If you’re planning on adding a new addition to your home, you’re not alone. It can be an overwhelming task to consider. You want to know all the practical tips for building an addition to your home. There’s a lot to think about. Most importantly, you want to ensure that your space works well to fit a new addition. It can take you years to plan for this moment because of a number of factors. For instance, you have to ensure that your budget is adequate to match the design that you’re going for. But that’s not all. You will still need to ensure that this new building blends in with the rest of your home. If you use these five tips for building an addition to your home, you should be well on your way to creating the space of your dreams. You should keep on reading to find out more.
1. Look at Local Laws and Codes
First things first, you should make sure that you’ve reviewed the local building laws and codes before you start your project. You’d be surprised to find that zoning laws have evolved over the years in America. Moreover, no state is regulated by identical laws. Before you start looking for different remodeling companies, you should understand why zoning laws are one of your crucial considerations. If you think about it, every structure has specifications for how it should be built. The same goes for your building additions to your home. Most importantly, you should find out if you can repurpose your existing property. In some cases, you might find that municipal laws restrict you from adding to or replacing any existing structure.
You may think that adding anything to your home is easy. You saw how easily your neighbor, Joe, managed to get it done. He even told you about what basic tips for building an addition to your home you should follow. Yet, he failed to mention just how important it is for you to know your zoning laws and codes before you can even start with the building process. In fact, you’ll be shocked to find that even your kitchen remodeling requires you to obtain a permit first. This can generally take anywhere between 4-6 weeks to be granted. So, it’s important to make sure that you’ve covered your bases with this crucial step. These are some of the reasons why knowing your zoning laws and building codes are important.
- They ensure that you abide by the rules of proper usage of land.
- They support your safety and your neighbor’s.
- They can influence the value of your real-estate.
Zoning laws are generally categorized by types. Each type indicates the use and type of building structure that you’re planning on building. The 4 main types of zoning laws are categorized as follows.
- Agricultural
- Residential
- Commercial
- Industrial
In some states, you might have to produce a land-use plan that’s consistent with the zoning and that you develop with the public or your neighbors’ input. So, the next time that Joe shares easy tips for building an addition to your home, you should ask him to give you the details of how he executed his zoning and the laws that he had to follow.
2. Building a Strong Foundation
The next thing that your list of tips for building an addition to your home should include is building a strong foundation. If you’re building any type of structure directly from the ground, it will be prone to failure. If your earth is unprepared, it won’t be able to handle the weight despite the size of your structure. This is why laying a solid foundation should be something that you plan. If you don’t, then your engineered hardwood flooring won’t be able to withstand the damage from below the surface. The simplest way for you to build a foundation is by using reinforced concrete.
If you’re unsure of how a strong foundation can benefit your addition to your home, you’re not alone. The following 3 benefits should help you to understand better.
- It stabilizes your home and even pool decks in the event of any storm damage.
- It can ensure that your home is still standing after severe flooding.
- Your porous reinforced concrete can act as an insulating buffer to prevent heat- loss.
Now that you understand why building a strong foundation is important for your building, you should learn how you can build one. These are useful tips for building an addition to your home and they’re easy to follow.
Step 1: Soil Inspection
The first thing that you should consider doing is inspecting your soil composition. Your soil plays a significant role in how strong your foundation will be. If you don’t have the right kind of soil, it can make it difficult to mix it with your reinforced cement. Moreover, your soil composition can affect the lifespan of your foundation which ultimately impacts your overall structural building. If you don’t know how to check your soil type, it’s okay. The great news is that you can ask your structural engineer to do it for you.
Step 2: Excavating and Grading Process
Since you know your soil type and conditions, you should move on to the excavation process. The thing is, your soil contains waste materials that you shouldn’t mix with your cement. You should remove any materials that can affect your building process. Your excavation contractor should know how to dig up the soil at the desired length. Most importantly, it should be done in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with the slope when it gets graded.
Step 3: Building the foundation
The first thing that you should consider when you’re building your foundation is whether you’ll be pouring your cement into the trenches or wood forms to create your footing. This, however, will depend on the type of soil that you have and the kind of foundation that you wish to have. You should remember to add crack resistance to your concrete and reinforce it. Every detail counts when it comes to your foundation. You should pay attention to every small or big detail.
