Taking on a major construction project in 2025 - What are some common hurdles?

Question

As the title of the post mentions, I am taking on an extensive rehab this coming year and am really excited for it!

This is a twin home in Ardmore - which is an amazing area, and I am really enhancing the property.

I plan on doing the following:

- Full gut demo - done

- Extend third floor to rear of building envelope and raise ceilings. This is the biggest part of the project. I am adding a good amount of SQFT to make the third floor into an entire master suite. It is currently a glorified finished attic with little room

- Use addition and raise it up and extend it to the side of the home for more finished space and room for deck, washer/dryer room etc

- Make the living space as functional as possible with the added sqft

- Add outside living structures like deck

This is a fairly wealthily area and I want to maximize my ROI

What are some things you recommend for a large scale project like this and what are some hurdles ? I have done extensive rehabs, but that was for a rental property. Here I'm really trying to sell it to the right audience.

Here is the structure currently.

I am thinking of the value of:

- Built ins - for closets, mud rooms

- Functionality - where to put washer dryer, 3 bed 3.5 bath or 4 bed 2.5 bath? Should I try to make the deck on the second floor a common space or as part of a large bedroom? Importance of a mudroom?

- Bay windows?

I am really excited for this project and want to make sure a great family moves in! I am playing with a lot of ideas and would love to hear as many opinions as possible. For sale not rent

Dennis Bragg · Answer

Alan, I’ve got to say, taking on a major construction project like this in Ardmore is a bold move, and I admire the ambition. That area’s known for its classic charm and high-quality homes, and if you handle this right, you’ll be tapping into a buyer pool that values both style and substance. Years ago, a friend of mine took on a similar challenge in an older neighborhood near Chicago..he opened up the top floor to create a master suite that felt less like a converted attic and more like a boutique hotel room. That project taught him that buyers in these well-established neighborhoods pay close attention to the details..things like making sure the ceiling lines are clean, storage is intuitive, and every inch feels purposeful rather than tacked on.

For your project, thinking about the functionality of the added space is key. Consider the family who’ll eventually live there..maybe they’ll appreciate a second-floor deck accessible from a common hallway, where everyone can enjoy it, rather than limiting it to a single bedroom. On the other hand, giving one of the bedrooms its own private outdoor escape might appeal to a buyer looking for a luxury retreat. Bay windows or built-ins can be a subtle way of blending modern convenience with the character of Ardmore’s older architecture. It’s like giving the home a sense of place..a nod to local design traditions while still making it feel fresh. When you’re done, think about final touches that signal quality: well-placed mudrooms, logical spots for washer/dryer units (maybe near bedrooms for convenience), and closets that don’t feel like afterthoughts.

The biggest hurdles I’ve seen often come down to hitting that sweet spot between cost and perceived value. Overbuilding certain features can lead to diminishing returns, especially if they don’t resonate with local buyers. It might be worth talking to a local architect or designer who’s done similar projects in the Main Line area..from what I’ve heard, they can steer you toward features that buyers here find irresistible. Another consideration is the permitting process and local zoning quirks, which can slow you down or force design changes mid-stream. That said, the right team on your side can make the permitting process and inspections far less painful.

I’m curious... as you refine your plans, how do you see yourself balancing the home’s original character with these modern upgrades, and which element of the design do you think will win over the pickiest buyers?

Stuart Udis · Answer

Jay noted some good upgrades.

Bathrooms:

I spend more on tile across the board but even more so on for sale housing. The amounts of square footage cover is so low the delta becomes a rounding error.

I always use glass enclosures for showers and install doors on tub/shower combos. Many developers leave the tubs without even a hanging rod which looks incomplete. Can introduce you to my fabricator since we're both in Philly area.

If there's room for a stand alone tub in the primary bathroom, install one. You can get a decent quality tub without breaking the bank and if you layout the bathroom where the tub faucet is in the wall you can save some money because floor mounted tub fillers and their rough in are are expensive. Can easily save $750 just in tub filler placement.

Kitchens:
-I've been playing around with more expensive quartzite counter tops following the same principle as tile: not a lot of square footage and can really make the kitchen standout.

-If you have ceiling heights for 48" wall cabinets, that's great. It's a nice touch if you can line up crown molding to meet ceiling. Requires some pre-planning if the ceiling height exists.

-If you can find the room in your floor plan for a pantry closet next to kitchen, that's a hit.

-Make sure your kitchen appliance package matches up with price point. Some developers go above and beyond on kitchen appliances and install a package that may make sense in a $1.5M+ house in a $900k house but short change all other areas of the rehab. It's not an effective strategy but a lot of investors believe throwing in high end appliances in itself secures a buyer.

Other:

-Custom closets are always well received. There's plenty of companies who design and install for contractors for reasonable prices. Most home owners are only familiar with California Closets pricing and automatically perceive closet fit outs as being expensive.

-If its a large house that has a dedicated laundry room on the first floor, throw in stackable laundry units on the bedroom floor. Added convenience and always surprises the buyer when they open a closet and see the laundry units as opposed to another linen closet. Just make sure you are not installing this in lieu of linen closet if there's space restrictions

Exterior:

Landscaping, Fencing & Walkways: Don't have to spend a lot on landscaping but make sure yard is fenced, clear of debris, private and secure. Walkways are in good condition. Nothing worse than walking up the front of the house and having a broken up concrete walkway. Leaves an immediate bad impression.

Entry Door: This seems silly but make sure your front door opens and closes easily without the need to play around with the door. Such a bad first impression if the buyer is standing there while the realtor is struggling to open the door. Usually an issue if older door is salvaged and new locks are installed that don't quite match up with the old door strike plate location. Make sure when the new hardware is installed adjustments are made if needed and repair any damage to door jamb.

