Home Addition Overview

Considering an addition? Adding an addition to your house can be an easy and inexpensive way to increase your living space and enhance your quality of life. Perhaps extending your kitchen, adding a bathroom or building a second story master suite bedroom is just the perfect answer to your living problems.

You would be amazed at how much easier life can be with a little extra space added to your home. Imagine if you and your family didn’t have to fight over the same bathroom or what if there was an extra bedroom so that everyone in the house could have their own private space? Little things like this can make a huge difference in a household and is almost always well worth the expense.

Additions give you the opportunity to let your imagination run wild. But of course, there is a process to every new creation and adding a home addition is no exception. Below you will find a few of the first steps that one should take when attempting to add on to a home.

Property Lines: The first step requires you to locate your property lines and develop a plot plan. The plot plan should include your home, landscaping and the location of all of the utilities. This information is important because when developing your design you want to abide by any local building codes that restrict you from building too close to your neighbor.

Developing a Design: The next step requires you to develop a design that compliments your existing floor plan. You will need to look at the structure and the floor plan of your home and figure out the best way to integrate an addition. It is recommended that you get the help of a residential designer or architect and work with them to develop a plan. The plan should provide the most attractive, useful and economical addition to your home.

Add Detail to Your Plans: In order to complete your plan and receive an estimate on how much your new home addition will cost you, you will first need to detail every inch of the plan. This detailed plan should include a description of what materials will be used and the scope of the work to be done. Keep in mind, the more detailed you are the better off you are.

Home Addition Estimates: Even if a group of people are looking at the same set of plans for a new home addition, the cost of each individual project will vary. This is true because the cost of products and materials for each unique addition will lower or raise the cost of the project. In order for a builder to provide an accurate estimate, there needs to be a detailed plan written out that includes what products will be used and what exact work needs to be done.

Let me explain the idea behind a detailed plan a little better. Let’s say that you are having an addition put on and your first estimate includes door hardware at $9 per set. For those of you on a budget this may be a likely scenario because $9 per set is a very low price for door hardware. However, if you are trying to match your new hardware to existing hardware or would like to invest in quality hardware, the price will increase and so will your estimate. This is why it is imperative that you describe the specific type of hardware you want to use and include the brand name, style numbers, etc. Doing so will allow you to see exactly where the bids differ in order to make more educated choices.

Just as detailed descriptions of materials and products are important, so is the written scope of work when considering your construction project. Be sure to include who is responsible for each portion of the job and include agreements such as who will pay for the building permit, whether your bathroom is available to contractors, and where you want lumber delivered. By defining these arrangements in writing you will eliminate the majority of the problems that typically result from an unprepared plan.

Looking For More Information About Home Additions?

Building an addition onto your existing home is a great investment. You'll want to make sure you are choosing the right contractor for your project and your budget. We offer Free Additions Price Quotes from local, prescreened contractors.