Adding an addition to your home is not as easy as you might think; you can’t just tack on square footage and call it a day. Whether you are wanting to increase your property value or finally build that room you’ve been dreaming of, you need to have a plan.
Planning for a home addition can seem like a daunting task, but don’t stress, you’ve come to the right place. The 5 steps below offer some helpful insight into the planning process.
- Assess your needs
- Plan ahead
- Consider your budget
- Unleash your inner designer
- Request an estimate
1. Assess Your Needs
Homeowners plan additions to their homes for various reasons. Maybe there’s a bun in the oven, an in-law prepping to move in, or your family has outgrown the kitchen. Whatever the situation, understanding what your needs are is important.
Take a moment and think about what you want to gain from an addition. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when assessing your needs:
- What size does this room need to be?
- How well will this addition integrate into your home?
- What features do you envision this room having? (closest, bathroom, windows)
- Will this addition add value to your home?
- What time frame are you on?
These are just a few questions you should consider when planning. There are no wrong answers, just answers that are right for you!
2. Plan Ahead
There can never be too much planning when adding an addition to your home. As with anything in life, things can go wrong, projects can get delayed, and weather might become an issue.
With the potential of a project not going perfectly, it’s pertinent to plan ahead. Depending on where this addition is being built, make sure you will be able to access other parts of your home.
Also, be mindful not to plan any big events too soon into the project. It would be a bummer to have made plans to use your new addition for a party, and two weeks prior you find out that it is still a month out!
Aside from these common building issues, you will also want to plan your addition accordingly. Depending on what this addition will be now, consider what it could be in the future. Is it important to add a closet or a bathroom, maybe even windows? These are a few things to consider before beginning the project.
Not thinking of these potential features could also hurt you when it’s time to sell your home. You’ll want to make sure your addition is not too customized and that it can serve a variety of different purposes.
3. Consider Your Budget
Now that you have assessed your needs and come up with a plan, the next step is creating a budget. Setting and keeping a budget is essential when planning and building a home addition.
At this point, you should have a good idea of what you are wanting in regards to your home addition, but can you afford it? It might be helpful to look into average home addition costs and have a talk with your financial advisor.
A popular method used in order to afford a home addition is to take out a second mortgage. If that is not attainable, a home improvement loan might be the answer!
When budgeting, always expect that construction costs will surpass the initial estimates. A great way to prepare for this is to leave some wiggle room in your budget (10-20%).
4. Unleash Your Inner Designer
Designing your new home addition is probably the most fun you’ll have.
Your thoughts and inspirations can take shape in this new room. Be creative and don’t hold back. One of the benefits of coming up with designs is you’ll have a better understanding of what it is that you want in the addition.
There are a handful of tools on the internet that can help your designs come to life. Here are a few of our favorites:
What’s great about these tools is you’ll not only be able to plan the look of your new home addition, but you’ll be able to play around with interior design ideas as well!
Even if you just jot down your thoughts and ideas to bring to an experienced designer, this process will help you plan out what exactly you’re looking for in your new addition.
5. Get an Estimate
Getting an estimate might be the most important part of adding an addition to your home. You’ve done all the prep work, but that won’t matter unless you know how much the project will cost.
Understand that estimates can vary and there are many aspects that go into creating them. It is critical to let your remodeler know what your budget is, so they can do their best to take this into consideration when quoting a job.
If the initial estimate is over your budget, don’t stress out just yet. Communicate with your builder what the “must haves” are and go from there. Adding an addition is a process, so be patient and know that you’ll be able to get your dream addition in due time.
After reading this article, you might get the remodeling bug. If this is the case, pop on over to our portfolio to check out our past addition projects, and request a quote!
Square Deal Remodeling is Portland’s top remodeling contractor. Our team of experienced professionals would love to hear from you and help guide you through your home addition project!