Home Addition Plans

Good home addition plans can increase the overall value of your home while increasing the utility of available space. As with any home building cost, potential benefits must be carefully weighed against the expected resale value such upgrades would yield.

Home addition plans almost always require the help of an architect or engineer. Not only will a design professional offer home addition ideas that have not been considered, but he will be able to help integrate the new addition with the existing floor plans. He will also use common design principles to make sure all of the space in your home, including the square footage in the existing house, is being used to its full potential.

Homeowners who seek a new addition often feel cramped in their existing home. For this reason, they seek to add an additional bedroom or extend a family room by adding an addition. While this technique often works, sometimes it makes better sense to repurpose existing rooms for new uses. An old bedroom can be renovated to become the new home office, and a new bedroom better placed within the overall floor plan can be added through an addition. Bringing the plans of your existing home, or at least a carefully drawn floor plan will help the architect decide how to best add space.

An architect will be able to create an addition that integrates well with the main part of the house as well as the neighborhood. Additions that cause the overall square footage of the house to exceed other houses in the neighborhood by twenty percent can be difficult to resell. If resale value is a concern, examine the neighborhood carefully to determine if other houses are likely to expand. If growth is doubtful, the architect may recommend scaling back the size of the addition.

A small lot may also require a skilled architect in order to realize the desired size of the addition. Setbacks and local codes may restrict the size of the addition greatly, an architect will know how to navigate these restrictions and how to petition for a variance should one be needed.

Home additions require building permits and plans registered with the city. Depending on the code and age of your home, you may be required to make upgrades to the original structure as well. For cases like these, it is best to carefully investigate local codes before looking for a contractor. Such upgrades often exceed the overall budget for the addition. Once again, a good architect should be know about any restrictions in the area.

Historical homes may also have restrictions for additions. While some towns do not allow any expansion that affects the building envelope, other towns allow additions that are historically accurate to the original building. Many architects specialize in these types of additions; contact the local historical society for recommendations.

Before hiring an architect or contractor, many homeowners may find it useful to obtain an estimate of potential costs. For these purposes, an online home addition calculator is an excellent tool. By changing variables within the calculator, the homeowner will be able to determine some possible forms for the home addition, and later discuss these ideas with an architect.

In some cases, it may be advisable to discard plans for an addition, or at least postpone them. If this is the case, consider contacting a contractor, interior designer, or architect who may be able to help make suggestions for existing space. Renovating attics, basements, or repurposing rooms can yield a new floor plan that makes better use of your home.

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