Fully 85% of the nation’s homes were built prior to 1980 and are in need of home improvement. If you’re living in an older home, the time may have come when you are considering how to improve your home’s value. Home improvement can be found in many forms, but many homeowners have found that one of the best ways to do this is by building residential home additions, such as adding a sunroom, an extra guest space, or converting their unused garage space. Residential home additions vary widely, but one thing they are almost always guaranteed to do is improve a home’s value and curb appeal. The following list will describe just some of the more common resident home additions that are often added to older homes for a homeowner to consider.
The Traditional
The traditional home addition, or conventional house addition, is a structure that is built onto the existing home and that is open to the entire house. This space is considered to be multifunctional and may even have more than one designated room within it. When these are well-built, the addition blends into the rest of the house.
The Bump Out
A room addition or “bump-out” is a single-purpose room that is added onto an existing structure, such as a guest room, nursery, or bathroom. Often, this can be creating a space within a space (like enlarging a closet to make room for a small half-bathroom). Unlike a traditional home addition, bump-outs are relatively smaller (perhaps adding 50 to 75 extra feet).
The Sunroom
A sunroom is just that — a sun-filled space that is meant to be relaxed in. Unlike the previous two additions mentioned, sunrooms are often not opened up to the entire home and tend to be added to the back or side of a home and closed off from the rest of the house. Sunrooms are often made from pre-fabricated materials and the walls of the room are glass. They are also not as big as a traditional addition, though they may be bigger than a bump-out.
The Conversion
A conversion typically is made to a garage. When the garage is a two-car space, then usually one space gets walled in, central air and heat vents get added, and flooring is put in. Usually, garage conversions are to create a spare bedroom or office space. Homeowners will also convert an unused garage if necessary. Unlike other home additions, however, garage conversions have difficulty blending into the rest of the home, and they don’t increase a home’s value near as much as other types of additions.