State-of-the-Fundraiser Update (OT)

I'll try to make this fast...and since this is nutsy-and-boltsy, I'll put it behind a break. That way you don't have to run your eyes over it if the topic just bores you.

Basically, I've been working away like a manic beaver at the project. If you're just tuning in, I'm trying to relocate sprawling TOP World Headquarters on account of there just isn't enough room in it for TOP.

(I.e., it doesn't actually sprawl. As Jerry Seinfeld might have said on his eponymous show, "No sprawl!")

Lack of space has been constricting the growth of the site for at least two years, and it's getting onerous. Not to mention annoying.

So here's what I have done, so far:

• I've talked to a kitchen remodeler about building out a highly planned version of the current office space. The verdict: there isn't enough room in here for anything. I kinda already knew that.

• I've gotten a couple of estimates for remodeling my current house. The cost would be tremendous—quite a bit more than I imagined—approaching half the value of the house—and there are several distinct disadvantages: one is that adding office space diminishes the rest of the living space at a 1:1 correspondence; another is that it would be a largely unrecoverable investment; and another is that a large chunk of the cost of a remodel would have to be put into making the facade of the house look logical and attractive after the changes are made to the inside. I don't care about the facade at all—certainly not enough to sink $15–20,000 in it—but it would have to be done.

Ergo,

• I've X'd that idea.

And therefore

• I've made the decision to move. A new house is the only sensible solution.

Okay, I guess this is news.

However,

• I looked again at the house down the street, in the company of my realtor—hard-headedly instead of with my head in the clouds (the latter being my usual way of looking at things)—and unfortunately I have had to strike it off the list. It has a number of problems I previously wasn't paying much attention to. Problems that would make it a bad investment.

Consequently,

• I've been searching for an alternative. I have looked at at least 300 houses online, all over this entire region. Looking and looking until my head is about to e-x-p-l-o-d-e.

Very, very few are suitable. The problem seems to boil down to this: to get the space I want to expland the business and still work at home, I would have to buy a big, luxurious, high-status house; and I neither want, nor can afford, a big, luxurious, high-status house. I want a smallish, modest, easy-to-take-care-of house, but with the spaces inside of it organized the way I need them to be.

There was a really wonderful house that came on the market last week that was very keenly priced and that I just loved, and I couldn't even make an offer on it because I didn't have the pre-approval completed. Oops.

I learned a very valuable lesson from that: there is a surplus of houses in my town, but there is a fairly severe shortage of nice houses. I had been lulled into thinking I can take my time, because many houses sit on the market for long periods of time (months and months in some cases). But the nice house I'm talking about came on the market on a Thursday, had ten showings on Friday and another dozen on Saturday (when I saw it), got seven offers by Sunday morning, and was off the market again by Sunday evening. Lesson learned: you gotta be ready to move fast.

Even here.

So there's one other thing I've accomplished:

• Gotten pre-approved for a mortgage. The idea is to be 100% prepared to jump.

So, the upshot: I've been working hard and still have no idea what I'm going to do.

But, one thing is for certain—despite the kindness of many supporters last time and the success of the previous print sale, I'm gonna have to make (and/or raise) more $$. The raising of the bucks—the TCC—will have to be spread over several phases. That brings me to one last thing I did:

• Started a savings account to save up for the new HQ. Er, a house, I mean.

This could take a couple of years. But time does go by. So, onward!

Mike

P.S. I could well have another interesting update soon. Stay tuned.

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Eric Perlberg: "I fully understand why you put working from home as a high priority. I've lived and worked from home for many years. It's a lifestyle thing. Many wouldn't find it appealing for any number of understandable reasons but as a single man living alone who likes to do what I want when I want (even if it's 2 a.m.) it fits me very nicely.

"As an aside, I also have a small gym at home using a space-saving rowing machine and resistance bands, something I highly recommend you consider should you move to larger digs. As one gets older fitness becomes increasingly important in warding off the more painful effects of ageing. Whatever you decide on this issue should you decide to do another fund raiser or series of them to ultimately improve TOP, I'm willing to help."

Jeff1000: "None of this makes sense to me. All you seem to require is a little more space to operate TOP yet there's space available for a pool table and a B&W darkroom?? And instead of leasing space outside your house the solution is to replace your house with a bigger house?? Yet your reason for not leasing space is that your son grew up in your house yet you want to purchase a bigger house?? Sorry Mike, none of this makes sense to me."

