Massive home addition causes confusion in Fairfax County neighborhood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a search on Ashley Greenbriar Fairfax you can see many great houses with additions and modifications. Those homes are quite different in expansion potential than typical Arlington teardowns.

One neighborhood in ARL has a large number of teardowns and renos with additions. Teardowns were 2-3 bd and 1 -2 baths. 1200 sq feet or less. No garage. Renos changed rooflines, kept garages. Large new builds on teardown sites either did attached narrow lot line with 1 car garage or a free standing.

I don't see a lot of Ashley models with significant modifications. The most significant one is 4214 Plaza Ln. I think that's pretty well done, but those bedrooms are awfully small. The dormers help, but reallocating space to upstairs from one bedroom to create a hallway makes both original rooms quite small.

I mean, how big does a bedroom need to be? Most people just sleep in their bedrooms but spend most of their day in the rest of the house.

Think about the situation here. There won't be as many living spaces relative to residents as a typical house. The bigger the household, the more people will use their bedrooms- especially among teens and adults. You're generally going to want room for a bed (full or queen for the adults), nightstand, desk, 1-2 dressers, TV, and probably a chair of some sort. At least two of these rooms need to be suitable for a pair of adults.

The bedrooms in 4214 Plaza Ln don't end up very functional for anyone but kids.

They are adding a ton of space to what is already and expanded house. Again, how big does a bedroom really need to be? It’s not like people sit around all day in their bedroom.

You're being deliberately obtuse. Even someone that grew up in Ashley home acknowledged they would want more space.

You misunderstand. The question is why do the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. Someone up thread said that the bedrooms in the Ashley models with additions were not big enough, so just asking why not?

The largest bedroom is upstairs and has sloped ceilings. One bedroom on the main level is moderate- 12x11. The other two bedrooms are quite small- basically just enough for a twin bed and dresser.

If you only want a single stairwell between the house and addition, you'll need to add a hallway through the middle of the large upstairs bedroom.

Typically, secondary bedrooms in homes are meant for kids. Particularly in children older homes, they're expecting a twin bed and not much else. That's not the situation for this family, where there will be several adults. That means they'll need more and larger bedrooms. Adults generally don't want to share bathrooms with a bunch of other people, too, which is why I'm not surprised there are a bunch of bathrooms in this. New homes even expecting traditional families tend to have a high bathroom to bedroom ratio.

Again, you seem confused. The question is why the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. It’s not like people live in their bedrooms. People spend must of the day in the other parts of a house, not sitting around in their bedrooms.

There are two couples and two children living in this house. There will be six new bathrooms plus two and a half bathrooms in the original section of the house. That’s 8 1/2 bathrooms for four adults and two young children.

Your mistaken. When you live in a crowded house, you spend more time on your bedroom. Furthermore, adult bedrooms are typically bigger than children's bedrooms, for a variety of reasons.

We don't know how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house will have after this addition and the associated renovations.

Also, I don't know how many adults will be there. Is Mike the one with kids, or is his sibling moving in with their family? And I think his brother is already living there.

On one of the videos, Mike said that there was one elderly couple, he and his wife and their two young children living in the house. I don’t believe there was a mention of a brother or any other sibling with a family.

If people have formed one household together, they will spend time in the common areas in the house, not all apart in separate bedrooms all day long. It’s not like people are living in their bedrooms all day, right?

I really don't understand why you seem to think people don't spend time in bedrooms. Sure, if you have a small family and a big house, people can spread out in different living areas. But if you have a small house and a big family, people go to bedrooms. Didn't you ever have teenagers? Or did you just have a large house?

I'm pretty sure Mike's brother is already living there. I thought there was another sibling, too, that was planning to move in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a search on Ashley Greenbriar Fairfax you can see many great houses with additions and modifications. Those homes are quite different in expansion potential than typical Arlington teardowns.

