Please weigh in-should we renovate or move?
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Anonymous
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We live in Vienna, and love it. But the time has come to either do a major renovation (big $$-changing roof lines, and footprint of the house), OR moving closer in. DH works in DC, and his commute has always blown. Now with tysons becoming much more populated, we're both worried that it will be even worse (we live near Wolftrap Elem). We love our house, our neighborhood, preschool, etc, and don't really want to move, but...the headache of living through a big reno, the potential of having the nicest house in our HOA, and the current/future commute to DC all are pretty big negatives for staying put.
DH and I are making ourselves crazy trying to decide...what would you do in this situation? We have a 1 yo and a 3 yo, a big dog, and haven't ruled out the possibility of a third child. We can afford a nice house (1.5 mil), but both hate the new construction going up in tiny lots in arlington, and aren't crazy about the lack of "neighborhood" in mclean. Ideally, we'd love an older house with charm and a big enough backyard to really play in, with a great sense of community, but they seem to be in short supply right now, especially as you get closer in to DC. Thoughts? Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Would you consider Maryland? There are neighborhoods like that in Chevy Chase. Honestly, if I were you I'd move to DC, but I don't know how you feel about living in the District. We do and love it. |
Anonymous
| You must submit your issue at once to hgtv's Love It Or List It so we can all see the details of the house! |
Anonymous
I would; my DH would not  .
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Anonymous
| If I were you, I would meet with architects/contractors and see what they could do to your current home and how much it would cost. You might like their ideas more! |
Anonymous
| New construction is awesome and changed my life you will love it |
Anonymous
| Look in Falls Church City. You will find a new neighborhood to love; your husband will never get back the thousands of hours he spends in the car. Better to have a house you don't *love* than a dad not able to get home in time for soccer games, dance recitals, etc. |
Anonymous
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My DH and I were pondering the same issue about 10 years ago. Only difference was that I was pregnant with twins and we were living in a two bedroom house. Just like you we loved our neighbors, loved our neighborhood, etc. I just couldn't live through a renovation, I just couldn't trust any of the companies we brought in to get the project done on time. Thankfully we found a house that we loved in a neighborhood we loved only 3 miles from where we were living. Even better was that I ended up on bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy.
The type of renovation you are talking about you probably will not be able to live in your home the entire time of the project. Some companies, Case, have homes they rent just for this purpose, well at least they did 10 years ago. I know Vienna is loved to those who live there, and it does have charm. But honestly, the traffic in Tysons is only going to get worse, but your DH maybe able to take the Silver line in and cut some commute time. After all this, my opinion is if you love your home, your neighbors, your kids school. Live through the hell of the renovation, just know it's going to be he awful. If you set yourself up for it, it probably will not be as bad. You said your budget is $1.5M in McLean, there's really not much you can get in Mclean for $1.5, the inventory is just not there. Anything that looks decent is going to run you $1.9+ and even then I've been looking myself some of these homes have shitty kitchen cabinets and the kitchen looks more like it belongs in my home that's worth $800k. GL |
Anonymous
| You have a 1 and 3rd year old. They are in a safe solid house. Despite what you may see others doing, the idea of keeping thing s calm for a couple more years is IMHO what a family needs most. Do not do major renovations with little ones. Buy if you can't chill and just focus on the little ones for a couple more years. |
Anonymous
| If you can afford to get inside the Beltway, I would do it. I'd stay away from DC as the schools will always be a big issue. For 1.5M you could get a great house in Bethesda, Cabin John or a decent house in Chevy Chase. Schools are great in all those areas. I am sure that there are similar spots in Va with great schools, too. The shorter commute will improve ALL of your lives (and your marriage). |
Anonymous
| I would just buy a new house in Marshall district. No worries with revisions or home emergencies until the kids get older. Short move and comparable schools. |
Anonymous
Where are new homes in the Marshall district?! All I see is old. |
Anonymous
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I'm a shorten the commute person. Get your husband his time back with you and your family. It's life changing. With $1.5 million, I would make compromises in other areas to get him a short commute and those compromises won't have to be huge at that budget. Following commute, next prioirty for me would be good schools.
But, as you know...it's all about personal priorities. |
Anonymous
+1. Houses in that range come up very infrequently, but everything you're describing is our family's exact situation when we planned the move from Vienna to closer in. We found and bought a $1mm house in FCC in an amazing, mature, family-friendly neighborhood in the heart of the city and added a $300K addition. We are now delighted to have all of the neighborhood feel of Vienna, on a sizeable lot, closer in, and in a modern (not new build, which we don't like, despite the obvious conveniences) but still historically charming house. I def think you'd like FCC if you want something similar to Vienna. |
Anonymous
| No question, I would move closer in. Arlington or McLean, although don't pretend to know anything about the McLean market. But there are plenty of houses in Arlington that are not "new construction on tiny lots." In your price range, you can pretty much have what you want. |