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What Types of Additions are There and How do They Add Value to Your Home?

Updated: Dec 7, 2023

How Will A Remodel in Wilmington NC Change Your Home?


A person’s home is their castle, but sometimes that castle isn’t big enough to accommodate all its occupants. Maybe you’ve got a baby on the way or an older parent is moving in with you. Maybe you need a workshop to keep up with your hobbies. Whatever the reason, it’s normal to outgrow your space. When it happens, you’ve got two choices—move to a larger home or build an addition to your current home.


Bump It Out


If you’re not up to adding a whole new room or floor to your home, a bump-out could be a good option to add extra square footage where you need it most. If you’ve got a tiny kitchen, a bump-out can add 40 or 50 more square feet of space to make it easier to cook your meals, store your food or add a cozy little breakfast nook.


The cost for these add-ons varies dramatically depending on the location of the bump out and its size.


In terms of cost per square foot, these additions are more expensive than larger builds, but, in the grand scheme of things, they end up costing less because you don’t usually need a ton of extra contractors or permits to add a bump-out to your home.


Full Additions



Full additions are the most common. These rooms add space and square footage to a home. You can add anything from a new bedroom to a new den, dining room, or living room—the possibilities are only restricted by your budget and the size of your lot.


Full additions are often the most valuable but complicated to add, generally requiring lots of time and money to complete. However, they can add a great amount of value when you sell, helping you to recoup some of the original costs while having use of the space the entire time you are in the home.


These additions can be very time-consuming, as they can require you to hire various contractors to handle HVAC, electricity, and plumbing, depending on the type of room being added. You will likely have to apply for permits through your city or county before construction can begin.


In addition to adding more space to your home, these new builds add to the resale value of your home. While you may not recoup the entire cost of the project, adding any additional spaces or Accessory Dwelling Units will be a net positive.


Accessory Dwelling Units


Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs as we will be referring to them, come in many shapes and sizes. Accessory Dwelling Units have been known by many names: granny flats, in-law units, backyard cottages, secondary units, and more. No matter what you call them, ADUs are an innovative, affordable, effective option for adding much-needed housing or general-use interior space to your property.


ADUs are not a particularly new thing. Many older homes in the south have these types of buildings together on the same property as the main domicile. Because of this juxtaposition, and newly refined building and occupancy laws, the value that a single ADU could provide upon resell is vast.


ADU ordinances, which — while optional — have grown exponentially in number as more cities, counties, and homeowners become interested in ADUs as one solution to increasing housing costs and moving expenses.


You can build many different configurations based on the technology we have today. Avocet Additions is leading the industry when it comes to this type of addition to your home. Contact us and let our professional team take you through the decision-making process to discover the ADU addition that best suits your family’s needs.


Remodels



Remodeling parts of your home gives your castle a fresh shine without knocking down too many walls. The trick to a good remodel is to have a solid idea of the finished project in mind before you start shopping for contractors (a good design team within a company is vital, that’s why we use cutting-edge design processes). Pick one room and focus on that single room before you jump to another project—nothing looks worse than a house full of half-finished remodeling projects.


The type of remodel you’re planning will determine the price and time needed to complete it. Most interior remodels don’t require permitting unless you’re knocking down walls, though you should check with your local permit office before you start any remodels. You may need to employ the services of a professional electrician or plumber if you need to run wires or pipes into new areas.


You can save a lot of money on interior remodels by communicating with your contractor, expressing exactly what you need so that their preparations can be calculated, and materials usage remains efficient.


Sunrooms



Sunrooms are often unheated rooms primarily made up of windows and designed to let you enjoy the weather without having to be out in it. It can be a great place to keep your outdoor plants safe during extreme weather conditions. They are simple to install because they do not require any additional heating or cooling routing, though you might need an electrician to run wires to power any lights or ceiling fans you choose to install. Wood-framed sunrooms are less expensive than aluminum ones—those can be more costly but more durable.


A four-season room is similar to a sunroom but is hooked into the home’s heating and cooling systems. This requires an additional contractor to set up the room’s HVAC.


Room Conversions



Do you have an extra garage or attic that’s just being used for storage or taking up valuable square footage? Consider converting the room into something more useful like a bedroom, workshop, or craft room. Room conversions can make that extra square footage work for you, as long as you know what you’re doing or employ the skills of a contractor.


Depending on the type of conversion you’re planning, Poorly done conversions can end up costing you more money, and lowering the value of your home, so make sure everything is done properly!


Additions and modifications to your home add space, functionality, and resale value in one fell swoop. Employ professional and fully licensed contractors to make sure all the new work is up to code. Otherwise, it might end up costing you more money than you put into it.


All told, any projects that involve adding additional square footage or face-lifted rooms to your current home will yield benefits monetary and otherwise. The important things to remember are to; 1. Have a project or projects in mind before you begin. 2. Choose and stick with an experienced contractor that can lend their knowledge and abilities to all of your project needs, not just some of them.


Avocet Design Build is the pre-eminent contractor for additions in the Wilmington, North Carolina area. Contact us today to find out more information on our design and building options and get a free consultation for your next home addition project.

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