One neighborhood in ARL has a large number of teardowns and renos with additions. Teardowns were 2-3 bd and 1 -2 baths. 1200 sq feet or less. No garage. Renos changed rooflines, kept garages. Large new builds on teardown sites either did attached narrow lot line with 1 car garage or a free standing.

I don't see a lot of Ashley models with significant modifications. The most significant one is 4214 Plaza Ln. I think that's pretty well done, but those bedrooms are awfully small. The dormers help, but reallocating space to upstairs from one bedroom to create a hallway makes both original rooms quite small.

I mean, how big does a bedroom need to be? Most people just sleep in their bedrooms but spend most of their day in the rest of the house.

Think about the situation here. There won't be as many living spaces relative to residents as a typical house. The bigger the household, the more people will use their bedrooms- especially among teens and adults. You're generally going to want room for a bed (full or queen for the adults), nightstand, desk, 1-2 dressers, TV, and probably a chair of some sort. At least two of these rooms need to be suitable for a pair of adults.

The bedrooms in 4214 Plaza Ln don't end up very functional for anyone but kids.

They are adding a ton of space to what is already and expanded house. Again, how big does a bedroom really need to be? It’s not like people sit around all day in their bedroom.

You're being deliberately obtuse. Even someone that grew up in Ashley home acknowledged they would want more space.

You misunderstand. The question is why do the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. Someone up thread said that the bedrooms in the Ashley models with additions were not big enough, so just asking why not?

The largest bedroom is upstairs and has sloped ceilings. One bedroom on the main level is moderate- 12x11. The other two bedrooms are quite small- basically just enough for a twin bed and dresser.

If you only want a single stairwell between the house and addition, you'll need to add a hallway through the middle of the large upstairs bedroom.

Typically, secondary bedrooms in homes are meant for kids. Particularly in children older homes, they're expecting a twin bed and not much else. That's not the situation for this family, where there will be several adults. That means they'll need more and larger bedrooms. Adults generally don't want to share bathrooms with a bunch of other people, too, which is why I'm not surprised there are a bunch of bathrooms in this. New homes even expecting traditional families tend to have a high bathroom to bedroom ratio.

Again, you seem confused. The question is why the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. It’s not like people live in their bedrooms. People spend must of the day in the other parts of a house, not sitting around in their bedrooms.

There are two couples and two children living in this house. There will be six new bathrooms plus two and a half bathrooms in the original section of the house. That’s 8 1/2 bathrooms for four adults and two young children.

Your mistaken. When you live in a crowded house, you spend more time on your bedroom. Furthermore, adult bedrooms are typically bigger than children's bedrooms, for a variety of reasons.

We don't know how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house will have after this addition and the associated renovations.

Also, I don't know how many adults will be there. Is Mike the one with kids, or is his sibling moving in with their family? And I think his brother is already living there.

On one of the videos, Mike said that there was one elderly couple, he and his wife and their two young children living in the house. I don’t believe there was a mention of a brother or any other sibling with a family.

If people have formed one household together, they will spend time in the common areas in the house, not all apart in separate bedrooms all day long. It’s not like people are living in their bedrooms all day, right?

I really don't understand why you seem to think people don't spend time in bedrooms. Sure, if you have a small family and a big house, people can spread out in different living areas. But if you have a small house and a big family, people go to bedrooms. Didn't you ever have teenagers? Or did you just have a large house?

I'm pretty sure Mike's brother is already living there. I thought there was another sibling, too, that was planning to move in.

Most people don’t spend their entire day in their bedroom every day. You need room for a bed and a dresser or two, but it’s a sleeping and dressing space, not a living space.

If the adults are planning to spend so much time in their bedrooms, what’s the point of even living together in this “one household” situation? They could be living in separate houses/apartments and see each other the same amount of time if the plan is for everyone to hang out in their individual bedrooms.

Teenagers might study and do homework in their rooms, but they are also busy and involved in a lot of activities outside the house. So they actually don’t spend that much time in their rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a search on Ashley Greenbriar Fairfax you can see many great houses with additions and modifications. Those homes are quite different in expansion potential than typical Arlington teardowns.