Mike replies: Jeff, you'll have to appreciate that I can't repeat the entire extended explanation of the situation every time I post anything about this. I'm already afraid people are bored to tears...that would really make them comatose!

It's quite possible it was a mistake to ever post anything about this at all. But, as I explained originally, I find it fascinating that the problem is so resistant to solving. It doesn't look like it should be a tough problem, but it really is.

My son growing up here is just the reason for staying in this town, is all. All his friends are here. He'd be happy to live in a different house. Or to stay in this one, for that matter.

As for the basement, it floods. Doesn't hurt the pool table or the darkroom, but the basement is totally unsuitable for an office, believe me. I promise, I've been through every single option—some half a dozen times and from every angle—which includes getting expert estimates on waterproofing the basement. It would cost $16,000 and even then, they couldn't guarantee it would stay dry. Would you spend that, if your money were tight?

Comments

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I'm not surprised that a different house wins out over remodeling; that's nearly always true for extensive remodels (sometimes trumped by very strong emotional attachment to the house itself or the location).

No chance of building from scratch, so you can get the perfect layout, I presume? Last I looked it was much more expensive, so quite probably not.

I better quit now, before I get too much deeper into solving your problem to my satisfaction.

[Bob Dales]

Dear Mike,

I've been following the TOP office saga with bated breath and best wishes for a satisfactory resolution. There is one aspect of your decision making I don't recall reading about. You state you must work at home. Why?

You are operating a business. Perhaps buying or leasing office space would work. Nearby commercial space may be a better bargain in your area. Your online activities would be available anywhere but you'd have to decide where to locate the pool table.

I hope you can solve your problem.

bd writing from my wall-challenged "office, TV room, library, etc".

[Bob, I just know myself. I could have the nicest office in the world, and I'd never go there. And/or I'd have half the stuff I need at one place and the other half at the other place and nothing I needed would ever be where I was. Moving to a separate office would be the surest way in the world to kill TOP dead as a stone. --Mike]

[Rick]

Buy a 35' fifth wheel and park it in the driveway. When/if you move, your office goes with you. If you left something in the house, Bob's your uncle!

[Ben]

Mike, I agree with Bob above—at least consider a small office space. The advantages are numerous, including not being required to have an employee come to your house. And I don't know how your town is, but if you could find something that's a mile or so from your house, you could walk back and forth most days.

Also, it *could* be an interim solution, something to get your net phase started while you are looking/waiting/fundraising for the new house. If the investment in a small or shared office space can pay itself off over the year or so that you need before you can move, it might keep you from being bottled up / bursting at the seams until then.

And it would solve all of your computer woes, you would have to buy a 15" macbook pro and cart it around from one place to the other.

Maybe there's even a local pool hall with an empty room in the back... ;)

[Mandeno Moments]

Can you build a second structure on your present property, i.e. an outside office, perhaps with a connecting breezeway?

[Jim Bullard]

If you weren't stuck on staying the midwest I'd sell you my old place, two apartments on separate floors, 1200 feet per floor. You could use one to live in and the other as office. I know what it's like to be attached to a place though. As a friend once told me when I asked why he stayed here in NNY after losing his job, "when you put your roots down in the North Country... they freeze."

[Gordon Lewis]

Is there any special reason you need to stay in Waukesha? Maybe someplace like Madison, Kenosha or Kalamazoo would have better options for you without your having to move too far out of your small midwestern city comfort zone. (I don't mean that to be snarky: We all have needs and preferences and yours are just as valid as anyone else's.)

[My son lives here. He grew up here, it's his home. For the time being, anyway. --Mike]

[Matt Penning]

Build, customized to your needs, with an eye towards resale. That sounds hard, and likely is, but it would give you what you need and none of what you don't (except for the nod towards resale). Find a nice empty lot. Geothermal, lots of insulation, nice light for the interior where you want it, space for a studio, a basement for the pool table (or above the garage, that would be novel!).

[Hudson]

I always said the prefect house for me would be a warehouse with attached bedroom.

Have you been looking at Townhouses?

I run my business out of a 4 bedroom townhouse (2 up - 2 down), very nicely and don't have to mow or shovel, oh and it's accessible so it has wide doorways.

