There are many different ways you can expand or remodel your house to give yourself more space. You can: add a home addition to the first floor, a pop-up addition to the second floor, or a sunroom; convert a garage into living space; create a basement addition; or bump out an existing room to make it larger. Which kind of addition you choose depends in part on what your family needs.
Connect to the Outside
For example, if you want to make better use of your backyard space and enjoy the out-of-doors, you might consider adding a deck and/or sunroom to your house. Both types of additions will allow you to admire Mother Nature in comfort. They also act as a transitional zone between the outside and inside of your house, which is particularly useful if you have small children who like to play outdoors. Decks and sunrooms also provide wonderful places to gather and entertain. Of course, sunrooms offer the added benefit of adding square footage (and value) to your house and give you year-round opportunities to enjoy the view.
Covered Porch by Case Indy
Expanding Family
Growing families are a big impetus behind home additions. Usually it is because new children are born into the family, but the motivation might be the arrival of grown children or elderly relatives. Such events often create a need for additional bedrooms—which can be added with a two-story addition or a vertical addition such as building a room over the garage. You can also consider building a new master bedroom suite and converting the old one into children’s rooms. Of course, many growing families also like to expand their family rooms—or add a new one—so everyone can gather and interact.
Four Season Room by Case Indy
More Entertaining
For people who like to entertain, a cramped house is the bane of their existence. An enormous master bedroom suite does you no good if what you want is space for guests to mingle and circulate. Naturally, the kitchen is often the target of such a remodel or addition since it is not only the place where you prepare and serve food but also the room where everyone tends to congregate during a party. But other public spaces are candidates for expansion as well, including the living/family room and the dining room—particularly if you have a lot of dinner parties. You don’t necessarily need to add an entire room to give yourself more entertaining space. Consider a bump out. Adding a few feet to a room can create an eat-in kitchen or make your dining room large enough to accommodate more guests.
Multi-Level Porch by Case Indy
If you are planning to have someone (such as a relative or au pair) move in with you on a permanent basis, you might be considering how you can create a more independent living area in the house—with a separate entrance and its own bathroom. This situation is ripe for a basement remodel or garage conversion; with a location that is slightly separate from the rest of the house, these additions preserve some autonomy for the newcomer.
Whole House Hideaway by Case Indy
Home Office
You can add a home office almost anywhere. You can bump out an existing room or build a new room onto the first floor of your house—or even the second floor over the garage. A home office is also another good candidate for a garage conversion—particularly if you will have frequent visitors to your home office; it can provide autonomy and an entrance separate from the rest of the house.
Trying to decide which home addition is right for you? Contact Case Design/Remodeling of Indianapolis to start a conversation today.
