New addition questions

20 years ago

Hi everyone...I have been reading these boards for a while but this is the first time I am posting. I am in the planning stages of adding a 18' x 18' family room addition to the left side of my colonial (off the diningroom). I am currently getting rough estimates from contractors and the plan includes the following. 18' x 18' one story addition on a crawlspace with cathedral ceiling, one walkout bay window, one sliding glassdoor, 2 smaller windows, vent free gas fireplace build into the room with cultured stone and hearth, carpeted, recessed lighting.

Rough estimates have come in between $45K and $50K. I am in Western NY.

A problem for heating and cooling has come up. According to one contractor my current high efficiency furnace has 5 runs off of it and is maxed out. Now I know I could use the fireplace as a main heating source, but I am concerned about not having AC in this room and I really don't want to use window units. If I only use the fireplace as a heating source will that effect my resell value some day? What other options would I have? Any other options for AC out there that are affordable?

Another issue seems to be that my Electrical being located on the opposite side of the house in the garage and I may have to go from 150 Amp to 200 Amp sercice. Any idea how much upgrading to 200 Amp will cost? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully I included enough info in this post.

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Comments (3)

chisue
20 years ago
Is this the only possible location for your family room? I'm envisioning a "walk-through" DR. Also, you probably realize you could add a second floor to this addition for very little more money -- possibly warranting the separate HVAC?
tamgypsy
Original Author
20 years ago
chisue,
thank you for your response. To answer your question; yes the planned location is the only place to add. No room on the opposite side of the house (garage side and close to property line. I am on a corner lot and I have plenty of room on the diningroom side. I know I could add a second story but we have our heart set on a cathedral ceiling in this room. I am wondering if using a ductless mini split air conditioner for the cooling and a large enough gas fireplace would be a problem if I want to sell.
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manhattan42
20 years ago
It is not practical to use a vent free fireplace as a main heating source, and they are not design to be used this way.

The main problem with the vent free unit is that vent free models dump a lot of moisture into the interior air as a byproduct of combustion. This can lead to condensation problems, mold growth, etc...

Your new room will need it's own heat source.

You may consider electric heat as the main heat source with the fireplace as supplemental heating.

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Considering that all you will need to adequately service the all the electrical needs of this room is a single 15 amp circuit, I find it hard to believe that the entire service will need to be upgraded to achieve this goal and would not take this contractor's word for it.

You can add space to an existing panel without upgrading the service by adding a subpanel or by using piggy-back breakers designed to fit into single panelboard slots to maximize space.
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As far as your heat system being too small for the addition, if it is too small for the addition then it is likely also too small for your existing home.

Heat systems are designed with expansion in mind and are typically installed to provide more BTUs than required for the structure.

You may need to upgrade your heating system in order to achieve your heating/ac goals for this room.

Have your own independent HVAC contractor advise you apart from your bidding contractors to get the most unbiased opinions.

A service upgrade will cost about $1500-$2000.