| When families decide they'll stay at home;
Remodeling a growing trend for those who want more space, or to upgrade their lifestyle.
By Rita Freeman, The News
The Orange County Register (California), February 18, 2005
Susan Fitzgerald needed another bedroom to accommodate the birth of her third child.
Judy Matejov just married wanted an upgrade since she and her husband often entertained guests.
They could have moved. But because they both liked their neighborhoods, they decided to remodel and expand their respective homes in Portola Hills and Mission Viejo.
The two homeowners are among a growing number of people making the decision to stay put and improve their property.
"The younger age groups are remodeling because they can't afford to move up that much," said Warren Hoppke, SRPA, an appraiser with Accredited Appraisal Associates in Newport Beach. "The baby boomers, they remodel, too, to stay where they are."
Fitzgerald, 38, got pregnant before she and her family decided to redo their two-story home in Portola Hills.
The now family of five added a fifth room to the 1,850-square-foot house.
The family also replaced the stairwell and the carpet, repainted and added details like a ceiling fan in the dining room and three more windows.
"I have one more room to go to when the kids fight," Fitzgerald said. "We have more room -- room for guests, room for us and one more room to clean up."
Fitzgerald's neighbors also are talking about remodeling or have made modifications.
From one story to two
Matejov, 37, said after she got married in 2003, she and her husband Mike decided to remodel.
Her improvements transformed her 1,400-square-foot, one-story Mission Viejo home into a two-story manor. She added a second floor with a 300-square-foot deck overlooking Arroyo Trabuco Golf Course, a master suite and a recreation room.
Matejov's front yard was transformed from a clutter of overgrown bushes to a courtyard with a garden pond with 11 koi fish, a rust-colored hardscape and banana trees, birds-of-paradise and irises for plants. She calls it a place to relax and read the newspaper.
Matejov added details such as a pebble flooring in the master bathroom shower, a stained-glass window overlay of a seashell and granite counter tops.
She spent about $175,000 on the job. Construction finished in December.
"This last Thanksgiving, I was able to have 26 people over and everyone was able to sit instead of having everyone in a 1,400-square-foot place," she said. "There's more space."
Fix or buy?
Purchasing a new home can be too expensive for newer families who move to Saddleback Valley. The median price of a house in Orange County is about $534,000. Oftentimes, newer families buy an older house on a large lot and fix it up.
Homeowners who are settled but want to expand are finding it cheaper to modify their homes than to move.
Contractor Angelo Correa, owner of Superior Construction Services in Lake Forest, said he has been seeing more remodeling jobs recently.
Whether it's building a second floor, adding granite counter tops to the kitchen or bathroom or adding a new bedroom, remodeling a house can add value as well make it feel new again.
When an appraiser evaluates a house, he or she will compare the house with others in the neighborhood, determine the cost of the remodel and look at the location of the house, Hoppke said. Depending on the improvement, a household can get between 60 to 100 percent return on the investment.
Kitchen remodels, which can range from $16,000-$35,000 depending on the improvement, offer the best returns since it's one of the most used places in the house, Correa said.
"When new buyers come in, they will see how the kitchen is laid out and find out if it serves their function," he said.
Remodeling will not decrease a house's value, Hoppke said. But there is such thing as spending too much and doing too much, Correa and Hoppke warn.
In any case, the person should evaluate how much they are willing to spend to remodel.
Happy with outcome
As for Fitzgerald, she is done with remodeling. The improvements were "quite the experience." She was pregnant, her house flooded three times, and the job was completed in January rather than October.
In spite of it all, feeling like they have a new house made it worthwhile.
It also cost more than the family budgeted for, about $48,000 instead of $32,000.
"I'm very proud," Fitzgerald said. "You would never know it was a remodel."
Matejov will start another phase this summer. She will build a fire pit and barbecue in the back yard as well as add landscaping to it.
Next year, her family will tackle the kitchen.
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