One neighborhood in ARL has a large number of teardowns and renos with additions. Teardowns were 2-3 bd and 1 -2 baths. 1200 sq feet or less. No garage. Renos changed rooflines, kept garages. Large new builds on teardown sites either did attached narrow lot line with 1 car garage or a free standing.

I don't see a lot of Ashley models with significant modifications. The most significant one is 4214 Plaza Ln. I think that's pretty well done, but those bedrooms are awfully small. The dormers help, but reallocating space to upstairs from one bedroom to create a hallway makes both original rooms quite small.

I mean, how big does a bedroom need to be? Most people just sleep in their bedrooms but spend most of their day in the rest of the house.

Think about the situation here. There won't be as many living spaces relative to residents as a typical house. The bigger the household, the more people will use their bedrooms- especially among teens and adults. You're generally going to want room for a bed (full or queen for the adults), nightstand, desk, 1-2 dressers, TV, and probably a chair of some sort. At least two of these rooms need to be suitable for a pair of adults.

The bedrooms in 4214 Plaza Ln don't end up very functional for anyone but kids.

They are adding a ton of space to what is already and expanded house. Again, how big does a bedroom really need to be? It’s not like people sit around all day in their bedroom.

You're being deliberately obtuse. Even someone that grew up in Ashley home acknowledged they would want more space.

You misunderstand. The question is why do the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. Someone up thread said that the bedrooms in the Ashley models with additions were not big enough, so just asking why not?

The largest bedroom is upstairs and has sloped ceilings. One bedroom on the main level is moderate- 12x11. The other two bedrooms are quite small- basically just enough for a twin bed and dresser.

If you only want a single stairwell between the house and addition, you'll need to add a hallway through the middle of the large upstairs bedroom.

Typically, secondary bedrooms in homes are meant for kids. Particularly in children older homes, they're expecting a twin bed and not much else. That's not the situation for this family, where there will be several adults. That means they'll need more and larger bedrooms. Adults generally don't want to share bathrooms with a bunch of other people, too, which is why I'm not surprised there are a bunch of bathrooms in this. New homes even expecting traditional families tend to have a high bathroom to bedroom ratio.

Again, you seem confused. The question is why the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. It’s not like people live in their bedrooms. People spend must of the day in the other parts of a house, not sitting around in their bedrooms.

There are two couples and two children living in this house. There will be six new bathrooms plus two and a half bathrooms in the original section of the house. That’s 8 1/2 bathrooms for four adults and two young children.

Your mistaken. When you live in a crowded house, you spend more time on your bedroom. Furthermore, adult bedrooms are typically bigger than children's bedrooms, for a variety of reasons.

We don't know how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house will have after this addition and the associated renovations.

Also, I don't know how many adults will be there. Is Mike the one with kids, or is his sibling moving in with their family? And I think his brother is already living there.

On one of the videos, Mike said that there was one elderly couple, he and his wife and their two young children living in the house. I don’t believe there was a mention of a brother or any other sibling with a family.

If people have formed one household together, they will spend time in the common areas in the house, not all apart in separate bedrooms all day long. It’s not like people are living in their bedrooms all day, right?

I really don't understand why you seem to think people don't spend time in bedrooms. Sure, if you have a small family and a big house, people can spread out in different living areas. But if you have a small house and a big family, people go to bedrooms. Didn't you ever have teenagers? Or did you just have a large house?

I'm pretty sure Mike's brother is already living there. I thought there was another sibling, too, that was planning to move in.

Most people don’t spend their entire day in their bedroom every day. You need room for a bed and a dresser or two, but it’s a sleeping and dressing space, not a living space.

If the adults are planning to spend so much time in their bedrooms, what’s the point of even living together in this “one household” situation? They could be living in separate houses/apartments and see each other the same amount of time if the plan is for everyone to hang out in their individual bedrooms.

