Home Additions
Successfully adding a room onto your home requires the following considerations:
1. Determine the location of your property lines
Check with the building inspector’s office for restrictions on how close you may build to your property line. Develop a plot plan that includes your home, landscaping and the location of the utilities. Evaluate how much land your addition will consume. Although the addition will add value to your home, a very small lawn could undermine your resale possibilities.
2. Consider exterior Terrain Features and the direction your new room will face.
Does your property slope? Lie perfectly flat? Cross a flood plane? An addition may affect water runoff and drainage, which could result in long-term foundation problems or basement flooding if not addressed properly. How will the direction of your addition impact your desire for high, moderate or low levels of sunlight? If you envision a room flooded by sunlight, don’t build it on the north side of your home. On the other hand, glare or heat from southern or western sun exposure may keep you from using your room on summer evenings.
3. Impact on existing rooms
Consider how the addition will affect traffic flow and natural light in other parts of your house. Think about your desired view from your new room. A big picture window would not have a preferable view if it were directed toward your neighbor’s house. Also, a high roofline on the addition could affect your view from rooms on the second floor. Use this opportunity to upgrade your home. For instance, if you have inefficient single-pane windows, replace them with new energy-saving windows. Or, if your aged wood floors are damaged beyond refinishing, put down new flooring.
4. Know that changes to the roofline, radical alteration of the floor plan, and moving plumbing walls will increase costs.
Contact a heating and air conditioning (HVAC) professional to gauge the demand of the addition on your present system.