Ideas For Your Home Addition

Separate Apartment or More Living Space

Your family's needs and your budget (and in some locations, the zoning), will determine how your upcoming home addition will be designed.

Will it be a temporary use which will eventually become something different?

Will it be a separate unit, providing rental income from a tenant?

Will it simply expand your living space for your family's added comfort?

Some things will apply, regardless of the use - you will need an architect; you will need building permits from the town; you should always make the new home addition match the rest of the house on the exterior. Be sure to get a signed contract from your builder, a set of blueprints for yourself, and a materials list.

The size of your expansion could be restricted by zoning - livable square feet as a proportion of the size of the plot. In older neighborhoods, where houses are closer together and yard space is limited, your best option might be to build up, rather than building out.

If your intention is to expand your existing living space for your own use, there will be less to worry about. Your only concerns will be how to create a space that the family will enjoy.

If you will be renting to a stranger, you'll need one set of parameters, if making a space for relatives, there are different considerations. I think the best way to illustrate the issues you should be addressing is to talk you through a real-life example.

About 10 years ago, I was involved with a home addition for a family here on Long Island that was built as an apartment for the owner's elderly parents. They knew from the beginning that it was a temporary need and that the elderly couple would eventually move to an assisted living facility nearby.

So, an important decision they had to make was whether or not to keep the addition with separate entrances and utilities, so that they could rent to others after the parents left, or would they then incorporate the space into their current home.

If renting to strangers at some point, they would keep electric, HVAC, and entrances separate from the rest of the house. This would mean creating new mechanical systems.

If not renting, they would simply add a few circuits, extend a few ducts and balance the air conditioning system, and give the addition easy access to the rest of the house.

In this case, it was decided that the homeowners would use the space themselves rather than rent it. This choice affected many of their decisions.

They selected and located windows as to maximize the view of the backyard landscaping. They extended the deck slightly so that the deck could be accessed from the addition through a sliding door.

The new home addition was made handicap accessible. The living space was given vaulted ceilings and a skylight.

The new kitchen was a kitchenette only, which could later be used as a wet bar. The 2 couples had dinner together 2 or 3 times a week in the main kitchen area.

There was a full, spacious bath, with grab bars and enough space for a walker or wheelchair to maneuver. And a small laundry area with stacked washer/dryer, which could easily be converted to a storage closet in the future, was also included.

The intent was for the homeowners to eventually use the space as a sunroom/breakfast area off the kitchen, with a guest bedroom and bath beyond. So you can see how all of these aspects had to be considered before (or while) the drawings were created.

The last piece to the puzzle is parking. You don't want your new boarders blocking your cars with theirs. If you have the room, the best idea is to extend the driveway to the side of the garage.

Without that option, simply have them park their car in the street. To read more about what home addition costs might include, click here.

Any questions or comments about this page, contact me about a home addition here.

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