House addition floor plan

A General Contractor Reveals Secrets to Addition Building

I created these room addition plans to transform my general contractor experience into information people can use to make these complex renovations a lot simpler to research and eventually build. My mission is to simplify the process of building on to your house. There are a lot of scattered articles all across the internet, but many of them are written by webmasters and bloggers instead of actual contractors. I decided to give people access to the correct method of addition building as well as provide them with access to my archive of home addition ideas, that I used to actually renovate people's houses in Connecticut. The room additions above are the most popular projects being built in America today. 

You could look elsewhere, but why would you get your remodeling advice from a writer or blogger? Get your remodeling advice from a real general contractor and your wallet will thank you later!

Finding an Addition Builder is Easy

Many of you know that a general contractor's main job is to find, hire, and manager subcontractors. Basically I'm an expert when it comes to finding the right people to help me renovate houses. You don't have to pay me a dime, to get a list of contractors I personally would call for an estimate appointment. Simply fill out the form below, and you'll get an email with a list of contractors that I would give to my own family to call. It's that simple. No Account Creation, No Fee, No Hassle. Take that Angies List!

How To Get More Out of Simply Additions

• Download my exclusive home addition guide to make your project simpler to manage. I love to make things simpler for people, that's why I call myself ProvenHelper. Look for my channel on YouTube and Follow Me on Twitter @ProvenHelper
• Visit the How-to Articles section and read the contractor hiring guides. I won awards from many prestigious sources for these highly useful tips that can protect you from shady contractors and their contracts. Learn what most consumers have no ideas about, by listening to what this general contractor reveals. 

Questions About Building A Home Addition

Contact me through Twitter or Google plus if you have any questions. I'm remodeling the website to make it easier to use and even more useful than it is today. The site already won many awards for consumer education from the Better Business bureau but I will make it even better, by listening to your suggestions through social media or email.

Have a Project Related Question?

Chances are I already answered it. Simply go to the Q&A forum below and browse there first. You could also use the search engine at the top of the screen. 

Homeowner Q&A Forum

LASTLY, don't forget to look for me on social media (buttons at top of page), I go by Lex. I'll be happy to answer your questions.

Room Addition Plans | House Plans and More

Min. Square Feet500 Sq. Ft.1000 Sq. Ft.1500 Sq. Ft.2000 Sq. Ft.2500 Sq. Ft.3000 Sq. Ft.3500 Sq. Ft.4000 Sq. Ft.4500 Sq. Ft.5000+ Sq. Ft.

Number of Stories1 Story1 ½ Story2 Story3 StorySplit-Level

Bedrooms1 Bedroom2 Bedroom3 Bedroom4+ Bedrooms

Max. Square Feet500 Sq. Ft.1000 Sq. Ft.1500 Sq. Ft.2000 Sq. Ft.2500 Sq. Ft.3000 Sq. Ft.3500 Sq. Ft.4000 Sq. Ft.4500 Sq. Ft.5000+ Sq. Ft.

Bathrooms1 Bath2½ Bath3 Bath3½ Bath4 Bath4½ Bath5+ Baths

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© Copyright by designer/architect Project Plan #593-075D-7500 Plan  1941 Sq. Ft. 3 Bedrooms,  2 Full Baths,  1 Half Bath 2-Car Garage   Starting at $700 compare Compare only 4 items at a time   add to favorites

© Copyright by designer/architect Project Plan #593-075D-7501 Plan  480 Sq. Ft.,  Width 24'-0",  Depth 20'-0" 1 Bedroom,  1 Full Bath      Starting at $600 compare Compare only 4 items at a time   add to favorites

© Copyright by designer/architect Project Plan #593-075D-7502 Plan  576 Sq. Ft.,  Width 24'-0",  Depth 24'-0" 1 Bedroom,  1 Full Bath      Starting at $600 compare Compare only 4 items at a time   add to favorites

© Copyright by designer/architect Project Plan #593-009D-7542 Marisela Billards Room Plan  780 Sq. Ft.,  Width 28'-0",  Depth 37'-9" 1 Full Bath      Starting at $700 compare Compare only 4 items at a time   add to favorites

© Copyright by designer/architect Project Plan #593-002D-7512 Quail Run Room Addition Plan  320 Sq. Ft.,  Width 16'-0",  Depth 20'-0"      Starting at $110 compare Compare only 4 items at a time   add to favorites

Our collection of room addition plans includes many styles and sizes perfect for expanding your living space in a seamless way without the hassle of moving. We offer detailed blueprints that allow the buyer to visualize the space right down to the smallest detail. With a wide variety of plans, we are sure that you will find the perfect do-it-yourself project to fit your needs and style.

