Common Home Addition Mistakes

Posted on: 21 July 2022

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Homeowners consider home additions for various reasons. Sometimes, families grow, and there is a need to expand the available living space. Other people opt to remodel their homes by adding one story. In other cases, home additions are meant to increase the value of the property. Whichever the case, as a homeowner, you should avoid these common mistakes when investing in home additions.

Failing to Stick with an Existing Aesthetic

When you make an addition to your home, the result needs to be seamless. It should be challenging to distinguish between the original structure and the add-on. The addition should seem like it had always been a part of your home.

However, if you don't have a comprehensive plan, you will end up with an obvious structure. You should ensure your addition matches your home's existing aesthetics. The last thing you want is for your addition to stick out like a sore thumb, which will not add any value to your property.

Failing to Consider Local Regulations

When making changes to your home, it's a big mistake not to consider the local regulations. You may end up paying fines and additional costs for demolitions and rebuilding. Apart from the traditional building permit that allows you and your contractor to add to the home, each specialty trade requires its permit. This means you need a permit for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC.

Therefore, before you consider a home addition, familiarize yourself with the required permits. One of the first things you should confirm is zoning. In some jurisdictions, there is a limit to the square footage permitted for a single lot. 

When you have met the zoning requirements, you need to develop a building plan so that officials can perform a plan review. The review involves a drawing of your proposed addition and details about the construction. These measures are essential to ensure safety and legality. The inspectors will look at issues like foundation, structure, and location.

Hiring Different Teams for the Same Project

One common mistake is to have a contractor, design firm, and architecture firm working on a single project. It's better for one team with the required skills to tackle the entire project. Another mistake is hiring different contractors for different aspects of the project. This makes it challenging to allocate responsibilities.

For example, if one of the contractors is dealing with the foundation and another with the framing, and you end up with errors, who is to blame? Is it the one working on the foundation or the one who was dealing with the framing? To avoid problems with miscommunication and incompatibility, hire a team to work on your project.