The Big Decision – Move or Remodel??

This was the basic decision The Jenkins Family faced, so we made a list!

Reasons to stay – Great neighbors, Great neighborhood, Great Schools, Close to friends and family, Fairfax is a great place to live.  Every neighborhood we looked at was a lot further down 123 or a lot further west of Fairfax.  Every house we liked was a lot more expensive.  Houses with all the amenities we wanted started at $650,000.  The kids didn’t want to move – Every neighborhood we liked involved a new school district.  To sum it up – I was going to have a very large mortgage payment and everybody was going to be mad at me – Not the right decision.

Wants – Larger, more spacious kitchen – open great room, dining area combination -  Larger master bedroom, master bath, and walk in closet.  We wanted a change – lighter, brighter more contemporary design.

Needs – Our house needed a major facelift – new interior six panel doors, new windows, new siding, new exterior doors, drainage issues, painting, new floor covering, plumbing fixtures, appliances – you name it  - we needed it.  It all started with the dishwasher – Where do you go to replace an old copper tone dishwasher – that began the whole domino effect of decision making.

First step – Visit lots of model homes – Develop a list of things you really want – You really only want to go through this one time!

Hire an Architect – They have experience and knowledge – They see things and opportunities that you don’t – They have an idea of costs – You need a set of plans for a building permit – It gives the contractors a basis upon which to bid and allows you to truly compare bids.  It’s worth the money and not expensive if your contemplating a major project.

Check out your builder before you sign – Call the references, ask them how they found out about this builder – Hire the person you’re the most comfortable with – They’re going to spend a lot of time in your home close to your family – Don’t just accept the low bid – Make sure the contractor has everything included – It’s their business, they’re entitled to a profit.  You just want to be treated fairly – How do they handle changes? You’re going to have some – it’s not a perfect science.

What did we do?  We knocked the whole back of the house off – Went out sixteen feet on the first level and 10 feet on the second level with basement.  We moved several walls and created a larger kitchen, great room, dining area, master suite, added a deck, patio, retaining wall, replaced all the siding, all the windows, and all the doors inside and out, replaced all the floor covering and painted the entire house.

                                                                                                Good Luck!

                                                                                                The Jenkins