When you moved into your home, it probably met most or all of your needs at the time. Maybe you were a newlywed couple with the hope of starting a family or a busy professional working downtown. However, as time has passed, your house might be feeling a little cramped or isn’t meeting your needs anymore. You might now have more children or teenagers who can’t share a room. Maybe you have switched careers and now work fully remotely and are wishing for an at-home office.
If this is happening to you, you’re likely weighing the pros and cons of moving versus building onto your house. Sometimes it’s easier to start over, but if you want to stay exactly where you are, it might be time to build an addition to your house. This guide will walk you through the entire process of how to build an addition to your house and how it can help make your home the perfect space for you and your family.
Planning Your Home Addition
1. Assess Your Needs and Goals
Before you start, consider why you need a home addition. Some common reasons include needing an extra bedroom because your family has grown beyond what your house holds or you now have older teenagers who can’t fit into the bedrooms comfortably. Maybe you need a home office or a larger kitchen to fit a table to seat the whole family.
The reasons will be unique for each situation, but you’ll want to make sure it’s a problem that can’t be solved in another easier way. For example, you likely don’t need to build an addition to hold more stuff. Instead, it’s simpler and more affordable to cut down on what you own.
2. Set a Budget
Before you move any further, it’s important to determine how much the project will cost and if you can afford it with funding. Building an addition to your house includes a wide range of expenses like:
- Permits
- Materials (for both construction and interior finishes like flooring)
- Construction labor
- Architectural, contractor, and designer fees (and landscaping fees for a larger project)
- Unexpected expenses
The best way to determine what you’ll expect to pay is to start working with your designer and general contractor at this point. Your builder can show you similar projects and how much they cost, as well as. take your plans and give you an allocated estimate of what the addition might cost with allowance for finishes.
Building an addition is an expensive endeavor, depending on the size, design, and goals of your project. Few people can pay for this kind of expansion out-of-pocket, so it’s likely that you’ll also want to secure financing before beginning the project.
Ultimately, building an addition to your house can increase your home’s value, which is why it can be worth the investment for many.
3. Research Local Zoning Laws and Building Codes
The next step is to determine what regulations you’ll have to follow to have an addition built. The good news is that you aren’t responsible for digging deep into zoning laws or building codes. Instead, at this point, you’ll want to hire an architect to begin working with you. They will determine exactly what constraints your area has and help you design an addition that is both within code, aesthetically pleasing, and in harmony with the design of the rest of your home.
To begin, your architect will likely create a plan for your build in order to get the necessary permits. Cities or counties will need to look at proposed plans to give their approval for you to get the necessary permits.
Designing the Addition
4. Choose The Right Design
Now, it’s time for the fun part: designing your dream home addition. If you haven’t already, this is a good time to choose your designer and bring them on board with your architect and builder. Getting your entire team together — architect, designer, general contractor, and landscaper if it’s a larger project — by this phase prepares you for the best outcomes. They can all give input on the feasibility of certain aspects of your project and make choices together to try and make your dreams a reality.
When you’re working with both your architect and designer, the architect can help with space planning, and the designer will look at that space and determine what will function best for you. With your guidance, your architect will create the layout and the designer will select finishes based on your preferences and budget.
One of the big architectural decisions you’re going to make upfront is whether to build upward or outward. You’ll need an architect’s insights to determine if it’s possible to build up, but if you can, it’s usually cheaper.
5. Work with a Professional Architect or Designer
To get the best quality addition, you’ll want a highly qualified team for the entire process. For your design team, consider a professional like Roberts & Lamb. Their team will guide you through the process and recommend architects and general contractors to work with.
You’ll want a team that has integrity and character, as well as years of experience. The best way to determine you’re picking a good team is to choose someone who comes highly recommended. Talk to your neighbors who have put on an addition or work with the designer that you trust to see who they have worked with.
