If you need more space to live in your house, you’ll either have to add on or build up to your existing one story house. That is if you don’t want to move. While the price of building home addition will be a huge consideration, you would also need to consider the local laws and other thighs as well before starting.

Here are some considerations you must make before starting your project.

The Needed Space

If your family is growing bigger and you feel like your house doesn’t have enough rooms to accommodate your family, building up or out are both good options for you. But if you are only looking to add a playroom or something non-essential for entertainment, then you’d better off adding to the same story instead of adding a whole new story. That is important because it can affect your house’s resale value. Many buyers prefer having a single story type family room instead of having a separate room upstairs.

Same thing goes for guest rooms and kitchen if you are looking to add either one of them to your house.

Be Aware Of The Zoning Laws

Before starting any home remodeling project, you should contact your municipality and inquire about the zoning laws that apply to your area.

More laws are restrictions are usually regarding the distance between your and your neighbor’s property line. Many municipalities require that you maintain a certain distance. While there are usually less restrictions regarding building up (a 2nd story), some historical districts or planned societies of one story houses might have restrictions on building up as well.

If your project is not acceptable according to the local zoning laws, you can usually present your case before a board and tell them why they should allow you to expand your existing house. They might allow you a variance and you’ll then be able to start working on your addition project. However, it is better that you discuss these plans with your neighbors first and see how they react. Usually, the neighbors lodge an objection only to make your case more complex.

See If A Sun Room Fits

If you’re only looking to add a room for playing and doing other fun activities, you can consider adding a pre-built sun room. You don’t have to go through the hassle of building these rooms, and they are reasonably priced as well.

If you live in a warm climate, you won’t have to worry about heating up the sun room, and in a cold climate, the sun room won’t need additional heating in the summer season. This room can be used in three seasons.

Make A Breakdown Of All The Costs

You can only find the real answer by comparing the prices of both building up or out by sitting with your contractor and going through the prices of both the possible projects in detail. Also, see if you’ll need an architect or not. In the projects when a major addition (an additional story) is made to your house, an architect will be needed.

However, if you’re only looking to add one room to the ground floor without any other changes, you can also go with a general contractor. When hiring a contractor, make sure you take a look at their past projects and also make sure that the construction is good enough to actually compliment the beauty of your house.

So, sit with a reliable expert and figure out all the costs. Compare the amount of money you’ll need to invest in both the projects and choose the option accordingly.

Think About The Property

To make sure your project expectation can be realized, you’ll need to consider the shape and size of your property as well. If you have a big backyard, you can add a room or two to your house without much issues. However, the same can’t be said for the houses with small backyards. Before using the backyard space, consider any plans of adding a pool or making a fancy patio if you had them in your bucket list.

However, if you don’t want to use the leftover property, you always have the option to build up. But before finalizing, discuss with home addition companies DC about which option is better for you.