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Consider these things before building…

If you have fallen in love with the neighborhood or they have fallen in love with you. Or, you wouldn’t part with the view and are bursting at the seams, you may be the perfect candidate for putting an addition on your home. It is an eco-friendly decision and a wise use of resources. Keep these design guidelines in mind to insure that the new addition blends seamlessly with your home.

THE FOOTPRINT

What size footprint does the house leave on the lot?

Think of it this way; if your home happens to have a size six footprint (reference your neighborhood), it probably will not look good to step on the house with a size 13 addition. Unless you deliberately want to re-create the whole look of the house, plan the scale of the addition to be smaller in proportion than the whole of the house.

DO start the design of the space from the inside out. This will determine the size and flow of the addition needed. Often, additions are built too large because good space planning has not been done. The time spent doing space planning can add up to be a huge savings in building costs. Floor plans drawn at 1/4” scale are useful to determine traffic flow and furniture placement.

DO start with “purpose driven” design. Think about what activities and furnishings are going to be in the new space. If you want it to be multipurpose space, scale out each scenario with the furniture along with the space needed to accommodate family/friends, and wide enough walking space between activity areas (36-42 inches). Think about how the new space to relates to the old space; noise, privacy, gathering, etc.

DON’T forget to check local building and zoning ordinances before you plan. Most of them have building setbacks and mechanical lines that are established by the city, which can lead to costly changes if ignored.

THE INTERIOR

Adding drama within the new addition can add excitement to a new space.

DO plan for focal points in the new space. Adding features such as a large window or fireplace will draw your eye through to your new space. Generally, it is best to locate one of those items on the wall that is the most visible from your entry or opening. Often, there might be converging focal points in one room, such as a landscape window, new fireplace and wide screen TV, all vying for attention. These items can be successfully combined if you take care to give one of the items more dominance, and add the other items in a smaller proportion.

DON’T change the ceiling heights. If you need to change the heights, consider adding a transitional space at a third height between spaces to minimize the contrast in levels. A rapid drop in ceiling height can make a person feel like they have been unconsciously squashed; on the other hand, the addition of a taller ceiling can help a spirit soar.

DO consider the size of the opening from the old space into the new. Is there going to be a big contrast in the size of the openings between the two spaces? If so, this can undermine the harmony of the space. Think about whether it is best to leave the connection to the new space open or create a partial opening with half walls or posts. Keeping the personality of a “room” can add to personal comfort–as opposed to dropping people into a large indistinguishable box.

THE EXTERIOR

Plan your home to “sing in harmony” with the “style melody” that exists in each neighborhood.

DON’T change the window style, especially on the same sides of the house. If you need to change the style for cost or energy reasons, keep the windows in the new addition similar in size and shape. Applying the same style of exterior trims can minimize the difference.

DO step the third garage stall back if adding to a two stall garage. A three car garage usually dwarfs the size of an average home.

DON’T create a railroad train. Most homes that have been added to looked best when there are interesting setbacks for each space. This can also provide an opportunity to create new spaces- a front entry or back mud room. Changing the vertical “plane” of the walls gives a safe way to start and stop different siding materials and architectural lines.

DO repeat the GOOD design elements from existing house. This means carrying through soffit depths, frieze board trims under the soffit and the like. Be cautious when adding trendy accent windows or diagonal lines if they are not part of the overall design plan. Often, adding a different type of design element, such as an arch, looks best when repeated in another location on the house.

DON’T change the roof pitch unless the spaces are different in scale. Similar pitch is usually best. Try to add uncomplicated roof lines to avoid valleys that pre-dispose you to leaks.

DO blend the exterior materials to look good together in color and texture; keep in mind that modern materials such as vinyl or plastic do not always look good with natural materials that have aged over the years.

Look at the new introductions on the market that are designed to be sympathetic in look and construction to natural materials; many of them are designed to be low maintenance materials such as cement siding and composite trims.

THE HISTORY

Every home has a design history no matter how short or long. Keep in mind that homeowners are really caretakers for the next generation.

DO some research on the style of your home before settling on the plan or design detail. There is no guarantee that there IS a dominant style. In many cases, modern homes are built in a transitional manner where the “style” is loosely defined by the type of door and window design. In this case, take design cues from similar well-styled homes in the community or the type of detail that is already on your home.

DON’T ignore the architectural history of the house. It is called honoring the “Integrity of Design.” Many design decisions are valuable in their time; they are done with the knowledge and resources at hand. Twenty- five years ago, the ranch house style was deliberately ignored and covered over with less appropriate cabin or country style trimmings. Now, a well designed ranch style home has earned its own respect. The same rings true of the time-honored Colonial or Victorian Style.

Before planning, ask yourself: Does my house have architectural elements that are:

Pleasing to the eye?

Classic in nature?

Difficult to replicate today?

Unusual for my neighborhood or town?

If your answers include yes, you probably have design elements that are worth planning around or replicating.

DON’T do things that “lie” about the natural growth of the house if you are seriously planning to preserve the look of its architectural history. When adding on to a home that has historically valuable design elements, try to preserve, repair or replace those elements. If attaching an addition, mimic the materials, proportions and repeat the design elements. Do this by adding similar columns, moldings or window trim. In most cases, you will want to step the addition walls forward or back to clearly distinguish where the addition was added.

DO develop a whole new philosophy if planning a large addition on a less significantly styled home. Adding strong design elements such as a new entry, new dormers or recovering the whole house with new siding is appropriate. In this case, concealing that new addition can develop an entirely new personality on your lot and in your neighborhood.