Forgive the cross-posting — I originally posted in House Chat but want to get the professionals’ perspective as well . . . .
Hi. I’m new to these forums, so forgive me if this is a topic that has been covered. I live in a highly desirable neighborhood in Minneapolis and need more space. Unfortunately, our present house has pretty much reached its maximum for a lot of reasons, and we are priced out of the larger homes in our area. So my husband and I are considering buying an up/down duplex (1920s era) and converting it to a single family. It seems to me that, with the right property, this could be ideal: infrastructure is already there, no need to build up or out, just need to reconfigure some interior spaces, staircases, etc. HOWEVER, I haven’t heard of many people doing this, and I think there must be a reason. What am I missing?
Has anyone had experience (good or bad) doing this? If so, do you have words of wisdom? Ideas? Things you wish you’d known? Suggestions for architects and/or builders who have worked on this type of project? I appreciate your input. Thanks,
Tobi
Replies
I did it in my place in Chicago. Turned the kitchen and bathroom on the second floor into a huge master bath with whirlpool tub, shower and enclosed toilet room.
Combined two bedrooms into one master bedroom, and reconfigured a bit to have a lot of large closet space. All of these types of amenities are missing in the older two flats. Expanded the bedroom off the first floor kitchen to a combination room with a wide double door and a sofa bed for close to the kitchen use and it can also work now as a spare bedroom.
You should be able to reconfig your staircase to turn differently to go into the front room instead of the entryway.
You have to be carful in your planing as the typical family room and dining room as well as the back door, can be tricky to incorporate and made to look right but it can be done. Three on my block did it and one more is on the way.
My sister also has a two flat in Chicago, Wrigleyville. She is considering converting it. It seems that the Sf homes sell for so much more than the two families, that it might pay for iteself to do this, for resale? Did you find this to be the case?
Rjgogo, can you recommend a Chicago architect and builder that has experience with this type of project?
Rich, I did it myself and finished about 5 years ago with the upstairs. I did the stuff on the downstairs, gut of about 2/3 of the first floor last fall/winter. When I was starting the upstairs I hired an architect to give me generals on what I could do structurally and a few ideas and then my wife an I took it from there. It took some time as you could make it disappear by closing the door but I got it done about two days before my wife gave birth to our first child. Couple of pieces of trim were still missing but they are in now. I did sub out some of the sheet rock and the glass shower enclosure but did pretty much the rest myself. So I really can't help with references.
It is not to bad to do, On the first floor work I found some really cheap demolition guys to take out all the plaster and lath and bring it down to the studs. On the older second floor stuff, I had a demolition party, it was several years ago when I was younger.
There is usually a chase in the middle of the house where all the plumbing is and once you open that wall it is a straight shot down to the basement. You will have to move radiators and can maybe even remove some permanently with more energy efficient windows and insulation. The heat from the first floor rises. It is also a good time to put in AC, I have two central units, one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs, makes the duct easier to run and zones the house. I farmed most of that out as well.
As to resale value, I don't know. Prices just keep going up and up here. I have an idea of how much the house is worth and I would not pay that today. It is kind of out of control, but I guess in a good way for me. I don't think it would diminish the value of the home.
Rob
Do you have enough money to buy that duplex out right? You usually need less income finance a duplex because it is income type property and will be producing income. So if you decide to buy one to convert it to none income producing home, the bank needs to know what you are planning to do with the place if you need a loan.
Next thing is Zoning will city allow you to convert from multi family housing to single family. A variance from the city for that type of conversion in a city that is short on multi family housing in that a particular price range may not forth coming.
It is way easier to convert to a single family residence than it would be to go the other way.
I too would suggest a call to the city to find out if they have any general objections to such a conversion. I doubt they do.
But I would also suggest you find a smart, savvy real estate person who could draw out the different financial scenarios for you. Doing a conversion will entail a pretty sizable investment, and you need to find out if the house you have in mind can justify that investment, given neighborhood property values, etc.
Aside from whatever updating will be necessary for wiring, plumbing, and mechanical systems -- you'll probably want to move some walls/doors around to make the structure more appropriate for a single family.
I'm sure you already know how difficult it is to live in a structure undergoing work of this magnitude. So if at all possible, it would be most desirable if a major part of the work could be done before you move in.
Good luck.
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"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
Go for it, if it makes sense in your area. I'm 3/4 of the way done with converting my home which was an upstairs / downstairs separated apartment building . Duplexes are so common in my town that they are worth less than a single family. This was the only way that I could afford a home in a good neighborhood. We've been living in it for nearly 4 years, and don't regret it. All of the single family homes around us are much smaller too. Although I'm not done with the work I have less invested in my home than most of my neighbors in their smaller houses. I have significant sweat equity in it though.