-Hudson

[Bryce Lee]

Mike: You've lived elsewhere in your life, could you or would you move elsewhere?

I understand your problem having been through similar a year prior. Problem is here in Southern Ontario within the Greater Toronto Area (Basically from Oshawa on the east to Toronto around the west end of Lake Ontario including Oakville Burlington and Hamilton)(GTA)), the average price for a three bedroom bungalow is half a million!

I ended up with a small less than 900 foot
square bungalow in Burlington, ON for C$350,000, a bargain in this area. Spent C$75,000 in renovations; and waiting for furniture that I ordered six months prior.

Can well understand your frustration about
looking for a viable solution.
You'll get what you want as this may well be the last house/home you're going to have into your senior years and perhaps beyond. So look for something simple, one floor perhaps with a basement and room for expansion, beyond your current needs...

[Dennis]

Be ready, then have patience :)

My wife and I moved to our current house nearly 20 years ago after my job relocated. The office move was far enough that we had to move (my commute went from 50 miles/1 hour to about 1:45) but close enough that I could do it while we looked for a house (it helped that my company paid a mileage reimbursement, though my original commute was so long that it didn't add up to much).

We set our sights on a town that we like, a little closer to our home town than to my work place. It was a small town and after a few months, we'd looked at every property in our price range and started waiting for new homes to be listed. Everything we liked was about $100,000 too high and everything in our price range was just ... weird. I remember walking through a gorgeous old Victorian with great woodwork and high ceilings, all the while wondering "what's wrong with this picture ?" Turns out the original house was converted into condos, with the "big" unit we looked at plus two small apartments, then additional buildings on the property, and the big unit being responsible for the lion's share of the condo fees ! There was one house on 4-5 acres with a pond that we never got to see after trying for 3 months because the tenants wouldn't cooperate with the owner.
Finally, we just decided to try going north - something that should have been obvious in the first place (since our jobs run east-west); we just weren't familiar with the area. We looked at 4-5 houses and found the right one within a week.
Aside from the frustration of wondering if we would ever find a house we liked, it was generally fun to go looking at houses.
Good luck with your quest.

[Jim Hamstra]

Mike
Do you have space in your back yard for a room? I see a lot of manufactured buildings that are sold as storage rooms made to be placed on a concrete slab in a back yard. Some are quite large and are used as a garden room, workshop, or even a garage. With good insulation and electric hookup they would make a great office for a lot less than a remodel.

[darr]

Good luck! An excellent realtor is worth their weight in gold. I hope for you the best!

[Dennis Ng]

Not relevant I supposed in US where large house dominate, but is there no chance you can get a small but nice one close-by instead. A walk to your "office" and back clear your mind as well.

[Joe Kashi]

Hi, Mike

I've done construction law for about 35 years and, while I may not know how to build a house properly, I certainly know how not to build one (from both my general technical training way back at MIT and from the many lawsuits that I've seen going both ways). There are a few basics that I've learned along the way.

1. Buying an older house with the intention of significantly remodeling the home after purchase is typically a losing proposition. You'll likely spend twice as much as you planned and still have an older house without the value. I had a friend who was a very competent architect/structural engineer/county public works director who found that to be true even for him, and he did a lot of his own craft work on the carpentry, etc. He swore never to do this again, telling me that the remodel cost him twice as much as if he had built new, up-to-Code construction.

2. Before purchase, do a walk-through of the house with an experienced engineer with structural and civil engineering experience. A lot of the licensed "home inspectors" don't really have the overall competence to properly evaluate the entirety of a structural. It's even better if the engineer is ICBO-certified by the International Council of Building Officials, the group that writes the model building code.

3. In a cold/damp snow climate like Wisconsin ( and here in Alaska, for that matter), lack of proper vapor barriers and roof ventilation are really major issues that most builders did not properly address 20 or 30 years ago. Any such deficiencies can cause major structural, mold/rot, and general condensation problems, particularly in roofs that are not properly vented. Most wooden roof structures are realistically rated for a 30 year life span, but venting and condensation problems can make such problems more severe, costly to repair, and likely to fail sooner than the rated life.

Be sure to check these sorts of structures carefully. If you're serious about the place, then be sure that you can visually inspect any areas that might be prone to condensation-caused rot unless you already plan to replace that structural component. As an example, there's little sense in tearing holes in a roof deck to examine a soft or sagging roof that's 28 years old and has a 30 year expected life span. You know that, realistically, you're going to have to replace the roof anyway.

