The Advantages of Building a House Addition versus Buying a Larger Home
By Mark J. Donovan
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Building a house addition is often more affordable than trading up. If your family is in need of more living space, buying a new larger home may not be the best or most affordable solution. Building a house addition, maybe a better alternative, then selling your old home and buying a new one.
Advantages of Building a House Addition Building a house addition is by far much less expensive than selling a home and buying a new larger one. There are selling costs associated with the old house and closing costs for getting a mortgage and buying a new one. In addition there are moving expenses, and utility turn-off/turn-on fees, etc. |
On top of that there is frequently major disruption in your family’s personal lives, e.g. kids having to attend a new school.
Building a house addition, on the other hand, enables you to continuing living in the neighborhood that you are comfortable with and will give you the larger house you are looking for. Building a house addition also allows you the creativity to design exactly the living space you are in need of.
Disadvantages of Building a House Addition
There are a few downsides of building a house addition, but most of these are manageable. First, building a house addition eats into your yard. This may or may not impact you depending on the size of your lot. If you have a smaller lot, one way to mitigate this concern is to build a two story addition onto your home to limit the footprint. Other options may include finishing a room above your garage.
These companies have large national databases of pre-screened and qualified home addition contractors. There is no cost to the homeowner for working with these contractor referral companies. You simply fill out a free online form for your specific home addition needs and they will forward your information on to 3 or 4 local contractors in your area. The contractors will then get in touch with you to set up a meeting and to review your dormer addition plans.
| Building a house addition also disrupts the family life while construction is ongoing. Planning ahead however can reduce the impact to your family’s day-to-day lifestyle.
Finally, with any larger living space there are higher maintenance costs, property taxes and upkeep. This is a fact whether building a house addition or buying a larger home. Consequently these extra costs are something you need to plan for when considering your future expected monthly home operating expenses. |
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For more help on building a house addition, see HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Room Addition Bid Sheet. The Room Addition Bid Sheet provides you with the knowledge on how to plan a house addition project, and what to look for when hiring contractors for your new home construction. It also includes a detailed cost breakdown table and spreadsheet for estimating your own new home addition building costs.
Related Information
- Building Your Own Home Addition Advice
- Should You Act as Your Own General Contractor
- How to Refinish a Basement
- Average Home Addition Cost
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