Have you been thinking you would love to add on to a room or adding another room then please take a moment to consider the following:

1. Do you really need an addition?  Why do you need this additional room or space?  Just because you need more room is not a good reason, decluttering and better organization could solve that problem.  Think long term, do you need a family room for your growing family needs, do you need quiet space for yourself, is the kitchen just too small for practical flow or are you tripping over each other in the bathroom? I am sure you can think of more great reasons.

2. Make your addition flow with the rest of the inside and outside of your home: You will need to make the exterior blend with the older part of the home this includes exterior materials as well as style.  You don't want someone to be able to drive up and tell immediately that you have added on not to mention you want the flow of your existing home to not be interrupted by the new addition.

Please do not forget to keep your interior design consistent.  You do not want people to walk in and be able to tell where the old stops and the new starts.  Keeping the same flooring, wall texturing, archetectural design will help the inside stay true to the original design. 

3. Are you thinking of adding a 2nd floor, a basement, or going out from the existing slab?  Look for a great contractor, designer and/or possibly an architect to make sure your home can support a 2nd floor.  Adding on to the slab and roof line can be researched and handled with your contractor and/or architect.

4. Does your new addition fit where it sits:   Do you have to walk through a weird hallway, go through another room, is the room in an odd place to the whole design or is the access to the 2nd story or to the basement seem inconvenient or difficult to navigate,  then you have just lowered the value of your home. 

5. Keep your lot spacious: Be careful to not add so much home that you crowd out your lot and lose precious real estate.

7. Follow the Rules:  Be sure and check with your county, city and Homeowners Association to find out what the rules and regulations that you will need to following while adding your addition.  And make sure that you have received all your permits before you start your project.  Things to find out about are zoning, property line setbacks, architectural requirements to name a few.

8. Last by not Least:  Don't overbuild for your area and be careful to not overdo it on the style or materials you use that will price you right out of your neighborhood. 

Remember this is your home, make it comfortable for you, with an eye to the future.