It’s that time of year again: the rent is rising, and you need to perform renovations and repairs on your properties, but what do you add? This is a big question many home owners need to consider since you want to increase your property's value without spending too much of your own money.
When people are at a loss facing a situation like this, they usually seek help from agencies. Letting agents are professionals who are experienced in dealing with repairs and maintenance issues, and they can often get the work done more quickly and efficiently than the home owners themselves.
Whether you’re building a brand new home or considering what home additions will add the most value to your house, we have compiled a list of the best projects. Many of the ideas we've listed will add to your home’s modern appeal while also improving its resale value in the coming years.
Home Addition Ideas
1) Natural Material Designs
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Natural, sustainable materials are trending in home design. A few popular materials to consider include bamboo, cork, terrazzo, and recycled wood. Certain wood materials, like Birch plywood, are being changed out for oak and cherry, which tend to last longer. Windows made with recycled glass and metal are also making their way into newer homes today.
2) Unique Shapes and Dimensions
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Today’s homeowners are shifting away from the bland, modern open floor space with consistent straight lines. While neutral, natural colors are still relevant, designers are beginning to add personality to different rooms using unique shapes and dimensions. Arched doorways and delicately crafted window frames help different homes stand out from each other.
3) Colorful Bathrooms
Many homeowners are swapping out neutral bathrooms for more color. Previously, homes were designed using a mix of grays and whites, from the living room to the bathrooms. Bathrooms that reflect a homeowner’s personality and style are trending. Natural stones, woods, leafy colors, and fresh plants give bathrooms a spa-like design. Accent walls in a bold or leafy color also add a modern appeal to today’s bathrooms.
4) Accessible Multiple Floors
Multi-floor homes give homeowners more space without having to own as much land, which can also help buyers stick to a budget. Master-floor bedrooms with additional bedrooms on the second floor also give families more personal space. Accessibility for the increase in multi-level floors is also important.
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Gone are the days of dark, cramped stairs that are difficult to ascend and descend. Today’s homeowners are choosing wider, spiral staircases that add to the home’s overall aesthetic. Some home designs are even opting for home elevators. Previously, a residential home elevator was considered a luxury that was only available if you had a ton of floor space. Today’s home elevators are designed more compact and functional than ever. You don’t need as much space to install them. Once installed, a residential elevator offers increased functionality and convenience for all ages.
5) Covered Outdoor Spaces
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Covered outdoor spaces are also becoming more important as people spend more time at home. Not only are homeowners looking for unique ways to increase their living space using outdoor areas, but they’re also creating spaces ideal for entertaining. Built-in outdoor BBQs or kitchens are a great trend to consider. Large sliding doors with floor-to-ceiling windows make outdoor spaces more inviting and bring natural light indoors. Covered outdoor areas allow homeowners to entertain regardless of the weather.
6) Functional Work Spaces
More people are working and going to school from home, making functional offices or work spaces an important design element. Offices that are set apart from common areas in the home give workers quiet and privacy to work. Offices designed with enough windows offer natural light and comfort for long workdays. An office with ample built-in storage also makes it feel like a workspace rather than a bedroom converted.
7) Multiple Common Areas
The only common areas you’d once find in a home were the living room and kitchen. Today’s homes are designed using multiple common areas, allowing families to customize their homes to their unique needs. A second family room allows a family to convert it into a game room. A smaller bedroom can be used as a nursery or closet, easily accommodating families over different life stages. Homeowners today are also choosing more colorful common areas that offer a bold aesthetic.
8) Statement Lighting
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Home designers are putting more effort and design consideration into lighting. Recessed lighting continues to be a prominent modern design. LED lights offer calmer lighting. You’re also more likely to notice variations in lighting from room to room. A kitchen, for example, may have brightly lit lights, whereas the bedrooms use softer hues. Over-scaled chandeliers with ample lighting are also commonly found in formal dining rooms. You may also notice larger lighting displays in the lobby or main living room used as an accent or decorative piece.
Home trends continue to change with the times. Keeping up with the most recent changes can help guide your home designs. In return, you can enjoy a home that’s both functional and maintains its value well.
9) Glass Walls
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Glass walls are a great idea to use on home additions like the outdoor patio as it allows in natural light and increases the aesthetics of the space. Glass walls work well together with other additions such as plants, and they allow you to enjoy your landscaping better.
10) Modular Additions
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Modular homes are getting popular by the day because of their many advantages including how affordable they are. You can have a modular addition to keep your home from being a construction site. Modular homes further save on materials as they are factory manufactured.
Modular additions are great for detached home additions as it would be a bit hard to attach the modular home to an already existing house.
The trouble with modular additions is transportation. But once you can get them to your home, you will be set for a good upgrade.
Types of Home Additions
a) Sunroom
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A sunroom allows for a feeling of being outdoors while enjoying the advantages of an indoor space. For instance, you can enjoy watching the rain without getting rained on. A sunroom is a great idea for addition because it can double up as a studio, an office space, and a chill spot among other uses.
b) Basement Remodel
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A basement remodel is a great way to put unused rooms in the house to good use. While a basement is a space that already exists in the home, it is a home addition if it was not used as a living space before. The basement provides extra space that can fit a guest room, storage space, an office, or a studio.
The main advantage of remodeling the basement is that you do not have to add to the home's square footage, which saves you a lot of construction money.
c) Bump Outs
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A bump out is a great way to remodel a room. For instance, in the master bedroom, you can use a bump out to add bathtub space. A bump-out is usually smaller than a full room addition and is meant to just add some extra space.
