2-story Addition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, are you pricing yourself out of your neighborhood for your age house? Is it a knockdown? Wouldn't it be cheaper to build new?

I have friends that added on, and they always needed more room, and wished they knocked down instead, for the money, that is why I am asking.

Not the OP but we're contemplating a 2 story addition in downtown Bethesda with an estimated cost of $360,000+. Our neighborhood is full of tear downs and we're torn between adding on or paying $800,000+ for a semi-custom new build.

I think you can get a ndi home for around the addition price.

We added a second story in the past and looking back should have come up with the extra 75k to do a teardown ndi quality build.

We're in the process of a new build semi-custom in a neighborhood filled with Sandy Spring and Cafritz homes. A NDI home would be ridiculously out of place here.

[Anonymous]

Check out Reel Homes.

[Anonymous]

Cost will be $250,000 to $350,000 with mid-grade finishes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, are you pricing yourself out of your neighborhood for your age house? Is it a knockdown? Wouldn't it be cheaper to build new?

I have friends that added on, and they always needed more room, and wished they knocked down instead, for the money, that is why I am asking.

Not the OP but we're contemplating a 2 story addition in downtown Bethesda with an estimated cost of $360,000+. Our neighborhood is full of tear downs and we're torn between adding on or paying $800,000+ for a semi-custom new build.

I think you can get a ndi home for around the addition price.

We added a second story in the past and looking back should have come up with the extra 75k to do a teardown ndi quality build.

We're in the process of a new build semi-custom in a neighborhood filled with Sandy Spring and Cafritz homes. A NDI home would be ridiculously out of place here.

Not really, NDI builds there all the time.

BTW Sandy Spring is extremely over priced, they also use modulars to cut cost but don't pass along the savings.

It's funny how we are so gullible to think some extra trim here and there, a few kitchen ugrades justify paying one million to Sandy Spring.

In fact I had their cost sheet on modular homes they passed as custom and the profit margins were astounding. They didn't even change the design just the finishing. So they would take a preset haven homes modular, add a few extra finishings and pass it as custom. This is no different than what ndi, anv and reel homes does except Sandy Spring homes have less overhead and cost because the homes come prebuilt. It was downright offensive and to me a very misleading way of marketing custom homes. In fact you could consider the tract home stick builders more custom because everything is built on site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, are you pricing yourself out of your neighborhood for your age house? Is it a knockdown? Wouldn't it be cheaper to build new?

I have friends that added on, and they always needed more room, and wished they knocked down instead, for the money, that is why I am asking.

Not the OP but we're contemplating a 2 story addition in downtown Bethesda with an estimated cost of $360,000+. Our neighborhood is full of tear downs and we're torn between adding on or paying $800,000+ for a semi-custom new build.

I think you can get a ndi home for around the addition price.

We added a second story in the past and looking back should have come up with the extra 75k to do a teardown ndi quality build.

We're in the process of a new build semi-custom in a neighborhood filled with Sandy Spring and Cafritz homes. A NDI home would be ridiculously out of place here.

Not really, NDI builds there all the time.

BTW Sandy Spring is extremely over priced, they also use modulars to cut cost but don't pass along the savings.

It's funny how we are so gullible to think some extra trim here and there, a few kitchen ugrades justify paying one million to Sandy Spring.

In fact I had their cost sheet on modular homes they passed as custom and the profit margins were astounding. They didn't even change the design just the finishing. So they would take a preset haven homes modular, add a few extra finishings and pass it as custom. This is no different than what ndi, anv and reel homes does except Sandy Spring homes have less overhead and cost because the homes come prebuilt. It was downright offensive and to me a very misleading way of marketing custom homes. In fact you could consider the tract home stick builders more custom because everything is built on site.

This is interesting. Thanks. Every other house is a Sandy Spring new build In the neighborhood we just moved in to, so I would think there has to be some advantage to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Measure your space

Existing space assume $150 a sq ft
New space - I.e. A non existent first floor, assume $250 a sq ft
New space on top of existing space - assume $200 a sq ft
Add it up
Add 12% for an architect
Add $40k for a kitchen
Add $15k for a bath

Tada.

Basically id assume about $300 to $350 without knowing jack shit else.

