5 Things to Consider When Planning a Home Addition

Planning a home addition is an exciting project that allows you to expand your home as your family or needs grow and evolve. Though this is an excellent project that will allow you to fall back in love with your home, once again, it can be an overwhelming task. 

Rather than leaving the planning to the last minute or attempting to deal with any surprises that may occur along the way, it’s best to have a clear plan for your addition from the start. This will help you navigate everything, from finding a contractor that’s the right fit to dealing with the dust and supplies scattered around your home. 

With our team’s expertise and experience in building home renovations, we’ve cultivated a list of key items that need to be considered and addressed to plan properly for an addition. If you’re gearing up for this type of project, then take a look at these 5 things that need to be considered:

What is the Reason for Your Addition?

Before you meet with potential contractors or start mapping out what you’d like your addition to include, it’s best to understand why you want a home addition in the first place. This will help you and your contractor team put the right plans in place to build a renovation that works for your family, your needs and your space.

Take some time to decide whether this renovation will accommodate a growing family, fit your lifestyle needs, or make your home more valuable when you sell. This small but necessary step will help the project unfold smoothly.

What is Your Maximum Budget?

Once you’ve decided the reason for your addition, it’s best to get clear as to what your concrete budget is. This will help determine what is feasible during your renovation and where you will need to splurge or save. It will also help you get aligned with your contractor and team right from the start so that no unexpected or expensive surprises arrive. 

It’s also necessary to understand where your budget is coming from. Are you paying cash? Taking out a loan? Using credit cards? Whatever the case, it’s important to get all the financial aspects in place before you begin the process.

Who is your Contractor? 

Finding the right contractor to build your dream home addition may arguably be one of the most difficult decisions you make during this entire process. Of course, you want to find a contractor who fits within your budget and can do the work; however, there are a few more elements you’ll want to consider to ensure you’ve found the right fit:

• Reviews and testimonials; See reviews from previous clients who speak to the process as well as the result
• Deadlines and schedules; can your contractor commit to a timeline that works for your family and you?
• Gut feeling; do you get along with the contractor during the interview? Do they seem like someone you can work with?
• Years in business; experience does matter!
• License and insurance; it’s also important to ensure that your contractor has all the right licenses, paperwork, and permits to complete the project.

By keeping all of these aspects in mind during your interview process, you’ll be able to find a contractor that fits your needs and helps make the project go smoothly.

Who is Designing the Addition?

Your addition has finally been built; however, that is only half of the work. The other necessary element is who will design and furnish the addition to accommodate your family and your needs. If you feel comfortable taking this over, this aspect may be an afterthought. But, if you need professional help and assistance, it’s best to find a contractor or team with recommendations or who can take care of this aspect for you. 

If you’d like to proceed with professional assistance for the design stage of your home, then it’s best to include this in your interview process. Ask potential contractors and candidates for samples of their work and reviews.  

Is Your Home Prepared for the Inconvenience?

We’re not going to lie - there is an adjustment period to having your home under construction, given the tools, team, and lack of space that may occur during the project. This is especially true if the main areas of your home, such as the kitchen or living room, are having an addition built to them. To properly prepare as best as you can for the construction, here are some items you’ll want to consider:

• Are all of your valuables moved and in a safe space?
• Will the team be able to use specific areas of your home, such as the bathroom? If not, a portable washroom will be needed.
• How will you navigate having certain spaces in your home out of use? This is incredibly important to consider if areas such as your kitchen, bedroom, or bathrooms will be part of the renovation.
• What is the schedule? It’s best to know and be prepared for when the contractors will be arriving and leaving your home.

By considering and planning for these inconveniences, you’ll be able to set yourself up for success. While it still will be an adjustment to have your home under renovation, these elements and plans will help make the transition a little easier.

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As we said before, planning for a home addition is incredibly exciting, as it is a chance to update your home to accommodate your specific needs. However, if not properly planned for, it can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. That is why it is important to consider and keep these five key elements in mind. It will help you find the right contractor and build the perfect addition and allow the transition period of having your home under construction to go smoothly. 

At Generation Construction, we have experience working with homeowners and building home additions all over the GTA. If you’re interested in working with us for your next project, feel free to review our work or contact us today to learn more.