After living in a home for a number of years, there’s often the temptation to switch things up a bit, just for the sake of newness. When you’ve done all the home improvements you can think of but nothing is giving you that extra space you’ve been wanting, making an addition or expansion to the home can seem like a great idea. However, most people tend to initially overlook the challenges and expenses associated with adding a room. With that said, here are 4 questions you might want to ask yourself before adding an extra room onto your home:
1. What Materials are the Existing Walls Made of?
Depending on where you’ll be installing the addition, you might need to knock down or cut through some walls. Sometimes that’s not a major issue if the project consists of dealing with drywall and wood. However, if the walls have steel components, or are made of brick or concrete, then you’ll be looking at a higher expense. Since you’ll probably need the services of a contractor to handle this part of the job, it would be best to compare local services. For example, if you live in Sioux Falls and your walls are made of brick or concrete, you could search for “concrete cutting in Sioux Falls” to find nearby companies that might be of assistance.
2. Who Will Be Doing the Labor?
Sometimes room additions can be done on a DIY basis, while in other cases the tasks involved will require the use of complex machinery and a trained professional. You might need to hire an electrician if you’ll be tearing through and repositioning important wiring. Labor cost will take up a sizable portion of the project budget, so it’s important to compare providers by engaging in several consultations to obtain custom quotes.
3. What is Your Overall Budget?
Once you’ve concluded that the project might be feasible based on your assessment of the composition of your walls and the estimated cost of local labor, you’ll be able to devise a more realistic budget for the expansion. If you know the exact limit on what you’re able to spend, you can use this number to determine what kind of add-on will give you the most bang for your buck.
4. Would a Standalone Room Be More Suitable?
Many times, homeowners find that adding an extra room onto an existing structure is more expensive and less convenient than simply building a standalone detached structure such as a backyard office or guest house. Doing this technically helps you free up home in the main house while also giving you the desired benefit of having an extra room that is only walking distance from your back or side door.
Try Using the Existing Square Footage First
If, after asking yourself the above questions, you’re starting to second guess the whole idea of adding an extra room onto your home, consider the option of tearing down an interior wall to create a larger area by combining the space of two existing rooms.