Let’s Talk About Money And Remodels/Additions (Here’s The Total Estimated Cost Of Our Original Plan)

First, let me remind you what the original plan was, after we did some tweaking to the floor plan. This is what the final plan for the big addition looked like. Behind the master bathroom there was a hallway of sorts that allowed for a walk-in closet on each side, with the walk-in closet on the right being the main closet. And behind that was a large bedroom. This plan also had two decent-sized storage closets, one that was accessible from the bedroom for Matt’s equipment, and one accessible to the new family room where I could have a coat closet and also store things like the ten chairs I have for our Wednesday gatherings. This plan also had a new laundry room and a really big family room.

Here’s the line item estimate I got from the contractor for that smaller 970-square-foot addition without the closets. (This is for those of you who like the nitty gritty details. 😀 ):

• Permit fee for City of Waco — $650.00
• Permit fee plan review fee — $500.00
• Engineer cost for engineered foundation — $3,200.00
• Demolition of existing enclosed patio, side room and patio slab — $9,000.00
• Framing allowance for lumber and siding — $22,310.00 ($23 x 970)
• Framing labor allowance — $17,460.00 ($18 x 970)
• Open cell spray foam insulation — $4,365.00 ($4.50 x 970)
• Roofing material allowance, shingles and flashings — $3,600.00
• Roofing labor allowance — $2,700.00
• Gutters, labor and materials — $1,500.00
• Labor and material allowance for new windows — $3,040.00
• Labor and material allowance for interior and exterior doors — $8,000.00
• Drywall labor and material allowance — $4,850.00 ($5 x 970)
• Material allowance for trim, backer board, fasteners, primer, paint, etc. — $23,280.00 ($24 x 970)
• Labor allowance for trim, doors, prep, caulk, and paint — $17,460.00 ($18 x 970)
• Flooring material allowance, 8% waste factor — $6,300.00 ($6 x 1050)
• Flooring labor allowance — $4,200.00 ($4 x 1050)
• Allowance for electrical circuit (breaker box) rework and relocate – $3,500.00
• Allowance for electrical rough in and trim out — $8,972.50 ($9.25 x 970)
• Allowance for gas to new tankless water heater, HVAC unit, and fireplace — $3,800.00
• Allowance to Rough in, set out, trim out plumbing — $4,750.00
• Plumbing allowance to install pump station for sewer line, includes trench work and tie in — $3,800.00
• Install new ducted HVAC system for addition — $9,800.00
• Allowance to install exhaust fan and duct — $450.00
• Fireplace allowance for gas fireplace insert and install — $3,200.00
• Trash/debris allowance by load to remove job related trash and debris per load, includes city dump charges — $4,500.00
• Project manager allowance for duration of the project — $5,760.00
• Waste station allowance for port-a-jon — $1,600.00 ($200 x 8 months)
• Overhead 12% — $21,905.70
• Profit 12% — $21,905.70
• TOTAL $226,358.90

Of course, that’s not even the grand total, because on the estimate, I find this note at the bottom:

The homeowner acknowledges that they are responsible to provide all finish fixtures/appliances that are not specifically included above and are responsible to make sure they are on the project site when needed to avoid schedule delays or additional trip charges. These items are outside of the materials scope of this estimate. Finish fixtures include: door locks and hardware, cabinet hardware, toilets, sinks, lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, plumbing fixtures, bathroom accessory bars, mirrors, coat or organizing hardware, blinds, etc.

You’ll notice that there was a laundry room on the plan, but no laundry room cabinets listed on the estimate. No countertop listed. So those things would be in addition. I would estimate that cabinets and countertops for a laundry room that size would be around $8000 minimum.

Also not listed:

• Any type of closet organization system (I’d want PAX wardrobes)
• Any and all furniture and decorative items.

I haven’t priced out specific furniture and decorative items, but for the plan shown above, I’d need a headboard or bed, two bedside tables, an area rug, draperies, window shades, lamps, ceiling fan, and other decorative items for the bedroom. For the family room, I’d need two sofas, two chairs, a coffee table or ottoman, end tables, an area rug, lamps, draperies, bookcases or other “filler” furniture, decorative items, lighting, etc.

Estimating those things without having a definite design/decorating plan is very challenging, but I would imagine that I could do the bedroom for about $5000 (if I DIY some things, obviously), and I could do the living room for about $8000 (with more DIYing).

In addition to the addition 😀 , it was also the plan to redo the kitchen once we finished the addition. It’s something I’ve talked about for a while now because our current kitchen is small, inefficient, and was done on a very tight budget 10 years ago. So the plan was (1) build and finish the addition, and then (2) remodel the kitchen.

I’ve been pricing out IKEA cabinets for various future plans (as you know because I’ve shared them with you), and even keeping the kitchen where it is, which was the plan with the big addition, new cabinets would have been about $15,000. New countertops would have been about $3000 minimum. New appliances are about $8000 minimum (but probably more, because I want the matte white Cafe appliances).