Teenagers might study and do homework in their rooms, but they are also busy and involved in a lot of activities outside the house. So they actually don’t spend that much time in their rooms.

You think the only reason people live in the same household is to spend nearly all of their waking hours together? Really? You can't think of any other reasons?

I obviously don't know you. I don't know your current situation, or if you have or had a family. I don't know what kind of environment you grew up in. I don't know if you really believe what you're saying, if you're just trolling, or if your hatred of this addition is clouding your thoughts.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. How you choose to live your life, or claim to live your life, isn't how other people have to live their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lived in an Ashley and did a major Reno that basically turned it into a colonial with 5 brs.

Did they have to do major foundation work to create the full second level?

In this area, I will speculate that any pop-up will require some foundation work. The marine soils that we have weren't as well understood 50 years ago, and IMHO all of foundations were underbuilt.

My expectation is that you'd be able to add dormers without foundation work, but not pop up the roof. That makes expansions here hard. You could add dormers to make the two rooms upstairs more functional, but adding another bedroom gets tricky. Adding a two level addition behind the house would require significant foundation work even to the existing structure- you'd have to pop-up the roof to connect them. Adding another bedroom above the garage requires finding room for a hallway, which causes you to a lose a lot of usable space if you can't pop-up the roof.

Did the garage foundation get upgraded?

1950s garage foundations were not engineered to support 3 floors of living space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lived in an Ashley and did a major Reno that basically turned it into a colonial with 5 brs.

Did they have to do major foundation work to create the full second level?

In this area, I will speculate that any pop-up will require some foundation work. The marine soils that we have weren't as well understood 50 years ago, and IMHO all of foundations were underbuilt.

My expectation is that you'd be able to add dormers without foundation work, but not pop up the roof. That makes expansions here hard. You could add dormers to make the two rooms upstairs more functional, but adding another bedroom gets tricky. Adding a two level addition behind the house would require significant foundation work even to the existing structure- you'd have to pop-up the roof to connect them. Adding another bedroom above the garage requires finding room for a hallway, which causes you to a lose a lot of usable space if you can't pop-up the roof.

Did the garage foundation get upgraded?

1950s garage foundations were not engineered to support 3 floors of living space.

For this addition? Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lived in an Ashley and did a major Reno that basically turned it into a colonial with 5 brs.

Did they have to do major foundation work to create the full second level?

In this area, I will speculate that any pop-up will require some foundation work. The marine soils that we have weren't as well understood 50 years ago, and IMHO all of foundations were underbuilt.

My expectation is that you'd be able to add dormers without foundation work, but not pop up the roof. That makes expansions here hard. You could add dormers to make the two rooms upstairs more functional, but adding another bedroom gets tricky. Adding a two level addition behind the house would require significant foundation work even to the existing structure- you'd have to pop-up the roof to connect them. Adding another bedroom above the garage requires finding room for a hallway, which causes you to a lose a lot of usable space if you can't pop-up the roof.

Did the garage foundation get upgraded?

1950s garage foundations were not engineered to support 3 floors of living space.

For this addition? Absolutely.

How do you know? Is there a link to a public document?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend lived in an Ashley and did a major Reno that basically turned it into a colonial with 5 brs.

Did they have to do major foundation work to create the full second level?

In this area, I will speculate that any pop-up will require some foundation work. The marine soils that we have weren't as well understood 50 years ago, and IMHO all of foundations were underbuilt.

My expectation is that you'd be able to add dormers without foundation work, but not pop up the roof. That makes expansions here hard. You could add dormers to make the two rooms upstairs more functional, but adding another bedroom gets tricky. Adding a two level addition behind the house would require significant foundation work even to the existing structure- you'd have to pop-up the roof to connect them. Adding another bedroom above the garage requires finding room for a hallway, which causes you to a lose a lot of usable space if you can't pop-up the roof.

Did the garage foundation get upgraded?

1950s garage foundations were not engineered to support 3 floors of living space.

