Home additions are one of the most tried-and-true ways to transform your home. Along with adding space, these remodeling projects give homeowners the opportunity to make their house more functional and beautiful while raising its resale value.
As a custom remodeling firm, we work with homeowners who have wide-ranging ideas for what to include in a home addition. Over the last few years, we’ve noticed some trends in home addition designs that have been consistently gaining steam.
In this post, I’ll describe five of the most meaningful trends and how they can be incorporated into your home addition to create more vibrant living spaces.
Open-Concept Kitchens
Open-concept kitchens continue to be popular among homeowners who are planning a home addition. In most cases, this involves a bump-out addition on the first floor that allows for an expansion of the existing kitchen space.
With more room to work with, we can revamp the floor plan and make the whole area feel more spacious and welcoming. Often, this also means putting in a kitchen island, complete with places to sit and spend time with family or friends. It can also include opening up the whole space around the kitchen to create a seamless transition to the dining room.
Because we spend so much time in our kitchens, this type of home addition can really pay off in terms of your everyday quality of life. A bigger space is also fantastic if you want to entertain.
Of course, a major kitchen project like this involves not only structural remodeling for the bump-out but also lots of careful plumbing and electrical work. Getting the design right from the start goes a long way toward meeting the goals of the project.
Dynamic Outdoor Living Spaces
In recent years, we’ve found that there’s growing interest in creating dynamic outdoor spaces for relaxing and entertaining. One way of doing this is with an extensive porch, deck, or patio. These home additions can be equipped with extensive seating, a cooking area, and even a jacuzzi.
Another approach is to convert a deck into a multi-season sunroom, using the existing deck as a foundation. These sunroom conversions have ample windows that let in natural light and can open wide on nice days. But the windows can also be closed to keep out the elements. HVAC integrations enable year-round temperature regulation, making for a comfortable living space with an indoor-outdoor feel.
With a custom addition, you can even combine the two concepts, creating a four-season sunroom that opens out onto an adjacent deck or patio.
Custom Attic and Basement Conversions
There’s nothing new about the idea of converting a house’s attic or basement into a finished space. But what we’ve seen more of in the last year is a trend toward custom attic and basement conversions.
For these additions, homeowners approach the project with a real sense of purpose. They usually are focused on creating either a dynamic multi-use space or an area with a highly specific use.
- Multi-use space: Often, homeowners want to design an area that has a luxurious or upscale feel and can serve as a living room, game area, bar and lounge area, and entertainment space. An adjacent bathroom and basic kitchenette or wet bar offer even more wide-ranging functionality.
- Specific use space: We are finding that many people have their mind set on developing their attic and basement for something specific, like a home office, yoga studio, artist studio, or movie room. Wine cellars and tasting rooms are also popular in finished basements.
For more information about budgeting for this type of addition, you can download our guide to basement renovation pricing in the West Chester area.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a fancy name for an independent area that has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and living space. These are more traditionally known as mother-in-law apartments. ADUs typically have a separate entry, offering more privacy than a typical guest room.
ADUs can be used as a source of rental income, but we’re increasingly seeing homeowners use them to provide long-term living arrangements for family members. This can allow parents or other family to age in place, keeping a degree of independence while staying close to family (and often saving money relative to other housing options).
ADU additions can be an entirely separate building on your lot, or they can be attached to your home. For example, an ADU can be built above your garage, as part of a basement addition, or in a bump-out or second-story addition.
Leaning Into Natural Vibes and Sustainability
In home design, the trend toward sustainability and a more natural vibe is still going strong. For some homeowners, this means prioritizing things like energy efficiency and reducing water usage. For others, it involves using natural materials like stone and wood that can make a home’s interior design feel more inviting and down-to-earth. Many people are also prioritizing natural light exposure and incorporating more houseplants into their home decor.
Using the Design-Build Process for Custom Home Additions
Whether you want to follow these trends or have another idea for your dream addition, a custom approach is the best way to transform your house. Hazley Builders specializes in custom work, and with a certified architect on staff, we can take on even the most complicated home additions.
We follow the design-build method, which means our firm handles every stage of the project, from the initial design to the actual construction. This process makes life easy for our customers, whom we have been proudly serving for more than 25 years. We love to collaborate and understand your thinking and motivation, whether it’s to get more enjoyment out of your home or to add real value if and when you decide to sell it.
Our firm has deep roots in the West Chester area, and we know what it takes to provide the highest level of remodeling work for our area’s many unique and historic homes. We leverage our experience and expertise to provide tips and suggestions that can optimize your home addition.
We invite you to read more about our team, check out our portfolio, and contact us today to schedule a consultation about what we can achieve by working together.
