Our Next Project

Our project for 2011 is going to be adding a "mother-in-law" apartment to our house.  At some point, Carolyn's mother, Char (Charlotte) may be unable to live alone in her house, and we want to be able to have her com live with us if she chooses to do so at that point in her life.  There is no way we could configure our house as it is to accomodate someone who may have difficulty climbing stairs.  We want to make sure that Char can have access to our living areas (family room, kitchen, dining room, and living room), and still have privacy in her own apartment.

The project will involve building a 450 sq. ft. addition to the west of the existing house.  The addition will have a full basement underneath it.  The following drawing shows the house as it will appear from the north (NNW, actually), when the addition is complete.

The picture below shows the apartment .  The entrance from inside our house will be a hallway through what is now the laundry room and the downstairs guest bathroom.  The bathroom will be reconfigured; and the laundry room will be moved upstairs (where all the laundry is).  The addition will include a kitchenette with a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, microwave, but no stove.  There will be a small washer and dryer.  The bathroom will be amply sized with a large walk-in shower.  The sleeping area will be screened off from the living area.  The ceiling over the living area will be vaulted.

Several improvements will also be made to the second floor.  We will be turning the two, somewhat small guest bedrooms into one large guest bedroom.  The existing guest bathroom will be changed into the laundry room.  The second floor behind the bathroom will be extended by 4 feet, and the new guest bathroom will be built there.  There will be an entry from the guest bedroom into the guest bathroom. 

I hope to keep posting progress on this blog.

The next steps are to get the drawings completed, get the building permit, get a quote on getting the foundation poured, and taking down the large cottonwood, which while not strictly in the way, will be killed when we excavate for the cellar.