subject: The Basics of Adding an Addition to Your Home [print this page] The basics of adding an addition to your home are generally the same, no matter what addition you are planning. Building a new room, adding space to an existing room or whatever else you want to create will require some planning for the appropriate structure and your needs.
Homeowners looking for home renovation ideas find that maximizing space is the primary concern for most homeowners living in an urban setting. You must be aware of property lines and any height restrictions that your community may have imposed. Ignoring restrictions like these from bad planning is a monumental waste of money. Below are a few other simple things to consider when planning for an addition project.
If your yard is small not not functional for your needs, consider using this space for an addition. You will have to carefully decide whether or not the space will be used in the future or if it is a potential selling point if you think that you will be selling your home. Sometimes the lack of a yard can be a big hit on the value of your home, but if done well, an addition that uses this space will be more valuable and useful.
Adding another story to your home is a good option if you have limited yard space to work with. The cost of adding another story to your home is often similar to adding more space to the ground level, but you can save some by not pouring a foundation to build on. It will also be a disruption to the area of your home that is being built on and you will have to factor in the weather as the house will be open to the elements for a time.
After your addition has been built, the increased space of your home could mean slightly higher utility bills, but you can offset this by building green and using efficient technologies to reduce this hidden cost. Adding solar panels to the roof at the time of construction or installing heat transfer systems while you are building a foundation could be a wise move to make when these areas of your home are already being worked on.
Talking to a contractor who is knowledgeable of green building techniques can be a very important step during your additions project. You can also be on the lookout and talk to neighbours, architects and contractors who have worked on projects like this or have had them done. The most important step to take with your additions project is to plan and ensure that you are spending your money wisely.