4. Realistically, you'll most likely save money in the long haul by buying a decent quality house that's 15-20 years old and already adequate for your needs as-is with only minor remodeling.

[Len Salem]

In the UK the most popular (and cost/investment best option) to your problem would be to build a room in the roof space. Sometimes this includes remodelling the roof line to allow for vertical windows and more head room inside. The awkward sloping spaces remaining can make excellent cupboard storage. Experts at doing this are very ingenious and an extra room always adds a lot of value to your property.
Apologies if you've already considered this or if totally unsuitable for your property - I couldn't find a picture of it.

[Marek Fogiel]

Hi Mike,
You know what I think about living on the North Pole... it's a waste of life. Grab the chance and move close to a warm coast. You will save on heating and depression.
BTW, Isn't it possible to live in a small apartment and rent a loft space for work, possibly half an hour fast walk one from the other? This way you'd be obliged to move more. Make your walk along the sea...
Best
Marek

[Roger Bradbury]

Like Mandeno, I thought of another building on your present property.This idea may have been suggested the last time the subject came up, but you now have a pot of money to make it happen.

Something like a long, fairly narrow, solidly built office up one side of the garden, with access via a short corridor from one corner of the house. That access could also serve as a separate entrance to the office for visitors and perhaps an employee.

The office could be super insulated so would cost very little to heat, but heating pipes and other services can come in via the access corridor.

You could have another door into the garden with a small patio where you can drink your coffee and watch the garden birds, taking a break from the screen.

The existing office can house your book collection and some of the less used TOP reference materials.

This office could possibly increase the desirability of your existing home and go some way to paying for itself in the end, but you would be able to make at least some of the improvements that you feel TOP needs.

[Hi Roger, we did go through every option for increasing the space here. Every. Single. One. I promise. I've had several experts here to inspect the situation and try to solve the puzzle.

There's no buildable room left on the lot. It was originally the side lot of the house next door. The backyard is smaller than most swimming pools already. And per zoning, since I already have a detached garage, I'd be allowed to build a garden shed but nothing more. A second story over the garage is not allowed (you can't have a 2-story garage next to a 1-story house), and a second story on the house would be prohibitively expensive and incredibly disruptive. I'd probably have to move away while the work was being done. --Mike]

[Jernej]

just out of curiosity... have you asked Zander about having to stay where you are? It's unlikely he'll be moving back (at least long term) so he probably doesn't care too much where you relocate.

[Mike R]

Have you considered a "modular" home? These are factory-built, usually energy efficient, and if you pick a simple design, and go easy on custom features, can go up quickly. A rancher style might do it. Google search for WI turned up this builder:
www.verticalworksinc.com

You'd need a building lot, of course.

[Building lots are very scarce in my area. There are practically none in town, and those that are available nearby are quite scarce and obviously sort of "the last leftovers" of the land--which is quite obvious when you inspect them. They're mainly the places nobody wanted to build on when there were more attractive alternatives available.

The alternative is a housing development, which a) I think are dreadful (no offense to anyone who lives in one--different strokes etc.), and b) can easily cost as much for a lot as my current lot AND house together. I'm not saying this option is out of the question, but it's a tough one. --Mike]

[Thom Hogan]

I'd vote for the backyard office. There are a ton of small modular options that would work, and don't cost an arm and a leg. In many places--my town, for instance--you don't even need a permit as long as the structure isn't permanently foundationed; you just build out a gravel pad and have the modular installed on it. Biggest issue is getting electricity over to it.

For instance, a high end 10x16 unit, fully installed, is about US$25,000 from a place like https://www.studio-shed.com/configure/. Here in PA, I can find Amish/Quaker options that are far cheaper than that, though I'd have to wire them myself.

[Jeremy Pardoe]

I don't know how big your garden is but would a well insulated shed/outhouse be an idea

[Peter Randall]

I like the idea of renting a small office nearby. millions of small business operate that way and it might make your life simpler. When you are home you can be home doing home things; when at work you can concentrate doing the business. You might become more efficient and there are also tax advantages.

