first “building a home addition” idea
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Finding the right people
Notes:
- Home remodeling can be exciting, but it can also be stressful. So, after you’ve planned and found inspiration for your home addition, you need specialists to help you with your project. Take considerable time picking out your service providers, including architects, construction supply retailers, and contractors.
- Not all designers and contractors are the same. It would be best if you look for companies that have been in business for years. You can ask friends, family members, and your neighbors for recommendations. You can also do your research online.
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If you’re in Bakersfield, California, you may stumble upon https://www.modernvalleyconstruction.com/, the website of a trusted contractor in the area. They specialize in remodeling, renovations, and home additions.
- Couple of more items you need to tackle before finding your contractor. These questions need to be addressed before the contractor can give you an estimate:
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Determine The Goal And Scope Of Your Project:
The ideal room addition project begins with a lot of research, a detailed plan, and a clear understanding of the project’s purpose.
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- Are you making an additional guest room with a bathroom?
- Do you want a swimming pool to increase the value of your home?
- Or are you taking care of your parents and want to make home additions that accommodate the elderly, like putting up an accessible parking stall?
- Some other ideas might include:
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- Restructuring and converting your attic into liveable space
- Attaching an all-season room to the back-part of your home
- Building a second story to the original structure
- Expanding the garage area to include additional autos and/or add a workbench station
- Extending the back-part of you home into an outdoor entertainment area with outdoor kitchen, sitting, and bathing.
- Adding a small apartment over the garage with separate entrance for elderly parents, renting or AirB&B
- Once you have pinpointed your goals, you need to determine the project’s scope:
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- Will the project involve building a new structure from the ground up?
- Will it include moving pipes, walls, and electrical fixtures?
- It’s essential to be prepared for the work involved and be realistic about the project timeline.
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Planning for Home Additions
Collection of Home Addition (Extension) Ideas that include the structural needs for building materials, planning, and designing your home addition plans.
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Set Your Budget:
People with unlimited money to spend can immediately start their home addition as soon as they’ve devised a plan. However, for most people looking to build a home addition, one big concern involves how much would a home addition cost.
- You see, for most homeowners, the budget will primarily affect the design and scope of the project and not the other way around.
- It’s ideal only to spend cash you saved for non-essential home remodeling. But if you badly need the home addition and don’t have enough time to save for the project, there are many ways to secure funding, including a second mortgage, home equity loan, or borrowing from family and friends.
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second “photo remodeling” idea
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Handle Zoning And Local Requirements
Notes:
- Before you start your home additions, be sure to stop in at your local zoning department to ensure that your plans are following the current rules. There are regulations about what types of structures can be built in a particular location.
- For example, if you plan to build a detached garage, you may need to obtain permits following the building codes, electrical codes, and plumbing codes. These requirements can vary by state and city, so it’s essential to research them before beginning construction.
- Most neighborhoods have homeowners’ associations. They exist to protect the value and livability of the community. They might also have specific rules and regulations that apply to any improvements you want to make to your house.
- If you want to avoid problems, make sure to ask about the community’s requirements before you get started.
- Part of zoning and permits will require the understanding of these two consideration:
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Determine Available Spaces And Obstacles:
Another thing to consider is the space to accommodate your home addition. Consider whether a new room will be better suited to being built horizontally rather than vertically.
- Also, be aware of any obstacles in the spot allotted for the new addition. You may have to remove or relocate power lines, utility poles, and even trees.
- What’s more, you may also need to provide space for possible expansions in the future, so carefully plan every home addition you make.
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Become Familiar With the Architectural Process:
When you’ve already chosen a contractor for your project, the next stage of the process begins.
- This phase is the most exciting and risky part because it manifests the results of all the plans and schemes that your team came up with.
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- So, how to reach the culmination of this project? Here’s what you can expect during the architectural design process:
- view post: Know What Do Expect During The Architectural Design Process
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Think About Timeline And Possible Delays
Notes:
- Adding a new room, a second level, or any other home improvement is an arduous process that depends on various factors. Architectural planning alone may take several weeks, depending on the project’s complexity.
- It would be best to allocate an appropriate time for the construction phase, which can take around two weeks at least.
- When having an extensive renovation or home addition, you should also be ready for possible disruptions in the project timeline.
- Some of the things that could affect the project’s completion include lousy weather, availability of building materials, on-site accidents, or surprise problems like mold growth, termite infestation, and many others.
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Side Note:
Here is something to add to your home addition planning:
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Separate Entrance Mudroom:
Mudrooms! The must-need room in many new home constructions. It provides a staging area for family members to remove shoes and other dirty or wet clothing before entering the home.
