The Emotional Breakdown Came (And I Cancelled Our Addition)
I haven’t made any decisions that are 100% engraved in stone at this point, but since many of you have said over the years that you enjoy it when I share my thought processes, let me start at the beginning and tell you what has transpired over the last two days. As I suspected, the emotional breakdown over our ruined home gym floor and subfloor finally came.
If you missed this saga, you can read this post: Our Home Gym Floor Is Destroyed.
And then read the rest of the story here: FLOR Carpet Tiles Destroyed My Floor & Subfloor (Don’t Use Them Under These Conditions!!)
So my emotional breakdown started with me being pouty, feeling sorry for myself, and frankly, being a bit passive aggressive. And that’s not like me at all. I’m talking specifically about the passive aggressive part. There’s generally nothing passive about my aggression when I get angry or upset about something. 😀
But it started two nights ago when Matt was already relaxing in bed, and I felt the weight of all the news lately came bearing down on me. First, the $21,000 for the whole home generator. And then the thousands (I’m not sure exactly how much yet) for the whole home dehumidifier that Matt really wants. And then finding out that the home gym floor and subfloor are destroyed and need to be completely replaced. And then I started getting upset and feeling sorry for myself. I dragged my sad butt into the bedroom, feeling so sorry for myself that you’d think an actual tragedy had occurred, and I said in my most passive aggressive way, “Well, I guess we’ll just NEVER get that addition, will we?” Poor Matt. 😀 He’s had 22 years of dealing with me (and I with him and his idiosyncrasies), so he knows how to talk me down from the ledge when I get like that. And after about 30 minutes of talking, I had calmed down. He had assured me that if I wanted that addition, I could have that addition. We would make it work.
And just so we’re clear, this is the addition I’m talking about. For years now, we have been planning on adding onto our house with an addition that measures approximately 1000 square feet and includes a new laundry room, family/media room, and master bedroom with a large walk-in closet. After it’s finished, the house would look like this.
But after throwing my little temper tantrum, and even after Matt had calmed me down and I felt much better, that thought had been planted in my brain. What if we didn’t do the addition?
That was hard to think about. After all, we’ve been talking about and planning that addition for years! I’ve dreamed about it. I’ve put so much time and thought into the floor plan until I had exactly what I wanted. I’ve met with the builder. I’ve met with the architect. We were still planning on starting that addition this year.
Or were we? I mean, it’s already the middle of July, and nothing has been done. The architect that is allegedly drawing up our plans has been M.I.A. for months now, and I’ve made no efforts to get in touch with him and light a fire under him to get our plans done. Why is that? Matt has told me repeatedly that we can start the addition immediately. Literally, any time now. Just whenever I’m ready.
So if this addition is so important to me, why have I not been more proactive in making sure things are moving ahead with it? I’ve been perfectly happy to stay in “planning mode” for years now, and even though I have the green light to move forward whenever I want to, I still haven’t done it.
So yesterday, I decided to get really honest with myself because there’s something there, and I don’t think you have to be a trained psychologist to see that. I’m the one hindering the progress, and I have to be really honest with myself as to why that is. And it comes down to two things…money and space.
First, let’s talk about the space. Matt and I are only two people. And yet, while our house isn’t huge, it’s already pretty sprawled out. In fact, one friend who came over didn’t realize that the door in the sitting room led to another very large room (i.e., my studio). The first time he saw what was beyond that door, he said, “My goodness, Kristi, your house is like the TARDIS!” (Bonus points if you know the reference.) And it kind of is. From one end to the other, it kind of seems to go on and on. New lands, and new adventures await as you pass through each doorway. 😀
And then there’s the money issue. The estimate that the builder gave me came to $226,358.90, and that’s before we decided to add on an additional 200 square feet so that we could push the back wall of the addition back far enough to make room for a large walk-in closet in the master bedroom, as well as other storage that we would need for Matt’s items (i.e., Hoyer lift, shower wheelchair, etc.). At an estimated $200 per square foot, that increases the cost another $40,000. That’s almost $270,000.
I mean, that number astounds me. When we first started talking about the addition many years ago, the number that the very first contractor gave me was $70,000. That was pre-COVID, before supply line disruptions, and before the inflation from those things made the price of just about everything skyrocket. We went from an estimate of $70,000 to an estimate of $270,000 in the span of about eight years. And of course, that price tag doesn’t even include any furniture, decor, plumbing fixtures, or customizations that I’d want to do (i.e., the nicer trim that I like and things like that).
I just don’t even know how I can justify spending that much money on this house to add on more room and make this house even bigger and more sprawling for just two people. I won’t go so far as to say it’s a moral issue, because it’s not really that. (And I don’t want to come across as passing judgment on others who live in even larger houses with all kinds of amenities. They can do whatever they want with their money with no judgment from me.) But for us, for our situation, for our house, for our neighborhood, it just feels…icky. I don’t even know how else to describe it. It feels icky in my mind. And it’s that feeling that has been holding me back.
But where does that leave us? Because right now, our floor plan looks like this, and this has always been “progress” in my mind. I’ve never once considered this anywhere near “finished”.
That tiny little room behind the master bathroom is the original master bathroom. It’s not even accessible from inside the house anymore. It’s just been sitting there, attached to the house but inaccessible, and waiting to be demolished. And then there’s the sunroom. While that room is where the washer, dryer, and hot water heater currently live, the room itself isn’t salvageable. It was not built properly, and it can’t be redone. The only option is to tear it down. It cannot stay. Period.
So yesterday, I had another down day. That’s when the tears came. I wasn’t feeling angry anymore. My passive aggression had dissipated. I was just feeling sad. Blue. Discouraged. I was feeling like this house had finally beaten me. So I sat down at my desk in the studio, opened up my laptop, pulled up our floor plan on my photo editing program, and just started playing around to see what I could come up with. And I realized that we do, in fact, have some very reasonable, doable options.
First, there’s the most obvious solution to give us a bigger bedroom. If we have to replace the floor and the subfloor in the home gym, that would be the perfect time to remove what remains of the original closets from that room. That would square up the room, remove those visual boundaries, and make the room quite a bit bigger. And since it’s attached to the master bathroom, it would naturally be our master bedroom. The bonus is that it’s the brightest room in the whole house. I love the natural light that pours into that room every morning.