Another example of a bump out can be a walk-in closet to a small room that would otherwise not have one.
d) Mud Room
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The mudroom comes in handy during winter or rainy seasons when we hardly know what to do with dripping umbrellas, raincoats, and muddy boots. Furthermore, the mud room is a great place for everyone to leave their shoes whenever you are hosting a party. You can have the mud room in the back or front door and still make it work.
e) Storage Space
Whenever you are in need of more storage space, it is better to build a storage room than to hire storage when thinking long-term. Building extra storage space has a lot of ideas to try out like a detached addition or a prefabricated unit.
Storage space is relatively easier to add as it might not need the amenities that a living space might need like air conditioning. You can just attach the room to the exterior wall and add three walls to make a unit. Storage space can be a small unit and does not have to be as large as a room can be, especially when all you need to keep is farm tools, generators, and DIY tools.
f) Enclosed Porch
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An enclosed porch allows you to enjoy your compound in all seasons without letting the weather get in your way. An enclosed porch looks great with light decorations and furniture that do not have to be weather-proofed.
g) Deck
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Adding a deck to your property is one of the best social decisions for your property. A deck is easier to build compared to a house, and yet it achieves an almost similar result as you will be spending a lot of time on the deck. While being outdoors largely depends on the weather of the day, the deck is a great home improvement.
h) Conventional Home Addition
There are home addition ideas that most homeowners go for, and these are rooms that are essential for every house. In some cases, there is not enough room to include the addition on the home's original footprint, and in other cases, there is space.
In cases where there is no space, a second-story addition comes in handy or an outdoor solution might be the answer to an addition. Here are some additional ideas most homeowners go for.
- Guest room
- Laundry room
- Dining space
- Bedroom
- kitchen
i) Garage Conversion
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The garage is one of the most converted spaces in homes. A garage can be remodeled into a studio, office, living room, guest room, and more. A garage remodel is relatively costly because the garage is already structurally complete with all the walls standing. A garage is a lot like an unfinished basement, which is another option that is popular with remodels.
j) Detached Home Addition
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A detached home addition is a type of addition that is not under the existing roof of a house. The addition is not attached to the main house and is standalone. The goal, which is to add more room, still stands. Some detached home addition ideas include an outdoor kitchen, gym, office space, workshop, and more.
Factors to Consider in Home Addition
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Before building an addition to increase the space to a small apartment or home, there are some factors you need to have in mind. Here are some.
i) Real Estate Value
How will your home addition ideas affect the property value of your home? In most cases, your property value will go up with every addition because you are adding the area of your house in square footage.
ii) Cost
Your budget will dictate the extent to which you can go with the addition. A home addition contractor can help you figure out the costs you will incur throughout the project.
iii) Building Codes
Before you create anything in the form of a building, you need to get the necessary permits for the project. Unlike doing an interior design project, changing the structure of the house demands that you get a license for the project.
iv) Utilities
If you are making an addition, you need to keep in mind where you will get the electricity lines from and whether it is possible to do plumbing properly. Certain additions like the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom need inclusions like HVAC systems, fans, drains, and more.
v) Materials
The materials you use in a home addition project will determine the cost of the project. From walls to flooring, ceiling, and finishes, your material choice is one of the main cost factors of a home addition project.
vi) Design
There are a lot of additional ideas you can get online to make your dream space come true. The design you go for will determine your interior design costs as well.
Frequently Asked Questions About
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1) What is the meaning of home addition?
A home addition is the incorporation of a finished living space in an already existing floor plan. The additional space can be a dining space, cooking space, or an extra room in the house that functions like a normal room would. A home addition can be attached to or detached from the main house. In some cases, the home addition does not have to be made from scratch, and spaces like the basement or the garage can be used instead.
2) What type of home addition is the cheapest?
Working with a basement, an attic, or a garage is the cheapest way of getting a home addition. This is because such spaces are already structurally complete and do not require too much construction other than plumbing, interior design, and wiring. In some cases, more space can be added to a home by just using the existing space better.
3) How to design an addition to a home?
When making the choice to have an addition home, there are certain tips that will help you design the best addition home. First comes the decision on what the additional space is for. It can be a general-use space that can be converted into a bedroom, a guest room, or a studio, or it can be a space that is more specific to its function, like a kitchen or a bathroom.
The next thing is to decide how much space in square footage you want, as it will dictate what you can do with the space and how much your budget will be.
Next, get floor plans and engage professionals in surveying the viability of your project. The people to talk to include an architect, a structural engineer, an interior designer, an electrician, a plumber, and a construction manager. Engaging professionals will help you get the right quote for your project to help you budget better. Luckily, you may not spend much on this as most service providers will give you a free quote before a project.
After getting a quote, you can proceed and engage an architect to design the addition and a construction manager to work on the project. If you are working with an already existing space, you still need to engage a construction company to avoid missing any steps in renovating the new space.
4) How to build a home addition step by step?
As discussed in the previous question, there are important steps to follow when adding space to your home. Here is a step-by-step guide for a home addition project on your property.
- Decide what you want to do with the space
- Look at different ideas online that will work best for your space
- Find the right professionals for the job; a contractor, a design firm, an architect, a plumber, or an electrician. Mostly, you will find these services under one firm.
- Get the designs finalized and budget quotes for the project.
- Get a building permit.
- Buy materials and prepare the site for construction. This can include moving your family members away from the construction site.
- Start construction.
- Move in and enjoy your space.
Final Thoughts
Whether you are building a project as large as a primary bedroom or as small as a walk-in closet, home additions increase your home value and add to the general comfort of your house.
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