In Law Suites!

Adding an In-Law Suite?

I have spoken to more clients planning on this type of project this year than ever! Perhaps Covid has brought families together, raising awareness of the importance of being near one another and at the same time assisting parents with built-in support for the children.

There are a three critical things to consider in the early consideration phase:

1. Funding the project - Often our parents are selling a property and plan to use this as the source for the project. There are also programs available thru lenders that move from construction to permanent mortgage. The old fall back a home equity loan, this is a great option if you already have a great interest rate on your current mortgage.

2. Zoning - Will local zoning allow you to add to your current property?

So often we have great ideas before we understand fully what our local jurisdictions allow. Between side and rear yard set backs, height restrictions and gosh forbid if you are on a septic system, there are many steps along the way to confirm feasibility.

3. Design - Creating a project that not only suits your parents needs, but also ties into the existing house in a way that looks like it belongs is vital. There are different paths, hiring an architect to design and then create the building plans is the more common method. This requires the client to engage with an architect long before a contractor is chosen, and the money spent does not apply to the actual build.

The Design/Build process involves working with a Contractor that is set up for creating your project from start to finish. The designer is often "in-house" and can be available at any time for any challenges during the build. The other point to make is that Design Build has the client paying the contractor from the start, often as you move into development retainer this money is applied to the project.

The final suggestion I can make is to choose your "trusted advisor" wisely. A contractor that has experience in larger projects and the workings of the local building methods is vital. These are usually large projects and while often less costly a less experienced builder may miss some things they might not even know!

Please contact me if you have questions about remodeling your home!