And then the current guest bedroom (which is the room we’re currently using as our bedroom) could be split into two areas, with one becoming the laundry room accessible from the hallway, and the other becoming a large walk-in closet accessible from the bedroom.
It would basically take the house back to its original footprint. If you’ll remember, the back wall that you see in that floor plan just above is the original back wall of the house. That’s why the back wall of the kitchen originally had a window in it. By the time we bought the house, the sunroom had been added. But that window was originally an exterior window.
And that’s also the reason the original hallway bathroom had a window in it. Again, by the time we bought the house, that window looked into the sunroom. And because we planned to add on from the beginning, I removed the window when I remodeled this bathroom.
But if we don’t do the addition, I could actually put a window back in that room! That bathroom could have natural sunlight again!! That thought alone makes me giddy.
At that point of playing around with the floor plan, I thought I had lost my mind. After all, if I were to move forward with this plan, that means that we would have turned what was originally a three-bedroom house into a ONE-bedroom house.
A ONE-BEDROOM HOUSE.
That was almost too much of a hurdle for me. Could I actually do that? Could I turn this house into a one-bedroom house? People would think I was crazy! They’d think I’ve completely lost my mind. Have I lost my mind? Is that the most insane thing that a homeowner has ever done? I mean, would we ever be able to sell a one-bedroom house?
And then I caught myself. My goodness, I was doing the exact same thing I’ve been preaching against for 17 years now! I literally just wrote a blog post about this very topic only days ago!! There I was, trying to figure out how this house can be customized to best suit our needs, and I was worried about what some nameless, faceless, unknown, potential future buyer may think about my decisions. But Matt and I bought this house as our forever home. We’re the ones who paid the mortgage. We’re the ones who paid off the mortgage. We are the ones who own this house. We’re the ones who live here. We’re the ones who need to be comfortable here. It’s our needs and wants that are important when making decisions about this house. And how could I encourage others to stop designing and decorating for that potential future owner if I can’t even do it myself?
So after giving it a ton of thought, I actually gave myself permission to go there and to be okay with it. I somehow managed to be okay with the idea of a one-bedroom house.
But, of course, those changes didn’t solve all of our problems. I still want a dining table somewhere. Matt still needs his Theracycle, and I don’t really want to give up my rebounder or treadmill (although, I’m open to selling my current one and getting a much smaller one). So while we don’t need an entire bedroom dedicated to being a home gym, having a place for those three things is non-negotiable.
So I started playing around more. And then I thought, “What if we just add on a laundry room?” So I started looking for a place to put a laundry room, and the perfect place for it seemed to be right behind the kitchen. And just like that, another problem solved itself. If I put a door from the wheelchair ramp into the laundry room, that makes bringing in groceries so much easier! And the whole “from the garage through the laundry room to the kitchen” layout is a pretty common one.
And with that layout, I wouldn’t have to cut the current guest bedroom into two. I could keep it one big room that could be part closet and part workout area, and the middle could be left open to store Matt’s big items when they’re not in use. I actually spent quite a bit of time searching for things like “combo closet and workout area” and “walk-in closet and home gym combination“. While I didn’t find much, I did find a few examples of people combining those things.
Of course, every time I solved one thing, it created another problem. If I add on a laundry room and turn the breakfast room back into a breakfast room so that I can have the table I want, where does Matt sit and watch TV during the day?
So I kept on playing around, and I finally removed all of the walls between the current kitchen, current sitting room, and possible future laundry room. And then I removed the labels from those areas so that I could see them as a blank space. I also removed the label from the pantry just because I’m open to new possibilities.
And that’s pretty much where I left it. But I can tell you that I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I was actually so excited about this that I had a hard time sleeping last night. I think I finally drifted off around 2:00am, and then I woke up at 5:30 thinking about it again, excited about the possibilities. I wasn’t just thinking about the possibilities for these spaces, but I was also thinking about what this would free us up to do. It would free us up to have our driveway poured immediately! It would free us up to build my workshop in the very near future. It would free us up to go ahead and build the deck or patio or whatever we’re going to put on the back of the house so that we can actually start enjoying our backyard. And we could do all of that without going into debt. No debt. I love the idea of that. There’s so much freedom in that. Enough freedom, in fact, to make the idea of living in a one-bedroom house sound really nice.
So I’m still thinking about it. I’m going to be doing a whole lot of praying about it. And I’m not going to pressure myself to rush to any decisions. I want to do what feels peaceful, and I’m not 100% of the way there with any of the options I’ve considered yet. But I’ll definitely let y’all know when I get there.
Update:
I have the new floor plan figured out! You can check it out here: Here’s Our New Floor Plan! (And The Order In Which We Will Do These Projects)
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Where is your bedroom now? I don’t see it on the floorplan.
If I remember correctly from an older post the “guest bedroom” is what they use for their master currently.
Lexi is correct. We’re using the guest bedroom as our main bedroom right now.
Smart move!
And praying about everything (including major decisions) is the BEST way to live! God bless you, Matt, and your furry children 🙏 ❤!
Yes, totally agree 🙂
Bless those moments of release!
If you’ve been living in the spare bedroom just fine so far, why is an enormous closet important? Can the master and spare just swap, and the TV and treadmill go in the spare room?
I can imagine that having a laundry/mudroom makes sense for your family and pets. Alternatively, square-footage-wise (if everything is up for debate now) the music room punches over its weight class; can some space be stolen there for a stacking laundry closet, leaving more space in the mudroom footprint for kitchen?
I love this idea so much. We have basically a one-bedroom home, although the tiny office could technically be one because it has a closet and window. I guess my craft/sewing room could also be one for the same reasons, but that would be up to a future buyer and not something I’m going to worry about right now.
You come up with the best, most amazing ideas. Your philosophy about everything is right on the money!
Hi Kristi! I really like that layout with the laundry room behind the kitchen … We have an entry like that … Mud room, pantry, laundry room all in one that we enter from the garage and go from there into an open space that’s kitchen, sitting area, dining room. My suggestion would be to rethink your “music room” … In a large house with lots of extra space, it’s a pretty, cute area and a reasonable allocation of space. But I don’t think you actually even play the piano? (I could be wrong there!) I’d suggest thinking through how you might make it a sitting area for Matt.
And you just *thought* you’d run out of blog material when you finished the addition. Lol. No chance of that in the foreseeable future. 😁
Happy dreaming. 🥰
Thanks for sharing your thought process with us! One area of your home I always wonder about is your music room. The room is lovely but could it be used for something else that gets more use ( I’m just guessing you aren’t sitting around playing the piano all that much- but then again maybe you are?!)
