Where to Start Your Home Addition
If you are thinking about adding onto or improving your home with a home addition, you may find yourself asking the following questions.
What is the best place to begin my home addition project? What should my timeline be? How long does it take to plan a home addition?
As professional remodeling contractors, the Republic West Remodeling team often responds to questions from curious clients about where to start when it comes to their home or room addition project.
Before rushing into any project, we suggest you answer the question of why you want to build a home addition. Having a clear understanding of your goals, whether you want more space for function, convenience, luxury, or even home value, can help better define your vision of what you ultimately want to achieve.
Your Home Addition Plans Start Here
Once you decide to embark on the adventure of adding onto your home, it is time to sit down and develop a well-planned strategy. Think about where you want the addition to be located, either on the side or the back of your home. Have you thought about design or style considerations? What are your space limitations?
Here are four areas to consider before working on your home addition plans:
- How will you utilize the new space? Take time to assess your family’s needs thoroughly and to think about how a home addition can fulfill them. For instance, are you planning a home addition to accommodate a growing family? Or, do you want to expand your current square footage to create extra space for entertaining guests? Perhaps you require additional space to work from home. Or maybe you need to build an in-law suite for your or your spouse’s aging parents.
- Do you know the legal requirements? It is crucial at the outset to confirm that you can legally build your home addition. In some areas, zoning laws vary depending on the intended use of your addition and on your location. In most cases, getting the proper legal verification is relatively easy, and there are resources available to help streamline the process for homeowners. But it pays to do your due diligence before committing to any plans.
- Do you have enough existing space for an addition? One error that many homeowners make is assuming that their available land is “buildable.” In some instances, you may not be able to build your dream home addition where critical systems, such as power cables, sewer, or other important utilities lie beneath your intended space. In many cases, however, you can overcome these obstacles if you work with knowledgeable home remodeling contractors who take the right approach to engineering.
- Have you explored building materials? If you are embarking on a home addition, consider the building style of your home. For example, if your house has a contemporary flair, a Victorian addition may clash with your home’s clean lines and minimal aesthetic. Do your research and talk to the experts to determine which style and details work well together for your home. A professional designer can help you achieve the look and feel you want.
A Few Ideas to Get You Started
Still not sure about what type of home addition is ideal for your living situation?
Here are several ideas to help get your wheels spinning:
- Raise the roof. Consider a second-floor addition if you lack the space to expand horizontally. This type of addition is especially useful on a small lot or if the intended addition is significant in size.
- Consider size and scale. A large-scale home addition can overwhelm your existing home’s structure. Rather than building one giant block, consider breaking up the form into pieces that complement and flow with the existing home structure.
- Try a multi-season room. An Arizona Room is one room addition that can enhance the function of your home and increase your living space.
- Make a fun space. If you have an unused area, consider transforming it into a family room, game room, or home theater room.
- Make a statement. In many cases, different is better. A home addition allows you the opportunity to be creative and envision how your home addition can be an expression of your personal style.
- Connect to your yard. One of the most popular home additions is the kind that attaches to the back of a house. Often, these are in the form of a new kitchen or family room additions. Entryways to and from the rear of your house can help to create a desirable transition between your indoor and outdoor spaces.
Understand the Basics of Your Project’s Timeline
One common fear among homeowners is whether or not their projected eight- to twelve-week home addition project will take longer than expected, lasting instead for several months.
You can be confident if you select Republic West Remodeling that won’t happen. Republic West Remodeling is a home remodeling company that respects you, your time and your budget. Our team of professionals understands that you want the work completed as quickly as possible so that you can be relaxing and enjoying your home as quickly as possible. That is why we always do everything we can to make that happen.
We believe each of our customers should always have a clear understanding of how long construction and execution will actually take. From the very start of the planning process through to completion, we strive to keep our clients happy and well-informed.
Why Move When You Can Improve?
At Republic West Remodeling, we encourage you to stay in the home you love and offer the best options when it comes to luxury home and room additions in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area.
Contact us today to schedule your free home addition consultation.
