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Home Addition Exterior Design Considerations
A Home Addition Exterior Requires as much
Design Consideration as the Interior
By: Mark J. Donovan
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One of the saddest things I see done
to a home is the construction of a large and unsightly home addition. Many
homeowners focus on the inside of the home addition during the design phase and
pay little attention to the home addition exterior design. As a result, they
often end up with a home addition that looks like a large tumor hanging off the
side of the main home. In some cases the tumor, or home addition, is larger than
the house itself.
Though the finished home with its attached addition provides more living space,
it often provides a negative return on investment and can make the home more
difficult to sell.
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Buyers care a great deal about the
home exterior, and consequently want to purchase a home that offers style and
symmetry. Curb appeal is half the battle for attracting home buyers. Seeing a
home addition exterior design that fails to meld into the existing home can
detract from a home’s overall curb appeal.
If the home has any significant historic value in the community, or there are
covenants associated with the property, the municipality or home association
could also have issues with the home addition exterior design.
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Consequently it is important to make
sure the town and any home association that the property is associated with are
in agreement with your home addition building plans prior to starting
construction. Otherwise you could find yourself with a cease and desist letter
and/or in a courtroom.
Key Home Addition
Exterior Design Considerations
Make sure the home addition size is of the proper proportion with the rest of
the home.
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For example, don’t build a home
addition that is actually larger than the main home. A good rule of thumb is
that the home addition exterior length should not be more than 30 to 40 percent
of the main home’s length. Also consider recessing the home addition from the
front of the main home. This way the main home still represents the main visual
from the curb and the home addition looks like an accent piece to it.
Alternatively you may want to consider installing the home addition towards the
back of the home so that the front of the home is not changed in appearance.
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Ensure that the home addition
exterior siding and colors dovetail nicely with the existing home so the home
addition looks like it was always part of the original home. In some cases you
may want to use an exact match of house siding and color, and in other cases you
may want to select a house siding or color that contrasts nicely with the rest
of the home.
Finally, use similar roof lines that
have the same roof pitches, soffit depths and roof eave overhangs. Also use
shingles that match the existing roof.
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In some cases it may make sense to
re-shingle the main part of the home when shingling the new home addition.
Moreover, carefully consider roof dormers. Not all dormers compliment a roof.
Think symmetry when planning your home addition exterior and roof lines. The
home addition roof should complement the home’s main roof.
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Home
Addition Bid Sheets.
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Addition Bid Sheets
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How to Finance your Home Addition Building Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
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Related Information on Home Addition Building
Design Software for Developing your own Home
Building Plans from Amazon.com
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