6. Consider Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
As you’re making your plans, consider how you can create an energy-efficient and sustainable design. Your architect can guide you through the specifics, but you might think about having energy-efficient windows, insulation, and HVAC systems in your new addition. Building this into your home can lower your utility bills and make the new room more comfortable all year round.
Getting Permits and Hiring Contractors
7. Obtain the Necessary Permits
There will be permits that you have to have to build, like zoning permits and building permits. Depending on where you live, you might need permits from the local municipal sewer and water company, public works, health department, or fire protection. The process of getting a permit usually involves filling out paperwork, paying a fee, and scheduling any inspections necessary. All of this is going to be the responsibility of your general contractor.
If you have a Homeowners’ Association (HOA), you’re also going to want to check with them and see if there are any regulations or rules about what you’re allowed to do and when.
8. Find and Vet Builders
To build an addition to your house, you’ll need a builder to work with. They will do the work of organizing workers to do the labor on your house, as well as obtaining the permits. So how do you find an experienced and reliable builder who will be good to work with?
Word of mouth is the best way to find a great builder. That way you’re getting someone you know you can trust and who has impressed people before. Instead of comparing bids (those aren’t completely accurate either), go with the builder your architect or designer recommends. This is one of the major advantages of working with a designer. These builders have to consistently produce results that impress the design team as well as the customers, so you can be sure you’re getting someone excellent.
One good way to get started is to get a project estimate from the recommended builder and bring it to your designer. They’ll look it over to ensure that everything makes sense before giving you the final approval. Even then, always verify the builder’s licenses to make sure everything is in order.
Construction Process
9. Preparing Your Home for Construction
Should you stay in your home during the remodel? The short answer is no. While your builder is expanding your house, living in the building will be difficult and potentially miserable. Construction is noisy, there will be people coming and going all day long, and there will be dust everywhere. To avoid the hassle, move out for a few weeks of the construction process.
10. Managing the Construction
A good build team will have regular communication. Your builder will communicate with you about the construction aspects of the job. When you work with Roberts & Lamb, we will pick the finishes before construction ever starts, so we don’t delay the build.
11. Dealing with Unexpected Challenges
In a perfect world, following all the right steps will mean you avoid any problems. But the reality is something will go wrong. Maybe it’s the weather or an unforeseen structural problem, but either way, this is why it’s so important to hire a good team. An excellent team will know how to problem-solve the issues that inevitably arise.
To be prepared for any kind of problem, it’s important to have a contingency budget of money set aside just in case. Your builders could find mold, a plumbing issue, weird electrical wiring, or even a rough foundation that leads to structural problems. It’s important to have funds ready to deal with anything like this.
Finalizing the Project
12. Inspection and Final Walkthrough
Your builder will arrange for your code inspection to make sure everything follows local regulations. On top of that, Roberts & Lamb will do site visits regularly with your construction team to make sure the project is on schedule and everything is done to our specifications. Consider us your advocate during the entire process. When the build is done, we’ll do a final walkthrough with the builder and point out anything that needs to be fixed or tweaked.
13. Moving into the New Space
After everything is approved, the building team will pack up and leave with all of their tools. After that, it’s time to move into the new space. When you work with Roberts & Lamb, we have an install team that will arrive and deliver all the new furnishings into the space or work with the items you’d like in the room. These new furnishings will be planned for as part of the design from the beginning, so they’ll fit perfectly into the new addition.
Then you’re free to move back into your home and begin enjoying the addition!
Conclusion
There are a lot of moving pieces involved in building an addition to your home, and if you’re wondering how to add an addition to your house, this is the main takeaway: get a good professional team and get them all involved early on. You’ll need a builder and architect to get the permits organized, but you also need a designer to see the vision of your house from the earliest planning stages.
To get started with your home addition, work with Roberts & Lamb. We’ll work with you from start to finish, working to understand your goals and pain points, as well as regularly visiting the construction site to ensure the builders are meeting all of your needs. Contact us to get started bringing your vision to life.