For this addition? Absolutely.

How do you know? Is there a link to a public document?

Three out of the four exterior walls don't sit on the old foundation. The addition is bigger than what it replaced.

I don't know what they had to do on the side next to the original house.

[Anonymous]

They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

What does this mean?

The neighbors observed a new slab being poured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

What does this mean?

The neighbors observed a new slab being poured.

The footings were probably the issue. They might have been able to keep and extend the slab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

What does this mean?

The neighbors observed a new slab being poured.

The footings were probably the issue. They might have been able to keep and extend the slab.

So, they broke up and removed the garage foundation and then poured an entirely new slab?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a search on Ashley Greenbriar Fairfax you can see many great houses with additions and modifications. Those homes are quite different in expansion potential than typical Arlington teardowns.

One neighborhood in ARL has a large number of teardowns and renos with additions. Teardowns were 2-3 bd and 1 -2 baths. 1200 sq feet or less. No garage. Renos changed rooflines, kept garages. Large new builds on teardown sites either did attached narrow lot line with 1 car garage or a free standing.

I don't see a lot of Ashley models with significant modifications. The most significant one is 4214 Plaza Ln. I think that's pretty well done, but those bedrooms are awfully small. The dormers help, but reallocating space to upstairs from one bedroom to create a hallway makes both original rooms quite small.

I mean, how big does a bedroom need to be? Most people just sleep in their bedrooms but spend most of their day in the rest of the house.

Think about the situation here. There won't be as many living spaces relative to residents as a typical house. The bigger the household, the more people will use their bedrooms- especially among teens and adults. You're generally going to want room for a bed (full or queen for the adults), nightstand, desk, 1-2 dressers, TV, and probably a chair of some sort. At least two of these rooms need to be suitable for a pair of adults.

The bedrooms in 4214 Plaza Ln don't end up very functional for anyone but kids.

They are adding a ton of space to what is already and expanded house. Again, how big does a bedroom really need to be? It’s not like people sit around all day in their bedroom.

You're being deliberately obtuse. Even someone that grew up in Ashley home acknowledged they would want more space.

You misunderstand. The question is why do the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. Someone up thread said that the bedrooms in the Ashley models with additions were not big enough, so just asking why not?

The largest bedroom is upstairs and has sloped ceilings. One bedroom on the main level is moderate- 12x11. The other two bedrooms are quite small- basically just enough for a twin bed and dresser.

If you only want a single stairwell between the house and addition, you'll need to add a hallway through the middle of the large upstairs bedroom.

Typically, secondary bedrooms in homes are meant for kids. Particularly in children older homes, they're expecting a twin bed and not much else. That's not the situation for this family, where there will be several adults. That means they'll need more and larger bedrooms. Adults generally don't want to share bathrooms with a bunch of other people, too, which is why I'm not surprised there are a bunch of bathrooms in this. New homes even expecting traditional families tend to have a high bathroom to bedroom ratio.

Again, you seem confused. The question is why the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. It’s not like people live in their bedrooms. People spend must of the day in the other parts of a house, not sitting around in their bedrooms.

There are two couples and two children living in this house. There will be six new bathrooms plus two and a half bathrooms in the original section of the house. That’s 8 1/2 bathrooms for four adults and two young children.

Your mistaken. When you live in a crowded house, you spend more time on your bedroom. Furthermore, adult bedrooms are typically bigger than children's bedrooms, for a variety of reasons.

We don't know how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house will have after this addition and the associated renovations.

Also, I don't know how many adults will be there. Is Mike the one with kids, or is his sibling moving in with their family? And I think his brother is already living there.

On one of the videos, Mike said that there was one elderly couple, he and his wife and their two young children living in the house. I don’t believe there was a mention of a brother or any other sibling with a family.

If people have formed one household together, they will spend time in the common areas in the house, not all apart in separate bedrooms all day long. It’s not like people are living in their bedrooms all day, right?

