What Makes a New Addition to Your Home a Good Investment?

Are you considering building an addition to your home? Particularly in the Los Angeles area, you are not by yourself. Everyone is being pushed by LA's real estate market to maximize their spaces, both new and old.

The benefits of home extensions extend beyond simply improving and expanding your home. They could, in many cases, represent an investment in the comfort, value, and future of the house. Talking to local home addition specialists now may be a good idea if you believe your home has the capacity to be more than it already is.

Are you unsure whether a home addition or expansion is appropriate for your needs? Here are some important ideas to bear in mind as you think about your options.

Benefits of Adding Square Footage to Homes in Los Angeles

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, the extra room is the first advantage of a house addition contracting job. You can increase the size of your home by either increasing its footprint or adding on to its upper stories.

In order to significantly increase the total square footage of their homes, homeowners occasionally want to add entire rooms. That isn't always the case, though; many homeowners only want to open up and air out their current design a little.

As custom home builders, we have successfully assisted with projects whether its a 60 square foot or an 800 square foot extension. Everything is based on the aims and budget of the homeowner. Do they intend to add a whole room for sleeping, eating, or bathing, or are they merely trying to make the crowded kitchen a little more functional?

Los Angeles homeowners frequently benefit from additions that they might not otherwise have even considered. Homes in this area are frequently modestly sized and dilapidated, particularly in the older or historical areas and HPOZ properties. They might be able to build the kitchen of their dreams, enlarge a small bedroom, or construct whole rooms like extra bathrooms or home offices thanks to an expansion project.

Increased Value

Resale values are often greater when a property has more square footage. Kitchen, bathroom, basement, and outdoor space expansion can increase a home's value by tens of thousands of dollars.

This is particularly true in a region like Los Angeles, where there are many residences that really don't entirely "max out" the available square footage on a lot. With a house addition, you might significantly raise the value and appeal of an older home by making it the finest on the street.

Less Waste From Demolition and Construction

The decreased output of garbage is a significant advantage of remodeling an existing house as opposed to building a new one. You're doing the environment and yourself a favor if you can keep a historic house from being demolished and instead find a use for at least 20% of it. The permit process is also quicker and less costly when you keep a certain percentage of the home and are doing a remodel compared to new construction.

Quicker Than New Construction

The timeframe is the final advantage we want to discuss. Although it depends on the location of the home and the project's complexity, new builds typically take longer to complete than home extensions.

At Advanced, we normally predict that house expansions will take about eight months, but new construction projects are frequently one-year endeavors. We will discuss a number of elements that are unique to your house and neighborhood that affect this. A faster option than beginning a brand-new build may be to expand on to your current home if you need to quickly make room, possibly for a growing family or for rental purposes.

Two Common Types of Additions

As Los Angeles Custom Home Builders and Remodelers, we typically see owners select between two possibilities:

1) Increasing the square footage of the home within its footprint by adding a complete or partial top floor.

2) Increasing the square footage of the house by adding a room or space to the side or back, including garage conversions.

Although building an addition to the side of the house can be more difficult and involved, both of these choices have potential. To cover the new addition, you'll need to increase not only the roof but also the foundation's design, which will demand extra labor and contractor know-how.

Prior to making additions to your home, you should be aware of the following.

1) There are rules, and limits

It's critical to understand how zoning laws will affect your building planning. These might limit the scope of your "dream" house extension designs.

There are several cities within Los Angeles which have their own rules and regulations as to what you can do on your property, including Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Burbank, West Hollywood, Malibu and more. Your local building and safety will permit what you can and cannot do on your property. For example, how many square feet your home can be, whether you can build a guest home, etc. Similar limits apply to second-story additions that can obstruct views of neighboring homes in some neighborhoods or coastal regions.

To cut a long tale short, before making any construction decisions, you should consult with a seasoned local contractor and learn the specifics of your property's zoning. What you can and cannot do with your home's addition may be impacted by easements, sewage requirements, and many other rules listed in the zoning bylaws.

2) The Process is Intricate

We already mentioned that building home additions is quicker and frequently easier than building anything entirely new. There are still requirements to meet during the application and permitting processes, though.

Every addition to a Los Angeles property requires the contractors to look for:

●  Site Measurements and Inspection

●  Design Drafting and Approval

●  City Approval and Permits

Even if we'd all like the process to move more quickly, there are always legal requirements to meet and approvals to secure. Prior to starting work on your home addition, take some time to agree on a schedule with your contractor and learn the specifics of permit approval.

3) You Must Have a Budget

What kind of budget are you working with for your house addition? Even while remodeling an existing home is less expensive than building a new one, there may still be some significant construction costs.

While garage additions may cost between $200 and $300 per square foot*, second-story extensions can easily cost more than $300 per square foot. Because of this, homeowners should carefully decide where to add to their homes in terms of utility, appeal, and cost.

Your design and materials are the biggest variables that will result in the final cost.

If you're on a limited budget, let the contractor know right once, and request a formal cost estimate. You want to know up front if your big ideas are out of your price range so you can come up with a budget-friendly backup plan.

In actuality, the planning and contractors play a major role in whether or not a home addition succeeds. When customers do their homework and work with the best local business, the process is easier, faster, and less expensive.

Let's talk if you're looking for reliable home addition contractors. Advanced Builders & Contractors is an expert at maximizing and modernizing homes all throughout the Los Angeles area, and we've been doing so for over 17 years. We can assist you whether you're expanding the second story of your house or creating a brand-new addition.

Call now to schedule your project consultation. You will be guided through the procedure by our team, and we will address any questions you may have.



*Costs change, any pricing mentioned is not to be considered an estimate. Pricing is based on city-approved plans and materials selected. Contact us for more information.