Home Improvement Caddy: Tips for Building an Addition on Your ...

If you decide to put an addition on the property, its location will be critical. You must make sure you still have access to the back of the house or garden. Existing drains will need protecting and inspection chambers within the addition must be fitted with double-sealed covers.

If you are thinking of building on to any part of the house wall that incorporates a window, you may have to make special provisions for extra light and ventilation for the rooms affected.

Wood-frame addition

Building a wood-frame addition is the quickest way of getting extra living space, so long as the land is available. Once the foundations are in place it is relatively straightforward to erect the wall framing, add the roof and make the structure weatherproof before attending to the internal fittings. Building a single-storey addition is well within the capabilities of the experienced do-it-yourself builder, but it is advisable to leave two-storey work to a builder.

Brick-built addition

At its simplest, your addition may just be for a first-floor utility room. More complicated ones could involve adding on two storeys to accommodate extra bedrooms or a bathroom, with possibly a new or extended kitchen or an extra living room underneath.

A brick-built addition is an ambitious project. You have to prepare proper foundations and have skill in laying bricks, plastering, roofing and so on. If you are building a kitchen or bathroom, extensive plumbing and electrical work may also be involved. You might, there?fore, be happier to do the planning and the finishing off and leave someone else to handle the main construction work.

Purpose-built addition

If all you want from your addition is a comfort?able room for use in the warmer weather, then a sunroom would suit your needs. And double glazing will help make it habitable in colder weather. Unless you can afford a custom-made model, you will have to choose from the range of prefabricated options available.

The choice is between the modern and the traditional. The less expensive types have slim aluminum glazing bars, curved eaves and sliding screen doors to guarantee maximum sunlight. More expensive versions offer delightful repli?cas of period styles with delicate framing in timber or cast aluminum, often with traditional French doors and decorative finials.

Depending on the model, some companies give you the choice of either building the sunroom yourself (with the aid of comprehen?sive instructions) or of opting to have it built by the supplier or a franchised builder.

You can do some of the work yourself - for example, preparing the foundation and doing the final decorating - or you may choose to complete the entire installation job yourself. Pricing is flexible according to individual needs.

In order to gain the full benefit of the sun, it is advisable to build a sunroom on a south-facing wall. However, if there are other buildings or trees in the way, you may have to choose another, less sunny site.

Of course, you do not have to build a sunroom on the ground. You can construct it at second-floor level on to a suitable existing flat roof. This is a good way of creating extra space in smaller properties without the benefit of a garden. However, you must discuss your plans with your local zoning or building inspector first.

Source: http://www.homeimprovementcaddy.com/2013/01/tips-for-building-addition-on-your.html

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