An addition can do so much: Give your family room to grow, increase the value of your property, and add bathrooms, entertainment spaces, or anything else you’d like to your home.
There are a lot of different things you need to consider to build an addition to your home; by asking and answering the questions in this article, you’ll be well on your way to understanding exactly what you want and need out of an addition.
How Will the Addition Be Used?
Form follows function, and understanding how your new addition will be used is essential to understanding where and how it will be built. Looking to add an additional bedroom? You might want to consider a large walk-in-closet, or perhaps an ensuite. But, you’ll want to consider where your plumbing already runs so that you can build your addition without more extensive modifications to your plumbing.
Typically you’ll have a few different options for home extensions:
- Side extensions
- Back extensions
- Add-a-level extensions (adding new stories to your house)
The option that you will choose will depend on what you plan on using the addition for, as well as how much space you have in your yard (a topic we’ll discuss at greater length later in this article).
Will It Match Existing Architecture?
We’ve all seen houses where additions have been spliced on haphazardly; unless you’re shooting for a Frankenstein’s monster aesthetic, that’s not the right move.
Ideally, extensions to your home should match the existing architecture and aesthetics. Your contractor should match all of the floor and roof lines in your home, integrate electrical, plumbing, and ventilation, and match the style of your addition to the style of your home.
Additions will also have an impact on all of these systems; you may need a more powerful furnace or air conditioner or need to upgrade your electrical system. Additions will also frequently involve the building of new load-bearing walls.
For these reasons, it can be a good idea to hire an engineer to design your new addition. The team at All Canadian Renovations works with a few select engineers and designers to ensure the new addition is integrated seamlessly into your existing house.
How Disruptive Is Construction?
This is a rhetorical question: If you’re building an addition, the answer is “very”. That’s why we recommend you consider making other living arrangements during the majority of the construction process. We work hard to ensure that construction is minimally disruptive, but at the end of the day, we’re knocking down walls, using power tools, and swinging hammers. The process is noisy and messy; we’ll clean everything up, but you don’t want to be sleeping and eating in the same place we’re building an addition.
Does Your Yard Allow for Expansion?
The goal of any addition is to add more space to your existing house—but how much space you can add depends, in large part, on the size of your yard.
Most additions are built to the side or back because there isn’t enough space between the front of the house and the property line (that and that people’s homes are typically designed around a front-facing door). You may also run into neighborhood restrictions as to how much frontage your yard is required to have in your neighborhood, or how close you are able to build to your property line, etc… The zoning office is the best place to start before contacting a contractor!
Are Permits & Approvals Needed?
Permits and approvals are absolutely necessary any time you’re modifying your living space with an addition. These permits ensure that you’re following local building codes, as well as keeping with all local zoning requirements.
Building Permits
Here in Winnipeg, you’ll need a building permit to build an addition. You may also need a variety of other permits if you’re modifying your plumbing or electrical systems. At All Canadian Renovations, we look after obtaining all necessary permits, and we do so on your behalf! Having a contractor obtain permits for any renovation project is essential, as reputable contractors will carry the appropriate liability insurance – something that is needed should anything happen during the project!
Zoning Variances
When an addition doesn’t meet the zoning requirements laid out by the city (and thus is ineligible for a building permit), you may apply for a zoning variance in order to change the requirements and allow for your addition. This process can take some time but can be quite worth it if you want to add extra square footage (and extra space) to your home.
Add-On Successfully By Evaluating the Key Factors
All of the home addition considerations we’ve listed above will help you determine:
- Where you should place your home addition
- How it will fit into your existing home
- What permits you’ll need
- What the maximum square footage of your addition can be
- How you should plan your daily life around construction
By keeping these factors in mind, you’ll be able to build the perfect addition to add space to your house. Whether you’re adding a new bedroom, a family room, a bathroom, or anything else, we can help. The team at All Canadian Renovations can design and build a home addition for you; contact us today for a free consultation!