Good morning, read your post. Just remember that taking away bedroom(s), you’re devaluing your house. If a mortgage is ever needed this could hamper any wants, needs in the future. Just a thought.
Mary, you must be new to Kristi’s blog and also didn’t read the whole post before commenting negatively. They will live out their lives in this house and own it outright.
I didn’t read Mary’s comment as negative. A lot of us treat our paid-off house as money in the bank, knowing that if needed, we could get a mortgage to get through tough times.
To Mary’s point, I do think that although only one room will be designated a bedroom, several others could easily be considered/converted to bedrooms: I’d leave the hall door to the new closet/gym, to allow easier access and allow it to be considered a bedroom; the studio could also be considered a master bedroom (en suite!); even the music room could be easily converted to a bedroom if the need arose.
Kristi, I’ve always found the value of your blog is the out-of-the-box thinking you bring. It’s exciting to travel along with your course correction. I’m so happy it is feeling “right” to you! Thanks for sharing!
Both Mary and Carol are right. Every locality has its own residency codes that can affect potential buyers. Carol’s advice is correct. How you and Matt use your own home is your business. How potential buyers look at it is up to them as long as you stick to basic local codes. If you carefully plan it out (and you will) not having a door is irrelevant until the time comes to sell and there is the proper clearance there to add one. This plan seems like a winner to me! Looking forward to watching for the results. One thing for sure is that not having a mortgage is a wonderful relief.
I had a similar reckoning regarding an addition not too long ago, and I cycled through many of the emotions you’ve felt. In the end, it did bring me peace to know we weren’t over-improving for our neighborhood (even if it’s a “forever” home), we freed up budget to improve existing areas, and it challenged my creativity to think about how to re-imagine spaces that already exist. Is it perfect? No. If I want perfect, I can sell this property and do a custom build. But it in the end, I did get what a I wanted – the worst house in the best neighborhood where I can flex my design and DIY muscles and make this home pretty darn great. It’s very empowering!
Very well said and ITA.
It is good to revisit a long term plan periodically. Have you planned a spare bed, for if you go away for a weekend and someone comes to stay? As for a one bedroom house, there is always a buyer if you need to sell, no matter the floor plan. A 2 bedroom house in our town just sold for about 2.5 million. Go figure.
Thank you for sharing your vulnerability and thinking process with us! Realizing something is not sitting right, and working out why is really quite difficult. Then using your very creative brain to start thinking on other possibilities that might be better suited to your life is very freeing. At least for me when I have a similar dilemma, it actually yields a result that is even better than the original. Happens every time! Seeing these options makes me excited too! I have no doubt you will find the right answer!
I like the thought of not having too much house. And by the time you don’t need it anymore, it could be time for the next owner to remodel for their needs. Maybe the workshop could include a gym area. Only you know how much you actually used the gym for its purpose.
Kristi,
I am SO proud of you! I’m a long time follower who has been around since your days in the condo. I LOVE this decision and a deck (or enclosed deck/sunroom) would be excellent and you would enjoy it. I also LOVE the idea of it being YOUR house and why do we worry about future buyers when we can enjoy it now? We are in the same boat. Paid off house. We thought of adding an addition, but will be empty nesters soon. We are probably going to turn our deck into an enclosed one and be done with it. Why do we do this to ourselves? Thanks for this post. I really needed to see this.
Cheers!
If you keep the door in the hallway to what is your current guest room it could be easily turned back into a bedroom. The music room could also be turned back into a bedroom as could the studio. I don’t think you are devaluing your property should the need arise to sell it. Can you move some gym gear into studio if it all won’t fit into the new “closet/work out area?” Maybe the ruined floor was a blessing in disguise. Whatever you do it will be fantastic.
Sometimes roadblocks are such a blessing, even if the roadblock is you. I’m thinking of the house we fought to buy (and lost to another buyer without an inspection contingency) or the huge expensive stone fireplace we backed out on after a delay, or the time we bought a dated house, retained an architect for a $200K remodel that ended up being a $1.1 million remodel (on paper only because we didn’t do it.) That architect alone cost over $35K. We were moving a lot so if any of those things had happened, someone else would have enjoyed them and got them at a great discount. There are worse things than living in a dated house. No matter where you end up, the process that you and Matt have started this week is a good thing as a couple
How about a stacking washer and dryer in the pantry. Leave the kitchen and breakfast room as they are and make the proposed laundry room into a sitting area for you and Matt? He would have a nice view out to the backyard.
Yes! I think that proposed “laundry area” would make a cozy gaming/TV room if the washer/dryer could be wiggled into the pantry, or perhaps the half bath or storage room in Kristi’s office.
My thoughts exactly. I know Kristy is “height challenged”, but I am too and I love the stackables. If not, I think hiding the washer in the pantry leaves you a room for TV/gaming and gives you an open kitchen dining room.
Thanks for sharing how you’ve pivoted on what you want/need in your home. Regarding having a one-bedroom house … if you ever sell, couldn’t you turn the music room into another bedroom? It would just have different furniture, and you may have to put a closet instead of the shelves, but not a ton of work to do that.
I certainly get the whole no debt thing. I’ve been debt free for a # of years and it’s the best feeling in the world IMO. Also adding on 1000 sq ft is essentially adding on another house. The cost of that doesn’t purple based on current housing prices. You will still have a lot of rooms in that house. One of them could easily become a 2nd bed room if for some reason you would have to sell. I want to encourage you to screen in whatever you build as a back porch or deck. The mosquitos are terrible and in some cases deadly. With a screened in porch your cat can be out with you also. And as you’ve acknowledged there is something holding you back from charging forth with the addition. Matt can watch TV in your living room. I think you could both be pretty happy with the smaller house. You really don’t want to over build for the neighborhood.
Its funny, I briefly had a thought about the addition not happening when you reprinted the giant landscaping plan and didn’t illustrate it in. I think you’re right to marinate in the possibilities and ways you can amend your house plans without including a colossal, expensive addition. If you move forward without the addition, you may be undoing a lot of the “done” in your home but I feel like that has never stopped you before. It may also allow you to prioritize a space at a time which seems to be your current workflow. Finish the Studio, fix the “gym” structure issues, convert to master, redesign the guest room, demo the unusable structures, reassess, etc. I do think future Kristi might appreciate a spare sleeping space but it doesn’t need to be a full bedroom. Hypothetically, some of your auxiliary spaces while you designated them as not bedrooms, might easily convert back to bedrooms if you needed them to with minor changes and staging. i also agree with a comment above maybe the wall between the music room and kitchen comes down and really opens your floor plan. It feels like anything is possible at this point and we have no idea which walls are off the table from going. I’m excited to see where all this goes. Best of luck to you in teasing out real viable solutions from the infinite possibilities.
