Whether you’re adding a bathroom to a bedroom or expanding a wing of your abode to accommodate a home office, the construction project comprises a million details. To make sure you don’t overlook important details, here are five most forgotten but vital home addition tips.
5 Most Forgotten but Vital Home Addition Tips
Some life decisions require big, exciting changes.
A new baby, moving from an office to a work from home setup, starting up a home-based business, or retirement. All these open up unchartered territories you eagerly anticipate. And they all necessitate a revisit of your existing home’s layout.
Sometimes, remodeling will do. But there are unique circumstances that call for addition or expansion.
Before you get caught up in a whirlwind of design, palette, and lighting options, you must first deal with the practicalities. These involve obtaining permits, drawing up a budget, and hiring a contractor.
Stay on track by keeping a planner that stores all your ideas, needs, wants, costs, and pertinent phone numbers. Also, consider these:
1. Make Sure to Follow Building Laws
When adding a structure to your home, there’s nothing worse than finding out you can’t push through with your original plan just because the local building department doesn’t allow it. So, it is highly recommended that you check the zoning restrictions in your area first before you even draw the initial sketch.
At times, home additions do not require securing a formal building control approval or planning consent. However, there are still regulations you must follow regarding what, where, and when you plan to build.
These rules differ for each municipality. The best place to obtain them is from your local building department.
Why is it important to adhere to these statutes? Two reasons:
First, it will greatly affect a purchaser’s decision should you decide to sell your home in the future. No one will warm up to the thought of buying a property with a part that was illegally built.
Second, it’s an important consideration if an accident happens (knock on wood) and you need to file for an insurance claim. Your coverage may be limited, or zero, if your structure didn’t follow building rules.
2. Factor in Long-Term Costs
After ensuring that the home addition you have in mind is within your zone’s building regulations, your next step is drawing up a budget.
This requires meticulous planning and canvassing. From the contractor and building materials to the paint and finishing touches, you must include every little thing in your list of expenses to avoid holding up your project. Adding a 10% contingency fund will also cover unexpected overhead.
But don’t stop there. Think of the future beyond construction. A home addition will increase your energy bills, including cooling and heating necessities. Additional square footage also raises property taxes. Having a bathroom in the structure entails more water consumption as well.
3. Add Value to Your Property
Consider your home addition as an investment. It involves costs so it must consequently provide a return, whether in resale, refinancing, or credit.
Most homeowners don’t realize that returns on additions are lower than that of remodels. The amount varies between 49% and 65%.
However, consulting an appraiser can drastically increase your numbers. They could advise you on the ways to enhance the value of your structure, like including standard amenities and using energy-efficient materials.
4. Hire Professionals to Do the Job
Don’t give in to the temptation of scrimping on the designer and builder, thinking that the project is just a simple addition anyway. Rather, get into the mindset of building the structure from scratch, independent of your existing home.
You’ve been too accustomed to the way your house looks and it might be impossible to view the expansion from a different perspective. On the other hand, a professional design-build firm will be able to see possibilities you haven’t.
When you get a team of experts who can handle your project from the planning and designing stage to the construction and application of finishing touches, two wonderful things will happen:
One, your home addition won’t appear like an appendage. Professional contractors examine the style of a dwelling, the lifestyle of its inhabitants, and the traffic flow of the household. This process allows them to build an addition that gives the impression that it has been there all along.
Two, a reputable design-build firm will work within your budget while taking care of critical items, such as plumbing, electrical, and necessary permits.
5. Tell the Neighbors
Just like any construction work, adding a structure to your home involves noise and strangers frequenting the neighborhood. All these have an impact not just on your family but also on those living around you.
It pays to maintain a good relationship with the folks next door. Inform them personally of your plans, especially the timelines. This way, they know what to expect and won’t be caught by surprise, and you avoid conflict.
Let them know as well that your communication lines are open if something happens and directly affects them. Give them the names and numbers they can contact during such situations.
As a gesture of appreciation, invite the neighbors over for a housewarming of sorts when your home addition is done.
Choosing the Perfect Builder for Your Home Addition
Hands down, your choice of contractor is the most important decision you will ever make while adding an addition to your home.
Getting it right the first time prevents the headache of unforeseen expenses, misunderstood instructions, major mid-project changes, and extended deadlines.
The best way to achieve this is by hiring a one-stop firm that offers a complete line of services from design to finishing. Dealing with just one company saves you time, money, and ensures completion at your set date.
With the best design-build team working on your home addition, you are guaranteed accountability, follow-through, and customer service even after the job is done.
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