To make a long story short, we have a house with a giant, completely unfinished attic which we eventually want to build out into a master suite and den. After hiring an architect and getting several quotes from general contractors, we discovered we don’t quite have the funds to do it yet, and it will probably take at least a couple of years to save up enough (or take a loan, which we don’t want to do). The project will involve dormers to make space for an additional bathroom and walk-in closet upstairs.
Various friends have suggested doing the project in chunks as we have the cash, which mostly doesn’t seem to make sense - the attic really needs everything. There is currently no electricity, plumbing, etc. up there, and the floor joists will need to be substantially reinforced to bear the weight of the whole job. I can’t think of a way to do the project in stages that wouldn’t involve having to undo and redo things between stages, get multiple construction permits, bid out jobs a million times, etc. But then I am about the furthest thing there is from a construction expert.
However, there is one possible exception - insulation, which presumably might make sense if we did the dormers first, which we have the cash to do now. (If we didn’t do the dormers first, presumably we’d have to redo the insulation later, etc.) Would that potentially makes sense, or are there considerations I’m not thinking of? The house is 100 years old, and there is no attic insulation (although the roof is only a few years old), and presumably whatever insulation there ever was between the first floor and the attic is ancient, decrepit, and not doing much of anything.
Thoughts? Or do I just need to call back the general contractors who gave us estimates and see what they say? Anything I should ask them?
Depends on the local building authority. I have an addition that hasn’t had the final inspection yet. One permit is covering the construction, electrical and plumbing needed their own permits .The work gets done when the money is available, the town doesn’t mind. Other locations may have a strict time limit on how long you have to complete work without re-permitting.
Things have to be done in a certain order. There’s no reason to wait on the dormers if they are in the attic. Do the construction, put in the insulation, the rest can be done later. But the local codes will still apply. You did mention floor joists needing reinforcement, probably something to get done first. But if the authorities don’t mind open framing and exposed insulation in the dormers then you should be fine.
I would talk to a plumber if you want to add a bathroom up there, it may not be easy to route the supply lines and the drains.
Presumably the insulation would be below the roof, not between the attic and the first floor, so is there any reason we would need to reinforce the floor joists before doing just the dormers and insulation?
We have already talked to several general contractors, and they didn’t seem to think the plumbing would be particularly difficult.
I don’t see a reason, but I’m not a contractor (other than for my own house). Not sure what kind of reinforcement you need for the joists, you do need to check the load bearing walls holding the joists. And if the load capacity of the floor is that questionable you may not want to do any construction without reinforcement, in most homes it’s a problem if a bunch of workmen, tools, and materials come crashing through the ceiling to the floor below.
I do think doing it over time is a good idea, I’m very happy that we didn’t need to borrow any money for this.
You’ll probably save a bit of money if you choose to do it all at once. Even given that, I would to install the dormers, do the structural framing and insulate first. Depending on what your budget and the permitting authority would prefer, you may or may not choose to do the plumbing and electrical rough ins at the same time or it can wait for later (although I would push for now, if possible). The rest can wait for another day. My reasoning is that every time you start redoing major structural elements, you get surprise expenses. It’s best to get them out of the way before committing to the whole project.
In the Chicago area, adding insulation in the attic should save you considerable money every winter.
So go ahead and do the dormers & insulation quickly, then let the savings on your heating bill accumulate.
Stomachache and time, as well. You just have to weigh that against the savings from having decent insulation when currently there is none. I did a project in two chunks for a different reason: I redid the kitchen, changed the heater (which is in a different room), added A/C… but left the painters for later, because by doing this I could shuffle my delicate stuff around on my own rather than leave it to the painters’ paws (and good thing I did; the apprentice needed the concept of “built-in wardrobe” explained, he wanted to move it).
Is there any way to turn the basement into a rental? That way, you would still have to take out a loan now but at least you would have cashflow to back up the loan and you could get it all done at once.
I think the big question is if the partially constructed attic will be of use to you. If it’s not going to be of any use to you then you should either borrow to do the complete project now or wait until you have the money to do it all at once. This is because it can well happen that you need to move: because you get a different job, because your health goes bad, to live close to parents with health problems, because there is a massive recession and you need to move somewhere cheaper or whatever. And this partially completed attic will add no value to the house when you sell–so the money will go down the drain.
This is absolutely true. If it’s a matter of years then the inflation alone will make it more expensive. OTOH getting the insulation done starts saving money right away, and borrowing cost money also. There’s no simple answer to the economics of waiting to do it all vs. doing it in steps. It is certainly feasible to do it in pieces though.
I also wonder if potential changes to construction codes could complicate things and make it more expensive. In my area, you file plans with the permit office and they review them for code compliance before issuing permits. Once you get the permits, you start construction, get interim inspections (electrical, plumbing, etc.) as work is completed, then get a final sign-off inspection. I wonder if you’d have a problem getting inspection approvals if you submit the plans now, years to finish the work, and learn at some interim or final inspection that some of the work you did does not meet the updated code.
Speaking just for myself, I would borrow the money. When I wanted to add a porch to my house 40 years ago, I just borrowed the money and paid it back over a couple years. Worked well. I enjoyed that porch every summer and near cried when the people who bought the house tore it out in order to extend the house.
The basement has a concrete floor and is unfinished- plus we are storing a bunch of stuff there. Probably not without spending a giant chunk of money, which defeats the purpose. And I am not sure it’s feasible at all due to code issues.