The word purple should be surprised!
For a future buyer, the areas of the music room and the master closet could be converted back into bedrooms, making a three-bedroom house. If you need those areas for you and Matt at this point, I’d say, go for it! The cost of putting another quarter of a million dollars into your house, when a few tweaks would give you everything you need, is a lot of money that could be put into the back deck and landscaping.
So a thing I’ve learned in an engineering career is: Design is iterative. The more complex the needs the more iterations to make it work. The longer to complete it, The more changes and complex needs are required to keep up with moving goalposts. Overall I’m saying its okay and go for it. Re-evaluate and use what you’ve learned for choosing these changes.
I’ll share my husband and I have a dream lotto scenario that involves land and a few pads for specific separate buildings for guests or hobbies to make it to suit the need. So when not in use, you don’t have to heat or cool it as much. Maybe see where you could fit an extra building along the path to house a guest. Also it could house a live in nurse if necessary, away from your home if Matt needs extra help or you go on a retreat, sometime in the future.
I’m shocked at making your house a 1 bedroom. You may need the equity in your home someday. I would do your house in two phases: floor repair, generator, and humidifier. You can do the add-on in phase two in a couple of years. I don’t understand why you would give up on it. It is the solution to all your room needs.
The studio could easily be converted into an additional bedroom or even an ADU.
Wonderful that you are rethinking all that addition stuff , as you get older you will be glad , less upkeep, and someone in the future can always turn that studio in bedrooms !! I always wish I built smaller. I would much rather have the nice driveway, finished landscaping , deck etc ! You can make your outdoor area beautiful, get the generator , humidifier and all that other stuff ! Can’t wait to see what you think of !
Whoa! You have really had your brain in overdrive lately! Slow down, have an iced tea and smile! We’re all routing for you both! I was just looking at that last blue print of your house w/ missing labels, what if, dont come for me now, lol, you put your washer and dryer in your current pantry? Is there a way to make space in there for them under that existing countertop or would it need to be raised? Because that is a fabulous looking room with long countertops already in place! You would just loose some under counter storage for other items currently in there now and the plumbing wouldnt have to be rerouted all that much further then it is currently? Plus you mentioned a long while back you had wanted to install deeper base kitchen cabinets anyhoo? That would be a great reason, now you would need to due to a rehoming issue? Just a thought. BTW ….those alcohol ink tiles, one of my all time faves!!
yay!!, a rethink!!! not a bad thing!
I agree with your plans! IMHO, I would put the laundry and DME in a small built on room where you were going to put your big bedroom. Go a tiny bit larger if you consider putting the exercise room in it as well. Then add a closet to your current bedroom. You would likely have room for a Qn bed or a Murphy bed. So, technically a 2 br house. With a Murphy bed, you could have exercise equipment in there as well. Or split the equipment depending on size. Lots of options that aren’t 275K.
I love this new direction! Is that upside down T shaped wall between the kitchen/living room/music room load bearing and does it need to stay? If not, would you explore taking that down as well? Or are you anti-open floor plan?
This sounds like a great idea for you guys! Have you thought about your closet and laundry room being combined where the gym currently is, and moving the gym where you put the new laundry room? I have seen so many homes, and we are actually in the process of finishing our new home with the laundry and closet combined or connected. Later on, if you needed a second bedroom, the gym (where the new laundry room is) could be turned into a bedroom easily. Just a thought…
I really, really like the idea of the laundry room being combined with the closet. So very convenient.
I also love this idea!
In the music room, if you move the doorway between the music room & kitchen from it’s current location to the other side of the wall closer to the living room (kind of where your fridge is now), you could turn the current music room into a sitting/tv room. And heck, even a future small bedroom for all the *only one bedroom!?* naysayers : )
Don’t skimp on your closet space. Having a closet that can be designed to have storage that replaces a dresser is wonderful and frees up space in the bedroom. I don’t have that in my present home and I miss it. The idea of using the music room as a flexible space is a great idea. Good luck!
I applaud you for exploring this new idea. As far as re-sale value goes, I would just try to keep in mind if there could be an easy way for a future buyer to add a bedroom. As you’ve proven so often, additions are possible.
What if you took out another wall and made the music room part of the kitchen? I bet you could find a different spot for the piano and reclaim that hallway space to be more useful.
I haven’t read all the comments yet so maybe this has been asked — where would Matt’s game room area be?
But I also do commend you for looking at all this realistically and being open to new ideas/floor plans. Will look forward to see what you decide.
Oooh I am excited for this for you! Longtime read and have been looking forward to the addition, but this is a good evolution and I totally think it makes sense, and I don’t think it’s that crazy to go to a 1 bedroom house for you with no plans to move AND it’s totally paid off. The security in that is truly a blessing.
I only have one thought/suggestion just as you brainstorm – I wonder what the cost/feasibly would be to also extend out from the current sitting room, closing off the little courtyard space off from the front of the studio to the living room. Immediate downside is that you lose your window symmetry around your fireplace. Benefit is the extra square feet, and you could put the kitchen in that bumped out area to have a U layout + island, and a potential good window view from the kitchen to front yard.
Absolutely ignore if that doesn’t make sense for you!
If you could get into the former master bath, would it be big enough to hold Matt’s equipment? It would be convenient right next to the new master bath. Whatever you do,
don’t get rid of the pantry. Your pantry is a work of art. It brings me joy every time I see it. What if you used the end where the microwave cupboard stands and part of the cabinetry to install a washer dryer? If you flipped the breakfast nook and kitchen, you could have the dining room just off the living room and the kitchen off the pantry/laundry. I love the music room which would also have doubled as a corridor to the addition. Why not have it now double as Matt’s gaming nook? If all that was possible, you could downsize the master closet/storage/gym to have a separate closet and small gym. I have a feeling that ditching the addition is going to bring out your creativity….big time! By the way, why do two people need two eating rooms? You could design a small eating counter in the (new) kitchen and use the big table for church group gatherings. I’d better stop or I’ll be boarding a plane to Texas so I can pass on more ideas. You got this!
