Building an addition onto your home is a great way to add value and extra living space. However, an addition is also major construction that can cause much disruption to your home life. Here are five steps to take to get the addition that you want without putting the rest of your home under construction.
Consider Building Out Instead of Building Up
Image via Flickr by Brock Builders
When you build out, you add another room at ground level. Generally, contractors will dig into the yard where the addition is going, install a new slab or foundation, put up the walls and roof, and open an existing wall so that you can get access to your new addition. Since building up requires taking off the existing roof, adding a staircase, and adding more structural support to ground-level walls, you can easily see why building out usually involves the least disruption to your home.
Seal Off the Rest of the House
Demolition and construction are dusty processes. Try to keep the part of the house you’re living in as clean as possible by sealing off the doorways with plastic and tape. If possible, also consider having a portable toilet on your worksite so that the crew members won’t track dust and debris through the house when they need to use the bathroom.
Plan for Temporary Rooms
If you’re putting an addition onto your kitchen, you’re going to need to plan where a temporary kitchen in your house can go so that you’re not dealing with the added cost of eating out every night. Try to create a room where you can plug in the refrigerator, microwave, and stove so that you can still cook during the construction process. While you might lose access to your dishwasher for a short time, you can always wash dishes by hand in a sink until your new kitchen is ready.
Use a Ductless Heating and Cooling System
To make sure your new addition is comfortable, you’ll have to add some type of heating and cooling system. However, if you choose to try to connect your addition to your home’s existing HVAC system air ducts, you may add several weeks of daily disruptions to the construction schedule. Instead, consider using a ductless mini-split heating and cooling system in your addition. These units are simple to install, with many up and running in only one day. These systems also give you the ability to heat and cool one room or zone, making them more energy-efficient units that can save you money on operating costs.
Know When to Schedule Your Home Addition
If you’re planning a long vacation or you have an extended period when you’re away from your home, these times might be the perfect opportunities to have your addition completed. Along with less stress and interference, the crew can more likely complete your addition faster because they don’t have to work around you or worry about minimizing dust, debris, or noise.
From deciding the right type of addition to choosing a convenient heating and cooling system, the steps above can help you build an addition onto your home without disrupting your home in the process.
I watched a best friend’s home addition being built then years later one of my own. Your suggestions are excellent; however, I strongly disagree with the last. I remember watching my mother’s house being built a lifetime ago. Every day when I went to check progress, the contractors had opposed–wrong size windows, no arch in the living room, wrong bathroom, etc. The home owner needs to supervise carefully and often. Miscommunications and mistakes are reality. One should get what they arrange and pay for.
Living with a contractor as a dad this was my entire childhood. These are all great tips! I think the kitchen is the hardest room to add onto and needs a ton of planning in the budget when you can not cook.