Ranch-style homes are great, everything is located on one floor (for the most part), and they are typically easier to add an addition to when compared to multi-level homes. Still, adding an addition to your home is no easy feat, and you may not be sure where to start.
When you want to add an addition to your home, it is important to know what type of addition you want to add as well as how much space you have available on your property. This way, you can add an addition that truly works for your needs and your home.
It can help to look at home addition ideas to help you decide how you will add on to your home, so keep reading to learn more about home addition ideas that can help you to transform your home.
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Build An Enclosed Porch
The cool thing about ranch-style homes is that they can be expanded in any direction (if your lot allows for it), and this makes them perfect for adding an enclosed front or back porch.
Adding a porch to your home may not seem like the best way to gain extra space, but a porch is perfect for use as a TV/sitting room or as a child’s playroom. This leaves you the option of turning your current TV room into an office or maybe trading the playroom for another bedroom for a member of the family.
A porch can even be used to expand upon the kitchen, as porches are a great place to eat and a unique solution to keeping heat-producing devices out of the main area of the home. Or, your porch can become a mudroom, laundry room, or even a home studio for your business.
The nice thing about adding a porch is that, unlike a basic bedroom addition, this can be done without adding to your foundation (typically). Thus, this cuts down on the amount of work, time, and money that is required to add an addition on to your ranch-style home.
Add A Second Level
For those with an exceptionally small lot, there may not be any room to add an addition on either side of your home. In this case, you will need to do the only thing you can do and build up.
Be aware that adding a second story is a massive addition, and it will take time and a fair amount of money. But the cool thing is, when it comes to adding a second story, the sky is the limit. This means you can add a second floor that only covers half your house or one that covers your entire floor plan to double the square footage of your house.
Finish The Attic
If you’ve looked at adding a second story to your ranch-style home, and it just isn’t feasible, consider finishing the attic instead. Many people forget that an attic with a high enough ceiling can actually be a fun place to hang out or a great place for a kid’s room when you need more bedrooms in your home!
When your attic is sloped strangely and maybe only has room to stand on one end, this doesn’t mean you can’t re-do it because walls can easily be built mid-attic to create a storage area alongside an additional room.
And there are actually ways you can work to expand your attic if none of it has a high enough ceiling to make walking around up there feasible. Attics are the basis for creative additions, so if you have one, don’t write it off as a possibility for expansion so fast!
Enclose Your Carport
Carports can be a great place to keep your car, especially if you live somewhere with adverse weather. But if a carport is the only way to expand your ranch-style home, it may be time to enclose it into something else.
You can easily enclose a carport into an additional garage space, but for those that don’t need to park their car in a carport, consider making this addition something else—such as a woodworking studio or maybe home office. If you are able to install heating or cooling, this can also be used as an additional bedroom or den as well.
Just be sure that you plan to pour a cement foundation as a part of enclosing your carport if one isn’t already available—because otherwise, you may find that lots of bugs and other critters that used to enjoy the shelter of your carport may find their way into the house!
Finish the Basement
If you already have a basement for your ranch-style home, there is no reason not to finish it before you start on more costly renovations! Finishing a basement is great because you can usually live in the house while the renovations are being done, and it is usually quite simple to add parts of your basement to the house plumbing system without major changes.
This makes it very easy to add bedrooms with their own bathroom to the basement, or even if you don’t want to mess with plumbing, the basement is an excellent choice for an office or kids play space—as it will keep them out; from underfoot!
Before going all-in and sketching out your dream basement, be sure to consult a professional as there may be some areas of the basement that cannot be changed (such as the area with your furnace and hot water heater), and you will need to take this into account before you begin making changes!
Connect the Casita
Casitas is another awesome feature that routinely comes with a ranch-style home. A casita is another building built on the property that typically has its own plumbing that can be used as a guest house or home for aging in-laws.
The problem with Casitas is that they don’t always have a kitchen and are detached from the main house. This means that using them in the winter, when you live in a place that shows, can be an absolute pain. And when you need another bedroom, but your kids are too young to be in a separate building, this can leave you with a difficult dilemma.
This is why you should consider an insert addition, which is a home addition that is built specifically to attach your Casita to your current home. This can be in the form of a hallway, or maybe even a hallway and a room to give you the maximum amount of space. Now your mother-in-law won’t need to cross the lawn in the snow to make her tea in the morning!
Build A Casita
Like the above idea of a Casita but don’t have one on your property? Building a casita is a great way to add square footage and an extra bedroom to your home without having to worry about attaching it to your current home.
Of course, this is only a good idea if you currently own enough property on which to build a Casita. And be aware, if you want to add a kitchen and bathroom to your Casita (which is usually advised), this may require some special zoning permits depending on where you live. You will also need the help of numerous professionals to get the Casita hooked up to power and water.
Add A Bedroom
Perhaps the easiest addition for a ranch-style home that has yet to be covered is adding a bedroom to one side or the other of the house.
Building a bedroom is easy because you can still live in the home while the remodel is being done, and adding the hookups for power is a breeze. Because there isn’t any plumbing necessary, adding a bedroom is one of the quickest additions on this list.
Even if your property only has room in the front or back of the home, you can do an L-shaped addition to add a bedroom to a hallway that already exists or build off of a bathroom to create a jack and jill effect. You can also build off of the master bedroom to create an attached nursery or a larger walk-in closet than what you currently have!
Things To Consider Before Adding Onto Your Ranch Style Home
Maybe you’ve found your perfect idea for an addition to your home on this list, and that is great! Before you jump in and get started, there are some things you should know about adding an addition to your home.
Always Hire a Professional
Adding an addition to your home cannot be done by someone who is not a professional. This is because adding an addition includes lots of small parts, such as adding electrical power and ensuring the building is up to code for tax purposes.
And when you approach a home addition contractor, be sure that check to be sure that the contractor has the proper licenses and insurance to operate within your state. This way, in case anything does go wrong, you and your investment will be covered.
Check Regulations For Your City
Even if you have the space on your property for an addition, this doesn’t mean that you can use it in the way that you want! Always double-check with your city zoning regulations and codes to be sure that you can add the addition of your dreams before you start. Here in Mountain View, they have specific permit requirements so it is important to check your local jurisdiction.
Contact Your HOA
Besides just checking with the government, if you live in a neighborhood that has its own HOA, they may have something to say about how your house looks that can prevent certain additions. And sometimes, additions must adhere to a specific color and look regulations.
If your HOA won’t allow you to build your home out, up, or forward, remember that you can always focus on the basement instead!
Check The Foundation
Something that people typically forget about home additions, especially those that go upwards, is that the foundation of the home needs to be able to withstand the new load. Be sure that you hire a professional to check on your foundation and let you know what sort of addition your home’s foundation will be able to withstand.
Final Thoughts
When you have a ranch-style home, adding an addition can be a great decision for finding your family needing extra space. And no matter what size of property you live on, there are ways to expand a ranch house that will fit in any budget to fill any additional space need you may have.
Just be sure that before you begin any sort of renovation project that you check with local rules and regulations—as this could severely restrict the type of addition you can add to your ranch-style home. But once you get the go-ahead from the local government, you can’t go wrong when you use one of these great ranch-style addition ideas on this list!
About Element Home Remodeling
Element Home Remodeling is a home addition contractor located in Mountain View, California. We are design build contractors who specializing in updating and modernizing ranch style homes into spacious and modern living spaces. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