Could you expand the bathroom by the studio to be a full (or even 3/4 with a shower stall) during these changes? Then a future home owner may consider it as a second master (or they could even add in a small kitchen and make it an accessory apartment)
That’s an excellent idea. If one was concerned about future resale, a one bedroom house with an attached ADU would be at least as marketable as a two or three bedroom.
I know you want to do your house your way. I totally get it. And yes, it’s your forever home, but you won’t live forever. Eventually, you’ll need to sell it, and having only one bedroom will be a big deterrent and take away value, no matter how nice everything looks. As long as you’re ok with the possibly of it taking a long time to sell, and most likely at a reduced price, then go for it. I say this respectfully, just as I would say the same to my BFF. Just make sure you really think it through.
I’ve been pondering your situation over and over. We’re in the process now of building our shop home and because there wasn’t an actual floor plan design, not of my making, I’m now dealing with how to make the best use of the area. Like you….it’ll work out…..and it is.
As I’m looking over your last design option, I noticed one area…..your music room. I love that room! It’s your favorite space. I timidly wonder if that could be a dining room option. I too, have a piano, a baby grand, that I’m trying to find a place for it. Just a thought. 🤷🏼♀️. I know how special your piano and music are.
About the one bedroom. YES! It’s about your home and needs. If ever, in the distant future you do sell, let the new owners decide to build an addition to meet their needs.
🙏🏻you’ve got this
Have you considered using the half bath at the back of the studio as a laundry room.
Could you also take out the wall to the music room and make a music area that takes up less space. That would give you more space to play with for the other areas.
If you’re not familiar with Not So Big House concept, please take a look at https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/
Sarah Susanka is an architect who wrote a whole series of books illustrating her concept and it’s right along the lines of your current thinking. I’ve read almost all of her many books and they’re well worth your time.
Some highlights:
Not So Big doesn’t necessarily mean small. It means not as big as you thought you needed. As a rule of thumb, a Not So Big House is approximately a third smaller than your original goal but about the same price as your original budget. The magic is that although the house is smaller in square footage, it actually feels much bigger.
The core concept is thinking about how to really live in your home and make it work for your lifestyle and budget.
Long time reader here to say that this is my favorite post you’ve done to date! It is absolutely liberating to realize that life circumstances can and WILL change in a heartbeat and our plans actually mean very little in the grand scheme of things, but we are not bound by those plans! We can make it up as we go! Everything will work itself out!
As far as reducing the number of bedrooms, I don’t think it’s a problem. You’re not reducing the square footage, you’re just repurposing. Make your house work for you and your husband. I think it’s a much better plan than building on a large addition. Focus on the things that you know without any uncertainty will make your life better. I think you’re on the right track! 😀
🤯
I think a pause is extremely wise to evaluate your situation. I’ve been worried that you were planning such a big project and still wouldn’t have a workshop while your power tools are outside, at risk of being stolen. Thievery is rampant at construction sites in my area!
Even if you don’t need a guest room, I’d be inclined to consider some sort of short-term guest sleeping option (sofa bed in the music room? living room?) in the event you needed a live-in aide for some reason but you can always deal with that if and when it comes up.
Why don’t you turn your hallway bath into a laundry room?
Does a one bedroom house even need three bathrooms?
This is why I absolutely love what you do…. Try different ideas. If one doesn’t work, try something else! You are a huge motivator for me, although my projects aren’t as extensive.. I went through a similar grieving process as my beautiful yard had to be torn up for a new well.. now the possibilities!!!
“Icky,” huh? So that fear of over-building/future buyers/other people’s judgments is still there either way, I see. Still, that’s a crap ton of money for an addition, and if it’s too expensive, then it’s too expensive. It’s still good to consider all possibilities and options, and choose what you truly think the best course of action is.
Have you thought about putting the laundry room in the old master bath? the plumbing would already be there and expanding that structure might be less than building all new.
That’s a great idea!
The other advantage with the new plan is that it could easily be converted back to a 2-bedroom down the line for resale. And I do imagine that some buyers would love your spacious studio as a children’s room with stacked bunk beds, so it could be marketed as 3 bedrooms. The important thing is that you have 2.5 baths, which is very luxurious for your neighborhood. I’m also thinking that your master will be huge and you could easily put a sitting area with TV in there for Matt. Then do an eat-in kitchen.
Thank you for your thoughtful insight into the process of looking at your own situation with your home. Throughout the years I’ve followed you, you’ve made your home your own, always being considerate of Matt. I think whatever you decide will be great as you and Matt make good decisions. Your thoughtful consideration of what do you
“really need” is commendable. I have a smallish but perfectly right for me home. I have made my 3 bedroom home into only 1 proper bedroom home, the other two are a TV room with storage and a queen couch bed to be used as a quest room when people visit. The other room is a “workroom”, meaning a sewing, office, craft room, with an ottoman that makes into a small twin size bed (for the great grands). It all seems to work for me and do the same for you! Also, as a side note, I’ve purchased 10 homes and sold 9…not once did I care what others thought about my choices I made for my home and all sold. nothing being taken off for how I decorated or how I used any room. Go and be you!
❤️
Bravo!!!! Sounds like a major improvement to me, while simplifying and catering to your and Matt’s needs. Congratulations!
All I could think about when reading this post was your beautiful pocket doors in the music room. They are probably my favorite part of your house (I love lots of your projects; this is my favorite). With that being an outdoor door again, you may need to remove those doors. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be great to replace the existing door in your current guest bedroom with those doors? Then, that room could be changed back into a dedicated room if needed? Just a thought. Or I can look back on your old blog posts and see those beautiful doors there whenever I like. 🙂
Lots of good ideas and you will probably come up with more as you go along. Do you use the music room a lot when you have company on Wed. This could possibly be a place to use as a workout room/TV for Matt. So many possibilities in this home. Keep at it.
Too bad the old master bathroom couldn’t have somehow worked as the laundry room since it will already have water lines and can easily vent outside. The location isn’t awesome though….
No matter what you decide – it’s exactly perfect. Do you kind of love the idea that there is nothing but possibilities now? It sometimes takes me a bit to mourn before i can move onto joy, but I still love the mental process of it. Thank you for sharing.
