Home addition is an excellent option when you need more space in your home. Before the project can start, you must plan the whole thing well.
Expanding your home is more than just adding space. It improves your family’s comfort and your home’s market value. A single home addition project can adapt your living space to the lifestyle you’re leading.
If you live in Burke, VA, and you need additional space, a home addition is a wise investment. Whether you want a separate workspace or a bigger space to entertain your family members and visitors, it all boils down to planning.
This guide outlines the best tips for planning your home addition project, the common additions you can go for, and the things you should consider for work of this scale.
Key Takeaways:
- Building a home office for remote work and accommodating more kitchen space can be reasons for home additions.
- Some home additions, such as bump-outs and garage conversions, are cheaper than usual.
- It helps to design your home addition based on your needs now and in the future.
Learn what our experts have to say about your home before the work begins. Consult with us now for free!
Why Consider a Home Addition in Burke, VA?
Home additions are great projects to pursue if you want to expand your living space to suit your needs. These are the common reasons for doing it for your Virginia home:
- Growing Families: Home additions give your family more space for playrooms and bedrooms without the need to move to another home.
- Remote Work Solutions: Adding a dedicated home office to your existing home offers a productive and quiet space to work.
- Entertainment and Lifestyle: Adding an entertainment room, sunroom, game room, or expanded kitchen improves your living experience. You’ll have more space to host family gatherings or cook the food you want.
- Increasing Property Value: The properties in Burke, VA, are on the rise. Home additions can increase your home’s resale value and make it attractive to future buyers.
- Customizable Space: Homeowners like you can add a master suite, an in-law suite, or a finished basement to your current home.
- Outdoor Space Preservation: Adding a second story to your house expands the living space upward, maintaining your garden and yard space for outdoor activities.
Types of Home Additions
Maximize every square footage of your home with these additions:
Room Addition
Room additions are a common way to expand your already dream home. This process involves building onto the home’s existing structure, including extending the foundation and adding plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
Depending on the kind of room you want to add, you could spend around $21,000 to $73,500 on room additions. Bathroom additions can be expensive, often totaling $54,000. You need to have concrete room addition plans reviewed and approved by an architect before you begin the work.
Second-Story Addition
This is a viable option if you have limited lot space. A second story doubles your living space without ruining the property’s footprint. It can house another family room, bathroom, and bedroom.
Depending on the story’s complexity and design, adding a second story to your home could cost you $100,000 to $250,000. This could increase your home’s resale value in the future. Factors like upgrading electrical, plumbing, and roofing systems could add to the cost.
Bump-Out Addition
This addition expands the room a few feet beyond the original wall. It won’t alter the home’s entire footprint. The bump-out addition can accommodate a kitchen, breakfast nook, short bathroom extension for a larger tub, or small home office.
Bump-out additions cost less than room and second-story additions, making it perfect for those who want a practical expense instead of doing a major home renovation. You’ll spend around $15,000-$30,000 for them.
Garage Conversion
Transforming an unused yet existing garage into a functional living space is a budget-friendly home addition, amounting to $10,000-$40,000. You can turn it into a home office, guest suite, or accessory dwelling unit for extended family. Since the walls and roof already exist, you only have to add electrical, plumbing, insulation, and HVAC systems.
Get insights from our team on how to do your home addition with a free consultation!
Planning a Seamless Home Addition
Adding a little space in your Virginia home needs careful planning. Execute it well with these tips:
Create a Budget for the Addition
Your budget will keep the project going. Save money by:
- Determining the Project Type: Ask yourself if you need a room addition, bump-out, second-story, or converted garage. Then, understand the costs of the project you want and allot money for materials, labor, permits, and extra expenses.
- Creating House Plans: Consult an engineer or an architect to plan the layout of your new addition. They know more about your home’s functionality, flow, and design and can give you a solid floor plan.
- Prioritizing Your Needs: Consider extra features you may want for your space to make its usage convenient.
Hiring the Right Contractor
Getting the right contractor for the project makes the work seamless. For your home addition and remodeling, work with a design-build team that knows the sensibilities of Burke, VA. Their track record for handling clients’ concerns and style approaches can make a huge difference to your home.
One such company is Elite Contractors Services. As a design-build team, their portfolio of completed projects shows their expertise in doing kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and basement projects. They’ll work with you from the initial consultation to the actual construction until the final walkthrough to see if the home addition suits your taste.
Designing for Your Lifestyle
Look for design ideas for your home online. While aesthetics might be important, consider your and your family’s current and future needs and everyone’s convenience.
Maximizing Energy Efficiency
Use energy-efficient features and appliances to save thousands of dollars on power bills. High-performance insulation, for example, can warm up your home in winter and keep it cool in summer. Another feature is smart thermostats, which control the temperature in your home, reducing your energy consumption. These items can make your home attractive to future buyers in Burke, VA, for their energy-saving benefits.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Every home addition project runs into challenges that can delay the timeline and add more work. Here are the common ones and the ways to get through them:
Unexpected Costs
Unforeseen expenses can arise as you work on the project, including foundation problems, structural issues, and increases in the prices of materials. That’s why you should set aside around 10-20% of your total budget to have extra money to spend when you come across these problems.
Get a detailed estimate from contractors and ask about potential hidden costs. Purchase your materials off-season or ahead of time to avoid last-minute price hikes.
Permitting Delays
Navigating the permitting process in Burke, VA, can be challenging. Work with Elite Contractors Services, who knows the local building codes, regulations, and is familiar with the Fairfax County permit process. They can guide you through the documentation and compliance with local codes. It would help you to submit an accurate house plan to get your permit faster.
Working Around Your Schedule
Noise, dust, and limited access to other parts of your home can disrupt your life during home additions. For more flexibility, align the remodeling or renovation work at a time when no one is around. Discuss the project timeline with your contractor and create working hours that are least disruptive to your family.
Final Words
Planning your home addition for 2024 lets you customize your space for your family and job while keeping up with the latest designs and bolstering your house’s value. Choose from room, bump-out, garage conversion, and second-story additions to give you the best comfort that fits your budget.
Ready to give your home a makeover? Let our seasoned design-build team handle everything for you! Here at Elite, we’re all about bringing your vision to life. Contact us today!