Will finishing my basement in a distinctive Industrial style hurt my home's resale value compared to a more traditional renovation?
Thanks for the A2A Rob. Be aware that the sf of a basement, from an appraisal standpoint, only counts as a fraction of the total value of a house. If it is a fully underground basement it adds little value, if any depending on the ceiling height. If it is underground in the front (looks like a 2 story house) and a full walkout at the back (looks like 3 stories looking at it from the yard) which is the customary “finished basement” style, it still only adds about $25 per sf finished to the total value of the house, even if the price per sf of the house is $600 a square foot. Maybe an appraiser will give you $40 a sf for the basement.So do whatever you want. It’s a basement. The “value” is in finished or not finished. The only thing that might increase the value is not the style. It’s whether or not you have a full “conforming” bedroom and 3/4 bath to go with it as a guest suite. That bedroom and bathroom will be counted IF it is “conforming” which usually means it has a full ingress/egress window in the bedroom. An additional bedroom and bathroom will be counted by the appraiser in addition to the basement minimal price per sf allowance.In many areas you can’t sell a house for more than appraised value. In all areas it requires the buyer to fund the difference between purchase price and appraised value with cash over and above the agreed downpayment amount.If it’s a big rec room or entertainment space with no bedrooms or bathrooms, do whatever you want. In fact do whatever you want anyway. It won’t change the sale price or appraised value either way.Now if you start moving up to the main floor…big difference. But not for a basement.
How do I build a low budget house in the country in phases? I am planning to save up money for each phase and complete the project in 2-3 years.
I can’t give a full answer but I can give some advice. The first thing to build is a secure garage or shed, so you can lock up your tools safely. Next, if you wish to live in the first phase, you want as an absolute minimum a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom - effectively a one bedroom flat or a studio flat, depending on whether you put the living room facilities in the bedroom or the kitchen. Where you go from there, I suggest you discuss with your architect. I suggest using an architect because he or she will design cost efficiency into your build, make it easier to meet the requirements of building regulations and be able to ensure that the modular build works, so that if you’re forced to delay or cancel any one of the phases, you still have a usable and sellable building.
Is it safe to leave a sleeping child in your car in your own garage?
Geez. What planet are you people from? How is leaving her in her strapped in her booster seat any different than leaving her sleep in any other seat in the house? What, she's going to wake up and start playing with the chainsaw or something? Or drive the car away? Get a grip. She was in a safe place, sleeping. Chill out and quit letting your media-induced paranoia get the best of you. As the other poster said, the 2 concerns with leaving a kid in a car are strangers doing something to them, and the kid overheating. The car was in the garage, and the temperature was normal. Neither one was likely to happen. So she is in the garage. Big deal. If she fell asleep in the kitchen, would you worry that she would wake up and start playing with the stove? Or sneak down the hallway from another room and start playing in the drier? Take a deep breath people. The kid is 5 years old. This was in a controlled, safe environment. It's not like leaving an 18 month old asleep next to a pile of rusty razor blades and broken glass or something. (edit) Ok, how exactly is she going to suffocate or suffer carbon monoxide poisoning if the car isn't on? That doesn't make a lick of sense. CO (carbon monoxide) is the result of the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Where do you think that is going to come from if the car isn't running? The carbon monoxide faries? If you have a furnace or waterheater out there that is generating it, the rest of the family is in trouble too. Otherwise, there is no way for her to have any more problems out there than she would in any other room in the house. Come on people. Relax. Worry about something else. Maybe ninjas, or something that would be more of a threat than a kid sleeping in a car in the garage.
What is the average cost of building a nice modular home?
I built a modular about 3 years ago and fo the home I paid about 100k for the home (1960 sq ft 3 bdr room 2 bath patriot). I paid about 40k for a full walk out basement insulated but otherwise unfinished. The basement had one wall separating the basement. Withing the full basement about 900 sq ft was another garage, the other 1000 sq ft plus had two window and a sliding glass door. For about another 30K I added another two car garage on the main level, some decking and patios, AC/heat, semi finishing the basement and some other odds and ends. All done I was in it for about $170k in construction. Total building area about 4700 sg feet, 1960 sq ft of living space, about another 1000 semi finished walk out basement with below grade 900sg ft garage, an exra two garage ont he main level, a nice deck off the back it the home over hanging the basement, A big patio coming out the walkout basement. I recently checked into building some more modular homes for other property I have and the prices have almost doubled for a modular in my area. I can have one built on site for less than a modular now. The modular home would be a better home and have 4x6 walls but doesn't seem to help resale. The homes I plan on building are for resale. When dealing with modular homes many will confuse modular and manufactured. There is a big difference. Even with as good as modular homes are in some areas they won't resale as good as site built homes. Modulars are usually MUCH better homes but if they aren't common in the area their resale can be negativiely affected.
