I suggest you contact the designer or architect who produced the plans and get some background on the project. They may have received quotes from remodelers that could be updated.

Thanks, Charles! Do you know how long that info is typically retained? These are probably a decade old.

It depends on the recordkeeping practices of the particular designer/architect. Or the capacity of their long-term memory.

You can't use information from last week. It's nuts out there.

100K+ right now. Next summer when a contractor is svailable? Who knows. It’s not going down.

100k?! I know it’s rough out there, but yikes! Can you tell me how you got there?

1900’s house is an automatic 20-50% price increase. Everything is harder, and causes more difficult to repair damage, that homeowners want a laparoscopic surgical approach, and then ”restored” rather than ripping things apart to do the job and then just re drywalling like you would in a 1998 suburban home.

But a 1998 suburban home won’t have galvanized pipes, lead paint, asbestos duct insulation and flooring, and knob and tube or brittle shellacked cotton wiring. There are certain ”syndrome” issues with old house, that you have to deal with, that aren’t on those plans.

Chief among the usual suspects is the usual haphazard way that add ons were created. Garages, porches, decks, etc aren’t built to normal residence requirements, get enclosed without permits, and when you touch them, you’ve got to go back and fix all the sins of the previous owners. That involves complete demolition and rebuild a lot of the time.

Build a powder room. 30-40K. Probably more, if that’s an old external porch. They never have the right foundation or insulation. If you dont take care of those issues, and provide it with HVAC, you end up freezing your pipes, or “settling” down into the ground way more than should happen.

Remove and rebuild stairs, to current code requirements, and add landing. 30-50K. You could do it for 20K out of ugly pressure treated lumber and have it be a wart on the house, but that isn’t what she deserves.

Completely rebuild sunroom‘s foundation (see sagging and unlevel floor), walls, windows, and roof, because nothing in it will be suitable or legal to use as habitable space without it. 50-75K. And I took that project off, because you won’t want to do it the way it will actually need to be done. You'll probably do some halfway no permits pulled cosmetic redo instead of rebuilding it properly, to current codes. And that cosmetics are the rest of the 100K.

If there’s all of the usual hazards in the home to be addressed and abated, you’ll easily spend 200-350K on this house over your course of living in it. And quite a bit of that up front.

The #1 thing to be immediately addressed, throughout the entire house, is modernizing the old wiring. That’s a safety issue. Most insurance companies won’t even cover you unless you do that. Spend your money on that, and any of the other guts like plumbing, HVAC, foundation, and roofing, first. Owning an old house requires daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, infusions of money. Which is why those plans are 10 years old and never happened.

Although I don't agree with a lot of Joseph P's commentary (most contractors in big pre WWI cities (at least in Chicago and Boston) are used to dealing with old houses and don't charge a markup). However, he does have some valid points that could really change the amount of the estimates. Does your current side porch have a full foundation underneath it and is it completely inside the main building envelope? And, is the plumbing stack close to the new bathroom? If so, it will be much cheaper to convert to a bathroom than if the answers are no. And if the answers are no, it's a VERY expensive addition. And, prices are sky high right now (due to supply chain and labor demand), so if you can wait awhile to do the work, you may be able to get the work done more cheaply.

I do agree with him, though, are your mechanical in good shape (roof, electric, plumbing, heating)? If you still have K&T, old wiring is the #1 cause of house fires, so you would need to would need to think long and hard about where to invest your $$ first.

And, finally, none of us online can give you a decent estimate...as we don't know the condition or layout of your home, plus the finishes that you want (which can make a BIG difference). I'd strongly suggest you have a contractor or two come out for a ballpark estimate...that's the only way you'll have a reasonable cost.

Thanks Joseph P. and NaviJen for your insights— totally get that an old house is a different animal from new construction and requires a lot more time and money. We know that only a contractor who sees the space in person can give us a truly accurate estimate, but local contractors these days are so busy and in demand that they do not seem interested In talking about a project unless the client is ready to pull the trigger. We’re really just wanting to figure out roughly how much we need to think about saving up and if this is even worth planning in the near-ish future. We’d be fine waiting a year if that lowered costs.

We do have a new water heater, boiler, and roof, and updated electrical panel and wiring. Because it’s an old house, we had a pretty extensive inspection and consultation with a contractor before purchasing.

The entryway area where we’d be putting the bathroom is part of the main interior structure and is fully insulated with electrical (there’s also a separate porch outside the doorway that we’d remove), and the space we’d use is directly below an existing bathroom with the plumbing stack going through one of its walls already.

