We spend most time of our lives in our own homes, and this is one of the main reasons why we always try to give our best and make them as comfortable and beautiful as we can. Nobody really likes to live in a home that constantly frustrates them, either because of the looks or the lack of space.
Most modern families are striving for comfort and aesthetics when it comes to designing their homes, and this is absolutely understandable. If you don’t make your living area beautiful, nobody else will.
One of the best things that you can do when it comes to increasing comfort is expanding your place. This is called an “addition”, and it’s exactly what we’re here to talk about today.
Doing an addition is not a very easy task, and it certainly requires a lot of time, effort and patience. It’s always worth it at the end though, so if you are currently thinking of doing something like this, make sure to take a look at our top ten tips.
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Dealing with all the legal documents
Although the place is entirely yours, and it makes a lot of sense to be able to upgrade it or expand it at any time, you still have to complete an entire legal procedure before attempting to do anything.
This might take a few weeks, depending on where you live, and you’ll also have to ask for permission from some of your neighbors if any of them are living very close to you. All of the plans need to be legalized and reported at the nearest police station, and when that’s done, you can move on to the fun part.
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Plan your budget
Sometimes we have great plans and even greater expectations, but our budget says otherwise. If you really want to make a huge change in your home, you might need a lot more money than what you were considering. Make sure that you know the exact sums before you start purchasing things.
If possible, always leave some extra budget for costs that you might’ve not thought about. Anything can happen during the expanding procedure, and you don’t want to run out of the budget completely in the middle of the process.
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Ask yourself if you really need it
If you are already living in a huge home, you might not be needing a room addition at all. Make sure to think about all the other possible options such as remodeling a place that you’re not using etc. If space is really an issue though, then you might want to expand after all.
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Seek help from a professional builder
Unless you are someone who does this for a living, expanding will most likely be something that you’ll have to seek professional help for. If things are not built properly, you’re risking the safety of you and your family, so don’t be afraid to invest some more and let professionals handle the entire situation.
Saving on something like this is not smart at all. Being an architect is not an easy job at all, and there is a reason why this profession exists. Don’t try to take their place thinking that you can plan-out everything by yourself. There are a lot more factors that you are not aware of when it comes to expanding.
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Preserve your style
If your home is already designed in a certain style, make sure that the expansion is as similar to it as possible. The point is to make it look like there was no addition at all, that’s when you know that you’ve done a great job.
Click here if you want to read more about what it takes when you hire a room addition contractor. Or, if your point is to make this place look entirely different, that’s a fine idea as well. Just make sure that it looks that way. You can even make your own home-office if that’s what you need, just decorate it in a similar way like the rest of your house.
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Have realistic expectations
Don’t strive for something that your budget can’t really cover, because, at the end, you’ll just feel very disappointed. Make sure to know what you can and cannot do with the money you’ve saved.
Also, since there are many companies on the market that offer various offers, you don’t have to choose the first one you see. Take your time and do research. Maybe you’ll find an even better option for less money. Don’t rush it the process and you’ll get better results, we guarantee.
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Search for inspiration
If you just decide to go for it without any planning, you might be disappointed by the way it looks in the end. In order to avoid this, you can look at room addition examples on the internet and draw inspiration from that. You never know what kind of an idea you can get.
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Find a place to sleep
If your addition includes things as completely removing the flooring and placing new one, as well as re-painting walls and such, it means that you and your family will need another place to sleep until all of this is over. The smell of the flooring glue and the wall-paint is unbearable for most children, so think of this problem before engaging in action.
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Notify your neighbors
We all know that awful feeling when someone in our neighborhood wakes us up with the sound of a drill or any other machine on a Sunday morning.
If you want to maintain your friendly status with everyone in the neighborhood, be fair and notify them about the possible noises that they might be hearing in the next couple of days. Also, if you are planning to block the street with any trucks or items that you’re taking out of your home, let them know about this as well. It’s all about communication and planning, so keep things smooth.
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Focus on functionality
Last but not least, room additions should be all about functionality. Although we all love comfort and luxury, your main priority should be something like increased living space or the much-required storage room for your home. Anything that solves an already existing problem is more than enough of a reason to expand. If you are just doing it for the sake of doing something, you might be wasting your time and money.