Step 4: Finishing Touches
Your tips for building an addition to your home wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t include this very important rule. You shouldn’t skip the finishing touches of your foundation. Your contractor should have the most care when he’s building your foundation. This means that he should have the right tools to smooth over the surface. You don’t want to have an uneven foundation that can even affect the installation of your kitchen cabinets.
3. Match your Decor
Your essential tips for building an addition to your home should include your interior decorating. What is a new building without any new furniture to match? But you don’t want to make the common mistake of using a different style when you decorate your new addition. You should make sure that the old matches the new by incorporating similar colors and styles in your new addition. For instance, you should try to match your outside colors with your exterior ones. Let’s say that you’re getting outdoor roller blinds. You should still make sure that they match your indoor colors. This should give your home the perfect blend of colors. These tips should help you to decorate your new addition the way that you want to without breaking your bank.
- Make sure that your front door sets the tone. This is how you make a great first impression for your guests.
- Stick to neutral and light colors. Especially if you’re planning on painting your walls.
- Let the sun shine bright onto your kitchen countertops. Leave it airy and light with colors that won’t fade soon. Opt for lightweight fabrics.
- Use mirrors to widen your space and to add more light.
- Layer your lighting with ambient, accent, and task lighting features.
4. Prepare Your House
Adding an additional room or outside structure can leave you all too exalted to even think about the rest of your home. This is why you need to follow a practical guide of tips for building an addition to your home to remind you that the rest of your house still matters. With all the loud and messy construction, your home can be a sight for sore eyes. This is the reason why your furniture and any other delicate things should remain covered. Most importantly, you should make sure that you’ve made everyone (including your pets) aware of all the safety hazards around the house. Speaking of pets, you should ensure that you’ve made appropriate arrangements for them during the course of the construction. For instance, if you have dogs, you should understand how the noise levels and changes can affect them. Suddenly, there are far too many people going in and out of your home. This can make your furry friends a lot more anxious than you might think. Make sure that you’ve considered them as much as you’ve made preparations for the rest of your family.
The following are other considerations that you should take as you prepare your home for building an addition.
- List all of your belongings for potential insurance purposes
- Tidy up and clear out things before the construction begins
- Find a reliable storage solution
- Update your security system
- Think of any other inconveniences
The most important thing that you should consider when you’re preparing your home for any remodeling is to brace yourself for anything to happen.
5. Plan the Landscaping
You’d be surprised to find that landscaping is the one aspect that most people tend to overlook when they’re busy with their remodeling projects. You don’t want to be this person. This is why planning your landscaping around this new addition should be something that you think of. If you’ve already got the landscaping done, you should just ensure that this additional one matches your surroundings. At the end of the day, you want to ensure that you create and maintain a seamless look throughout. If you’ve never planned your landscaping before, you’re not alone. There are important things that you should consider. For example, you should know your yard. This includes understanding your regional climate as well as the topography of your yard. By now, you should know how important knowing your soil components is. The type of landscaping that you choose should be affected by such factors.
When you think of your landscaping design, you should think of its aesthetic value and the benefits that it should offer you. However, you can’t think of these things without adequate planning. So keep in mind and consider these important things for your next landscaping project.
- You should consider who will use your yard and for what purpose. Are you someone who enjoys outdoor entertainment? Your space should be created for different uses.
- Try to use a theme to unify your old and new landscaping.
- Include materials that can link your spaces. But make sure it’s practical and allows for easy movement from one space to the next.
- Don’t forget to make your plants work for you. Not only will they provide you with the right ambiance, but you can use them to define spaces.
- Pay attention to detail by highlighting particular areas of your landscape. This is when you use structures or unique plants.
- Call the electricians to add lighting to your outdoor area.
In summary, when you follow this guide of tips for building an addition to your home, you should be more than prepared for anything that will come. It won’t matter if your home is going to be dismantled partially or if you need to replace your HVAC system. The fact of the matter is that you should have a list of useful tips that can help you to keep your wits about you at all times. The building process can be too much for you to handle, especially when you have kids and pets who have to get used to these changes.