Your home, your way. The one bedroom isn’t an issue at all. Any potential future owner has many options because the studio alone allows the flexibility for extra bedrooms, a split wing at that! Less upkeep, being able to have your driveway, shop, deck and landscaping sooner without debt would sell me. Two things that could be space savers, Matt’s shower chair staying in the shower, and an EZ Access Orbit ceiling lift (I love ours). The ease of use and maneuverability it allows in a small bedroom is amazing. It has a small footprint, is not unattractive, and eliminates the physical strain of retrieving and storing a Hoyer. If you wanted guests or needed a caregiver down the road maybe consider a tiny home/auxiliary dwelling unit. It could pay for itself quickly as an occasional airbnb.
I’m surprised by the number of comments in the thread still thinking about re-sale and “the next owner”. The point is that they don’t exist. I love that Kristi has made this huge leap to understand the her own needs and desires trump those of non-existent people. Why are none of the comments asking “what is the fake-future buyers love having a one-bedroom house? What is the fake future buyer is a single lady?” If in a hundred years a new owner comes along, they can demolish and start fresh, but I hope that you will choose to live this one precious life to the fullest and know that we are allowed to care for ourselves over fake people.
You could also make your laundry room and closet together (some of the laundry ends up in your closet anyway) and make the room off the carport, the gym which overlooks the deck and backyard walking path.
Have you considered working with an interior designer? A good friend of mine’s sister has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in this and all she does is work with architects on the best configuration of interiors to meet the functional needs of their clients. No disrespect meant to decorators, my mother was one, but it’s a completely different field.
As someone else pointed out, it’s one thing to say a 1 bedroom is okay it’s our forever home. It’s another to give up saleability that you may need one day as you and Matt age. Even if if you stayed in your home, you wouldn’t be able to accomodate a caregiver if you needed one some day.
I have not read all the comments and I may be the lone voice that thinks a one bedroom house is not a good idea for you and Matt. There may be a time where you need a second bedroom for someone to stay and take care of Matt while you go away for a few days. Your Mom took care of Matt while you went on your retreat a few months ago, remember how nice it was to be able to get away? Or what happens if you get seriously ill and need help temporarily? I do think your idea of making the gym a master bedroom is a great one! It had a fairly decent size closet in it and as you said in an earlier post, most of Matt’s clothes are not in the closet. Do you really need a walk in closet? I would just leave the original footprint and decorate it to your taste. I would add a laundry room off the back of the kitchen and make it big enough for a laundry room/work out area. That would give you the nice laundry room you deserve and enough space for the workout equipment you must have. You could finish your workout and just drop your sweaty clothes right into the washer … LOL. Just a different opinion than most of your other readers … it may be something to think about.
Whatever you finally decide will be wonderful, so you can now take your time to figure out exactly what that is.
A few thoughts about the new vs. old remodel plans:
1. You have already put in thousands of hours of your work to build out your existing rooms. Before you pass on the idea of your addition, you will want to have a good, solid estimate of the cost of redoing the existing rooms to new purposes.
2. We have dear friends who have a situation similar to yours and Matt’s. The husband had a catastrophic stroke 22 years ago, when he was only 61 years old. Now they are well into their eighties, and the wife is no longer physically able to care for her hemiplegic husband, who has gotten weaker over the years. They now have full time caregivers in the house for all his waking hours, but the next step will be to have someone there 24 hours a day. Consider carefully before you get rid of your guest room and guest bath, because that may be what you need to stay in your jewel of a home in the far future.
3. In spite of the disappointment of your home gym floor failure, think very carefully before getting rid of that essential room. Where else can you have all that exercise equipment set up so well? Just remember that the older we get, the more we all (you, too!) need more exercise, and for Matt, it is imperative.
You have the most creative mind for design, which is why we are all hanging on every word you write! You will figure out the right balance for you and your husband, not just for now, but to enable you to be there into the far future.
Kristi,
You mentioned wanting to live out your lives in your home. I’m wondering if you might ever need a small guest room for someone (maybe a helper) coming to stay with you while you
recuperate from an illness. As an older person living alone I know from experience that it is nice to have a small guest room for them.
Maybe I’m overthinking all this…sorry.
These are random thoughts here but time is tight.
“Debt-free.” Wonderful words. A compelling reason to not add on to a house that already has the square footage you need. How great to build that workshop sooner! Plus, get the landscape plan in motion.
Someone suggested making your patio a screened-in space. Yay!
While you were so set on the addition, all along I have wondered why you would need that second living room? I know you have a visiting group during the week, and you enjoy doing it, but, we don’t usually remodel a house to be hosts.
It comes down to what amount of physical space Matt needs to manuever and be happy. Does he value being able to see outside during his day? If that is not a draw then an internal room would suit him just fine. Does he like sitting in his stationary chair (like one of the gray ones) to be near you or does that matter once he is occupied?
As for you: your household duties of caregiving and the usual things take up a lot of your time. Then, on most days, you get to work on the house in the afternoon. You will work out the configurations you need; you are well on your way. If you literally mentally do dry runs of entering, staying, and exiting your rooms so as to ‘live’ in the diagrams you are creating, you will know what will and will not work in practice. Drawing them is one thing; living in each space is another.
While termed the “music room” to me it has always seemed like a hallway. Yes, I love the settee and the piano. The cozy feeling, but I have not picked up that you sit in that space. As several have suggested, the square footage might be used in a better way. An eating area? A table does not have to be placed in the middle of a floor. It can hug a wall as long as Matt can position his chair and you can sit too. Then pulled out for guests. Another eating space arranged also? Why?
Or a gaming spot for Matt? Is that a noisy activity that would get on your nerves being next to the kitchen? It would bother me, but I like quiet. I am musing. I love your little TV area with the two recliners. Good for munching also?
Seems to me your kitchen works well just as it is.
As for the ‘one-bedroom house’ thought: If your master turns out to be as large or larger than you have mapped out before, wouldn’t there be plenty of room for Matt and you also to sit in two chairs? Your two gray recliners transplanted to that spot? To chat, watch TV or whatever?
Is hosting overnight guests your custom? In a pinch, could there be another spot to accommodate someone that is not a designated “room?”
Although this is your “forever home” as you view things now, no one knows for sure. If you ever did sell, your studio would be a dream for someone who wants that much space, or a shared bedroom for two kids with play space to spare or, well, it would draw the kind of buyer who needs it for whatever reason. Or it could be two bedrooms so easily. Infinite possibilities. But, now is now. Make the changes for you. You know what you need as you have described them.
