This is a comprehensive dilemma that deserves an architect/ contractor. And I'd bring in several real estate agents too for more feedback. Will you end up with the biggest, most expensive home on the block- not so great. How long are you staying here? Would it be better to live small now and buy big later- the type of reno you are considering means living elsewhere, I would think.

Hi Ruby...Its hard to tell from the photo but it does not look like a project that would lend itself to a daylight basement addition. I assume your talking an addition?

have you considered ripping roof off and going up? A lot can be done with attic trusses and or a full second story. Prefab second storys are done a lot these days..so the roof is ripped off and two modular second storys added very quickly.

to answer question two..I believe the cost of lowering basement slab would be prohibitive..you could simply build the addition basement at 8 foot and have a step in the floor and footings..

Thanks to Miacometlady and Tim for your quick responses. We will get other real estates opinion since we are thinking of making this our last home.
Tim, we thought about the second story but wanted to keep it as a bungalow. We will look in the modular homes, not sure if they are available in Canada because there is not much talk about them here. The step down is a great idea.

Thanks

I would suggest keeping the house as a one-story bungalow, keeping the seven-foot deep basement as it is, and making the new basement addition at least eight feet deep with steps leading to this area. Have you considered the head room duct work could take up in a basement? You may want to go to nine or ten feet deep in the new addition. In the seven-foot-deep area, you might be able to put pipes and ducts along the wall to keep as much head room as possible. Of course, concealed pipes and ducts along the walls will require bulkheads.

As for a walkout, you should check with an architect and with the local building codes. It is possible to grade down an area to create a gently sloped "hill" on each side of the walkout area. Of course, you should check for any utility pipes, wires, and drainage issues in the area to be graded.

My mother's house was built with a basement walk-out to a patio and additional driveway, and she just loves it. She has a second kitchen along the west wall of the basement, with the full bath and laundry being on the south end and the kitchen door on the north end being the walk-out to the patio. The second kitchen is great for canning vegetables and extra cooking/baking for holiday dinners, and the walk-out is handy for hanging out laundry in the summer. The driveway, of course, makes it a breeze for repairmen to service the furnace and water heater, softener, pump, and electrical circuit box. Across from the kitchen/laundry is the family room along the east wall and with a fireplace on the north wall. The stairs and utility room (on the east wall) are south of the family room and across from the full bath (on the west wall). Along the south wall there is a music room between the two guest bedrooms. The house is `1,200 square feet, but the finished walk-out basement (designed by my late father and a cousin, a building contractor) really makes a difference!

I do like the idea of your building onto the house. So many people spend a lot of money re-arranging an interior and keeping the same square footage, no matter how limiting it may be in the long run. As for improving the exterior, I like the way you painted the siding to match the brick. However, I would suggest you paint all the trim white and the doors and gables a light beige to bring freshness and lightness to the appearance. When it comes time to replace the roof, you might add a white or ivory metal roof and matching white or ivory shutters to add more brightness.