Building A Home Addition
|
Besides providing your home with more living space, a home addition can be a terrific investment. However, before embarking on such a project the homeowner should first consider several important items. These items include: home market values in the neighborhood, financing, size and scale of project, architecture, timetable for completion, personal disruption/inconvenience threshold and the sweat equity commitment level.
Size of Addition and Market Value
Prior to actually breaking ground on a home addition, it is best to first determine what you are looking for in terms of additional living space. For example: How many square feet? What types of rooms? Once this is understood, it is then important to find out the market value of homes in the local area with similar size and features to the new and improved home. With this information the homeowner can then calculate the difference between their current home market value and the new and improved home market value. This difference should represent the maximum budget for the new addition if a positive investment is desired. For example, a homeowner would not want to spend $50,000 on a new home addition that provides only $25,000 in increased market value to the improved home.
Financing
The next important question involves how to fund the home addition. Unless the project is being funded via cash/savings then financing will be required. If current mortgage rates are higher than the existing mortgage, then a home equity loan will probably make the most sense. If current mortgage rates are lower than the existing mortgage, then refinancing the entire home, including the cost of the home addition project, may make the most sense.
Architectural Considerations
Once the financial items have been addressed it is then time to focus on the size and scale of the project, as well as the architectural and aesthetics of the new addition. The addition should be of size and scale such that it aesthetically melds into the original house. It should not be too small or too big. Frequently, homeowners get carried away and add large amounts of new living space without sufficient thought on the outside appearance. From a market value, there is more to a home than just pure living space. A home needs to maintain its exterior aesthetics as well. It is important to consider such items as siding, doors, windows, rooflines, and elevations. All should meld into the existing home exterior seamlessly and aesthetically.
If an architect is not planned for the project, then the homeowner should at least make some sketches of the home exterior with the new addition. The building inspector will probably require them anyways during the permit process. Also, there are many Home Design software packages on the market today that can help create such drawings.
Schedule and Sweat Equity Commitment
The next two items that should be considered include the timetable for completing the project and the homeowner sweaty equity commitment level. Many homeowners assume they can do a lot more than they are either skilled to do or have the time to do. From personal experience, I would suggest contracting out the site/ground work, rough framing, roofing, siding, heating/cooling, and the drywall. All of these tasks require skill, time and brawn. If local laws permit, electric and plumbing may be tackled by the homeowner. However, both require skill and can be life threatening if not performed properly. Other tasks that a homeowner could tackle include installing interior doors, finish trim, painting, cabinet installation, tiling and hardwood flooring. Prior to a homeowner signing up to any specific task however, they should first honestly assess their skill and available time, and compare them to their project schedule. If they don't match, hire the contractor.
Threshold of Inconvenience and Disruption
Finally, a homeowner should consider their threshold for inconvenience and disruption. A home addition, particularly if it involves the kitchen, is very disruptive to today's busy lifestyles. It is also a dusty, dirty and noisy endeavor. In addition, dealing with subcontractors can be challenging at times. For a typical addition anticipate several months of effort and inconvenience.
If after assessing all these issues you are still willing to move forward with the project, contact your subcontractors, pull your permits and get ready for an exciting time. For most homeowners tackling a home addition is a positive experience that provides both new living space and a great investment.
Me_Donovan@comcast.nethttp://www.homeadditionplus.com
http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com
Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. Mr. Donovan's formal education and profession have been as an Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager.
|
|
|
The Advantages Of Pre-engineered Steel Buildings
Steel is a remarkable material that has been steadily increasing in popularity for construction. It is 66% recyclable, which offers both environmental and financial benefits, and is especially strong and durable. There are a number of options available for building with steel, and one of the most innovative of those options are pre-engineered steel buildings. They are planned, designed and almost pre-built at the factory itself. They just have to be assembled after they reach the building site. They are pre-drilled, pre-cut and pre-welded and just need to be bolted together. This can often ...(related: Home Improvement)
Interior Design For Bargain Hunters
Interior design for bargain hunters is the new fashionable item in the arena of interior design. Everyone is interested these days in making their money stretch as far as it possibly can. There are many, many possible ways to achieve this. The most important determining factor in your success is the amount of patience and time you are willing to invest in order to find and purchase true items of value and not frivolous purchases which are of significantly less value that you will regret later.The places you will find most traditional bargain hunters looking for pieces related to interior design are places such as second hand furniture s...(related: Home Improvement)
Design Psychology: Beds And Emotional Well-being
The bed represents the beginning and ending of life. In the past, people were conceived, born, and died in the same bed. You spend more time in your bed than on any other piece of furniture. Design Psychology offers new bedroom makeover ideas concerning your bed for supporting your emotional well-being.Bed Placement for Secure FeelingsPosition the headboard directly opposite the...(related: Home Improvement)
Installing A Home Theater System
Thinking about installing a home theater system? You're not alone. Home theater is one of the fastest growing areas areas in home entertainment and the advent of DVD recorders and HDTV means your set-up can now be entirely digital, without an inch of video tape in site.Installing a home theater is a big decision and requires careful planning. Luckily there are a number of resources around to help you and you needn't be a technical expert or a hi-fi buff to get the job done.One of the first decisions you'll need to make before you set about installing a home theater is whether your going to dedicate a whole room to the theater or whether it will share a space with a lounge, dining room, or office. Having a dedicated room all...(related: Home Improvement)
Ladder Décor ? The Possibilities Are Endless
With a little bit of creativity and some imagination you can take something as simple as a plain wooden ladder and transform it into a beautiful piece of home décor. The thought may not have even crossed your mind ? after all it's a ladder, but the possibilities are endless!After we discovered that you can take a plain, old regular ladder and transform it into a decorative piece of home décor we did some research to find out some specific ideas and uses.Below we are going to share them with you. If you like any of these ideas and fi...(related: Home Improvement)
Let?s ?clear The Air? Shall We?
