Is your home ready for an addition?
A useful addition begins with a problem worth solving and a property that can support the solution. Check the existing home and the site before choosing the size or appearance of the new space.
Read the guideHOMEOWNER GUIDES
Home additions
Useful questions, practical considerations and clear starting points for your project. 10 guides in this topic.
Build outward or add a second story?
The useful comparison is the cost and disruption of achieving the same daily functions. Start with a room brief, then ask a qualified design team to test both directions against the property.
Read the guideWhat drives the cost of a home addition?
An addition budget becomes more useful when it explains where the money goes. Separate the new space from the work needed to connect it to the property and the existing home.
Read the guidePlan a primary-suite addition that works with the house
A successful primary suite works as part of the whole house. Test the route to it, the bedroom layout and the bathroom’s infrastructure before spending time on finishes.
Read the guideA family room addition versus rearranging existing space
Before adding area, find out whether the problem is too little space, poorly arranged space or conflicting activities. Compare an addition and a reconfiguration against the same functional brief.
Read the guideCan a garage become conditioned living space?
A garage’s walls and roof do not establish that it is suitable for living space. Treat conversion as a feasibility study covering the building, the site and the proposed use.
Read the guideEnclosing a porch: what changes when it becomes living space?
Start by deciding what you want the porch to become. Insect screening, weather protection and fully conditioned living space are different goals with different design questions.
Read the guideAdd a bathroom without overlooking infrastructure
The best-looking bathroom location may not have the simplest infrastructure. Compare service routes and existing conditions before locking in the floor plan.
Read the guidePrepare for the connection between old and new structures
The connection between old and new deserves its own design review. Ask for coordinated details and clear responsibility for structure, roof transitions and continuous water control.
Read the guideLive at home during an addition: planning questions
Living at home is a construction-planning decision. It depends on which rooms remain usable, how occupants are separated from work and what happens during disruptive stages.
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