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There comes a time in everyone’s life when you feel like you as a homeowner has outgrown your home. As your family grows, you may require more storage space to live comfortably, but you may not have the funds to make a move to a new home. If this is the case, building a home addition would be a brilliant remodeling project. It meets your demands and increases the area of your small home, but it also appreciates the market value of your home.
Types of Home Additions
Home additions can be broadly be divided into four categories. These categories are results of parameters like the need for new space, style and cost of construction. Please note that before you select a type and plan for home additions, many parameters like area required, capital used, and state of funds will have to be considered.
1. Conventional House Addition
A traditional home addition can be considered a structure with more than one room directly accessible from the existing house. If the expansion is built well, keeping in mind the architectural details and style of the current home, it can merge and become one big house effortlessly.
The addition can be any room such as a dining room, great room, guest bedroom, family room, bathroom or even a master bedroom. A kitchen addition is rarely undertaken because you always need only a single kitchen unless you want to make the existing kitchen much more extensive. Adding an extra room that’s practical for functions that residents don’t otherwise have decent space for is an efficient way to take on room additions for a small home.
It may be an eye-watering five-figure cost to add a full-size home addition, but it offers higher returns in terms of market value when you plan to sell the house later.
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2. Room Addition or Bump Out
As the name suggests, a room addition is a single room that is built next to the existing house. It can only have a single function, such as a home office.
A bump-out can be assumed as a vastly scaled-down version of a full-scale home addition. Your projects could include adding space to the existing kitchen to fit in a dining table or perhaps a new nursery on the upper floor close to the main bedroom.
They will change the elevation of your house with a new roofline and cladding material. Although it is cheaper than a complete home addition, it is still costly because it is not immune to building codes, zoning laws, and permits, just like other retrofitting projects.
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3. Sunroom Addition
A sunroom can be considered more of a luxury addition than a functional one. They are often cut off from the main house with exterior plush doors.
They often resemble temporary structures and can even be assembled on-site in some cases. Pre dominantly made of aluminium, glass, and other pre-fabricated materials, they can visually be different from the existing house.
Since they are temporary structures and don’t last long, you will never see a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom being installed in them. They are used as longing areas or a greenhouse in most cases. They are also not required to have air conditioning and heating, making their construction very affordable.
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4. Garage Addition
Simply put, converting garage space into a living area is known as a garage conversion project. By adding elements like flooring ceiling and replacing the garage doors with solid walls, the garage can turn into living rooms or bedrooms as per your need.
Walls, roofs, and foundations are already in place for you to build on. They are comparatively easier to convert into living spaces since most of the structural elements required are already pre-existing. Elements like electric supply and windows also exist in most cases. The only setback you will have is to set up plumbing lines and HVAC for air conditioning and heating from scratch.
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How Much Does it Cost for a Home Addition?
You may have realized by now that there are many ways you can undertake home addition projects depending on your need. Every type of addiction entails a price structure that can be arrived at by calculating cost of home addition per square feet.
A home addition of any size can incur a base cost of $85 and $220 per square foot. The average cost of home addition for most families stands at $128. The final bill will be dependent on the materials you use labor costs. The average pricing consists of an elementary room with minor plumbing and necessary electrical work.
When you add luxury fitting in bedrooms bathrooms, the average price per square foot increases. The cost can go up to $400 per square foot on the higher end. It would help if you also considered peripheral expenses like the architect’s floorplans, blueprints. permits, etc.
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15 Home Addition Ideas To Expand Your Square Footage:
1. Build a second story
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The most popular home addition project is adding a second story addition to a ground structure. The costs for this can be in the range of $50,000 to $500,000, depending on the size of your house. The floor addition can almost double up your house resale value and adds a considerable amount of square footage to your home. You will need to hire a builder and an architect to draw up plans and advise you on the structural capabilities.
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2. Construct a room on top of the garage
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Making a room on the second floor using the garage’s footprint is one of the most cost-effective ways to add floor space. You can also negate the mess that the construction could have created otherwise. Since the garage already has a foundation, you can use them to construct walls and a roof above.
You can also make it an asset by renting it out as a guest bedroom or single room after it is finished. Constructing a room over the garage typically will cost you around $40 per square foot.
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3. Try a modular home addition
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You can also choose to go for a pre-fabricated room instead of a construction one, especially if you want to expand upwards. This kind of home addition cost 20 to 30 percent cheaper than traditional home additions and can also be made elsewhere. This can be a healthy choice since you will not be exposed to a construction area. They can cost anywhere between $70 to $200 depending on location and preference of materials.
