necessitates
building out and adding on.
Another
popular trend in home remodeling is the great
room. Simply, homeowners are combining a formal
living room, dining room and kitchen area to make
it a tied-together gathering spot, often with
the use of pillars instead of separating walls
or half-walls.
Regardless
of what is popular today, what does your list
contain? Now take the next step. Contact a reputable
architect and request a consultation to make sure
your ideas are even feasible based on your current
structure, lot, area restrictions, etc. Once your
ideas are deemed doable, contact a builder who
specializes in remodeling projects of your size
and complexity. Many builders do great work in
a particular niche, but do not specialize in all
aspects of construction.
For
experienced builders, it will be a fairly simple
process to give you a ballpark budget for the
project you want completed, especially if you
have rough drawings. Such preliminary research
with the architect and builder will often prevent
a homeowner from going the more expensive route
of detailed drawings only to discover the project
is either not feasible for construction reasons
or simply too expensive to justify (versus other
options).
Now,
armed with this information, it is back in your
court to make a decision. Are you staying and
remodeling? Staying and modifying your plans?
Or, are you in sticker-shock and think the cost
of the remodel is so far above your budget that
you’re not doing any modifications and simply
want to move despite the fact that you love your
location?
Assuming
you don’t want to choose that last option,
you may want to go back to what you were told
to forget earlier — the resale value of your
proposed changes. If you have equity in the house
and the changes will be recouped to a great extent
when you move, maybe the sticker-shock will be
less intense.
Speak with an experienced realtor in the area
to see the value of your current home “as
is” or with typical but minor fix-ups, such
as the fresh paint, cut grass, etc., versus the
one you will have once the remodeling is done.
Remember, the same improvement in one area of
the country, county or state is not necessarily
going to reap the same return to you in another
area.
Since
portions of the Baltimore-metro area are not highest
on the list for making your money back, be sure
to factor in the fact that you love your location
and consider how much pleasure those changes will
bring to your family for the length of time you
are in your home.
So,
now that you’ve weighed the costs and benefits,
you’ll likely have your answer. And, if remodeling
is the choice you make, you already have the two
other team members in the loop — your architect
and builder — so let the drawings begin to
make that home perfect.
Bill Rauser is president of Rauser Professional Contracting. He can be reached at 410-833-3883 or br@rauser.com.
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