I really don't understand why you seem to think people don't spend time in bedrooms. Sure, if you have a small family and a big house, people can spread out in different living areas. But if you have a small house and a big family, people go to bedrooms. Didn't you ever have teenagers? Or did you just have a large house?

I'm pretty sure Mike's brother is already living there. I thought there was another sibling, too, that was planning to move in.

Most people don’t spend their entire day in their bedroom every day. You need room for a bed and a dresser or two, but it’s a sleeping and dressing space, not a living space.

If the adults are planning to spend so much time in their bedrooms, what’s the point of even living together in this “one household” situation? They could be living in separate houses/apartments and see each other the same amount of time if the plan is for everyone to hang out in their individual bedrooms.

Teenagers might study and do homework in their rooms, but they are also busy and involved in a lot of activities outside the house. So they actually don’t spend that much time in their rooms.

You think the only reason people live in the same household is to spend nearly all of their waking hours together? Really? You can't think of any other reasons?

I obviously don't know you. I don't know your current situation, or if you have or had a family. I don't know what kind of environment you grew up in. I don't know if you really believe what you're saying, if you're just trolling, or if your hatred of this addition is clouding your thoughts.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. How you choose to live your life, or claim to live your life, isn't how other people have to live their lives.

I grew up in a family with my grandparents living with us for several years- from the time when they could no longer be independent until they died. While they were still relatively healthy, my grandparents spent their time out in the common areas of the house. They never sat around in their bedroom all day.

Families that combine several related nuclear families live together because they love each other and enjoy each other’s company. It’s not like they’re totally unrelated people renting bedrooms in a house where it would make sense for them to spend all their time separately in their own rooms, where it would make sense to have a bigger room because that’s where they’re actually living.

That’s not the case here, where everyone is close family. They won’t be spending all their time in their rooms. They’re not strangers, they’re family. Families cook together, talk together, help kids with homework, maybe watch tv or listen to music. Why live in the same house together if the plan is to spend all their time in separate bedrooms, never interacting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely did something to the foundation, per neighbors

What does this mean?

The neighbors observed a new slab being poured.

The footings were probably the issue. They might have been able to keep and extend the slab.

So, they broke up and removed the garage foundation and then poured an entirely new slab?

No, I'm saying I suspect they avoided doing that. You can strengthen footers without removing the slab. It's also possible they just needed to strengthen a few specific points along the shared wall with the original house.

They obviously needed to pour a new foundation in the areas that didn't have one before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a search on Ashley Greenbriar Fairfax you can see many great houses with additions and modifications. Those homes are quite different in expansion potential than typical Arlington teardowns.

One neighborhood in ARL has a large number of teardowns and renos with additions. Teardowns were 2-3 bd and 1 -2 baths. 1200 sq feet or less. No garage. Renos changed rooflines, kept garages. Large new builds on teardown sites either did attached narrow lot line with 1 car garage or a free standing.

I don't see a lot of Ashley models with significant modifications. The most significant one is 4214 Plaza Ln. I think that's pretty well done, but those bedrooms are awfully small. The dormers help, but reallocating space to upstairs from one bedroom to create a hallway makes both original rooms quite small.

I mean, how big does a bedroom need to be? Most people just sleep in their bedrooms but spend most of their day in the rest of the house.

Think about the situation here. There won't be as many living spaces relative to residents as a typical house. The bigger the household, the more people will use their bedrooms- especially among teens and adults. You're generally going to want room for a bed (full or queen for the adults), nightstand, desk, 1-2 dressers, TV, and probably a chair of some sort. At least two of these rooms need to be suitable for a pair of adults.

The bedrooms in 4214 Plaza Ln don't end up very functional for anyone but kids.

They are adding a ton of space to what is already and expanded house. Again, how big does a bedroom really need to be? It’s not like people sit around all day in their bedroom.

You're being deliberately obtuse. Even someone that grew up in Ashley home acknowledged they would want more space.