Mainly, just ease your heart and take a breather. Finish the studio as you can. Your team of spectators will wait and we will always cheer you on. We want you to be happy.
All the best to you, Kristi, and to Matt.
Even without the addition, a future, theoretical buyer could still have a 3 bedroom house with a possible office or kids playroom. Kristy’s work shop could easily be a huge bedroom (multiple kids!) with the storage area converted to a hanging closet and that endless wall of drawers!💕 Plus with a door to the hallway, the closet/home gym can become a small bedroom (close off to the Master) and not everyone needs a music room. Your house, as is, has plenty of flexibility for now and the future. I think it’s a dream home.
Just by adding that laundry room opens up so many possibilities! You’re going to have such fun rethinking everything. How about moving the piano to your living room where the credenza is. You could just swap them out! (I’m a piano player as well!) The music room is Matt’s new area with double doors going directly outside. Swap the breakfast room with the kitchen–and your old kitchen becomes your dining area. Actually your possibilities are endless! I am loving this so much more over the addition–seems so much more like “you”!
This might be my favorite post of yours, ever. I could feel the weight of that $270,000 addition transform into freedom and reclamation when you realized you could just let it go and do something else. Anything else! A one-bedroom house isn’t a negative. Not everyone needs a house with multiple bedrooms. If it’s just you two and your furbearers, having dedicated spaces for things you enjoy doing makes WAY more sense and as you said– it’s your house! You own it!
I think it’s always a good idea to plan your house for yourself and should you ever sell it, whoever buys it could always turn one of the other rooms into a bedroom . But my question to you is are you sure you don’t want a guest bedroom-I don’t know if you ever have guests visit or if you were to get sick with a cold, Covid etc and needed to sleep somewhere away from your husband so he didn’t get sick, it might be nice to have that other space. —so just a question/something to think about.
Kristi. Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us, your blog followers. I think following your feelings, praying about all of things, taking your time, researching different avenues of what you and Matt want, and thinking of the outcome, and what you could save is a good thing. I applaud you for doing things this way. I applaud your thoughts on your house being yours and Matt’s, and forgetting about any future buyers ideas on how many bedrooms you may or may not have. My prayers for you and Matt.
I think you should swap the kitchen with the breakfast room( because is bigger)and left everything else how it is. The pantry would align with the kitchen which is a plus. And the laundry room would be closer to your room. Thats my thought.
Kristi I grew up in a modest size home with 5 brothers and sistere. My parents turned the garage into a bedroom to make it a four bedroom house. We had a console table that turned into a dining table. It had the leaves that stored in the console and an expanding system that you added a center leg to. Allowed a large dining table in a very small space. That could be just what you need for your church group dinners. Hope this helps.
I always had a living room & family room in my homes until we downsized. We now have a living room & that is where our TV is located. I know you use that room for when your guest from church come over. Why not treat the living room as a family room. You were going to make it a formal living room. Like you said make the home work for you. I’m sure you can make the TV look pretty in the room. Over the fire place is one option. Some furniture arrangement/changes would probably be made to accommodate a recliner for Matt. Had to do that too. My husband is disabled also with severe back problems. Make that room beautiful & functional. I’ve had to get creative with storage. I also got rid of a lot of stuff I was just holding on to. I don’t miss them. Hope you find the perfect solution that works for you.
This makes a lot of sense! Didn’t you once say you wanted the pantry as a drop off zone when coming into the house? The new laundry room area looks large enough for a combo pantry and laundry room with the door to the outside. And the current pantry space could be large enough for a new tv/hangout space that would still be attached to the kitchen. As others have said, you have several rooms that aren’t currently bedrooms, but could be. If they have an egress window, future owners can do what they want. I have projects I want to do here but I can’t make myself pay for something that costs as much as another house. The pandemic disruptions made everything so expensive. I like your creative rethinking of your existing space. You have a lot to work with in the current footprint. I can’t wait to see the next version!
Good for you! I obviously don’t know you and Matt and how exactly you live…but why can’t Matt watch tv in the living room? Or put a tv in the music room? Like the addition these spaces have been set in your mind as they are for a long time but maybe they could be adapted?
So sorry about all of the stress you’ve had. And sorry to add to the people picking on the music room (nothing personal!) but you’ve said before that it has to remain because it is the passthrough for so many other parts of the house, so it sees a lot of traffic. That sounds like a glorified (albeit very pretty!) hallway. Perhaps if you erase that label and wall separating it from the kitchen, it could be your dining room, either with no wall at all or a new wall (or half wall, or wall with a passthrough) further to the right (to allow easy access around the table)?
Have you considered moving the proposed laundry room across the back from the kitchen to the music room? I’m thinking that while beautiful the music room isn’t used for anything. If you’d like to totally change the layout how about changing the pantry to your laundry room, the plumbing is close. Then make all the other rooms open concept with the kitchen in the space where the breakfast area is with a huge island in front of it. Given Matt’s wheelchair I would think it would be easier for him to get around if all the walls were removed. Then the living room could really be the dining room with the other space all living room.
Just a thought.
Is there a way to bring the music room into the creative space play as well? While you might use it ALL THE TIME, you don’t mention it on the blog a lot. It feels to me, you know, the person who doesn’t live there :), more like a very pretty hallway. Is there a way to be creative with that square footage as well?
Hi, Kristi! LOL, I grew up with a Music Room, so I have always loved that you have one! (I’m just sayin’, not suggestin’. You’ll figure it out, and you’ll love what you do—or tweak it again!)
I’ve come here to say that we moved from a four-bedroom house to one that barely has two—but it has a studio (yay!), two screened-in porches, two large open decks where our grandchildren recently spent ALL of their time on a visit, and the most amazing mountain views you ever saw. The second bedroom is my studio that now has Ikea cabinets bolted to the walls on all four sides. It can house a queen blow-up bed (just barely) but would have to be a kid’s second bedroom otherwise, when we sell the house. But we have an all-purpose, lower-level space that acts as a guest suite for us, complete with little kitchen. It isn’t counted in the bedroom total due to local regulations, even though it has full egress. So, we have only “two bedrooms”, but we have two kitchens! Weird, huh?
Our main kitchen is tiny. Our living room is tiny. It isn’t my dream home, but it IS my dream view. And the porches are to die for. We housed 6 of our children/grandchildren for a week at Thanksgiving, and they love the house, too.