What can you do to "clear the air" indoors, at work and at home? You want to know you are breathing clean air in the places you spend the most time, promoting...(related: Home Improvement)
Skip Troweling Method For Textured Ceilings
There are several ceiling texture choices to choose from when finishing a room. You can simply apply a flat paint to the ceiling, or spray or roll on a popcorn textured ceiling. However both these choices seem to be waning in popularity to the Skip Toweled look. The Skip Troweled look provides a compromise between the flat painted ceiling and the popcorn ceiling. It provides texture but to a lesser extent than a traditional popcorn ceiling.Skip Troweling is relatively simple to do and can be performed by a homeowner who is doing a home addition project.Skip Troweling should be performed after...(related: Home Improvement)
Complete Home Rehab In 10 Days
This report is about taking a house and restoring it to an aesthetically pleasing dwelling that has reclaimed it's functional utility. In effect, it is the anti-aging medication for bricks and mortar.This report assumes that you have already or will soon acquire the proper house. The one that is in essence, ripe for rehab. Be selective and sure of the house's potential to allow for a profit after all the hard work is done. I will help you find your house or houses.In the proverbial nutshell, it helps if you choose a house from the start that has a sound plumbing, heating and electrical system.
- Plumbing
- Heating
- Electrical
Remodel Your Kitchen Or Bathroom For The Best Roi!
Trying to decide which home improvement project to tackle next? To start you must decide if you are remodeling to improve an area of your home that is in need of some TLC or if you are remodeling to maximize your Return On Investment (ROI). ...(related: Home Improvement)
Do You Know How Important Your Air Conditioner Filter Is?
When most people think about an air conditioner filter, it is in terms of how efficient they are and how much dust they will stop. These are important things and should be considered when replacing or upgrading your air conditioner filter.There is another very important job that your air conditioner filter does. It helps to keep dust from collecting on the evaporator coil of your air conditioning system. The evaporator is located inside the air handler and is one of the four main components of any air conditioning system. The air filter is usually located somewhere just before the evaporator coil.Everyone knows that any dust that passes through the filter ends up back in your living space and can be very irritating to allergy sufferers and anyone else who is sensitive to dust and airborne contaminants.What most people...(related: Home Improvement)
Faqs About Using Stone In Your Home
1. Q. IS NATURAL STONE A GOOD CHOICE FOR HOME USE?
A. YES. Natural stone is a terrific (not to mention beautiful) material to
use in all areas of your home. Knowing the different types of stone,
their finishes and applications will help you to make an informed
decision on which stone is the best for your project.
2. Q. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENT FINISHES FOR STONE?
A. There are many finishes and options available. Here are the most
widely used:
- Polished ?- A high gloss surface.
- Honed ?- Smooth with squared edges and without a polished
surface. - Tumbled ?- Lightly tumbled to achieve rounded edges and a
surface that is not as smooth as honed. - Antique Tumbled ?- Medium tumble edges and surface to achieve a
Wood Panels And Humidity
Coping with wood movementAll wood workers need to be aware of wood movement when building furnit...(related: Home Improvement)
Building A Backyard Play Structure
A child's dream backyard includes a play structure complete with a slide and swings just like the one at the neighborhood park. Once you have made the decision to make your child's dream come true then you have several avenues from which to select depending on the amount of money and time you can invest.One of the most economical means of obtaining a play structure is to buy a used one. Since children eventually outgrow their play structures you can often find a used one at a fraction of the cost. Your time investment will require disassembling and reassembling the structure. To make the task of reassembling easier, you should take a photo of the play structure prior to disassembling. Check ...(related: Home Improvement)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Home Improvement