Sally and Sam Fatigato have found the three-bedroom brick home they bought in Brookfield two years ago to be almost ideal for raising a family. With four levels of living space, their two children have separate bedrooms and everyone has plenty of private space. They like the neighborhood and praise the local school system.
So what’s wrong with this picture? A single bathroom on the second level and a modestly sized kitchen that barely accommodates a couple of barstools for seating.
“We’re really feeling crowded,” said Sally. “We’d like to double the size of the kitchen to make it an eat-in kitchen and put in a half-bath.”
“I’d like to add a small den which could be used as an office,” said Sam.
They also envision skylights and lots of windows to infuse their home with light. And if these dreams aren’t feasible, they will seriously consider moving, they said.
We asked Ray Basso of Ray Basso & Associates Architects in Oakbrook Terrace to visit the Fatigatos and offer his own ideas on the project.
The home is about 35 years old. The present kitchen, which measures about 10 by 11 feet, is cornered at the back of the home. Half a flight of stairs down is the finished family room and, above it, the bathroom. Handsomely refinished hardwood flooring flows from the front entry through the living and dining rooms; this would be extended throughout the addition as well.
A room for living
“I have no desire to have a fancy living room, not while the kids are little,” said Sally. “I want room we can live in now.”
Because kitchens and baths are the two most important areas of a home, the investment makes sense not only for the Fatigatos’ lifestyle but for resale later, said Basso. The back yard is ample and can accommodate the expansion.
“It will be an asset,” he said. “I think you’ll recoup it easily.” He approved of carrying through the hardwood floors to bring continuity between the new and existing construction.
To minimize the teardown, the architect suggested blowing out only the back wall of the kitchen and wrapping the new construction across the rear of the home. The existing brick facade could feasibly become an interior wall in the den. The new roof would be gabled perpendicular to the existing one.
He advised positioning the bath between the two new rooms but, for added privacy, it should not open directly from the kitchen, he said. “You’ll probably want some type of closet space here, too.”
“What I think is a problem with kitchens is there is no room for the recycling things you have to do these days,” said Sally. Cabinetry could be built-in for this purpose.
“The thing that confuses me is how high can we go up and not destroy the window in the bedroom upstairs?” said Sam.
Saving the windows
Shortly after moving in, the Fatigatos replaced all the windows at considerable expense. Understandably, they would like to save all of them if possible.
“I think that window is history,” said Basso. “Your roofline is going to come out and cover it. But maybe you could use the window somewhere else.”
Because of the new bath’s proximity to existing water lines, the plumbing hookup is simplified. Not so with the heating system. The furnace is older, and a significant amount of duct work will be required to heat the addition. Basso suggested putting in a second furnace.
“It’s not that much more expensive and it’s nice to have two (temperature) zones,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of that in additions today.”
“Are you thinking about one of those electric things they stick on the wall?” asked Sally.
“No, a regular furnace,” said Basso. “You can heat one area and keep the rest of the house cool. It’s good for energy conservation and for resale, too.”
One of the biggest considerations is getting the exterior of the addition to blend with the exterior of the main home. Matching 35-year-old brick is almost impossible, said Basso. Among the alternatives are a wood siding painted to match the trim or one of the new exterior insulations, such as Dryvit.
“Sometimes matching the roof is difficult, too,” said Basso. “Depending upon the age of your roof, you might want to do the whole house.”
“If we keep adding on here and adding on there, our costs are going to be huge,” said Sam. “We can make this a $250,000 house but in this neighborhood it’s not going to sell for $250,000.”
Basso agreed, telling them they have to decide which amenities and features are most important to them. Depending upon extras, they should plan to spend $65 to $75 per square foot.
“But you have a lot of flexibility here,” he said. “You can spend $10,000 on cabinets or you can spend $30,000 on cabinets.”
