Hire a home addition specialist for the best results
Home addition specialists handle your entire project from planning and permits to foundation work and interior finishes, keeping everything coordinated under one team.
Expect to pay $22,000 to $84,000 for a home addition, with average costs around $51,000 depending on your project size and material choices.
General contractors often subcontract electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work, which can add scheduling delays and increase your total costs with supervisory fees.
Hiring a local home addition professional provides expert guidance through the permit process and structural planning, helping your project stay on schedule and up to code.
Building a home addition will add living space and utility to your home and, in turn, normally adds value to your property. But who builds home additions, and how do you choose from the different pros who can tackle the work? Let’s discuss the different options you have and why a home addition specialist is your best bet.
You should hire a home addition specialist near you to build a home addition because they can tackle everything from start to finish and have the most specialized experience. There are a few key reasons a specialist is ideal.
They’re less likely to subcontract work: General contractors may be able to tackle the foundation and framing, but they’ll often subcontract electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it can cause scheduling delays and quality issues. Home addition specialists are more likely to have a full suite of pros on their team.
They’re often more affordable than a general contractor: General contractors will also charge a GC fee for hiring and coordinating the necessary contractors. Hiring a home addition specialist is less likely to leave you with supervisory fees.
They have an intimate understanding of the permit process: Home addition specialists build home addition after home addition, so they’ll know what permits you’ll need from the get-go. This can help avoid delays and ensure your project is up to code and legal.
They have the most experience: Focusing on home additions also means they’re true experts. They may be able to foresee problems before the work begins, and they’re less likely to submit change orders due to things not going according to plan.
Yes, you can hire a general contractor to build a home addition. However, you’ll pay a general contractor fee, which is between 10% and 20% of the total in most cases and will drive up your labor costs. General contractors also often don’t have specialized experience, so they’re less likely to anticipate problems and solve them before they further increase costs or extend project timelines.
Depending on which building materials of your choosing can give homeowners an increased control over aesthetics, quality, and budgeting — but that freedom can also lead to unexpected pitfalls. Contractors usually have supplier links, know how long the material lasts and have insight on how certain products age. One homeowner’s selection might accidentally add to costs or project schedules. As an example, choosing a trendy tile from an overseas supplier can lead to unexpected delays, given shipping limitations.
Home addition specialists follow the general steps below to make your home addition dreams a reality.
Detailed planning: First, your pro will have a structural engineer and an architect draw up plans for your home addition.
Sourcing materials: Next, your home addition specialist will work with you to choose all materials for the inside and outside of the addition.
Pulling permits: Your pro will pull all necessary permits to ensure the work is legal and up to code.
Laying the foundation: The specialist will excavate and pour the foundation for the addition.
Framing the addition: Next, your pro will frame the addition, including exterior and interior walls, roofing, and flooring, if applicable.
Enclosing the addition: Roofing, sheathing, windows, and doors are the next to go up. This is called “drying in” your addition and will keep rain, snow, and debris outside.
Roughing in utilities: The rough-in for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC equipment comes next.
Installing insulation and drywall: After the rough-in, your pro will put in insulation and install drywall.
Finishing the interior: Interior finishings come next, including paint, flooring, plumbing and electrical fixtures, trim, and more.
Restoring the exterior: The home addition specialist will then level and reseed your yard, which will suffer some damage during the building process.
A home addition costs an average of $51,000, and most homeowners pay between $22,000 and $84,000. Your price will depend on the size and type of home addition you go for, the materials you choose, and more.
You can expect an ROI of between 50% and 60% for most home additions.
Building a home addition is a job that you’ll need to leave to the professionals. Even handy DIYers can make mistakes that can lead to entire structure collapse, water damage, and house fires when working with structural, plumbing, and electrical components. You can choose to do some of the finishing work, like installing flooring, putting up drywall, and painting, to save on room addition costs, but you should leave the bulk of the work to a professional.
Your local municipality will also require that a licensed pro pull permits, so you’ll need help from an expert even if you are comfortable with doing the project yourself.
Jason has helped me with multiple household projects, with the most recent being new door installation. He has always showed up on time and organized and has done an incredible job! Jason is very professional and he's now my go-to for anything around my house that needs to be fixed or...
Huff Garage Rescue, LLCCole has been handling plumbing and general contracting for our four properties over the past three years, and he’s always done a great job. Most recently, he installed a sink and countertop in our retail store where none existed before, and it turned out exactly how we needed. He’s...
ANB Renovations LLC1st Choice Renew is simply the best! We hired them for a complete home renovation, and they transformed our space into something truly amazing. The team attention to detail and commitment to quality were evident throughout the project. They were easy to work with, very responsive, and always...
Save A DimeThis company went above and beyond with their work, chimney sweeps are usually pretty messy, but the clean up was spot on.!! Josh explained every thing that he was doing, and the things that he was checking to make sure the chimney was safe for me and my family. He was very professional,...
Supreme brick & chimneyCustom Paint Jobs LLC turned our outdated bathroom into a modern masterpiece.
Custom Paint Jobs, LLCI highly recommend Scotts Tree Experts. We had 3 large trees removed and 3 large trees trimmed and cleaned. They did a great job with the work and left our property very clean. The crew is professional and will answer any questions about the work taking place.
Scotts Tree Experts LLCExcellent customer service and knowledge. I was recommend to him from my neighbour. My front door and window came in great and were installed beautifully perfectly, I m very satisfied with their excellent work, so decided to order one more big bow window for my living room. I cant wait for...
Window Depot USA of Central OhioIf I could give 10 stars for Kitchen Tune Up, I would. I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Kitchen Tune Up and the entire team involved in the process of my kitchen project. They went above and beyond as far as service and quality with my cabinets, paint, countertops, and...
It was wonderful working with Yordy and his team. They were very professional and are experts in what they do. They have completed the work on time, with better quality and with in fairly reasonable price. We just started with backsplash work , but liking his work, we went on to provide...
Flooring SolutionsWe were having 2”x 2” tile installed . There was a small installation error and the new additional replacement tile was from a different lot and the colors didn’t match. Joe assured us that he would rectify everything , which he did without hesitation. We decided to go with the 18” x 36” tile...
CarifaTileFrom average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Whether you're dreaming up a new office or a peaceful sunroom, home addition costs will shape your design. Learn what to expect for every vision.
When building a home, going custom gives you the freedom to create your dream house. Learn about the cost to build a custom home and the factors to consider.
While it isn't easy to expand your property, you can consider building up. The cost of adding a second story has quite the range. We'll break it down here.
Building an addition can help you gain valuable living space in your home. Learn how much value an addition can add to your home and which additions add the most.
Not sure who to hire for a mudroom addition? Learn the right pros to call, how they work, and what to expect so you can plan with confidence.
If you are planning a home addition or remodeling project, make sure you don’t forget any steps of the process. This helpful checklist walks you through planning and completing your project. Follow it step by step so your home addition goes well.
