Home Addition Plans?
Yep, we’ve got them… we’ve had them for a while, a long while. Plans to renovate our house, adding a master bedroom en-suite with a playroom below. And our plans have been passed for nearly a year… and for the EXACT reasons detailed below (well, the first and the last), we haven’t gone ahead (yet). This contributed post is absolutely spot on. What’s your reason for stalling on your home addition plans?
Big Barriers Between You And Your Home Addition?
Whether the family is growing or you’re simply sick of being cooped up in a home that’s too small, a home addition is an effective way to add the space you need. However, it can be anything but easy. Here, we’re going to look at some of the biggest barriers you need to consider before you make your plans a reality.
Money, money, money
Creating a budget for your addition is crucial. You may already have an idea of how much the average addition of the size you’re considering costs and you might have a loan or savings ready to go. However, scope creep is a common concern, so it’s worth looking at a budgetary guide to ensure you include all the expected costs. There’s the labour, permits, materials, and cleanup to consider. Depending on the site or other circumstances, you should always have a portion of the budget set aside for extras. You don’t want to get bit by unexpected costs.
The red tape
Any significant changes to the home need to be given the go-ahead before you can make them, in the vast majority of cases. An addition certainly falls under that category. Some of the permits you might need include structural, electrical, plumbing, and gas permits. You should also check for what local permits you need, especially if your home is part of a community that has strict rules on both the aesthetic and layout of a home. The contractors you rely on for the construction should be well aware of the permits you need so its best to consult them.
The worksite itself
You need enough space to accommodate the team of contractors that have to carry out the work on the home. If you’re adding some rooms behind the home, for instance, you should do what you can to provide as much clear space in the backyard as possible. Besides clearing up space, you may also have space that is simply unusable in its current form. Uneven or rough terrain may require you to rent ground protection mats to ensure that the construction doesn’t do any damage. Furthermore, they make sure that materials and equipment can be safely and efficiently moved throughout the site.
Your home life disruption
There is going to be plenty of noise and disruption at home while the project goes on. You should get a good idea of how long the project is estimated to take. If you work from a home office, you might want to consider finding a co-working space or simply taking a laptop to a café for the time that the contractors are there. Similarly, if you have kids or pets, you need to think of how you can either keep them away from the worksite or from the home entirely while the work is going on.
Unless your permit applications are straight-up denied, none of the barriers mentioned above should be insurmountable. You simply need to decide how much expense and inconvenience you’re willing to bear, and whether the investment will be worth the cost in the end.
Have you also had home addition plans on the cards for aaaages?
