From Traditional to Modern
If you love your neighbourhood, but your home no longer suits your lifestyle, or your growing family needs more space, then a home addition might be for you. Building an addition not only adds space but gives you the opportunity to make it your own without going through the expense of building a new home.
Combine your addition with a home remodel and you essentially have a new home for a fraction of the cost and time it takes to build.
Remodel a bathroom to make it feel like a spa
Don’t be limited in your imagination when considering a home addition. If you have a bungalow, you can easily add a second story to accommodate your en-suite bedrooms, and maybe also the laundry room for your convenience.
Now that you moved the bedrooms upstairs, you have more room on the first floor. You can add an office or family room or remodel your kitchen – the possibilities are endless. All the luxuries buyers are seeking in a new home can be yours.
A simple addition to the front creates curb appeal and room for closets inside
If your home is already a two-story but you want more space, think about adding an addition over the garage.
You can have another bedroom, add a walk-in closet and an en-suite or change the layout of your second story to function better for you.
This addition added a large breakfast room on the ground floor.
By extending the 2nd floor, a 4th bedroom, a master bathroom and a walk-in master closet was added. The laundry was moved upstairs, too.
Another option is to add an addition to the back of your home. Here you have several options: One way is to dig 4 feet for footings. This does save you some money on excavation and pouring of concrete but there is no other savings to this method.
There is, however a disadvantage to this option: instead of more living space in your basement, the most you will have is a crawl space for storage and your basement will be dark since no windows can be added to the living space.
If possible, a full basement foundation is better for adding living space and light. Why not add a walkout to give you access to your back yard? It will make your basement a more usable, desirable space. With the addition at the back of your home, you now have added space on your main floor, that luxury kitchen family room you have dreamed about is now realized. Add a second story on top of the first-floor addition and now you can reconfigure your second floor to function better for your family too.
Before the second story addition was added
Before starting any addition there are several things you will have to look at. First, know what you want and put a wish list together. Every addition project needs to start with a plan and a breakdown of the square footage you want.
Now you need to formulate a budget thinking“what do I want to spend?” Don’t rely on contractors to give you quotes before you have a budget. Don’t be afraid to tell your builder what your expectations are and how much you want to spend. From there your builder can tell you if it’s realistic and work with you to make sure your project meets your needs and is delivered on budget.
During the second story addition construction
There are a lot of elements that go into an addition that you need to factor into your budget. The foundation starts with site preparations, demolition and then excavation. Next comes the pouring for a basement or for concrete footings and waterproofing.
Now we are ready for framing, Plywood sheathing, floor joists, roof trusses, roofing, cladding and don’t forget exterior trim. Inside you have insulation, electrical, drywall on the ceiling and walls, new floors, tying in existing HVAC to the new addition and finally finishing work like trim, fixtures and custom cabinetry.
A second story addition blends seamlessly with the home.
As a design-build company RS Homes’ work starts even before the build, we help you navigate the city bylaws such as setbacks, land coverage and zoning permitting. If there is an issue, we can even help you with committee of adjustments. A survey must be done and if there are trees on the lot then you may also require an arborist.
You might need an architect to do the plans. Once the design is completed, engineering/mechanical drawings must be done. Don’t forget to get a permit – not having one will be hazardous to your project.
An elevation drawing before the project begins
RS Homes will guide you through the entire process making it as stress-free as possible. We offer a full package service including planning, design, permitting, demolition and construction.
This way, all the information you need is available in one place. Don’t fret over who to call when you can relax with the knowledge that you’re in expert hands.