My point? We got the speeches about the house being hard to sell when we are done with it. But WE bought it! We changed some rooms into what we needed and wanted, and we love it. Go for whatever you want, Kristi. I know you will do wonders with your new ideas.
One more thing: sometimes the creative process is downright painful. Sometimes it sends you in a totally new direction. You have creativity in spades, Kristi. I’m not all that surprised that you had an epiphany.
Just a thought, but on the last plan you are opening quit a few walls (on being the outside wall) which mean you may be spending quite a bit for load bearing ceiling beams.
Go with your gut. If you felt a tremendous sense of relief with the smaller option, that tells you something. Repair the gym which you both love. Just a thought – consider the music room converting back to a dining area.
Do your gorgeous landscaping and deck. Enjoy your craft room. “Relax” a little and you and Matt enjoy your home.
This is how I would make the decision.
The house with the addition is a traditional family home, very easy to resell. If you plan on staying in your current home until you’re much older, and then moving into something with a much smaller lot as a retirement option, I’d go ahead with the addition and think of it as a retirement investment.
If you intend on living there forever, even when you’re a little old lady, then I’d go ahead with the plans to reconfigure. I would hesitate to start ripping out walls and kitchens, because the structural work required for that could easily cost tens of thousands for no real added value. At that point you might as well bite the bullet and just do the addition.
I have always thought the music room area could be better utilized. Think about taking the wall out between the music room and kitchen. Envision the open, dining room, kitchen and breakfast room all flowing together. Ideal for entertaining and wheelchairs. Consider taking the music room label off and removing the wall and look at the space. I like the laundry room off the kitchen or the pantry. The proposed laundry room is big. I would steal some of that space for the kitchen.
Someone else suggested utilizing the original master bath. If the foundation is good, why not. That space could be used as closet/storage space or a laundry room. The plumbing is already there.
Whatever you do it will work out beautifully.
FYI: Have you ever considered a solar system with their high storage batteries? If you are already investing a measurable $ in mechanical might be worth exploring. Those systems give you electricity ALL the time, pay back on the cost plus are a resource when power is out. Some local electrical companies even take, pay for overage produced beyond your own storage capacity. Perhaps there are programs or grants that participate in the cost especially with power being a medical need. I just read an article about this, intrigued me. Researching information doesn’t cost anything.
I assume you keep terrific records, have sequential blueprints/floor plans for your remodels. Gift them to the future buyer when you sell when you’re old and gray. That way if they want to know old framing circumstances, doors, loading bearing things, mechanicals, they will know, can frame back in a door, have a room back as a bedroom with minimal effort.
As you move forward with choices knowing load bearing circumstances will certainly play into your decisions. Have put in new load bearing for changes I know that is a measurable cost.
My binders of all things about our house, remodels and DIY save me aggravation ALL the time. Now with the great things for records on computers, even easier. I can find paint colors & types, model #s, etc. etc. I supplement it all with documentation in EverNote.
People are building all kinds of homes for all kinds of circumstances… pets, home businesses, gaming, in-laws, fancy 2nd outside kitchens, you name it. Nothing is a surprise to me anymore. When people sell they only need ONE buyer so doesn’t make any difference if something has mass appeal.
We’re turning a bedroom and old bathroom into bigger bathroom and walk-in closet. I wish there was enough room to keep the stool & a small sink as separate powder room for guests but oh well, there isn’t. We’re choosing the plan that “ages” with us. Funny how much space doors, walk ways, additional walls and maneuverability take.
Stackable laundry could be popped in many places in your home…… So many ways to integrate them so that spaces are multi purpose. You’ll surely figure out an option for your lifestyle.
Enjoying tv, dining with lovely views out of your home as it evolves will bring much joy.
What makes a bedroom in our area, is having a closet in the room. So for resale value, your studio would count as a second bedroom. Plus that room is so large, can you not put your exercise equipment in there? If you add in a Murphy bed in that area, it will double as a guest room.The laundry room is huge, so make it a mudroom laundry room combo. Plus if you take some space away, and break through that wall to add a closet to the pantry area, then you’ve got bedroom #3 for resale,(you’ll just have to add a door later). I think looking at your floor plan without any labels other than the kitchen might help open up your mind to even more options. Personally, in all the time I’ve been following your blog, I’ve never understood the music room. I’ve never read that you spend any time playing your piano. I would suggest you make that into the dining area, which would be so lovely for entertaining with the way it will open onto the deck. I think you should focus on remodeling the kitchen to better organize and incorporate your pantry needs there. The kitchen is the hub of the home, and that’s where Matt should be watching TV. I hope my suggestions help you, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. As you and Matt age, I think you’ll be much happier with this smaller layout. suggestions
We bought a 3-bed, 1 bath farmhouse and it’s now essentially a 1 bed, 2 bath house – I essentially did what you’re considering lol!
A few thoughts: my previous home had a large and beautiful dedicated laundry room, but I also had 3 children, 2 dogs, and 2 adults so I needed the space. Now we have a stackable washer/ dryer with a single shelf above a small hanging bar and it’s all we need! The w/d is in a former back porch near the back door, out in the open with no enclosure. I have a small basket to keep smaller items tidy and it’s fine – no dedicated laundry room needed because I just don’t have the volume of clothes that require pre-soaking, stain treating etc etc. like I used to.
Also, when viewing your Floorplan as “unlabeled spaces” the music room stands out as what is essentially a large corridor/hallway, much like your hallway was when you first bought the house but on a larger scale! I don’t have an exact idea, but moving the back door entrance/exit off the kitchen instead of the music room *might* give you something closer to a dining space? Or a TV room/ den? So many possibilities!
I know this post is a few days old, but I could not stop thinking about the $21K you mentioned for the whole house generator. That price tag has stuck with me and bugged me. If I remember right you said you need a 24Kw generator, which is what we had installed in our 3200 square foot house in August 2022. We paid $12,300 for the generator and the installation, including the electricians work. We live in central Virginia in a rural county. Are you certain $21K is the best price you can get? I know there are variables that matter like age of the home and how the electrical system is installed. Perhaps this is where the price differential originates.
To be clear, I have no problem with you spending $21K on whatever your little heart desires. A whole home generator is wonderful to have and in your case even medically necessary. The price tag has bugged me because I don’t want you to get ripped off. 🙂