My neighbors were planning to put their 1975 sq. foot home on the market as it has become a bit tight for their family of five. With two teens in the house, space is at a premium and everyone wants and needs their personal living area.

These days, my neighbors are no longer looking to move, choosing to upgrade their current home by adding a family room. Although the project will cost them just over $30,000, they’ll save on moving, closing, and new financing costs, expenditures they would have had to contend with even if they had moved across town.

Tens of thousands of people will be adding on to their homes this Spring and Summer, choosing to stay put rather than putting up with the hassle of a move and having to familiarize themselves all over again with a new house, different neighborhood, perhaps even a completely different school system.

Most of the cost of adding on to a home can be recouped when you sell it. Over a long period of time that new family room can increase the value of your home significantly, paying you a nice dividend when you choose to downsize.

Before you begin your family room project, there are some things for you to consider:

• Is the property level where the room will be placed. If not, you may have to pay significantly extra to regrade the area where the room will built. Something to think about: If located on a slope, you could gain some valuable storage space underneath via the exposed room.

• Will adding a family room mean that changes will have to done to the adjoining part of the house? Some family rooms are designed to be virtually self contained, while others are more of an extension of the current home.

• How large of a room will you need? Will your new room be in proportion to the rest of the house or will it be a significant add-on?

• Will the roofing materials, exterior siding, interior walls, doors and windows match the rest of the house?

• Can solar panels or skylights be added? This can be a good time to create a highly energy efficient room, particularly helpful in light of today’s high energy costs.

The Construction Process

Will you be hiring a general contractor or overseeing construction yourself? Whether you are doing the work yourself, outsourcing it completely or doing a combination of the two, you will need to find people who can:

• Provide demolition services.

• Grade the property, if needed.

• Pour the foundation.

• Put up the framing, roofing, and walls.

• Install windows and doors.

• Run electricity, plumbing, and heating/air-conditioning.

• Install the ceiling.

• Build shelves, a fireplace, install flooring.

• Install light fixtures.

• Paint or wallpaper the room.

Familiarizing yourself with your town’s building code as getting all of the necessary permits is important. Making sure that your contractors are licensed and insured is also critical.

Finally, consider hiring an interior designer who can help you create a room that maximizes its livability and is enjoyable. Use the designer before construction begins to include ideas which should become part of the final blueprint. Have this person return when construction is done to help you lay out furniture, hang pictures, and add those personal touches to maximize the benefit of your new space.

A family room project can be completed within 2-3 months time, from developing the plans to move in. Pick the time of the year when disruption can be minimized and be prepared to enjoy your expanded quarters when the project is done!

Resources

Planning Your Home Expansion Project

All About Spec Planning

Home Equity Lending

Review House Plans

Tags: family room, home addition, home building, Home Construction, home loan

This article represents the final article in our home construction specification plan series.

Assembling a Home Construction Specification Plan — Spec Plan T: Interior Decor

Who is the best judge of how a new home should look? Is it the builder? An interior decorator? Or would that be some other type of professional?

Although there isn’t anything wrong with employing the services of a professional, the people who live in a home are often the best judges as to how it will look. After all, a house isn’t a home until you have personally decorated it.

We’ve Come To An End In Our Series

In our ongoing home construction specification plan series, which comes to an end with this article, we’ve taken you through all of the steps needed to acquire property, lay a foundation, build your house, and turn that house into a home. The final step, your home’s interior, isn’t a requirement of your home specification sheet, but it does play an important role as to where a wall will be built, how a room is laid out, and more.

Fortunately For You, My Advice Is Limited

Although I have been comfortable detailing the entire home spec plan up to this point, I must tell you that I am not someone who is particularly adept at interior decorating. For that, I leave this task in the capable hands of my wife.

If I were tasked with decorating a home, it would probably have a distinct bohemian bachelor look — a mix and clash of furniture, colors, and assorted knick knacks. It would be tidy, but not something that would appear in Architectural Digest or House Beautiful.

Get Informed!

Fortunately, there are some great resources out there for the person who wants to decorate their home. I mentioned two of the more popular interior decorating magazines, but there are some other places you can go for help:

Interior Decorating Stores: If you have a good store in your area, paying them a visit could be worth your while. Many of the larger stores offer seminars and classes to help you design your home’s interior. Sure, they want your business, but the ideas offered can be used anywhere.

Take A Class: Many adult schools and some community colleges offer classes on decorating your home. You don’t have to get a degree, but if that Window Treatment class costs you $50, you’ll likely get that money back when you go out to shop for what you want.

Turn On The TV: If you have access to cable channels, then a channel like HGTV can help you lay out your kitchen, choose the right colors for your den, find the best bedding for your child’s room, and much more.

Of course, a knowledge friend can also offer tips and advice, just the information you need to personalize your home.

On a final note, thank you for following our series which began in October 2007. If you are interested in a recap, most of our articles were posted on Tuesdays, so please go back to our Home Style For Every Homeowner article and start from there.

Enjoy your new home!

Tags: bathroom, bedroom, den, dining room, family room, foyer, hallway, home décor, interior decorating, kitchen, living room