[Gordon Lewis]

Perhaps you could look into a prefabricated home (and no, I don't mean a trailer park). Some of the designs are actually quite nice and much less expensive than building a house from scratch. Assuming you could find one you like that's suitable for your area, then all you'd need to do is find an empty lot or an easy tear-down in a neighborhood that will tolerate all the activity associated with TOP World Headquarters.

[Jamie Pillers]

I'm with Mandeno above regarding a second structure. I've had my office in garage-like structures for years. All you need, beside the basic structure is light, power, and heat. Add some storage shelves for all the upcoming print sales and you're good to go! :-)

[Jamie Pillers]

P.S. If you build the second structure big enough, you can have the d**n pool table in there too!

[John Krumm]

All I can offer are my sympathies. I'm smack in the middle of a painful sell/move/buy process myself, all in a hurry. I hate it.

I think you will find something. Remember to look for the FSBO's out there, since the real estate agents make no money off of them and might not point them out, and not all of them pay the significant cash required to get listed (they show up on Craigslist, the paper, and sometimes even grocery store bulletin boards).

[jim dobbins]

Thinking outside the box? Loft? Converted warehouse?
Consider this a brainstorm.
-Jim

[Richard Morton]

Semi long time reader, first time poster, but your situation is quite a bit like what my wife and I were looking at not too long ago.

What about the option of looking for a similar sized house with a larger property, and finding a mid-sized modular office (like used on construction sites, schools and the like, or a similar structure) and doing a permanent installation like you would a manufactured house? Ebay has quite a number of them (searched for "used office trailer") for as little as a couple of thousand dollars. That would give you a large, usable office space...several hundred squre feet...with separation from your living area, at quite possibly a comparably modest cost.

[jim]

All these people trying to help by thinking "outside the box" when is obvious you need to think INSIDE the box. And yes, we were first with the use of the motto... Keep Austin Weird!

http://dumpsterproject.org/#home

Good Luck Mike!

[Howard]

I noticed that no one suggested that you tear down the detached garage and rebuild it attached, larger (or higher since it's now part of the house), with TOP as part of the design. You would not have to move, but the car would, temporarily, but it would not mind.

[Michael Perini]

Mike, I think it's interesting how you have opened your dilemma to your readership. It's both interesting and informative to read the genuine concern in so many responses.
You've obviously thought through just about every permutation so I won't make any direct suggestions, but will add one cautionary note.

With respect to the basement, (I absolutely don't blame you a bit for not wanting to spend your life below ground)- even though you have no desire to fix it for what it might cost, just be aware that when you go to sell your house, you may find many buyers will stipulate that shch things be fixed, or monies escrowed for repair.
So it could either cut the pool of potential buyers, or cut the proceeds available for the new place.
We see it often here on the east coast, (especially as related to potential Mold issues) and it may also be a requirement of buyer's disclosure .
Laws and conventions vary with geography so it may or may not be an issue for you.
Great good luck with the enterprise.

PS You could also go the giant Winnebago route and spend some time in each state. ; -)) On the Road with.......TOP

[Barry Elias]

It's a common fallacy to think a modest, smallish house is easier to take of. Nor does a largish house have to be luxurious. Hate to say this, Mike, but if you've looked at 300 houses, & still aren't satisfied, you might think of revisiting your own criteria.
With a bigger house you get more choice for storing/utilising your stuff, a more flexible layout to, ahem, expand into.
As well, bigger rooms mean more space between your furniture, so vacuuming etc. is quicker/easier 'cos you're not constantly lifting & moving things.
Many of us sympathise with your dilemma, but 300 houses is an awfully high rejection rate!

[Mandeno Moments]

Could you build a TOP Command Bunker under your garage?

[How did you find out about that? Now I have to kill you. --Mike]

[Bob Rosinsky]

Probably against your grain: 1)Rent office space; separation between church and state is good. 2) Rent is 100% tax-deductible; 3)It's healthy to get out of the house (speaking from experience); 4)It's really nice to have the luxury of taking a beloved canine to work--they love getting out of the house; 5)Why incur debt on purchasing or remodeling an existing home? Overall cost of ownership will go up for upkeep and maintenance; 5) You are closer to paying off your mortgage now than if you borrow more. 6)You will have the liquidity to rent a nice cottage in Florida for one month during the winter.

[Marc]

When you've saved enough for a new house (2 years, wasn't that your estimate?) very possibly your son will have left the town. Time solves most problems.