14 Home Addition Ideas for Increasing Square Footage …

Whether you have a large or small home, room and house additions are invaluable investments. Along with expanding your available storage and living space, adding rooms withfeatures that are desirable to home buyerscan increase the value of your home. But before you start adding an addition to your home, here are a few things to keep in mind:

The first part of planning a home addition is finding inspiration. Below are some home addition ideas that can help inspire your next home improvement project!

One of the biggest home addition projects is adding a second story. While this major addition can cost anywhere between$90,000-$200,000, it does add significant square footage and resale value to your home. Work with a builder or architect to make sure your homes structure and foundation can handle the additional weight!

Creating abonus roomor apartment over a garage is a great way to add extra square footage without turning your home into a mess. With the foundation of the garage already in place, all you need are walls and a roof. Once its finished, you can rent it out or use it as a guest bedroom. Keep in mind that certain additions like a new roof, Type X fireproof drywall, and vapor barriers will be more expensive than other home addition projects. Costs typically average around$35per square foot when building a bonus over-the-garage room.

A modular addition is a pre-fabricated room that can be added onto the exterior of the house to create a second story, and theyre popular home expansion projects for single-story buildings like ranch homes. These additions run10-20%cheaper than conventional additions and can be made off-site, saving you from living in a constant construction zone. Costs vary between$80-$200per square foot, depending on the size of the addition and where it goes.

Dormers not only expand your attic and provide much needed light, but they also add major curb appeal and make your home look larger. Some homeowners choose to installDIY dormersto increase their attic ceiling space. A DIY project will run about$1,800, while professional installation can cost anywhere between$2,500-$20,000.

Finishing your basementincreases the livable square footage in your home, and it gives you an additional space you can use for a small apartment, a home theater, or an entertainment room. The average cost to finish a basement is between$6,500-$18,500with a return on investment around69%. Just be sure you include emergency windows or a backyard walkout if you plan to use a basement space for bedrooms.

Remodeling your kitcheneven on a minor scalecan provide a great return on investment. Expand your kitchens square footage by turning a flex space or bump-out addition into a walk-in pantry or breakfast nook. Kitchen remodel projects can cost between$12,000-$21,000and recoup almost93%of the cost at resale. Check out thesekitchen remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

Increasing bathroom square footage can greatly increase the value of your home. Similar to a kitchen addition,bathroom projectshave an ROI of up to62%. Costs start around$3,000for a bathroom upgrade or expansion and can go up to$25,000for a full-on addition. Looking for bathroom addition ideas? Try extending your master bathroom to include space for a soaking tub or dual sinks. Or add a half-bath in an underutilized small space like under the stairs, a closet, an attic bonus room, or a basement.

While many homes have entryways, an entire mudroom addition is a handy way to keep shoes, coats, and backpacks all organized in one space. Installing wall hooks, built-in cabinets, lockers, or cubbies during the remodel adds both additional storage and visual appeal. Mudroom additions can cost anywhere from$400for a minor project in an existing room to$25,000for a total addition.

If you love spending time on your front porch, enclose it and turn it into a sunroom! In order for your porch to be considered livable square footage, it needs to have heating and be accessible from the house. Make your sunroom addition feel like a second living room with lamps, comfortable furniture, and plenty of seating. If you live in a state with extreme winters, you may need to consult an architect or builder to make sure the roof and walls are strong enough to support heavy snow. The cost to add a sunroom varies from$15,000-$22,000with a50%return on investment.

Enclosing a back patio can create a cozyoutdoor living room! This home addition project can be quite extensiveespecially if you extend your roofso make sure you enlist the help of builders or contractors. Like a sunroom, a patio must be enclosed and accessible from the house in order to count toward livable square footage. Back patio enclosures typically run between$8,375-$24,305.

Cantileveredhouse bump outsare small extensions (or micro-additions) of rooms that can be considered extra square footage. Bump-out additions can be as small as two feet and as large as 10-15 feet. Because bump outs do not require a roof or foundation work, the cost of bump-out additions can be15-30%less than a conventional addition. Some bump-out ideas for small rooms include creating a window nook in a living room, building a walk-in closet, adding a space for a bathtub in a bathroom, or increasing the space of a kitchen to allow for counter space.

As far as home addition projects go, an attic has unlimited potential! The only square footage stipulations that must be followed are at least half of the ceiling must reach seven feet, and the attic must connect to a stairway. Once these requirements are met, you can take advantage of that extra square footage and turn it into a bedroom, home gym, art studio, or office. Converting an attic into livable space can recover as much as53%of the value!

If youre looking for a creative home addition idea, consider the garage! An attached garage can only be considered additional square footage if you dont use it as a garage. Instead, consider turning your garage into a gym, art studio, guest bedroom, or craft room! The average cost of making a garage into a room addition project is around$11,065with up to an80%return on investment.

Is your current laundry area small? Expand it and get more square footage! Second-floor laundry rooms are ahighly desired unique home feature, so moving your laundry room from a basement or first level to an upstairs addition can be a worthwhile investment. If youre feeling ambitious, tackle the project yourself using thisDIY tutorialfrom The Family Handyman.

Knowing which home additions increase home resale value and square footage can help you make good investments in your home that will last for years. Looking for other creative ways to improve your home? Check out thesehome remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

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14 Home Addition Ideas for Increasing Square Footage ...