Projects of extensions to the house in plain language

Many owners of country houses and cottages from time to time carry out redevelopment of plots with their own hands. But sometimes you have to touch the house. If it needs to be expanded, then an extension is an ideal option to increase the usable area. At the same time, it can perform completely different functions and be located not only at the main entrance. Projects of extensions are developed taking into account the peculiarities of their operation.

Building types

Content of Article

• 1 Types of buildings
• 2 Types of residential extensions
• 3 Design of the new premises
• 4 Design of the base
• 5 Design of the roof
  • 6. 1 similar Articles

before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, before, how to choose an extension project with your own hands, you should decide on its functional purpose. Usually the following types of buildings are attached to the house:

1. Veranda is a summer room that will allow the owner of the house to spend time in nature, but at the same time with comfort. Such extensions are used mainly in the warm season. But at the request of the owner, the building can be insulated, equipped with windows and used in winter. Verandas are built from any material, including brick, foam blocks and wood.
2. Boiler room. If the cottage was originally planned as a summer building, then it may not provide a place for a boiler or column. In this case, it is necessary to complete the room and install heating equipment there. Fire safety standards impose increased requirements on such buildings. For example, the material for them must be used exclusively non-hot, such as bricks or blocks. nine0010
3. Bathroom. Such an extension is mainly used in villages and cottages that are not equipped with a bathroom and toilet. In this case, the room has to be attached in order to increase comfort. Depending on the material of the main building, the extension can be made of timber, brick or blocks.
4. Living quarters are being completed in order to increase the area of ​​the house and are used as an additional room. Sometimes the dimensions of such an extension may exceed the dimensions of the main building. Often they are used in the restoration of very old buildings with a small usable area. The building material for such a room is mainly brick or blocks, less often a wooden beam. nine0010
5. The garage is attached to the house, either to save the budget due to a common wall, or to heat the room for the car from the heating system in the house. For the construction of a garage, blocks and bricks are most often used.
6. Bath. Such a building is usually attached to a wooden country house or cottage. In this case, one wall is common, and the other three are also built of wood. The most commonly used logs. The bath can be used as a vestibule at the entrance to the house.

For each type of extension, it is necessary to calculate the amount of materials and draw up a plan.

Types of construction of residential extensions

There are several basic options for do-it-yourself extensions to the house:

The first option is considered not only the easiest from a technical point of view, but also the most budgetary. He assumes that the roof of the main building remains in place, only slightly lengthening by the size of the extension to the house. The main building is completed on one side or two. Then a passage is punched between them so that the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe building increases by the size of the new building. nine0003

An attic-type room will be more expensive, as it is supposed to carry out an add-on.

The third do-it-yourself extension to the house involves its own roof. The rest of the structure resembles a side structure. A separate roof increases the consumption of material, so the extension will cost more and will be built a little longer.

The extension of the second floor is carried out only if the foundation of the house allows it. If initially the building was not planned to be multi-storey, then there may be problems with its completion. The foundation may simply not withstand the additional load. In some cases, it can be strengthened. nine0003

Designing a new building

According to the law, any functional room is considered to be an addition to the house. A balcony, a loggia, a winter garden or an additional bedroom - all this will be considered an extension. Mandatory elements of its design are:

• foundation;
• walls.

Unlike the main building, there may not be any ceilings here. Do-it-yourself constructive solutions for the roof of the extension are as follows:

1. Adjacency to the slopes of the roof of the house. In this case, new nodes are added to the existing truss scheme.
2. Gable connection is the most economical option.
3. Shared with the main building. The truss system of the house is dismantled from the edge adjacent to the extension, some elements are changed and everything is covered with a single piece of roofing material.
4. Detached structure - at

   An extension of the canopy is desirable when building a house

   increasing the number of storeys of the building, the roof is joined to the wall, relying on its own load-bearing structures. nine0003

The foundation of the building is recommended to be erected separately, since the structures are operated under different loads.
At the design stage, it is very important to take into account the compatibility of the new building with the old one. An extension with your own hands should not create obstacles to communications that pass through the site. If you plan to make multi-level buildings, then you need to consider that this will delay the snow masses. Therefore, they should be further strengthened to avoid subsidence of the foundation. nine0003

