Can you provide a little more context on what one party is saying no to and the other is saying yes to?

Thanks

What is "way out there"? You're not stating the WHY of the "no" answer. If you have used the architect before, and were happy, why are you not listening? Or asking for fuller explanation of his "no". . The answer may be cost, inefficiency in design, runs the design intent.....or who knows? We certainly don't.

Frankly, I'd be wary of the "whatever you want " answers. ..............No can be the excellent word for an excellent result. It often is the most necessary word in design : )

Upstairs is 1 bathroom, the tub is in its own room with quite a bit of wasted space. We want to give up a small bedroom closet (with plans to add a closet to the other side of the room) and convert the bathroom into 2 with one being a guest and the other an en-suite. We don’t want bathtubs for various reasons, footprint being a leading 2nd. For some the thought of no tub is like putting paint on antique wood. It’s a preference, some don’t blink an eye and others faint at the suggestion. The pushback was it wasn’t possible, the solution is a 4ft 2 story addition to the house. $$$$. Space/footprint wise it is possible, I think it is the. “You don’t paint over perfectly fine wood” mentality at play. Also, while we continue to stress we are not sinking the same kind of money in the project like the former project, I suspect the amount ultimately spent on the former project ended up being significantly higher than originally planned (and approved along the way) and an assumption is we will do it again. (We won’t). So that’s one example.

The other is we have a traffic jam of doors into the house and into the basement. While yes we can reverse the door to ease up congestion, there is the possibility of creating a new entrance that is angled into the house giving up a portion of the garage (plenty of room) and cutting down the size of a hall closet (gasp here because it seems to be a why would we reduce a hall closet). We come and go far more than we use that closet so it’s a no brainer. This part of the project is tricky because it requires coming up under stairs leading to the upstairs. We have a request in to the firm who is a can do to see if they will take on this part but not the rest, we won’t blame them if they pass since this is the smaller part of the overall project. I’m not worried about the firm saying yes as we have been in the homes they have added rooms/additions and complete remodels. They have a great reputation. We won’t just cant afford the total project from them. Architect is drawing up what we asked but I have hesitation that it will come back with less effort to make it happen. I guess I’d prefer someone to not say no and explain why not, I feel like me asking why not questions their abilities.

Perhaps you should change to a team that is more qualified on cost conscious builds...one that can keep you informed on what is possible and is code approved while showing you options toward what you want within your budget...your first example of adding a closet to an existing bath ...and turning it to a master suite bath AND a guest bath does sound like a stretch...so being open to compromise in order to keep to the budget will be your responsibility as well

Keep looking for someone different even though it is a royal pain in the you-know-what. And, you need to be upfront right off the bat that you need to adhere to a certain budget for your project. Ask for proposals with various different scenarios with different pricing. Perhaps you will find out that no one can do what you are asking at a price that is within your budget.

It does sound though as if these will both be fairly pricey projects.

thank you all. I didnt get the impression the no was a money thing versus a not possible. We have an appointment next week with another party. our overall project is going to be a big chunk of change, we have to give up on the level of cabinetry that we usually prefer. Likely the same with counter.

Okay, where is the floor plan? Post it.

Don’t have it yet, I’d have to do a crude drawing....

IMO you are no where near close to deciding anything and cutting corners is done with some thought not just get cheap cabinets as an answer. IMO if you can’t take the time to do a proper to scale floor plan here then there is no way to get help here. Also I have no intention of reading a book with no context .

Patrica, I’m confused by your response, kinda feels like a scolding. We are waiting on the plans from the architect. We would use them with a general contractor if we go that route. If we go with a remodeling firm, they typically do the plans themselves once you hire them and hopefully they will be useful in that case as well. We are hoping to see them this week. I‘m also not sure how saying we can’t go with fully custom made cabinets means we are going with “cheap” cabinets.

Live Wire, the firm who could do the new entrance is affordable for that portion, as well as bringing laundry up from the basement and the bathrooms. The $50k for the kitchen for their made on-site cabinets is what we can’t afford. And doesn’t make sense for the overall value/resale of the home. The potential new entrance doesn’t cut into any stairs, it would be 4 feet from the basement stairs. I think the issue with the architect was it is a surprising alternative approach. A second remodeling firm was out last Friday and didn’t bat an eye at the suggestion. Their designer is coming later this week.

@alwayscold just my two cents based on what you have said, but choose a firm/group/person who you feel hears what you hope for but also can be realistic on your budget and any other constraints.

In terms of the scale plan this forum is bonkers. Someone posts a plan and what they want it to look like and some people rip them apart for planning their renovation without a qualified pro. Others then rip you apart if you don’t make a plan because it apparently shows your level of seriousness? I don’t get it! If the end game is to go to a pro and get them to do the design why would I draw out a scale plan? Isn’t that what I’m paying them to do? To come up with the plan that includes my feedback.

Just know that no matter what you choose it will likely cost more than what they say it will. So if 50k is going to make or break the project then you may not be financially ready to take it on at all.

Just to sort of explain how this forum works..a sketch is a much easier to discuss dilemmas ..long explanations are hard to refer back to ...to remember and to visualize...a picture is like a thousand words and a much quicker road to understanding

Btydvn, in all I guess I wasn’t looking into feedback on the actual plans, rather how to deal with the architect who was hesitant to do anything other than an addition as well as how to initiate the conversation on why he was saying no. Just no, and you can’t solo don’t sit well, I needed the reasons and was looking for an approach to challenge the no when 2 others said yes. I’ll go back and see where I misled people in thinking I wanted to know if anyone on the forum would weigh in on if things would work. I wouldn’t post that type of question without including a drawing of some kind. I’ve lurked on/off the forum long enough to know that. Thanks.

Just to touch on the inference of some yes ..some no...opinions...that can usually be explained by what is to be gained by agreeing...

Hi again, it looks like you have lots of opinions already thrown out so I will just add a quick one. It sounds like you are doing your due diligence in speaking with multiple pros, have experience from previous renovations or builds and have thought through the resale side of things a lot which is all great. What it sounds like you may benefit from is a frank and direct talk with the professionals to get a full list of their opinion of pros and cons on your ideas. The bathroom sounds like it may be a cost issue but the entry may go beyond cost to concerns of water, roof lines, expensive structure, etc. Asking each pro to provide a run down of their stance and the reasoning behind their opinions would help you determine who is telling you what you want to hear, who is telling you what you need to hear and/ or who is interested in working with you to come up with at least a hybrid or acceptable alt solution.

Best of luck!

This is silly. You go to an experienced contractor with a track record of building similar things. He'll know exactly how much what you want costs. Based on his numbers, tell the architect/designer to draw and specify accordingly.