It's going to cost more than this unless you do it on the cheap or hire a shady contractor.

I meant it as incremental to the $150 or $250 sq ft.

[Anonymous]

Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

[Anonymous]

There have to be builders in between NDI and the boutique builders. Who are they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. I wish the poster(s) obsessed with everyone that 250k addition means they should build new understood this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. I wish the poster(s) obsessed with everyone that 250k addition means they should build new understood this.

NDI is one of the few home construction companies that seems honest and puts their pricing out in the open.

Their homes start at 250k. Site work, permits and tearing down is about 50 to 75k.

I did a two story addition and gut for 250k in the past. I wish I had come up with the extra 50k and did a new ndi build. Of course the contractor had crept up the price when things like old pipes or issues with the original home were discovered after starting.

If at least one person considers tearing down over the prices these "con" tractors quote for additions, my job is done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. I wish the poster(s) obsessed with everyone that 250k addition means they should build new understood this.

NDI is one of the few home construction companies that seems honest and puts their pricing out in the open.

Their homes start at 250k. Site work, permits and tearing down is about 50 to 75k.

I did a two story addition and gut for 250k in the past. I wish I had come up with the extra 50k and did a new ndi build. Of course the contractor had crept up the price when things like old pipes or issues with the original home were discovered after starting.

If at least one person considers tearing down over the prices these "con" tractors quote for additions, my job is done.

But would it really have taken just an extra 50K? What if you had wanted hardwood floors instead of carpet or some other upgrades? Where would you have lived while this new home was being built? If you have to spend $3000/month for temporary housing that would add up very quickly too. Ultimately, you probably would have had to come up with an extra $100,000 -$150,000 which is a different ballgame for a lot of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. I wish the poster(s) obsessed with everyone that 250k addition means they should build new understood this.

NDI is one of the few home construction companies that seems honest and puts their pricing out in the open.

Their homes start at 250k. Site work, permits and tearing down is about 50 to 75k.

I did a two story addition and gut for 250k in the past. I wish I had come up with the extra 50k and did a new ndi build. Of course the contractor had crept up the price when things like old pipes or issues with the original home were discovered after starting.

If at least one person considers tearing down over the prices these "con" tractors quote for additions, my job is done.

But would it really have taken just an extra 50K? What if you had wanted hardwood floors instead of carpet or some other upgrades? Where would you have lived while this new home was being built? If you have to spend $3000/month for temporary housing that would add up very quickly too. Ultimately, you probably would have had to come up with an extra $100,000 -$150,000 which is a different ballgame for a lot of us.

We ended having to move out during the 2nd floor addition anyways and in hindsight wish we put everything in storage because of the dust and damage.

In terms of upgrades the only thing we would want might be wood floors and could live with all the other standard NDI features which we on par with our renovation.

A neighbor did a NDI and they sold their house for over a million in early 2012 (before the major appreciation in Falls Church McLean High School Zone), ours was worth only 780k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. Be careful with change orders and upgrades. They can really add up. Neighbors just tore down and their estimated $1 million new build ended up being $1.3 million. We're looking to spend $800,000 max and there is now way we can afford that kind of over-run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those NDI prices are for building the house. Add more for demo of current house and lot prep. Unless you're looking at more of a 400k addition, new construction vs. addition aren't in the same financial ballpark.

+1. Be careful with change orders and upgrades. They can really add up. Neighbors just tore down and their estimated $1 million new build ended up being $1.3 million. We're looking to spend $800,000 max and there is now way we can afford that kind of over-run.

That is the issue with a custom build without set plans. If you decided to work with a preset plan semi-custom builder your costs can be controlled.

[Anonymous]

We just built a really nice addition on a DC row house along the lines of what you describe. Kitchen cabinets and appliances weren't touched. Scope of work was:

Open out kitchen into new family room
New bathroom
New bedroom (on second floor)
New master closets
New hardiplank siding
French doors
New laundry room
High end hardwood floors, lighting and bathroom fixtures

Was architect designed and took much longer than expected -- don't recommend our contractor for various reasons, though the quality of the work is very good (eventually!) total cost was $130k. (other quotes were similar or lower)

Total additional sq footage was 450.