Seeking Advice re Remodel vs. Move and/or Remodel Recs
Hello, we live in North Berkeley in a 1910s-era small home on a tiny half-lot. We would like to upgrade to a slightly larger house with a larger yard in the NB area, but the lack of inventory and high real estate prices have not made a move possible for us yet. We are trying to decide whether to continue to watch the market or whether to renovate and try to make the most of the little space we have. I have a few questions related to this quandary:
1. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone I could talk to who could help us decide whether to wait on the real estate market or go ahead with a home renovation? I am not sure who to go to for this sort of professional advice. The amount that we might spend on a remodel and the hell of living through it might make a new-home purchase more appealing, though our base costs (higher taxes and interest) would go up significantly, possibly making a new home in this market unaffordable.
2. If we go forward with a remodel, can folks please offer us recommendations for reasonably priced architects and contractors who are good at maximizing space in small, old Berkeley homes?
3. Do folks recommend an architect-contractor combo rather than design-build firms? We won't have a lot to spend, and I worry about the architect-contractor combo requiring more oversight than we will have time for, but we want to make the most of our $ and our limited space. I have read that design-build firms aren't always great at creative thinking in old Berkeley homes.
Thanks very much!
Parent Replies
I can only speak to your last question, about whether to use an architect/contractor combo or use a design/build firm. We added a second story to our small Rockridge bungalow about 12 years ago, and then last year did an extensive kitchen remodel that included moving a bathroom and creating a family room and we used an architect/contractor for that project. Comparing the two, I am very sorry we did not use an architect for our second story addition. Although the design/build folks we used were fine, what you have heard about not being very creative proved true for us. When I compare how much better the space was used in our downstairs remodel vs. upstairs - especially considering that upstairs was brand new, a completely blank slate - I really wish we'd used an architect upstairs. We've already had to do some remodeling upstairs to get better closet configurations, but it's too late for certain bad decisions that just weren't thought through well enough by the designer/contractor. If I could go back and spend the extra $10K to get someone who would think about things that didn't occur to me, I would do it in a heartbeat. My advice is don't skimp on this, you'll regret it.
We live in Richmond and faced the same dilemma. Our decision was to go ahead and do a remodel to maximize our current investment in our home and yet make it a comfortable home for us over for the next several to more years that we plan to live in it. Your decision will depend quite a bit on how much equity you have currently in your home and whether -financially- it makes more sense to continue investing in that home or to move elsewhere. If you go down the path of remodeling however, I cannot recommend our contractor (Jim Tyler) and architect (Alex Chiappetta) more highly!!
For a first step, it would probably help you most meet with a contractor (again, ours is wonderful) to discuss what the price tag would be for the scale remodel you're about thinking. From there you can decide whether to do a smaller/larger remodel or if the whole thing isn't worth your money or time. Our remodel is extensive which will make our house really nice in the end, but does mean that we have to move out of our place for 6 months, so take that added headache into account as well. After you meet with a contractor about what kind of money it would take to make the space you want in your home, then head to redfin or zillow and see how far that same investment would take you in the current buying market (of course figuring in a +10% minimum overage for every list price you see).
We met our contractor via a friend and he hooked us up with an architect that he's collaborated with for years. Both Jim and Alex primarily work in and around the Berkeley region so they'll know the city codes well and can advise you about what's "easy" verses "hard" to do with your existing space. Regardless of what contractor you go with make sure that your and their expectations for the scope and scale and style of the work are on the same page. Our contractor really emphasized that with us and it helps a ton to make sure the project creep and other issues don't happen.
Our contractor is Jim Tyler 510-672-4031
Our architect is alex chiappetta architecture (510) 849-1698 www.acastudio.com