The bigger challenge is probably moving the entrance— The “sunroom” where we’d be creating the new entry way is actually an enclosed sleeping porch that is part of the original structure, but extends out from the foundation and is not insulated. It was built at a gentle slant to allow water runoff and seems to have has settled slightly, so that would need to be leveled in some way. We wouldn’t be building a new porch at this entry way, just some steps and a small platform to enter the sunroom.

In any case, thanks so much for your time and insights— very grateful for your expertise!

If you have a relationship already, I would call the contractor that did your walkthru. Since you have architect plans, you are already miles ahead than a lot of folks..and they are more likely to deal with someone who already has put some money behind a plan. Just be prepared for them to say no, or noshow or bid outrageously.

"We’re really just wanting to figure out roughly how much we need to think about saving up and if this is even worth planning in the near-ish future."

C'mon. You've got a number in your head with which you are comfortable. Share that number with a reputable local GC. If he cracks up laughing, your number is too low. It it's realistic, he'll continue the conversation.

In this market, I would estimate at least $50k but have a contingency in case issues arise due to the age of the house.

NaviJen— That original contractor we were working with ghosted us after we wanted to spend time talking through and weighing different projects before moving forward, so I think that’s why we’re a little gun shy about talking to new ones until we’re better informed and prepared.

KristenPetro— Thanks— that’s helpful! What would you say would be the breakdown of the bathroom portion, moving the entrance, and leveling the sunroom?

Joseph C.— We genuinely don’t have a specific number in our minds because we really don’t feel like we know enough about this stuff, but it feels like contractors and others expect us to. Maybe if you put a gun to my head, I’d say $25-50k— 20kish bare minimum for the bathroom and really no idea about the rest. Am I wrong in assuming that if we suggest a number that’s too high, a contractor is just going to go with that and isn’t going to come back with a lower estimate, and if we suggest too low then we’re risking not being taken seriously and/or getting a low quality, budget job?

I guess this all gets to the bigger question of how people like us are supposed to become informed consumers. Where and how do we actually learn about how much projects should cost and what these projects entail? It seems like a weird system to only be able to learn from contractors with whom we have a business relationship and somewhat competing interests. Besides message boards, where should we be researching?

IF there is no structural (or major plumbing rerouting) work needed for the bathroom, and you are not, in say, NYC, nor with crazy expensive finishes, I'd say 20k-30k is probably a reasonable ballpark.

However, I think 20k for the remainder is probably low...one really needs to understand how much foundational/structural work needs done before giving an estimate....and we can't do that online.

In terms of research/estimates (particularly in a busy time) you need to have a clearly defined (at least preliminary) scope of work that you can take to a GC for an estimate. Normally, when you are working with an architect, this is the flow:

1. Architect will create an as-built current set of drawings,

2.Architect will create a general scope document for the renovation

3.Architect will create a preliminary to be built set of plans (normally a couple of options)

4. Once the owner agrees on the actual desired design, architect will create a detailed set of build plans, and a detailed materials list.

5. Owner takes these detailed plans to a GC for a written estimate.

Between steps 3 and 4, you can ask a contractor to give ballpark pricing, but often they don't like to do it because it's a drain on their time without any guarantee that they may win the work (since the work may never happen). You just have to keep calling until you can get someone out. I would suggest approaching the GC NOT as a 'hey, these are the options I am thinking about, can you talk me thru them and price each one'...but rather, pick the design you are leaning towards and say 'hey, this is what I want to build, can you give me a ballpark estimate before I have my architect create the final to be built blueprints (which I will bring to you for a revised estimate)'.

"(most contractors in big pre WWI cities (at least in Chicago and Boston) are used to dealing with old houses and don't charge a markup)."

Any reputable contractor who has been in business for years and expects to stay in business for years must charge a markup. This is obligatory and nonnegotiabe. The idea that there is something unbusinesslike or unfair with markup and contractor profits here is getting tiresome.

"Am I wrong in assuming that if we suggest a number that’s too high, a contractor is just going to go with that and isn’t going to come back with a lower estimate, and if we suggest too low then we’re risking not being taken seriously and/or getting a low quality, budget job?"

Yes, you are wrong. In this market, you must sell yourself to the contractor you want. You do that by conveying that you have a realistic budget for the project and you are ready, willing, and able to spend it. When you get a contractor on the phone these days, at your first words he's immediately thinking "I'm busy as hell. Am I wasting time on the phone?" You have to convince him he's not. It's a lot like dating. Flirt a little.

