Putting an Addition on a House that has Septic and Well

[Aj Bowman]

Hi Everyone,

I have a house in Maryland that I am looking to flip. Right now it is a 1 level 2 bed 2 bath 880 sqft. house. I am thinking that this would be a hard sell after repairs for obvious reasons. So I was thinking, what if I put a 700 sqft addition on the house and add a bedroom? Now I would have a 1580 sqft. 3 bed 2 bath house which I believe will be a lot easier to sell. The problem I am running into is that this house is on well and septic. My first question, "is adding an addition onto a house a good idea?" and my second question, "will I run into problems with the septic and well?"

Thanks,

AJ

[David Krulac]

@Aj Bowman

You are adding a 700 sq ft third bedroom?  So the bedroom is like 26 x 26 and almost as big as the entire remainder of the house?

If the rest of the house is 880 sq ft and includes a LR, kit, 2 br and 2 baths, the rooms are not large rooms.  If you add that 700 sq ft bedroom, it would be out of place with the other small rooms.  I'd be more inclined for say a 12 x 15 bedroom addition on this house.

I don't know MD rules.  Here adding a 3rd bedroom on aseptic house usually is not a problem if the house was built and the septic permitted after 1972.  This presumes that the septic is in good working condition.

What are the numbers?  How much will the addition cost?  How long will it take?  What permits are needed? And the biggest ? is how much more will it add to the sale price?

If the numbers don't make a profit, don't do it.