Should I renovate my home or add on?

It depends on what the house actually needs. If the layout works and you are short on space, an addition can make sense, like the Rosemount project in this episode, where the family added about 1,400 square feet. If the space is there but the layout is wrong, renovating is usually the better answer, like the Golden Valley project, which needed a better layout, not more square feet.

How long does a remodel take before construction starts?

The design process typically runs two to four months before the first nail. A typical project carries 300 or more decisions, and working through them on paper first is what keeps the budget and the timeline honest.

How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Minnesota now?

Costs have climbed fast. A kitchen that cost $125,000 a few years ago can run $225,000 today. A design build firm sets a budgetary number early, within about five percent, once the design and selections take shape.

Can I live in my house during a remodel?

Often, yes. Many homeowners stay with a temporary kitchen and live around the dust. For larger projects, moving out for part of the work is usually the smarter move, and it can speed the project up.

What is the difference between design build and hiring an architect?

With design build, one team handles the design and the construction, so the budget stays connected to the drawings. Hiring an architect and bidding the plans out separates the two, and the bids can come back well above the budget the design was drawn to.

Renovate or Add On? with Nate Mielke | #38 | Key Conversations with CJ Norman & Katy Norman

Remodeling a home in Minnesota usually starts with one question: do you renovate the space you already have, or do you add on? In episode 38 of Key Conversations, Nate Mielke of Skapar Design Build is back for his second appearance to work through how that decision actually gets made. Katy Norman is out of town for this one, so CJ Norman hosts solo.

The answer is not always more space. In Rosemount, a family added about 1,400 square feet, going from 3,300 to 4,700, because the neighborhood and the refinance math needed the room. In Golden Valley, the house did not need more square feet at all. It needed a better layout.

A typical project carries 300 or more decisions, and the design process runs two to four months before the first nail. Nate explains how he builds a budgetary number within about five percent, and how he gets there.

We also talk about living through a remodel: temporary kitchens, dust, and when moving out is the smarter move.

On the money side, we look at what a remodel pays back over five to ten years, why spec homes often need fixing within a few years, and why a kitchen that cost $125,000 a few years ago can run $225,000 today.

We compare design build with hiring an architect and bidding the project out, and Nate closes with the one thing he wants every homeowner to hear: trust matters more than the lowest bid.

If you are weighing the same decision, our guide walks through it: Renovate or Sell? How to Decide What Your Home Really Needs.

Key takeaways

The Rosemount family added about 1,400 square feet; the Golden Valley home needed a better layout, not more space.
The design process runs two to four months before construction starts.
A typical project carries 300 or more decisions.
A kitchen that cost $125,000 a few years ago can run $225,000 today.
Trust matters more than the lowest bid.

In this conversation

The renovate or add on decision in Rosemount and Golden Valley
The design process, decisions, and budgetary numbers
Temporary kitchens, dust, and moving out during a remodel
Remodel payback over five to ten years and rising kitchen costs
Design build compared with hiring an architect and bidding the project out

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Renovate or Add On? with Nate Mielke | #38 | Key Conversations with CJ Norman & Katy Norman

Key takeaways

In this conversation

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