Joseph, I am ABSOLUTELY not saying that a contractor shouldn't make a profit. H$ll, I was in a long term relationship with a union master plumber and lived with estimating books on my DR table for a decade. I know that profit and profitability is essential to any business. What I am saying is that in regions where pre WWII houses are the norm, it's my opinion that contractors don't immediately add an additional 20% profit due to old houses. It's built into their estimating models.

And, OP, no, don't flirt. Good lord, are we in, 1950? Be businesslike and direct about the scope of and timing of work, and be understanding that most tradespeople have more than they can handle right now. Which means you need to be understanding and realistic in terms if scope, budget and timing. And be prepared for many to not bother returning phone calls and/or providing VERY expensive estimates...as it's a contractor's market right now.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC makes two excellent points.

A contractor or designer is not going to even want to do a preliminary meeting if the amount you are willing to spend is completely unrealistic for the scope of the project.

I think there is a misunderstanding when someone posted that there would be upcharges because it is an older home. It is not a *tax* but a realistic assessment of what the costs will be versus doing work in a newer home. I live in a high rise condo and the costs that were used for my GC's bid were based upon reality - that there are significant higher costs when working in a high rise condo - reduced working hours; having to deal with taking things up and down in an elevator; limited work space; having to cover floors i common area every day; limited parking etc.

I did a remodel relatively recently and I asked whether $100,000 was realistic. It actually wasn't given the scope of the project and the design choices I made but at least my initial proposed figure illustrated that my project was worth exploring and if I truly had only $100,000 to spend I could probably have had it done by reining in my design choices. I don't know what my final costs were - I have been afraid to add them up. 🤣 but all of the invoicing reflected the contractually agreed upon charges and weren't based on anyone attempting to spend all of my budget. In fact my designer frequently suggested less expensive options which I generally rejected because I liked the more expensive designs.

If you keep calling contractors until you get one to show up, chances are pretty good it will be the wrong contractor for your project. Good remodelers are indeed busy in most markets and don't have the time or energy for competitive bidding projects nor tire kickers.

Look around your neighborhood for remodeler's trucks on active projects. Try to pare it down to those working on modest scope projects like yours--not a major addition or whole-house renovation. Talk to neighbors and see if they indeed are the right fit for their project, and then speak with those remodelers. You'll improve the odds of finding one that's right for you.

""And, OP, no, don't flirt. Good lord, are we in, 1950?"

It was a metaphor. Geesh.

Asking for a price online is useless.

Meet a few local reputable General contractors give them a copy of the plan, get an estimate, compare apples to apples, and make your pick.

There is no other way to get a price for any project or anything else for that matter.

Good luck.

My two cents, as a DIY-er that has hired a GC a couple times to build a shell of an addition, after which we finished the inside.

These are two relatively simple chunks of work.

1. Powder room: throw up a couple walls, add some plumbing and electrical, from an accessible basement, finish it out. Plus close up the exterior door and stucco it. Mr. Weedy and I could probably do that in a week, other than the stucco (no experience with that). That seems like a $10K job to me, call it $20K because you're in Chicago and I'm just a crack DIY-er that has no clue what labor costs in today's market. ;-)

2. Porch: That's a small deck. 1 day to dig and pour footings, 1 day to build the deck, 1 day to swap one of the windows for a door. The leveling of the porch...I dunno. Depends on what you've got going on down below. Maybe a couple concrete footings with posts and a beam running the length of the porch to hold it up more securely, done with the deck framing. Maybe $5K for that? Plus the tiling: tile costs plus $5/sf if there's nothing special required in the way of floor prep or fancy tile designs.

Here's a thought: Find a deck builder to build you a new front entrance/deck and shore up the porch floor. Do the rest at your leisure, or as budget permits and supply chain issues ease.

That swag is worth exactly what you paid for it. :-) We live in a small town in the midwest.

@weedyacres ,thanks for your insights! What you describe sounds like I would’ve imagined in terms of the scope and price of the work. So interesting how there is such a wide range of estimates here— Can’t tell if it’s a matter of folks’ reference location, context, or if they’re visualizing the current space and projects differently.

If we could just do some of this on our own, that would be a game changer. Sadly, we have absolutely no DIY skills— we were a little out of our depths trying to hang things on our plaster walls. 😂