Since there always seems to be something new to add when you have a house, the process never ends. Even as a new homeowner, there are some great home additions that you can consider to add value to your home and make it a place that you and your family can enjoy. What are some home addition ideas that you should consider?
The key to successfully completing a home addition is to consider your own needs. What is your current home lacking that you and your family could really benefit from? You also want to ask yourself what value the addition will bring to your home, particularly when it comes to prospective buyers in the future. Continue reading to discover some home addition ideas.
Is Completing an Addition to my House Worthwhile?
If the addition you build onto your home adds value to your home, it is worthwhile. Not only will you and your family benefit from the additional space, but you will enjoy a higher property value as a result. Completing the addition also allows you the chance to get creative.
Your home addition should add convenience and even a bit of luxury to your life. If it does, then it is going to enrich your life. You might be considering an addition because of a new family member, a new hobby, or just a need for additional space. Whatever the reason might be, completing the addition to your house should be worthwhile to you.
Should I Build an Addition or Just Buy a New House?
Having the prospect of building an addition onto your new home presents you with a major decision. You had already made the biggest investment you are likely to make in your life when you bought the new house in the first place. Choosing to extend yourself further by building that addition is not something you want to enter into lightly.
Deciding to build an addition instead of buying a new house depends on cost overvalue. You should opt for the new addition if it can be completed in a cost-effective manner and will add value to your home when finished. If it is cost-prohibitive, then it is probably best to sell and buy a new home.
What Home Additions Add Value?
The following types of home additions can add value to the house:
- An extra room
- A home office
- Outdoor storage
- A second living room
Each of these areas will be useful to a new family who may buy your home in the future. These are the types of additions you want to be looking for.
If there is even the slightest possibility that you will sell your home in the future, which is almost always the case, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of any addition carefully. While an addition might make sense to you, it might bring no redeeming value to the home and actually turn away prospective buyers in the future.
Depending on how much land you have on your property, there are some great additions that you can consider. Some homeowners might consider adding a second or third floor, finishing a basement, or even converting a garage into an extra room. The sky is really the limit when it comes to home additions.
5 Great Home Additions for New Homeowners
Personal tastes and preferences change over time. This is true in so many areas of life, homeownership certainly included among them. No matter how much you love your home, it seems that there are always changes that you would like to make. While many of them might simply be cosmetic, there are times when a structural change or two is in order.
There are many reasons why you might be seeking a home addition. No matter what your current life and family situation might be, your decision starts with a determination of what will add the most value to your home and give you the most satisfaction at the same time. Here are five home additions that can often do exactly that.
Adding a Sunroom to the House
This is a project that is not going to disrupt your daily routine too much. As long as you have a bit of additional space on your property, you can likely add a sunroom. There are so many uses for such a room that one post cannot do it justice. However, this is an addition that tends to be rather inexpensive in comparison to other projects while still adding value to the home.
A sunroom creates a unique space that every member of the family can use in their own way. It is set apart from the rest of the house, so the typical rules seem not to apply. While the exterior will look like the rest of the home, the interior of a sunroom is where your creativity can really run wild.
There are two main types of sunrooms that you can consider adding to your home: A stick-built sunroom or a Grandview sunroom.
The Stick Built Sunroom
This type of sunroom gets its name from the type of construction itself. Building it requires some traditional types of construction materials such as:
- Lumber
- Roof rafters
- Vinyl siding
- Insulation
The room itself is typically framed in the same style as that of your existing house. You can build it as either a three or four-season sunroom.
A four-season sunroom might take a bit more work to complete, but it will mean that you can comfortably use it during the hot summer or cold winter months, depending on where you live. This adds a great deal of functionality to the home, and it will increase the value substantially.
A three-season sunroom has its advantages as well. Construction costs tend to be much lower because there is not as much insulation or cooling and heating expenses involved. The room can become useful during parts of the year as a respite from the rest of the house.
The Grandview Sunroom
A Grandview sunroom is designed to be a four-season addition to your house that includes a structural extrusion. This creates a type of thermal barrier and allows the room to be filled with foam insulation and function just like an additional room to your house. It is cheaper to build than a full room addition, yet it can be used all year round.
The following items are usually included with a Grandview sunroom:
- Vinyl sliding windows
- Picture windows
- Patio doors
- Heating and air condition units depending on location
These types of sunrooms can be useful to just about any home located in any region of the country. They provide a level of comfort and uniqueness that is often lacking in many homes.
Adding a Garage to the Property
It might surprise you to know how many houses do not currently have a garage attached to them in one way or another. If you happen to own a house that falls into this category, this is a great possible addition to consider. There are so many uses for a garage, each one of which is almost certain to add value to the home.
Adding a garage can provide you with the much needed space that you need to park another car, create a workroom, or generate the storage that you need to reduce clutter inside the house. Since so many prospective home buyers will be looking specifically for a home that has a garage, this is also a worthy addition to consider for your house.
Creating Another a Bedroom in the House
You just never know when your family is going to grow. When that happens, you might quickly find that your existing house is out of space. Instead of feeling that you must rush out and buy a new home, you might want to consider building another room. It is easier than you might think. You can even add a master bedroom up or downstairs in order to accommodate the in-laws.
Making an Extra Room
As life goes on, you will inevitably find the need for an extra room to accommodate any of several purposes. Some of the possibilities include:
- A recreation room– Every family enjoys different recreational activities. Many of these can be played inside. Instead of interrupting life in the other areas of your house, an extra room can be created just to play games and enjoy being around one another.
- A craft room– Crafts can take up a lot of space. You do not want to constantly move your latest craft from one part of the house to another, so this extra room can provide you with the space that you need to work on your favorite hobby. It can also be a place of refuge where you have the peace and quiet that you need to create your next masterpiece.
- A home fitness gym– If you enjoy keeping yourself in shape but do not always find time to drive over to the gym, building an extra room can take care of that problem for you. This is a way to always have the equipment that you need on hand to complete your workout. There will be no more excuses to skip a workout either.
- Child’s playroom– If you love to watch your children play but wished that they had their own space to do so, building an extra room can do that for you. It is also a great way to provide the area that your kids and their friends need to be themselves without always getting in your way.
- So much more– The possibilities are endless for your extra room. You might just want to build it and then determine what you want to use it for. That is a great idea as well.
No matter what purpose you envision for this room, there are quite a few possibilities available to you. In addition, you can bet that a prospective future homebuyer will find the extra room to be equally beneficial to them in their own way.
Adding a Mudroom to the House
No matter how hard you try to keep the inside of your house clean, it may seem an uphill battle on the best of days. This is why you need to have a mudroom if your existing house does not already have one. This is a place where you and the kids can rinse off, get rid of the muddy shoes, and keep the dirt out of the main part of the house.
Wrap-Up
Completing a home addition can be an exciting endeavor, but a great deal of thought must also go into it. You want to maximize need over value. When you do that, you and your family will love the extra space, and you will appreciate the increased value that it brings your home in the end. It can certainly be a win-win situation if done correctly.
Element Home Remodeling is a Mountain View based home remodeling and addition contractor. We service the entire Bay Area and can help make your next home addition project a reality. Contact us today to learn more.
