This article originally appeared on La Jolla Light.
Is your home almost perfect? Maybe it was perfect when you bought it, but it’s getting a little cramped since you got roped in by that infomercial and now own a home gym set. Or maybe your son or daughter unexpectedly moved back in with you after graduating from college, so you don’t get to turn their bedroom into that coveted wine cellar after all. Of course, you could move, but do you really feel like packing, hiring movers and reorganizing everything? Maybe a home addition is the answer. Generally, a less expensive option than moving, home additions offer many benefits:
More space for stuff: Our homes never end up having enough space. After living somewhere for a while, it’s natural that we accumulate more photo albums, more appliances, and more electronics. But it’s not just that we accumualate more stuff; our lifestyles change. Sometimes our home becomes our office, or we develop new hobbies and require an art studio or a music room.
More space for family: Increasingly, our kids and our parents are moving back in with us. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, almost 40% of young adults live at home with their parents, and according to another study, 4.6 million elders moved in with their kids. You might not have planned for this when you bought your place. However, instead of uprooting completely or feeling cramped, you can look into adding an extra bedroom, and if the plumbing allows, it can include a bathroom.
More sunlight: Generally less expensive than other home additions, a sunroom has many benefits. Natural light is so important. Studies show that it improves our mood, it promotes healing, makes us smarter (a study showed that test scores were higher among students when their classes were illuminated by natural light) and makes us more productive (a study found programmers in offices with natural light spent more time at their computers than those in offices without windows). Sunrooms can also add natural light to surrounding rooms.
More luxury: If you’re at that point in your life when you feel like you deserve a little more luxury, why not build that walk-in closet that you’ve always dreamed of or that luxury bathroom with the giant, gorgeous shower and his and her sinks?
If you are considering a home addition, it’s important to remember that a home addition that isn’t designed and planned well can look awkward. It might not match the style or shape of the existing house. It’s also important to make sure that all home additions adhere to San Diego building codes. If they don’t, you will have to pay fines, and you may have to return the home to its original state.
At Murfey Construction, we are well-versed in great design principles and San Diego building codes and regulations. If you are considering a home addition, please visit us at http://MurfeyConstruction.com.