Since this is a rehab, you shouldn't have to worry about offering a builders warranty but here's some things I've become accustomed to doing to make the warranty, sale process and transaction process easier.

The paint is never going to be perfect and its far easier to pick up on imperfections in a vacant house. The walls in your own house are going to be covered in scuffs and marks but for some reason the buyer completing their final walk through will have heightened awareness. With the most difficult buyers it can lead to last minute re-trades over inconsequential amounts of money but is just a pain to deal with. I now inform all prospective buyers ahead of time that I will send my painter in as a 1 time courtesy once they complete their move-in to touch up hallways. Given they are going to damage the walls while moving anyway it eliminates their need to touch up the halls and I can usually schedule to have one painter knock out multiple units in a day but even if its a one off sale, it comes across as good service for a small amount of money.

In a storage area within the house or garage I will leave an unopened box of each tile, and flooring used in the house along with unopened 1 gallon buckets of the wall and semi gloss paints and one of each door hardware (kitchen and interior doorway. Everything is nicely organized and labeled. When buyers see this they automatically feel the work was done professionally.

I will either be present or have a PM present at the home inspection for my sales that have a builder warranty component. Taking real time notes on deficiencies allows for clear understanding if the items make their way to a buyer repair addendum. Sometimes the items are not a deficiency but merely a recommended alternative way to complete something and those can normally be talked away without even making them into the report. It also provides an opportunity to interact with the buyer. There are some buyers that are just a complete terror during warranty periods with expectations that are not at all aligned with the purpose of a builder warranty. It is sometimes better not to sell to this buyer than deal with the year long headaches that follow. Best way to detect this is to observe them during the home inspection. If I sense the buyer is cut from this fabric, I will negotiate extra hard against repairs to the extent they simply walk. Selling to the wrong buyer can become more expensive than carrying the home for slightly longer.

I will buy my bath/kitchen fixtures at a plumbing supply house and not a big box store. The licensed versions sold at big box stores are not the same quality and break down quickly and rarely have replacement parts. I spend extra for the the supply house versions and rarely have issues during warranty period. Replacing one bad fixture between material and labor can end up being 3X the cost of buying the better quality fixture in the first place.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

here is what we did to have our 90 home project in Oregon standout and compete with the likes of Lennar and Holt ( major regioinal) and Toll.

Kitchens and bathrooms.. Upgraded appliances NO builder drop ins.. Custom cabinets with soft close on every drawer and for whatever reason buyers really like to see dove tail joints one of the first things they comment on when they open the drawers.

Bathrooms if you can zero threshold people love those and as they age out they need it anyway but that would be for main level. Full mud set pan and custom tile to the ceiling upgraded glass and shower heads Rain shower if market will absorb. it. under mount granite or quartz counter tops.. water closet heated floors .. U already noted closest we put NO WIRE closet racks in our finish carpenter does all our closets.. the other thing we do is put a light in each closet on a switch small thing but man do they like that ..

WE use the doors that have the blinds built in for the man door on the garage so it can have some light or privacy and or if it goes to the backyard because there is no slider same thing and we put that door on whatever room is going to be the office.. that way they can close the blind in the glass for privacy while they work or leave it open buyers dig that.

Tallest ceiling height you can get away with. So our standard two story is 9ft on both levels. our single levels are 10ft and higher with large vaults and really cool beams in the great room and the primary..

Custom lighting we like to install reading lights in primary on the bed wall people dig those wire for it and let them pick the lights..

In Orygun its dark and raining so we over size our windows I would say our homes let in 50% more light than a Lennar house and their windows that are done to minimum UBC code..

For us we are on stand alone lots so full landscaping front back with sprinklers and fully fenced and we paint our fences so the whole development the fences are uniform.

And we bring the side fence to the front of the house so the sides are not exposed to the street all the other builders go cheap and put the fence to the back of the house and save the side yard fence run.. WE also make sure our driveways are 4 feet wider than Lennar this way when they step out of the car they land on concrete NOT dirt . Again small thing but huge when your pointing it out.. Also we run cement to the rear of the man door so garbage cans can go there and are not in the dirt or have to be in the garage taking up valuable space.

We do engineer hardwood and no Lux viynl like our competitors

So all these things probably cost me 25k pre house but we have been selling them for 100k higher than Lennar for same sq ft and have created the highest priced development in town.

we are approaching 400 a foot for finished product which was unheard of in Canby Oregon.

U can see the homes and the finishs if you go to Ivyridgeestatescanby dot com.

Zachary Deal · Answer

Looks good to me, I would just be curious if there are other homes near by that have a third story?

Alan Asriants · Answer

Thank you!

Alan Asriants · Answer

Super helpful! Thank you so much Stuart! Look forward to having you walkthrough in the future

Alan Asriants · Answer

Thank you so much for all the tips and pointer!

Alan Asriants · Answer

Many have third sories but not many if not any I have seen have a third floor addition. The elevation of the building will be kept the same. I have extending it back to the second floor way. I think many people don't do this becasue:

1. They have owned for a very long time and don't need to

2. Prices are so expensive already that adding this floor with the entry cost would be too expensive

Alan Asriants · Answer

Appreicate the detailed response. I am keeping the front facade the same, so only the rear and side of the building will look different. This way the building doesn't stick out like a sore thumb and keeps its "charm"

Taking on a major construction project in 2025 - What are some common hurdles?

Taking on a major construction project in 2025 - What are some common hurdles?

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