Additions to Houses

massdreams

NWMR - We're looking at homes right now (and it's a tough market and slim pickings where we are). One thing we are keeping in mind is if it would be possible to put an addition on a house down the road. Has anyone done this before? I know the costs vary greatly depending on the type of addition, but one home we are looking at we would just want to do a horizontal addition to provide a larger family room space (so no plumbing needed). I'm curious what others' experiences have been with this process (how much was it, did the actual costs greatly exceed your estimate). We don't know anybody personally who has recently done this, so if you have any insight, that would be great!

snicksnack

We looked into it several years ago. First does not really matter what you want to do you Can get saddled with certain costs and requirements based on laws and permits. To do what we originally wanted add a room onto the back we have needed to have certain types of duct work etc to make it completely part of an old house but up to today code would have been a nightmare so we went the sunroom route as far as estimates a basic one would have ran us a minimum of 20k just having it built not counting the woodstove we would have put in etc.  we ended up not doing it because overall it would not have added value to the house and we are planning to move eventually. I wold talk to a local contractor to get an idea. In Maryland where we live the lead laws would have added major costs to what we originally wanted to do  even though our house was tested and does not have lead because it was built in the 50s lead tents etc are required. 

giggles0918

Lurker here....

 My BIL and SIL did an addition to their house and it was a nightmare.  They added a bedroom above the garage and I don't think they did their research very well.  They were a few months late on when they said it would get done.  They flooded their upstairs ruining the hardwood floor, broke the alarm system, a few windows and left nails and scraps on their driveway/garage.  I just suggest doing your research as I hope their experience is not the norm.

*sparky*

Have not done an addition but my friend recently did and one consideration if you are opening up an entire side of your house while adding on is that your home will not be secure for a period of time.  They ended up moving into a hotel for a few weeks because between the fact that (1) one side of their house was basically a tarp that anyone could just walk right through and (2) there were workmen showing up at 6 am to get started, she did not feel comfortable being in the house.

Also as you are house shopping you need to know the rules around easements and how close you can build to the property line and make sure you will have enough room to add an addition and also any deck/patio you may want to have off of it.

SoMoNY

Cost is really going to depend of your area.  What costs $20k in one area can be $30k+ in another.

You'll need foundation, framing, insulation, electric, heating, flooring, etc.  You'll want a licensed contractor who can manage permits, inspections and all that fun stuff for you.

I added an open 8' deep by 41 feet long covered porch to my home and it costed just over $20k just to give you an idea. 

 

 

NicoleWI

We're about to start this. We bought a house that we got a really great deal on and are considering a pretty substantial addition. For sure we are enlarging the laundry room, adding a powder room, & putting a tub in the kids' bath. We are probably also removing part of the back wall of the house to enlarge the great room and add a playroom/family room off the dining area.

If we do all of this, the estimate is over $100K....but it would make the house really work for us and we bought at a great price. We also would lump this into our mortgage. 

We found we needed a design/build company with an architect, not just a contractor. We met with a couple builders/contractors and with two architects who do design/build, and hired the one who was referred to us by a builder friend. The architect will draw up all the plans, handle permitting, etc., and he has various tradespeople who work for him. He does really great work and I checked references. We're paying more for him that we would have for someone else but we need this to go well since we will be living in the house with our kids.