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Home Additions: What you should know
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by Stu Silverman
By building an addition, you can make your home more liveable,
while increasing its value. It also allows you to stay in a
home and neighborhood you like without incurring the expenses
and inconvenience of moving. But before you start, there are
many things you should know.
Find out about building restrictions
While you are still in the thinking stage for your home
addition, find out from city hall if there are any local zoning
ordinances that could affect your project, such as lot setbacks
(i.e. the minimum distance required from the adjacent property
lines or public right of way to the outermost portion of the
structure) and height restrictions. Also, check with the local
building department to see if your home addition will require a
building permit, and ensure that you or your contractor gets
one prior to starting the project. You could be forced to tear
down any work completed without a permit, which would be a
major inconvenience and very costly.
Additions come in all shapes and sizes
Home additions are becoming increasingly popular across the
U.S. to accommodate aging parents (and, unfortunately,
in-laws), or even as rental units to generate a monthly income.
These additions can include a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room
and a private entrance, although the most popular home
additions involve adding an extra room onto an exterior wall.
Sunrooms, garages and extra bedrooms are common additions, as
well as living rooms, dining rooms and home offices.
You may want to consider building up instead of losing lawn and
garden space, or building a two-story addition that will
accommodate an office or bedroom on top of the garage to
maximize space. Other additions, such as carports, porches and
decks often require less disruption of your home, yet will
still increase its functionality and value. You can use the
Cost Estimator to help you gage the cost of certain types of
home additions.
If you're adding indoor space, make sure a heating and air
conditioning (HVAC) professional is brought in to assess the
increased demand on the present system.
Continuity works best
Something to think about with a home addition is consistency -
within your own home and with the neighborhood. First, you want
your addition to “fit in” with the rest of the house, both
inside and out. That is, you don't want the addition to look
like an “add-on,” either structurally or in terms of decor.
Similarly, a huge addition to a house in a modest neighborhood
will surely give you more space, but when it comes time to sell
you may not get the return on your investment you were hoping
for, as those who can afford a bigger house will likely look in
a more expensive neighborhood.
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Choose a contractor that's right for the job
When planning your addition, remember that the less impact
there is on your present structure, the more cost-effective the
addition will be. For example, moving plumbing walls, radically
altering the floor plan and making changes to the roofline will
all increase your costs significantly.
The complexity of your addition will often determine the type
of contractor you need to hire. For example, if you're adding a
simple sunroom, a remodeling contractor or a general contractor
can do the job. But if the expansion will affect many parts of
your home, or involve significant structural changes, you'll
probably need an architect or structural engineer.
Assess impact for heating and air conditioning
Your head contractor will likely bring in affiliates or
subcontractors for specialized jobs, like electrical and
plumbing. If you're adding indoor space, make sure that a
heating and air conditioning (HVAC) professional is brought in
to assess the increased demand that the addition will place on
the present system.
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by by Stu Silverman -
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Source: http://Contractors.com
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