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4. Build a Dormer
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Dormer is instrumental in enhancing the curb appeal of your home. It can also increase area and attract more light into the house, making the space look brighter. Many folks go for a DIY Dormer, a classic DIY home addition idea that costs around $2000. If you are looking for a carpenter to make and install it for you, it could cost anywhere between $4000 to $16000.
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5. Finish your basement
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Basements being the more underrated and overlooked form of home expansion is more profitable if you get to it. Apart from adding a significant area, you can use it as a cozy apartment or an entertainment room. It will cost you anywhere between $3000 to $30000. But it would help if you kept in mind that the basement should follow fire safety standards by having emergency windows and a backyard entry.
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6. Extend your kitchen
A spacious kitchen is always a plus point to have. You can make the kitchen remodeling a part of your home remodeling or home improvement projects for some extra space and increase the house’s sale value. You can undertake a bump-out addition to extend the kitchen. This alone should cost somewhere between $6000 to $26000.
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7. Bathroom addition
Like kitchen projects, extending your bathroom can give you an ROI of up to 70%. The cost of a bathroom expansion starts at $5000 and can up to $40000 for a complete makeover. If you have the budget, you can introduce luxury bath fittings like a bathtub, perhaps. Don’t forget to add a walk-in closet along with the master bathroom extension to produce a wholesome space.
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8. Construct a mudroom
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A mudroom is a virtual space to store coats, shoes and bags. A mudroom can add a slight luxury touch by incorporating built-in cabinets, wall hooks, and other items to compliment aesthetics and visual appeal. The mudroom is also instrumental in posing as a space that acts as a bridge between the outdoor and indoors.
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9. Enclose the front porch
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If you happen to spend a lot of time on your porch, you can go right ahead and convert the patio into a plausible room. This type of room on the deck will also need heating, cooling and direct access to the extension. You also have to consult your architect and engineer to check if the houses will hold effectively. Constructing such rooms generally costs between $15000 to $23000 with an ROI of a whopping 50%.
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10. Refresh the Back Patio
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If you have a large patio, consider enveloping it in the form of a home addition. This can help you create a cozy living room look. The deck must be accessible and wholly enclosed. The home addition cost for setting up a patio as described can be between $8000 to $24000 deepening on the scale of the deck.
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11. Consider a bump-out addition
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You can try cantilevered bump-outs for adding space to rooms on the upper flow without constructing anything on the lower floor. Since there is no foundation work involved, they can cost 30% less than conventional additions. A cantilevered bump-out can extend about 15 feet depending on the column, beam and slab loan. Be sure to hire an engineer or architect to ensure the structural issues and capabilities.
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12. Use the attic
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Like the basement, the attic area has always been overlooked but has fantastic potential. You need to confirm that at least half your ceiling touches seven ft as a thumb rule. There is stairway access to the attic. You can turn the room into anything you like, but the most common is a private bedroom. It is said that converting an existing space can attract up to 56% of the value in terms of returns.
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13. Turn an attached garage into an extra room
You can extend your living quarters by converting the garage space. Instead of constructing an extension and burning a hole in your pocket, you could explore the idea that your garage is a living space. On average, a garage room conversion will cost you around $15000.
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14. Enhance the laundry room
If you feel you have a very compact laundry room, you can expand and get a square foot area. You can also shift your laundry room from the ground floor to the upper floor. An upper-story laundry room is quite a trend now and can add value to your house.
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15. Sunrooms
Have you ever wanted to bask in the sun or sit out and drink tea while it rains without actually getting affected by the weather? If so, then a splendid sunroom is a must-have for you. They are made up of glass and wooden frames to get in as much natural light as possible.
It is also a place where you can have a small nursery of outdoor plants and be stress-free about extreme weather affecting them. They do not require any additional heating or cooling, making it one of the cheapest and easiest to install home additions. You might have to invest a little time and money in getting the electrical grid right for a small light and fan points.
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Conclusion
Feel free to use the Foyr Neo rendering software to understand how an additional space would look with the help of photorealistic 3d images. It can bring your home addition design ideas to life and quickly earn money as well. You can also choose to sign up for a 14-day free trial.
FAQs
Use light colors, mirrors, and strategic furniture placement to create an illusion of space. Incorporate multi-functional furniture to maximize utility.
Challenges may include unexpected construction issues, permitting delays, or budget constraints. Designers can assist in proactive planning, contingency measures, and effective communication with contractors.
Implement energy-efficient windows, insulation, and sustainable materials to minimize the environmental impact and reduce long-term energy costs.
Thoughtful landscaping can enhance the visual appeal of a home addition and create a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Regular maintenance, including inspections of roofing, windows, and structural elements, is essential to ensure the longevity and functionality of the home addition. Designers can provide guidance on maintenance schedules.