Foundation design

When increasing the useful area of ​​an existing building in the horizontal direction, it is unprofitable to build a slab or strip buried foundation. The most cost-effective foundation designs are:

1. Shallow-buried belt, which allows you to save the construction budget twice.
2. Pile foundation.
3. Do-it-yourself extension to the house on screw piles.
4. Pillar base suitable for non-foaming compact ground. nine0010

If preference is given to a pile or column foundation, then it is necessary to perform additional protection of the lower part of the structure from freezing. For this purpose, you can use basement siding with an inner layer of insulation in the form of basalt wool or expanded polystyrene.

Wall design

When drawing up an extension project, you should decide in advance on the material for the walls. For frame or panel construction, a sandwich is used:

• OSB sheets with EPS or stone wool core;
• inner vapor barrier membrane;
• outer foil for waterproofing.

The laying of lightweight blocks - aerated concrete or foam blocks - will cost a little more. If preference is given to the latter, then it should be taken into account that even walls made of the highest quality foam concrete are often covered with a network of cracks. Therefore, the facade will need to be plastered over the reinforcing mesh with a special compound. nine0003

Designing a roof

When designing an extension to a house with your own hands, you need to calculate the reliability of the elements of the truss system, their configuration and choose a step for their placement. If the height of the walls is the same, then the supports can be based on the existing load-bearing structures. The rafters of the lower extension to the two-story building should rest on the columns located near the walls of the main building.

Most often, the slope of the roof of the house closest to the extension is dismantled. The elements of the truss system are replaced by new ones that have a greater length. nine0003

Alternatively, the roofing pie can be dismantled, but the rafters cannot be dismantled. For a new building, a shed roof is being erected. You can strengthen the truss system with racks.

This is how the project of a house with an extension looks like

For an extension to the house with your own hands, it is recommended to choose a roofing material identical to that used for the main building. Then it will look the most harmonious.

Similar articles

100 photo ideas for building and decorating with your own hands

Many people dream of having their own dacha, but those who already have it try to improve it, make it comfortable, convenient and practical. It is not so often that the construction and arrangement of a dacha economy starts from scratch, so to speak - in an open field. As a rule, we acquire a plot with buildings already built and equipped to some extent.

However, it would seem that the obvious advantage - there is no need to waste time and money, has its "minuses", namely, the new owner has to redo everything based on his needs and his ideas of comfort and practicality. For example, the usual situation is when the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cottage is insufficient.

Of course, you can demolish everything and rebuild, but this is fraught with such difficulties and costs of effort, time, material resources that this option is not suitable in any way, in this case, there is only one thing left - to make an extension and increase the total area due to it . nine0003

Looking at the pages of sites ready-made options, or rather a photo of an extension to a house in a summer cottage, you can see: with the right approach to solving this problem, the result is quite acceptable, and given the lower costs in comparison with the option of new construction, it becomes the only correct one.

So, let's figure out how to make an extension with your own hands, what is needed for this, what "pitfalls" can await us along the way and reveal some non-obvious aspects. nine0003

Summary of the article:

Thinking and planning

As in any other business: before you start sawing, laying bricks and in general - creating a fuss of construction work, you will need to think carefully, plan everything. Otherwise, the result of the work, all the invested funds, the time spent may not meet your expectations, or nothing will come of it at all, but a sad experience, you see, is not what we expect and what we need.

nine0003

At first glance, it may seem that what you have planned will require special skills or knowledge from you, however, there is nothing complicated and impossible, it all depends on your desire to work and study a little. As a rule, specialists are contacted when carrying out work on the supply of communications or during calculations during planning.

Let's decide what we need, what is required, and for this we need to know what species exist and what are their distinguishing features. So, as an additional room can be: nine0003

Ordinary canopy

This is the simplest option, it does not require a foundation: special support pillars act as a base for the main element - and this will be the roof of the extension. In this case, the walls are not erected at all, or some kind of screens act as them, for example, you can make a living curtain from specially planted climbing plants, which are guided along pre-strengthened threads.

In principle, the canopy still cannot be called an extension in the full sense of the word, it is rather an additional structural element of the main building. nine0003

Summer room

It can be a veranda or a terrace. The summer room does not require the use of insulation, the roof is made of lightweight material, and since the structure itself is lightweight, the foundation is made simple and cheap.

