There are several reasons why homeowners opt for home additions. While some plan on increasing the value of their property, others want to increase the living space. However, when building home addition, some mistakes might go unnoticed. Let’s discuss them and also how to avoid them.
Mismatching Your Home Addition Floor Plan To Your Lifestyle
When it comes to home additions, the first thing that needs utmost importance is the fact that home additions will only be successful if they suit the needs and preferences of the homeowner. If the home addition does not match with the lifestyle, there isn’t going to be any benefit in the long run.
For instance, if you are single and living alone, you might want to have some guests or family members visiting you every weekend. In this case, you wouldn’t want the guest bathroom to be far from where they are relaxing. This means that the home addition should be within everyone’s reach.
In addition to that, if you have a large family and you work from home. You would want your home office to be as far away from the playroom and the kid’s bedrooms as possible. However, you will need to hire an experienced designer for this purpose.
Prioritizing Form Over Function
A slight downside to home additions is that they all look good on the screen or paper. However, once the plan is implemented, the homeowner soon realizes that functionality was left out. If the homeowner cannot find functionality in his own home addition, you cannot expect others to as well when it comes to selling the property.
The seller will simply disregard it and negotiate for a lower price. This is why it is important to prioritize function over form. Even though you might be working with the best architect out there, but they do not live with you. As a result, you are the only one who truly understands their needs and preferences.
Allocating Space Poorly
Many architects are of the view that homeowners complain of too dark or small home additions. This is because most homeowners allot space quite poorly. For instance, if you have a hallway, keep it like that, instead of abusing it. You are not going to get anything out of it. You need to keep things spacious, comfortable and worth living.
Ignoring Your Existing Infrastructure
Another common mistake amongst homeowners is that they tend to ignore the existing infrastructure. Building a new room or adding a second story might seem interesting but you cannot ignore the foundation of your house. If you do, you risk bringing down the entire house.
In fact, some states have rules & regulations that strictly govern home additions, especially when it comes to those that influence the existing infrastructure. In that case, you might need to acquire a permit from the state as well.
Not Considering Your Furniture In The Overall Design
A room is more than just paint, walls, and floor, etc. Furniture and other decorative items make it a worthwhile living space. This means that you should consider the furniture in the overall room design as well. This prevents you from spending more money on replacing your furniture so that it complements with the new addition.
If the overall vibe of the new addition is energetic and fresh, you cannot make it work with antique or old furniture. There needs to be something modern and contemporary to highlight the idea.
Supervising Your Project
Even though it is a good thing, but sometimes, supervising your project can turn disastrous. The reason is that every individual working on a home addition project is equipped with different sets of skills. This means that you cannot possibly interfere at every step.
However, at the same time, it does not mean that you should be absent from the entire process. Instead, you should supervise the design phase and the process of purchasing materials. You should be there during demolition, design, wall restricting, and other processes to avoid headaches in the long run.
Final Word
In the end, following the above-mentioned tips will help you avoid the most common home addition problems. Remember, it is a process that takes time and careful planning. Therefore, hire the right home addition companies DC and take note of the important considerations.