You misunderstand. The question is why do the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. Someone up thread said that the bedrooms in the Ashley models with additions were not big enough, so just asking why not?

The largest bedroom is upstairs and has sloped ceilings. One bedroom on the main level is moderate- 12x11. The other two bedrooms are quite small- basically just enough for a twin bed and dresser.

If you only want a single stairwell between the house and addition, you'll need to add a hallway through the middle of the large upstairs bedroom.

Typically, secondary bedrooms in homes are meant for kids. Particularly in children older homes, they're expecting a twin bed and not much else. That's not the situation for this family, where there will be several adults. That means they'll need more and larger bedrooms. Adults generally don't want to share bathrooms with a bunch of other people, too, which is why I'm not surprised there are a bunch of bathrooms in this. New homes even expecting traditional families tend to have a high bathroom to bedroom ratio.

Again, you seem confused. The question is why the bedrooms in the addition need to be so big. It’s not like people live in their bedrooms. People spend must of the day in the other parts of a house, not sitting around in their bedrooms.

There are two couples and two children living in this house. There will be six new bathrooms plus two and a half bathrooms in the original section of the house. That’s 8 1/2 bathrooms for four adults and two young children.

Your mistaken. When you live in a crowded house, you spend more time on your bedroom. Furthermore, adult bedrooms are typically bigger than children's bedrooms, for a variety of reasons.

We don't know how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house will have after this addition and the associated renovations.

Also, I don't know how many adults will be there. Is Mike the one with kids, or is his sibling moving in with their family? And I think his brother is already living there.

On one of the videos, Mike said that there was one elderly couple, he and his wife and their two young children living in the house. I don’t believe there was a mention of a brother or any other sibling with a family.

If people have formed one household together, they will spend time in the common areas in the house, not all apart in separate bedrooms all day long. It’s not like people are living in their bedrooms all day, right?

I really don't understand why you seem to think people don't spend time in bedrooms. Sure, if you have a small family and a big house, people can spread out in different living areas. But if you have a small house and a big family, people go to bedrooms. Didn't you ever have teenagers? Or did you just have a large house?

I'm pretty sure Mike's brother is already living there. I thought there was another sibling, too, that was planning to move in.

Most people don’t spend their entire day in their bedroom every day. You need room for a bed and a dresser or two, but it’s a sleeping and dressing space, not a living space.

If the adults are planning to spend so much time in their bedrooms, what’s the point of even living together in this “one household” situation? They could be living in separate houses/apartments and see each other the same amount of time if the plan is for everyone to hang out in their individual bedrooms.

Teenagers might study and do homework in their rooms, but they are also busy and involved in a lot of activities outside the house. So they actually don’t spend that much time in their rooms.

You think the only reason people live in the same household is to spend nearly all of their waking hours together? Really? You can't think of any other reasons?

I obviously don't know you. I don't know your current situation, or if you have or had a family. I don't know what kind of environment you grew up in. I don't know if you really believe what you're saying, if you're just trolling, or if your hatred of this addition is clouding your thoughts.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. How you choose to live your life, or claim to live your life, isn't how other people have to live their lives.

I grew up in a family with my grandparents living with us for several years- from the time when they could no longer be independent until they died. While they were still relatively healthy, my grandparents spent their time out in the common areas of the house. They never sat around in their bedroom all day.

Families that combine several related nuclear families live together because they love each other and enjoy each other’s company. It’s not like they’re totally unrelated people renting bedrooms in a house where it would make sense for them to spend all their time separately in their own rooms, where it would make sense to have a bigger room because that’s where they’re actually living.

That’s not the case here, where everyone is close family. They won’t be spending all their time in their rooms. They’re not strangers, they’re family. Families cook together, talk together, help kids with homework, maybe watch tv or listen to music. Why live in the same house together if the plan is to spend all their time in separate bedrooms, never interacting?

You don't think the ability to combine finances and support each other's personal and familial needs is another reason people live together?

Wow.