Can you run out of oxygen in a small room with the door closed?
Even if the door is closed the room, (any common room) is not vacuum tight, so some air keeps getting into the room.However even if we were to design a vacuum tight room, the more imminent danger is the suffocation from CO2 ( which will come way before the decrease in Oxygen level is crtical).The Atmposphere contains about 78% N2 ( Nitrogen) 21% O2, 0.04% CO2 and very small amounts of some other gases.When we breath we obviously breath a gas mixture with 21%O2. However the air we exhale contains about 5% CO2 ( signifcant increase) and 16% O2. So taking an average human breath rate as 8 breaths per minute, and assuming a room size of 3*3*3 m we can calculate the time lapse for the CO2 concentration becomes critical.It turns out that this "critical time" is about 2 -3 days (depnding on what we set as a critical concentration of CO2 in the room beyond which suffocation occurs).Even befor suffocation some unpleasant effects will happen. For example at CO2 concentration of about 4000 ppm ( 0.4%) a feeling of dizzyness wil begin.
What criteria do you use when evaluating buying a new house?
What criteria do you use when evaluating buying a new house?For future resale:Find the best ranked school in the city you have decided to live in — lots of resources for this.Go to that targeted schools district website and find the school attendance boundary. Call to verify it hasn't changed or is about to.Find where the million dollar plus houses are mostly for sale in your city on Realtor or Zillow, etc. If there are no million dollar homes for sale go to the highest level appropriate for the city.Overlay the two maps above.If there is overlap, look for homes in your price range in this overlap zone.Look for homes with at least of 3 beds/2 bath, 1200 sqft. 2 car garage, less than 20 years old in your price range.Make an offer on the property you've identified (if applicable).EXCEPTION TO THE ABOVE:Check sites such as Zillow or call a few local Realtors to determine the cut off price point that historically takes more than 90 days to sell. AVOID properties above that point. One day you will need to sell and you need to be able to sell quick.If none of the properties fit your need or want at that particular price point -meaning they are affordable dumps — you are in the wrong city.If the identified properties are ones you can't afford, you are in the wrong city.Happy house hunting.
How do people in Los Angeles afford rent and expenses?!?
I currently live in a small town in Michigan (won't bother naming it as you probably won't have heard of it, population is 12,000), and I have become bored to death having lived here since I was a kid. I have been wanting to move as soon as I graduate from college, and had my eye on Los Angeles, a place my best friend moved to and had told me that she had completely fallen in love with it, and would never shut up about it. I looked into apartments for rent--DUDE!!! $1600 for a 1 bedroom apartment?!? $1200 for a studio apartment?!? I'm currently renting a 2 bedroom house (HOUSE!) with 2 floors, a basement, and a backlawn for $575 a month!!! I remember a while ago a friend of mine telling me that she had saved up $9000 and had moved to LA but ended up having to come back home to her parents after 7 months when she was flat broke and couldn't make it anymore. I simply assumed she had been a moron partying every other night and blowing her cash on attractions, nightclubs, and the like. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED!!! How the hell do you guys afford to live in LA (especially those who work minimum wage jobs with no real work experience or college education)? I'm completely blown out of the water...I know for a fact that if I move over there with the $3k I have saved up, I'm probably going to be out on the streets in a matter of a couple of months!
How big is a house that is 900 square feet?
It’s pretty small. However . . .900 square feet is about the size of a large 2-bedroom apartment or a smallish-average 3-bedroom apartment. That would have 1.5–2 bathrooms, a smallish kitchen, a medium-sized living room, and maybe (or maybe not) a separate dining room.On the other hand, you have to distinguish between a house that only has 900 square feet and one that tax-wise has 900 square feet. In many jurisdictions, any below-grade living space isn’t counted. Further, garage space isn’t counted. Unheated areas of the house—such as an enclosed patio—may not be counted. So here’s a photo of a 980-square foot house:In addition to the 980 square feet (the main level with 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a kitchen, and a combined living/dining room), it also has a 1-car garage, a sun room on the upper level (visible on the right) with a walk-out to a large stone patio, and a lower level with an additional bath, fireplace, a large rec room, and a smaller functional room. It also has a driveway for additional off-street parking, and is on a double-lot. So, sometimes, the stated square footage doesn’t tell the entire story.
How much is my house worth?
Good Question I would try to get your House on My House Is Worth What. That is a TV show on HGTV ( Home Garden Television ) Go to http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hhww/ For info on that show and how to get your home on TV. If you lived in Ohio I would say your house would be worth about 660,000. That is what my cousin says she is a Realtor. Good Luck Best Regards, Gordon