Sandy Kay Homes

Category: OldHouseNewHouse

  • To Build or Not to Build

    To Build or Not to Build

    So your dream is to have  the perfect  house – maybe you like a cozy traditional kitchen  kitchen1or modern extravagant  kitchen 2

    This Australian kitchen used a new acrylic product that has low level LED and oh yes, the counter raises where appliances are on the kitchen side and glasses are on the guest side…read about the new acrylics –  www.acrylic-couture.com ,  www.decotonesurfaces.com.  Very different but its what dreams are made of. Houzz is a great site to get ideas btu when it comes to the planning phase the elements have to be sequenced and organized in a budget and general time plan. Planning departments (I live in Los Gatos) can exasperate and building plans can take over 2 years as they control color, build size, style and lots of other issues that can eat into valuable time with kids or well, just living.

     

    Personally I am very tired of a really nice home adding a white quartz counter top and those little rectagonal colored square back splashes and it sells high because of low inventory…so I am all in for some pain to get what I want.  Here are some things to think about when you are considering building new or buying or my first choice: the hybrid.

    Building new –

    • finding a good site is expensive, rare and may have hidden complications if the lot is not standard
    • getting building permits takes a long time and requires lots of engineering , planning costs and architectural time and money – most of these are not fun expenses
    • the good lots are mostly built on close to town and or close to amenities leaving you with steeper or “louder” lots from noise

    Buying new –

    • more practical but almost never the perfect house
    • lacks a bedroom or an office or the right kitchen
    • older homes often don’t have the grand room with a more open family room kitchen or ample closets or
    • benefit of an established neighborhood

    So what is the answer and why?

     

    The hybrid

    • find the location
    • find the home with the best bones — in other words half or to be exact 53% of the home works (bedrooms or entry)
    • a large enough lot
    • a decent foundation
    • add a wing and your own touches
    • get rent while you design
    • property taxes will ultimately be lower because remodel increase in taxes is rarely as high as a purchase price

    …and there are a lot more benefits with this concept.

    Here are some examples of homes that need to be updated — they are older but have original good condition or great lots – both are on 1 acre lots and both have elements desirable for remodel Citrus Lane saratogaThis saratoga home has one good wing and the other side needs height , a better kitchen and an over all facelift but in the end you would have a fabulous location and modernized home.

     

    Take a look at the before and after on this older home (garage in the back)

    shshib2

    The owner added heighth to the roof and extended and opened up the internal floorplan -costs were very low compared to building new.

     

    Call me for more details on costs and benefits of the hybrid purchase.  Sandy Kay 408 202 0608

  • Week one June 2 2016

    It is the end of day 2 of the refacing of the home that was first a two room cabin and post office for the Novitiate in Los Gatos. Made of clear heart redwood the only trauma was the gophers and my father falling off the rocking chair during the 1989 earthquake. No studs, single wall construction, combination of rock and stone and concrete base its an engineers nightmare and yet it has withstood the test of time. What stories these walls could tell. DSC01360I have run the five flights of stairs from the cottage below the home to the upper floor at least 50 times packing and moving. I will regret not labeling all the boxes but they are secure. There is now a hole in the side of my house as the demolition begins and I am sure the myriad of creatures living on the property are taking new homes.

    A temporary pex water line has been run from the house to the cottage for water. The temperature is warm. Felipe showed up wearing a sombrero over a hoody and several layers of clothes as his protection against the heat which is climbing to about 83  degrees today in the shade. He is tearing off 5 layers of roof mostly composition and moss but also wood pieces from probably the early 1900’s. This guy is one of the happiest uncomplaining workers I have ever met. Last thing that was done was duct taping all the gas vents from the heater so that no debri goes down them. By the end of the two days the walls were out the back bathroom exposed , boxes mvoed and the lights down in the kitchen area. Appliances went the next day, the refrigerator remains a bit of am obstacle since no handy dolly.  I’m thinking I want to preserve the old door bell. These sorts of details would become less important as time and concerns change.

     

    A2-1 DEMO PLAN – 151006