By Mary Carpenter • Photos by Jessica McCafferty
You’ve been thinking about it — dreaming about it — for a long time. Your idea is to add a bedroom with an ensuite bath to your home and convert your current master bedroom to a home office. You’ve finally decided it’s time for action, but how to begin the process.
Through online research you’ve learned building an addition can be the most complicated and expensive improvement project to undertake. A full room addition changes a home’s floor plan, requiring the installation of a foundation and then the framing and finishing of your new living space. But before you even get to all that, there are a number of critical hurdles to overcome.
To learn just what it will take to realize your dream, SB reached out to engineer James Moser of Chazy, New York. While he considers himself a North Country native, Moser was born in England during his father’s Air Force assignment. When he was two years old the family packed up and returned to the U.S. During an assignment at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, the Mosers bought a home in Chazy and James began his love affair with the area.
After graduating from Chazy Central Rural School, Moser went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Structural Engineering from Clarkson University in Potsdam. His first post-graduate job in Albany lasted a year before he decided to build his future back home. In 2010 he earned his Professional Engineer license and established his own company — Moser Engineering — which specializes in additions, renovations, remodels, and new construction projects as well as septic system design, Perc and Deep Hole testing.
I began my conversation with Moser by asking, “Tell me what someone would need to know in order to make this dream a reality.”
“It will depend on the size of their existing home — whether it is one story or two, access to the home, the size of the property, and its property lines and side yard setbacks. The town where it is located may have its own conditions. The requirements for a septic system are based on the number of bedrooms, so adding an additional room could require an upgrade to their system,” he explained. “The first thing I do is meet with the owner on site. I measure the existing areas and we discuss what they are looking for. That is when we talk about things like new foundation requirements, which include the support of the house, the elevation and frost walls. Then we move inside so I can do an initial evaluation of the structure of the home — where are the joists/beams, studs and insulation.”
Once the owner and Moser agree to move forward, it is time for him to sit down at his computer to create a plan for the project addressing special issues such as whether there are walls that may need to be removed and roofline changes that may be required as well as changes to the electrical and plumbing systems. “Then, utilizing the latest in 3D design technology I turn the homeowner’s ideas into reality, creating a model that allows them to visualize their design from start to finish. Once I am satisfied, I send an email link to the homeowner for review,” he explained.
“It is common for plans to go through a number of revisions before they are finalized, but once the client is satisfied, I produce everything they will need to get a building permit and everything their contractor will need to build,” Moser offered.
While Moser works alone, his varied skills have helped him develop synergistic relationships with surveyors, general contractors, septic system contractors, and other service providers in the region.
Currently septic system design work makes up 50 percent of Moser’s book of business, 25 percent is additions and renovations and 25 percent is new home design. “The interesting thing about the work I do is that the seasons for each area have very little overlap,” he observed. “Septic system design work needs to be completed in the early spring while design work for additions, renovations and new construction can be done in the fall and winter months.”
I asked Moser about changes in the building industry. “Smart technology has made a huge difference in how we do things, saving us time and energy by automating routine tasks and allowing homeowners a much more detailed look at what their project can be,” he offered. “There are always code changes that we need to stay on top of, but the greatest changes we’ve seen are the ones brought on by COVID. Disruption in the supply chains caused shortages and prices for materials to fluctuate. Some homeowners put their plans to build on hold, waiting for prices to return to pre-pandemic levels, while others just went ahead with their plans. We’re not totally back to levels we saw before 2020, but we are close. Speaking for myself, I’m busy.”
As our conversation wound down, I asked Moser the $64,000 question. Costs??? “I charge a lump sum fee,” he began, “depending on the complexity of the project and the time it will take to produce what the client is looking for. Turnaround time from initial consultation to final design approval is normally a month or two. Construction costs have many variables. Is it a simple box addition? Will it require demolition work? A basement? Industry standards suggest a cost of $150-$200 per square foot for an addition.”
If that number gives you pause, keep in mind the National Association of REALTORS emphasizes, “Despite the scope and cost of such a project, room additions are highly prized, since no other project has such potential for improving the livability and real estate value of your home.”
Strictly Business is pleased to recognize some of the many talented professionals like James Moser who ply their craft in the North Country building industry.
Moser Engineering
73 Bugby Road
Chazy, NY 12921
518 846-3160