Ways to Expand Your Home

Is your home too cramped that you are trying to expand your home? Then you should consider your needs where the new space should be located and how it will affect the rest of your house. Draw a layout of your home the way it is right now; Then draw the space you want to add, including locations of doors and windows, closets, utility connections and other built in features; Then step outside and imagine how the new space will change the appearance of your home’s exterior.

Unless you hire an architect, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with restrictions such as the local municipal and association codes in your area (setback requirements, height requirements, etc.) Next step will be cost estimate - the amount you’ll need to spend for the project (labor and material costs, building and association permits).

Building a Room Addition:

The way your house is situated on its lot will help you determine where to build a room addition. Generally, additions are best placed in the side or rear of your house, where they will have the least impact when viewed from the street.

The Philippine building code sets the minimum on the distance from the house to the property line, usually 2 meters for side and rear and 3 meters for frontage (these value varies depending on association codes.)

It also makes common sense to balance your original floor plan with the uses of the added space - examples include placing a kitchen addition near your kitchen so you save on utility costs and placing a guestroom towards the rear for better noise protection.

Building Up:

Building up or adding an extra storey to your house is a good way to gain living space when there’s not enough room on your property for an addition to the sides of your home. However, keep in mind that a new storey will have a major impact on the exterior of your home.

Before planning to build upwards, check for two things: height restrictions and the structural integrity of your house. Any new load that must be carried by your home must be consulted with an engineer or architect. Adding a new floor can also lead to rearranging of a few spaces for stairway provision.

One disadvantage to building up is that you have to remove the roof to frame the new space. Removing the old roof exposes you to the weather until such time new walls or roof are constructed.

Supplying utilites to the new storey is simply a matter of extending your home’s present system and addition of a new electrical circuit to feed power into the space.

Transforming the Garage:

When it comes to transforming a garage into living space, the bigger it is and the closer it is to the house, the better! In converting a garage your renovation work will be limited to finishing the interior, adding a few windows, dealing with the garage opening, and perhaps landscaping. You can deal with the garage opening by building a wall or have it glazed (glazing makes for a perfect home office!). Most garages are already wired for electricity, although you’ll probably need to add a few more receptacles.