Pre-Emptive House Addition

[pdub]

Unit and I are already thinking....and we're about to research it locally and actually implement it...get the house ready for us to retire and die here before it becomes apparent we need a different layout to be disabled and stuff. She's 60, I'm 58. When we were shopping in 2007 to permanently move here, we were looking for a ranch house. All of it on one level. For all of those getting old reasons. Handicap access before we need it.

Somehow this house "got" us. We bit and bought it. The previous owners hid the problems quite well to put it on the market. "Staged" is what the real estate people call that sort of thing. They patched all the cracks in the walls....and it smelled of new paint. The house is falling in at the foundation. We've spent $9K to have it jacked back up on one side. We could never sell it if we wanted to because of that issue. So we will modify and arrange it to be our last house.

You'd have to see it, (some folks here HAVE seen it), but you can nearly almost live downstairs. But for the lack of a full bathroom downstairs. We have grand plans to add a full bathroom and some closet space downstairs to be able to live downstairs. And greatly expand the kitchen. at the same time. And add an additional garage, with enough overhead space for a car lift. (Do y'all see where I'm going with this?)

I/we don't know how long we'll have to go live somewhere else when the place is torn all to crap if we do all of that. Is anybody here familiar with a huge bought remodel project like that? Again, we're in the concept stage, we'll start talking to the action folks tomorrow.

[TheSilverBuick]

This is all I got.

[Dan Barlow]

I hate the commercials where the make it look like a fun amusement ride for seniors but , it probably is the most cost effective way to stay in your house. But for ease and speed an addition is probably the way to go if the funds allow .

[pdub]

I hate the commercials where the make it look like a fun amusement ride for seniors but , it probably is the most cost effective way to stay in your house. But for ease and speed an addition is probably the way to go if the funds allow .

That can't be anything close to fun or amusement for seniors or for anybody else. We priced one of those things, we were really thinking about it when Unit's dad was coming to visit. Not for us, not back then, but for him. He visited. We worked around it. And then he died. Just saying.

Well, never mind, this is not a fun subject. And most folks here are too young to even think about all of that. My bad. Never mind.

[Dan Barlow]

You need to give us some of your renderings . That should lighten the mood back to where you like it .

[tardis454]

Shit peewee, you 2 got at least another 20-30yrs. I croaked for a little bit back in 01, so now I'm good til at least 80 lol! Up here we call houses like yours a flipped house. The seller schmucks the place up nice enough to sell, and then the 'assholes' start coming out after you've lived in it for awhile. We bought a flipped house, so I know how you feel. I don't see any reason why you can't sell you're house, or rent it for that matter. Realtors can and will sell anything. They obviously talked the people who sold us this house into 'fudging' the disclosure report. We got a letter in the mail a month after we bought the place stating the original owner back in the 60's hung himself in the garage, oh and the busted underground water pipe, yeah... As long as there isn't an insurance claim documenting the foundation problem you should be in the clear.

[Barry Donovan]

That can't be anything close to fun or amusement for seniors or for anybody else. We priced one of those things, we were really thinking about it when Unit's dad was coming to visit. Not for us, not back then, but for him. He visited. We worked around it. And then he died. Just saying.

Well, never mind, this is not a fun subject. And most folks here are too young to even think about all of that. My bad. Never mind.

Most are too young.

I am going for 1 story only, unless gambrel. Every once and a couple of years, my hip is worse than a 90 yr olds pelvis healing.
one of these days it is sjust gonna leave me a bad gimp.
the most comforting.. the slab floor , one story.
that is, if you cannot live out on the ocean.

houses move here too, maine is famous for it.

the most happy elderly keep one story. Some modern hard floor would be nice. Some of the slab engineering come a long way. heat built in, or a depth set in only part of the house for furnace.

[corvettedad]

All kidding aside your smart to be thinking about it now while you have health and finances. I'm 56 and in Retirement mode and practically living on my Retirement income now so it will lessen the financial shock when I do jump ship.

[Huskinhano]

Peewee. I agree it's smart to think about future plans and a ranch house. My wife is a visiting nurse and that's her recommendation to folks our age. My wife and I just turned 60.

Personally I would cut my losses and sell the house. You can pump that money in now but what happens in a couple years down the road before you both retire and things go to shit there? That much more money lost. Maybe taxes will be too much after the improvements for your retirement income. My wife sees that all the time.

We've been our house 5 years, raised ranch, 6 steps up everything on 1 level. But we're both getting tired of the cold winters and snow. We're thinking of moving to SC in a few years.


You could go to the realtor who sold the house to you and have them list it since they "know" how to cover things up.

[DanStokes]

If your foundation repair was properly done it shouldn't be an issue. If it was NOT properly done you need to sue the contractor. There are appropriate ways to do that repair so it's safe and permanent (Ram Jak comes to mind). And they'll guarantee the repair in writing so the purchaser can feel comfortable with the house.

ME and I picked a ranch on a slab (entrance at ground level) when we moved here - that was one of our requirements. We were thinking that my Mom could come and live with us (she never did - didn't want to) and it's proven to be nice for us as we age (we're 69 and 70 this year). I can heartily recommend that you get the current Weeville saleable if it isn't already and make the move. It's worth it.

Dan

[STINEY]

We could never sell it if we wanted to because of that issue.

I seem to remember you mentioning that all the houses in that development had similar issues, that they all were built on unstable ground or some such.

So everyone in that development is now stuck with their houses for life?




Grandpa and I bought a chair-lift from a local church that installed an elevator and installed it ourselves for Grandma. She hated the thing, complained about it every time she had the opportunity. Turned out she could complain about it while utilizing it at the same time, but that's another story.




I'm not being nosy, but it sure sounds to me like someone just retired their mortgage and has some money burning a hole in their pocket. Not judging, just thoughts crossing my mind. Also sounds like you guys are thinking proactively. Good on you.


I'm with Huskinhano. Sell the house and find one that is already within 90% of what you envision.

Or follow the generational status-quo and build a McMansion. After all, every fixed-income mobility-challenged senior citizen needs 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms to keep up with. At least you won't be doing that as soon as your kids leave the nest like most do.

Speaking of kids - isn't this the perfect time to solve that issue as well? And the annoying neighbor Dr with the intrusive fence? And there are some weirdo's across the way if I remember correctly.

None of this stuff is disclosure-type stuff.

Even the foundation isn't in the strictest sense. You have remediated it, professionally.

Now if it were failing and you just spackled and ran, then yes, you falsified disclosure. But if you weren't allowed to sell a house that had ever had a problem in its history, then there would be no used housing market, period.

Heck, there would be no new housing market for that matter either. There is no such thing as a house that doesn't need anything done to it.

[pdub]

Thanks guys! Lots to think about....

[Deaf Bob]

Build a foundation in your back yard and set the upper floor on it and add a roof over the firat floor...

[sueunit]

The simplest solution is usually the best. An elevator would take care of everything. The stair lift would drive me crazy. The only thing missing from the first floor is a shower. We will keep mulling it over. What I DO know is that I don't want to move.

[DanStokes]

I can relate. It was tough decision for us but I simply could NOT be in the Michigan weather following my heart attack so we had to move someplace warm. But we sure didn't WANT to move though it's proven to be a really good thing.

Dan