How to Choose the Right Home Addition Design -

Making decisions about your home addition design is one of the largest choices you’ll make as a homeowner.

Do it right and you’re adding tremendous value and comfort to your property. Do it wrong and you’ve thrown money away on wasted expenses, planning mishaps, and an end result that clashes with your home.

Here’s the reality…

9 times out of 10 homeowners start a home addition project without a plan. They’re busy thinking about what they WANT instead of what will actually WORK –from square footage to roof line.

So let’s break down how you can create a plan to avoid that happening.

Inside this guide you’ll discover:

Why your Design Needs to Come First
What are the Most Popular Home Addition Types?
How to Ensure Your Addition Matches Your Home
Everything you Need to Know About Permits, Budget, and Mistakes to Avoid
How to Pick the Right Design Team for you

Why Your Design Needs to Come First

Let’s start with a common misconception…

You hire a contractor before you even know your REAL design. Why? Design IS everything — from your permit application to your overall build cost. Don’t skimp on design. The more effort you put into designing your dream addition before construction starts, the fewer surprise costs you’ll encounter, change orders will be minimized, and the entire build will go smoother from start to finish.

Every single homeowner who does their homework with the design stage of a home addition project sees far better results than those who dive right into hiring a builder. Every design choice you make — from room layout to roof type to foundation details — will impact your budget and timeline down the road.

Skip this step at your peril.

What are the Most Popular Home Addition Types?

Ok. So you know you need to design first. But what style of addition are you going to build?

The most common home additions include:

Room additions
Bump-outs
Second-story additions
Garage conversions
Sunrooms

Each home addition comes with it’s own designs strengths, structural challenges, and budgetary expectations.

Here’s the important part:

The type of home addition you build matters when it comes to your budget. According to industry data from HomeAdvisor, the average cost to build a home addition is $51,018 but that could literally be HALF of what you’ll pay to build a second-story addition or HALF of what you expect to pay if you’re simply finishing a basement.

Know what type of addition you’re going to build BEFORE you start your design.

How to Ensure Your Addition Matches Your Home

If you thought the design phase was important…wait till you see this.

Adding square footage to your home is fantastic, but if the addition doesn’t MATCH your home you’ll hurt your resale value. Seriously.

This is Nonnegotiable. You must match your home addition to your existing home.

Focus on these three key areas:

Matching Architectural Style

Footprint, roof style, exterior material, windows, and even trim details should flow with what’s already there. If you have a craftsman-style home, you don’t just slap on a modern square box. Or vice versa. You match the STYLE of your addition to your home’s existing structure.

Interior Flow

Open concept bathroom? Sure, if it doesn’t make you have to walk through the living room to get to the shower. Take into consideration how your new addition will impact how you use your home on a daily basis. A well thought out design plans for ideal interior flow.

Size and Proportions

Large additions can look great, but make sure they’re proportional to your home. A giant two-story add-on to a small one-level ranch doesn’t look right. Or function right. Keep additions in proper proportion to your home’s size.

Permits, Budget, and Avoid These Home Addition Design Mistakes

Alright. We’ve gone over the obvious… now here’s a few things most people don’t think about.

Get your permits (or your homeowner’s dreams will crash)

Thinking you can skip the permit phase to save time? Think again.

This is probably the biggest mistake homeowners make when tackling a DIY project. Don’t do it. Unless you want to invest more money and time fixing unpermitted construction mistakes OR spend hundreds of dollars having inspectors poke and prod your build during construction.

Stick to the rules and apply for your permits before you break ground. Period.

Budget accordingly and you’ll save yourself a headache later

Don’t dive into your home addition without a budget or a plan to stick to that budget. Here are the big things you’ll need to budget for.

Home Addition Design
Building Permits & Inspections
Foundation & Structural
Mechanical Upgrades
Finishes

And when you factor in how much you’ll get back when it’s time to sell, the payoff is clear. Home additions return 20-50% on your investment. Bedroom additions return over 60% on average. A deck addition returns 40-50% of your initial investment back at resale.

Home additions are great. But only if you’ve designed one that FITS your home.

How to Choose The Right Design Team

You’ve planned out every detail. Now it’s time to find someone to help you get it done.

Finding the right home addition designer is crucial to your home additions success.

Look for these traits when hiring a designer:

Look for local knowledge. Search for builders who have experience with custom additions in your area.
Architectural style compatibility. Find a builder who has experience with many different home styles.
Permitting Process – Ideally, your contractor will manage the entire permitting process for you.
Pricing and Schedule – Everything should be laid out for you upfront. No surprises.
References / Past Clients – Find reviews of past clients and their experiences with the designer.

Interview at least 2-3 contractors. Ask lots of questions. Ask for references. Cross-check information.

Here’s a red flag to look out for:

If your contractor doesn’t include the design process as part of their pricing plan. They will likely give you a ballpark figure with ZERO design input, only to raise prices later on when the design phase begins.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, there are 4 things to think about when choosing your home addition design.

Design ALWAYS comes first.
Know what type of addition you’re going to build.
Matching the style of your home is crucial.
Work with an expert who knows local permitting process.

Home additions are one of the best investments you can make in your home. Not only will you be gaining valuable square footage, but you’ll be improving your quality of life every day you spend in your home.

And don’t forget… if you design it right, that investment pays dividends when it’s time to sell.