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- But what about your home now? Can or should you convert your back entrance into a staged mudroom? And why?
- view post: Do You Have a Mudroom? And Why Do You Need One?
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fourth “photo remodeling” idea
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Make Plans For Inconveniences
Notes:
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There Will Be Disruptions:
Apart from the construction issues mentioned above, you and your neighbors might also experience significant lifestyle disruptions. The dirt, dust, and noise resulting from the construction will probably cause discomfort to you and the people living nearby.
- And suppose the project involves multi-room additions or putting another level to your home. In that case, you may need to think about where you’re going to store the furniture and fixtures that may be affected by the project. So how do you handle such inconveniences?
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About Living:
For starters, you need to ascertain that the construction project will not affect your home’s electricity, HVAC system, and plumbing. Next, you may want to do something to minimize noise and dust.
- If you are planning to add an upper level to your house, it may also be a bright idea to hire a storage unit where you can temporarily stash away all the objects and fixtures that risk getting lost or exposed to the elements.
- You may also arrange for your family’s accommodations in case there are phases in the construction project that will affect the health of your child or elderly relatives.
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Work With Your Neighbors:
As for your neighbors, you must inform them of your construction plans after you receive necessary permits from your homeowners’ association or local authorities. Explain to your neighbors your construction plan and how long you expect to complete the project.
- Try to ease their concerns by assuring them that you will try your best to keep disturbances to a minimum.
- It’s also a good idea to discuss any potential concerns raised by your neighbors with your contractor before construction begins. Try to develop a strategy to minimize the impact of the construction.
- These include ensuring that noisy activities will be done only during the hours when people are usually at work and their children are in school.
- Part of the inconvenience is protecting your home:
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Know-How To Protect Your Home From Elements :
If you must bring down a wall or open a portion of your home or roof to accommodate your home extension, you should plan to protect the rest of your house from the elements. Although it’s quite an obvious problem, many people find it challenging to prepare for eventualities.
- So, before starting the project, coordinate with your builders and ask them if they could help keep the rain, insects, or extreme temperature out during the building process.
- You want to ensure that your home will still be livable during the ongoing construction. Otherwise, it would be best to stay at a relatives home and hire a storage unit.
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Protect Your Art:
Home renovation projects are messy, but can transform your space into something you’ve always wanted.
- Whether you’re adding a new bedroom, putting in hardwood floors, or knocking down a wall to open your space up, your home can become quite dirty in the process.
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- It’s crucial to take steps to protect your furniture, art collections, and your home before renovations begin to avoid damaged items.
- view post: Protect Your Art and Furniture During a Renovation Project
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fifth and last “photo remodeling” idea
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Learn From Other People’s Blunders
Notes:
- While preparing for minor inconveniences, delays, and disruptions during the construction can’t be overemphasized, it also helps to learn from other people’s mistakes. This way, you can avoid experiencing problems entirely as you complete the home addition.
- Here are the typical mistakes to watch out for:
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Prioritizing Aesthetics Over Function:
There’s nothing wrong with ensuring that your new porch or bathroom looks aesthetically pleasing and beautiful. However, ensure that you have factored in functionality when designing your project. You might end up spending more on something that you and your family may not be able to use.
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Forgetting About Furniture in the Overall Design:
Some people are so concerned about the walls, the space, the windows, and lighting fixtures in their home addition that they forget about proper scaling of furniture. It’s particularly problematic for small spaces. So always think about how you want to use the area and how the appliances and furniture you need will fit as part of your design plan.
- So always think about how you want to use the area and how the appliances and furniture you need will fit as part of your design plan.
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Micromanaging The Project:
Many people are tempted to supervise all aspects of the construction, thinking that it’s the best way to ensure they get what they want. But unless you’re a builder, you’re probably not fit to handle the nitty-gritty of construction.
- Let the experts perform their job while you simply check on the project’s progress.
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Omitting Your Lifestyle From the Room’s Design:
Your living space should match your lifestyle and not the other way around. For example, if you regularly host parties at home and plan to add a bathroom for your guests, it makes sense to construct it near the area where you usually entertain people. You don’t want your friends to go through hoops to use the bathroom on your home’s second floor.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
A home addition is an investment that will provide you with additional living space while also increasing the value of your property. However, there are several factors to consider before beginning your project.
- When the remodeling is finished, how do you want your home to look? Is it going to be more livable or more practical? Will you want to stay there for a long time? Your house addition will only be successful if you plan carefully and take into account the important factors stated above.
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