When the housing market is tight, many homeowners look to improve upon their homes instead of buying new and moving. Smaller to whole house remodeling projects can result in more desirable living conditions and adding a new home addition can truly transform your home!
When discussing home remodeling projects with homeowners in Northern Virginia, here are 8 top reasons for building a home addition.
1) Creating Space for an Expanded Family
Young homeowners just starting to grow their families and multi-generational households often find they need more overall space. Many people opt for home additions to address the need for larger living spaces and storage areas and/or adding-on rooms, such as masters suites, bathrooms, offices and sunrooms.
Bump-out additions also tend to be popular options for increasing room sizes. Bump-outs are smaller than full-scale home additions and are typically cantilevered off the existing home foundation. This is a good way to increase spaces by a few feet while saving on material costs. Kitchen bump-outs are increasingly popular as part of whole house remodeling projects.
2) Expanding a Kitchen
A kitchen addition and remodel is one of the most popular projects for our clients in Northern Virginia because kitchens tend to be the most used room in any home. In older homes, kitchens were generally designed to be tight, efficient workspaces specifically for prepping and cooking food. Meals were often served in adjacent dining rooms.
Over the years, kitchens have been transformed into large, open spaces with room for dining, congregating, and even working. Modern appliances, oversized islands, new technology, and casual lifestyles have forever changed the function of a kitchen. Kitchens are now gathering spaces for bringing together friends and family and entertaining.
While some older homes can be reconfigured by eliminating dividing walls between kitchens and dining rooms to expand kitchen spaces, many homeowners find that isn’t enough. Custom-designed kitchen additions can provide much-needed space for food prep, eating, and entertaining—they’re also known to increase home values.
Here are some ideas for achieving the luxury kitchen of your dreams.
3) Adding a Master Suite
Master bedroom and bathroom additions (i.e. master suites) are also popular home remodeling and addition projects. Many baby boomers and Gen Xers are adding first-level master suites to their homes for the comfort of aging in place and privacy. Master suites are also often added-on as living spaces for elderly family members or live-in nannies and au-pairs.
Adding a master suite to your home may also result in a large return on investment as many homebuyers seek remodeled and first-level master suites. Creating a new master suite can also provide an opportunity to finally get that walk-in closet of your dreams!
4) Adding More Room for Entertainment & Wellness
One thing we learned during COVID is that being cooped up at home is no fun. That is unless you have great spaces for in-home entertainment and wellness! If you enjoy indoor recreational activities, adding more space to your home for media rooms, rec rooms, exercise, and gaming may be a worthwhile investment.
Take some time to determine what activities your family enjoys, how much space is needed to house equipment, furniture or fixtures to support those activities, and be sure to have your architect consider these needs when planning your home addition.
5) Needing More Workspace
Are you working from home permanently or will you have a hybrid work schedule into the foreseeable future? During COVID we saw an uptick in home office remodeling and addition projects.
Home offices that are clearly divided from other parts of the home can provide a distraction-free space where you can feel focused and productive. With more space from a home office addition, you can also consider adding a futon or couch to the room, which will give you a quiet place to relax or read when not working. Creatively designed home offices may also serve as guest bedrooms.
6) Creating a Deck or Sunroom
In Northern Virginia, we benefit from having eight or so months of good weather. A deck or sunroom addition allows you to take advantage of the scenery surrounding your home and escape from being stuck inside four solid walls.
If you’d prefer to enjoy the outdoors from inside all year round, a wall-of-windows sunroom addition can be the perfect solution. Filled with sunlight and cottage-style furniture, sunrooms are the ideal spaces for unwinding with a beverage and good book. These versatile rooms connect you with the outdoors while protecting you from the elements.
Many homeowners choose to add a sunroom and deck addition together, allowing you to enjoy the best of indoor and outdoor living at the same time.
7) Increasing the Number of Bathrooms
Is your family constantly battling over bathroom time but there’s no room for another bathroom in your home? One of the most popular of the 8 Top Reasons for Building a Home Addition is increasing the number of bathrooms. Adding on a bathroom or even a half-bath may curtail the infighting and even add value to your home. A new bathroom can create space and allow you to not feel like everyone in your family is living on top of one another.
Another popular option is extending an existing bathroom via a home addition that may include other areas of the house such as the master bedroom or an office. A larger bathroom may also provide an opportunity to incorporate aging-in-place features to make your bathroom safer such as zero-edge showers, shower seating, handrails, and non-slip flooring.
Here are seven spa-inspired ideas for your new master bathroom.
8) Saving Money (and Mind)
Home additions can be less expensive and less stressful than moving. If you love your current house but need more space, a home addition may be the solution. Moving is known to be one of life’s biggest stressors–the hassle of packing/unpacking, uprooting your life, and trying to find a new house can be overwhelming. A thoughtful home remodeling project and addition designed in conjunction with an experienced architect will allow you to stay put and still get the lifestyle you desire.
Knowing which home additions increase the value of your home and which square footage will have the most impact can help you make good investments that will last for years.
Can you relate to these 8 Top Reasons for Building a Home Addition? If, so contact us today (703-255-9861) and we’ll help turn your remodeling and addition dreams into reality!
