Should I stay or should I go now?

One of the most frequently asked questions I am asked, is the feasibility of staying and renovating or moving into a new house, office or space.

The answer is based on many factors which include:

• Present and long term use
• Usability of the space in its new vs present configuration
• Cost, not just construction cost , but moving, additional utilities, taxes, location-transportation, insurance, etc
• Appearance
• Maintenance requirements
• Regulations (i.e. do zoning regulations allow you do what you are intending to do)
• Gut instinct and advice from neutral sources who you respect

Many customers rely too heavily on the cost paradigm and fail to look ahead as to the use. Will they consider working from home? What is the likelihood of a long term guest, maybe an aging parent staying with them? Are the costs of moving to a more affordable location, actually taking any extra 45 minutes to get to?

The cost rule of thumb I’ve found to work this way:

Construction cost commercial fitout @ $50-100/sf, carefully examine your lease and whatever “buildout allowances” are being provided by the Landlord. Remember to include possible parking, weekend utility fees, related maintenance provisions etc.

Construction cost for residential @ $150/sf for heavy renovation to $300/sf new wood frame construction in Weschester County. In NYC this can easily be double depending on the level of finish and complexity. So yes it can be quite expensive…..but consider…

In lower Westchester county, given a good town with good schools and a sub-60 minute commute to NYC, the cost per square foot for buying is roughly $400-500/sf.

Rule of thumb your taxes will go up approximately $2500 per hundred thousand of improvement.

So do the math, take a deep breath and try to imagine where you want to be in 5 years. Good luck.

Please feel free to call me to discuss your specific situation 914 674 2950.

Approval Process

When one wants to remodel, build an addition or build new, it will require approvals from the local municipality. This process includes submission of applications, fees, drawings and related documentation to explain the project.

There is a mixture of agencies, boards and committees that will generally review the project. The municipal agencies are typically qualified employees that may belong to a Building Department or Engineering Department. They will often analyze what is being done and refer the project for further review by other agencies or boards. The Boards or committees might include professionals, volunteers or a combination of both. The committees may also include county based, state based or regional reviews depending on the scope of the project. These boards address various aspects of compliance such as environmental conservation, zoning compliance, Architectural appearance, Traffic impact, Neighborhood or town planning, etc. . The Boards usually work in concert to advise the Municipal agencies of their findings. In addition to this, many areas have local Landowners or Neighborhood Associations that may require their blessing before submitting a project to the Municipality.

As the municipal agencies staffing is based on revenue derived from tax collections, which is short due to the recession and related lay-offs-most building departments are running short-staffed despite having fewer projects to review.

So what should you expect at this time?

For most smaller projects that our office has done over the past 2 years.: It generally take between 3 weeks-8 weeks for you project to be reviewed and sent to one board for review. If all goes smoothly and there are not objections or revisions needed, we advise our clients that another 2 weeks to a month will be needed to obtain a building permit and allow construction to start.

simple small project schedule

customers want to know what to really expect, so this is the real version

measure/due diligence /drawings = 1-2 months
approvals = 1-2 months depends on complexity
bidding = 1 month
negotiation/contract = 2 weeks
construction = 3-6 months
punchlist/closeout = 1 month

rule of thumb : allow 10% time and budget contingency

What's the best "bang for the buck" ? depends......are you staying or selling?


Selling

• Front entry- hardware, paint, good door
• Replace or repaint siding
• Update worst bath
• Creat custom cabinets
• Replace appliances
• Mirrors
• Remove clutter & cabs
• Add modify landscaping
• Redecking
• Refinish wood floors


Staying

• Reduce energy consumption –insulate, new windows, weatherstrip
• Upgrade entryway & foyer
• Improve lighting
• Upgrade cabinets
• Refinish counters
• New Bathroom, re-tile
• Add trim & moldings
• Install better flooring
• Upgrade siding
• Expand outdoor living area

legalizations

Legalization

“What do you mean my basement is not legal?” is a common refrain when the homeowner is contacted by a bank, or title search agent.

Many home and building improvements require building permits. Building permits are granted by the municipality in which the home or building is located and indicates that the project has been reviewed and approved for conformance with the building code and zoning regulations before construction begins. It is against the law to make most non-cosmetic improvements without these approvals or permits. The process of bringing the work done without permits into conformance is called “legalization”. For a legalization, the approval process is done after the work is already in place.

Usually, the municipality has a building department which issues a building permit application which asks questions about the proposed improvement-where, what is proposed, who is building it, cost, technical requirements, etc. The application is generally returned to the building department with a fee and drawings that graphically describe the improvement. If the application package is acceptable , the permit is issued and the work may commence. Obtaining permits is a simple task, but frequently is ignored, overlooked or avoided. The reasons Owners tend to shy away from the approval process are:
§ It takes time: usually two weeks to eight weeks
§ It costs money: application fees, possible tax increases, engineer / architect fees.
§ This may be the “tip of the iceberg” meaning other work may have been done without permits and requires legalization.
§ The “Why bother” reasoning (“Hey, my neighbor did it”)
§ Nobody will find out,

In reality, after a permitted project is complete, the municipality issues an updated Certificate of Occupancy that shows the improvement was done in accordance with applicable regulations and makes the house or building more valuable. This is critically important-because banks, buyers, attorneys and title insurance agents must check that the physical property actually matches the records of the municipality. When it doesn’t – it usually stalls or kills the sale or refinancing! There are generally penalties to pay and additional steps to remedy certain conditions.

SO, take the time get your project approvals in order or get them legalized before you are selling or re-financing.

If you, or someone you know has questions, please feel free to contact Steven@seconarchitect.com.

Daycare Center, Rye NY