A successful home addition can transform the look of your home, expand square footage, and significantly increase the value of your home. Follow these five tips and your Ottawa home addition project is sure to be a success:

Identify Problems & Goals

When first planning your home addition project, you should always keep an eye on the big picture. Start by identifying problems in your home that you are looking to solve with an expansion. Do you need more space? An additional bathroom? Next, outline goals for the project: better accommodate guests? More flow for entertainment? Share these problems and goals with our experienced project manager, and we can be sure to plan and build according to your needs.

Know Local By-Laws

Every city has different by-laws and zoning regulations that restrict the construction of home additions. Make sure you know your local by-laws, and it can save you a lot of frustration if your “dream plans” involve running right up to your neighbour’s property line. Ottawa’s by-laws vary based on the density and land use, and you can visit the City of Ottawa’s website to find out your property’s limits on building height and yard setbacks. We can help with measurements and assuring compliance so your Ottawa home addition project can proceed without a hitch.

Exterior Flow

The best home additions have a natural flow with the existing home. You never want your addition to clash with the rest of the home or stand out like a sore thumb in the neighbourhood. We can ensure that the addition is designed to seamlessly blend with the existing home or is built in a visually complementary style. Think about elements of your existing structure, like siding and window style, and choose features for your home addition that match or complement the rest of your home.

Interior Flow

Maintaining (and improving) the curb appeal of your home is important, but it is equally important to consider the interior flow as well. You do not want your home addition to feel “tacked on,” or separate from the natural flow of the rest of the space. Try to coordinate trim, hardware, lighting, and other interior features between the existing space and your new addition.

Scale

Scale is also important. It may be feasible based on the zoning regulations, but do you really want a guest bedroom over the garage to dwarf the rest of your second storey? Make wise use of available space but keep things in reasonable proportion.

These five tips should help you plan a successful Ottawa home addition. Contact us now for more information or to book your free no-obligation design consultation.