There are numerous reasons why you can decide to expand your house or undertake a complete home remodel as a homeowner. Your family might have grown, and you need your living space to meet the changing demands.

In other cases, family members may have left for college, and the spaces that were previously children’s property may need to be redesigned to satisfy current needs.

You might also prefer to rebuild your existing home entirely by adding a second story to boost the value of your property.

Regardless of the route you decide to take, you have to hire home addition contractors to renovate your home for numerous reasons.

Our goal here is not just to list why you might want to build on to your house but also to emphasize the things you should look out for when considering these upgrades.

Before we go into the best practices when taking your family on such a journey, let us go over the most common types of additions:

Bathroom additions

Though the size of a bathroom is significantly smaller than that of other rooms, its functionality necessitates complex foundation and water line work.

The complexity and cost of the job will vary based on the type of bathroom (master, guest, or half) and the grade of finish materials. While this is the case, you should note that bathroom extensions are an excellent way to update your home.

Kitchen additions

A kitchen addition might include everything from a completely new kitchen to a minor bump-out. The usefulness of a kitchen and the numerous pieces of equipment that beautify this crucial area make this addition more challenging than those for other rooms.

Gas, electric, and water lines all play an essential role. You can add a room to an existing kitchen, remodel one, or build an entirely new outdoor kitchen. It’s all up to you.

Room Addition

Adding another room to your home is considered a “simple” room addition despite no addition being inherently straightforward. A playroom, a guest room, extending the size of an existing room, a new office space, or building an entirely new space on your property’s outside, such as an outdoor kitchen or an ADU, are all alternatives for home additions.

Second story addition

The title is self-explanatory, but this is the most challenging type of home addition. A second-story house addition is an excellent option for increasing your home’s square footage without reducing the size of your property.

To correctly add a second story, your design and construction team must carefully examine the work your foundation and frame must do to support a new floor. Remember that your foundation should be able to handle the extra floor, and if it can’t, don’t put your family at risk.

Second-story additions are a great way to raise the value of your home while also providing a greater perspective of your surroundings, depending on where you live.

Best practices when remodeling your house

Prioritize the function of the addition.

The primary danger in all forms of design is that it usually appears nice on paper, but when it comes to life, you have wasted your money if it is not useful. How does this apply to house additions?

You want to change your existing floor plan by adding a master suite with outside access to your deck, so you decide that the best way to do so is to include the new bedroom near your kitchen, which will offer you direct access to your pool.

However, your kitchen is usually the busiest part of your house, and you enjoy having social gatherings there. Your kitchen will be handy during these occasions.

This means that individuals will be extremely close to your new master bedroom. For example, if you choose function over form, you may add that same master suite to the other end of your home, providing additional seclusion, especially while your children or guests are in the kitchen.

Many architects and designers are pretty talented but do not live with you. They are unfamiliar with your family’s living practices. It would help if you made this evident throughout the planning stage.

Let’s assume you’re installing an outdoor kitchen and you enjoy hosting people for drinks and have a lot of cutlery, mixers, and beverages; you’ll want to make sure your outdoor bar can support that.

The family room serves as a great example. You have three children and have recently built a minimalist contemporary room expansion. Now you’re wondering where your kids will put their toys. Always create for your family.

Get several quotes

Just as you would shop around for several homes before buying one, you should look at other contractors and building businesses before choosing one.

Ask for references from their previous work and have them clearly explain how to add that new space to your home. Ask questions demonstrating competence, and do not make this selection based on emotion.

If you can visit some of their current jobs, do so; this will give you an idea of the types of clientele they work with and their working style. Only accept a quote that is substantially lower than the average.

This is because the contractors offering the quote either do not respect their job or are desperate to lose you as a client, which are undesirable qualities when you are preparing to invest thousands of dollars in your home. Do not take this decision lightly.

Find a reputable contractor who respects their work and is ready to work with you every step of the way.

Parting shot

These are some of the additions you should consider for your home and the best practices to follow when making them. As mentioned, always work with home addition companies DC who know what they are doing.

Don’t be impressed by the low cost a contractor is charging as they might be offering poor quality services, and you don’t want this, do you?