You’re finally in a position for a home addition. It may be a home office, a walk-in pantry, a nursery that will evolve into an extra bedroom, or an entire mother-in-law apartment. But before you spend your time, energy, and money and break the heart of the contractor you take on, there are things to avoid.
Choosing a Different Style for the Addition
Most of your home is more or less in a lovely French provincial style. Your huge kitchen has exposed rafters, a chandelier, and a big table of rough-hewn but whitewashed wood. The cozy chairs and sofas in your living room are a little more refined but also have a rustic Gallic look about them. Yet, you’re determined that your new addition be your home’s one oasis of brutalism, with furnishings made of poured concrete, including the walls and the floor. This won’t work.
Passing on Permits
Do not forget to get the proper permits you’ll need to build your addition. If you don’t want to get them yourself, make sure your contractor gets them. Indeed, it might be a good idea to let your contractor handle permits anyway. Permits make sure that you build according to local rules and regulations. You don’t want an inspector coming to your home, finding that your addition is out of code and forcing you to build the whole thing over.
Building an Addition Too Big for Your Property
One aspect of curb appeal is symmetry. To build an addition that’s much too large will break that symmetry. This reduces curb appeal by making your property look crowded and unwieldy. You might also no longer have room for a proper garden, patio, or swimming pool.
Make Sure Your Property Can Support an Addition
Before one spade of soil is turned over, you’ll need to find out if that soil is stable enough to support your addition. You’ll also need to know how the rest of the house, including its electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, is going to be affected by the addition. A professional contractor can help with this.
Don’t Skimp on Materials
Buy and use the best quality materials that you can afford. If this means you have to wait a bit longer to raise the money, then wait a bit longer. Do not use cheap materials or take shortcuts to build an addition. You’ll soon up paying a lot of money to replace second-hand drywall, flimsy furnishings, or the worm-eaten wood planks that you thought you got a good deal on.
Get in Touch With Us to Learn About Home Additions
There’s much to celebrate about building an addition to your home, but there are a lot of pitfalls. To find these pitfalls and create a beautiful, comfortable home addition, call our professionals at SYC Premier General Contractors of El Paso, TX.