The disadvantage is also obvious - in this room you can relax or work only in the warm season, in winter the room is not used. The main "advantages" include the simplicity of design, low material costs, and the speed of construction. nine0003

Full-fledged housing for year-round use

In this case, we are dealing with a full-fledged capital construction. The convenience and comfort of the room will depend on how carefully everything will be designed, on the right choice of materials, on the quality of installation and finishing work.

It will require the construction of a full-fledged foundation, roof, main walls. Some infrastructure is needed: heating, electricity, ventilation, etc. nine0003

Kitchen

When choosing this type, remember that the kitchen will require you to sum up the entire list of communications, that is, during its construction, not only the room itself, but also the entire infrastructure is carefully designed.

In general, the kitchen will require additional financial investments from you, and for this reason it is rarely used as an additional room, with the exception of a simple, summer option.

A popular view among summer residents - garage

The room itself will require you to build a full-fledged foundation, solid walls made of stone or reinforced concrete structures, and a roof. Inside, it is required to provide an inspection pit and think over a waterproofing system, otherwise the pit will be filled with water in the spring and during heavy rains.

Please note that the garage may be heated, in which case it will be necessary to prepare an appropriate plan and supply heating.

Sanitary room

Another type of outbuildings - bathrooms, showers or sanitary rooms. This option requires the entire complex of engineering communications: sewerage, water supply, etc., and if it is not an outdoor shower, a heating and ventilation system;

Sauna

This is one of the most difficult options, and due to the specifics and technical features, it is better to build a sauna separately.

So, after the type is selected, we create the project itself, it is important to provide for all the moments and stages of work in it. Treat the design with due attention, the final result of all your work and costs largely depends on the quality and information content. nine0003

Construction technology

The most popular today are frame extensions, they are simple, require a minimum of material costs, and are quickly erected. There are the following frame technologies:

Frame-panel technology: panels with openings are made separately, and then, on the spot, they are assembled into a single structure. This method is great for extensions to a stone house; as a rule, it is not used for wooden buildings: nine0003

Frame-and-frame technology: suitable when an extension of a terrace or a small room is needed. As a rule, this method is used for summer rooms. The main advantage is the simplicity of design, as well as the fact that the master has a wide choice of methods, materials and options.

Frame technology is optimal when it is necessary to add verandas, summer rooms and other unheated and simple buildings. For a capital, all-weather premises or a garage, this method is rarely used, since in order to give the structure strength, it is necessary to significantly complicate it, and this is not always advisable. nine0003

For capital premises, stone or timber structures are more suitable. They have a margin of safety and other required qualities.

Regardless of which technology you use, the right extension to your home has one important design feature, namely, it will need to be attached to the main building. In view of the importance of this point, let us dwell on it in more detail.

Interfacing with the main building

Correct connection of an additional room will require careful calculations and research. It is necessary to take into account many factors and nuances, and therefore it is better to entrust planning to specialists.

During independent design and installation, special attention is paid to the foundation, its interface with the main one. It is important to correctly attach the walls, roof, take into account the mutual influence and seasonal changes.

The most commonly used method in practice is the use of reinforcement technology, and iron bars act as reinforcement. Widely used various mounting structures.

It is important to properly install the roof, to think over and provide for the flow of water from the higher roof, if the design is incorrect, walls and ceilings may get wet.

Some legal points

If you decide to build an extension on your summer cottage, it is important for you to remember that it is important to arrange any additional building structures in compliance with the relevant legislative acts. In addition, for the implementation of any construction work, first obtain a permit for their implementation. nine0003

To obtain permission and complete all required paperwork, you will be required to provide a properly executed project.

Getting to work

So, the project, which provides for a beautiful design of the extension, is ready, the necessary permits have been obtained, the necessary tools and all building materials are available, you can proceed directly to work.

In this case, the technology will not differ much in consistency or in some features. These are the usual works on erecting walls on a pre-prepared foundation, installing a roof, roofing, installing floors, summing up the necessary engineering communications, installing electrical wiring, finishing work outside and inside. nine0003

As you can see, the extension does not differ much from an ordinary building, in many ways it is, with the exception of erection in contact with the main building. That is why it makes little sense to describe the installation work, and if necessary, you will find the information you are interested in on your own .

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