home addition

Planning A Home Addition

An addition to your home will create more space, but it can also be costly and time-consuming. You can avoid that by making sure to hire the right professionals to help with the job! If done right, your home addition can mean that you don’t have to move as your family grows and can also add value to your home.

Get Involved 

Most homeowners are going to hire a contractor or builder to get the job done, but that doesn’t mean they are not involved. The opposite is actually true: the homeowner needs to be involved with each step of the process to make decisions and to ensure the work meets their expectations. 

Building Materials

Specific building materials and tools will, of course, vary from project to project, but generally speaking, home additions are going to require the same basic materials, such as framing lumber, foundation and roofing materials, plumbing and electrical materials, fixtures, windows, and doors, and all the extras to put it all together, in addition to the HVAC system and the finishing materials, such as paint.

Preparation Is Key

A home addition is just like building a whole house and will involve design, budgeting, permits, contractors and subcontractors, and building the structure itself. It’s vital that you are prepared for the work involved and to be realistic about your budget and the amount of time it will take.

Use Credit

The average homeowner cannot pay for additions in full with cash, so a loan or line of credit is going to be necessary. This will usually involve obtaining a home equity loan or a second mortgage, or a line of credit based on the value or equity of the home. 

Ask For Recommendations

When looking for a contractor, it is essential that you find one that you can work with, and one with a solid reputation and a great work ethic. Get recommendations from neighbors, friends, or relatives, and if they cannot recommend a contractor, you may need to visit other people that have recently had additions put on. You may also want to contact the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any issues with them in the community at large. 

A home addition is too big for you to contract out on your own unless you have professional experience and ample time, so your general contractor is going to be key to the success of your project. The first meeting with him or her will establish the scale of the project, the contractor’s timeframe, general design issues, and cost-saving strategies. Feel free to ask your contractor about cost controls for the project. They will obtain all the requisite permits and prepare the site, according to your agreement.

 

If you are considering an addition to your home, consider us here at Ascension General Contractors. We are proud to serve the Nashville community with all their construction and repair needs.