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Families are much like “chills”… they’re multiplyin’! Having a common area to spend time with your loved ones, that’s important. We have helped many Lancaster County, PA families realize their dream space.
The first thing you must ask yourself about a family room is – where do we put it?
When considering your home, you may wonder where the best spot is. Below we discuss your 3 main options:
Basement – For years, basements have been home to the family room area – a big TV and sound system to watch all the big games and blockbuster movies. You can practically double your livable square footage. Or, as MBC says, make your available space more livable.
Don’t Forget: You will need an egress window or door to the outside for fire escape, or be putting one in, to secure a building permit.
Addition – Family room additions come in many shapes and sizes; in-laws quarters added off the1st floor, build a 2nd story, or a family area above and garage below – you have many options to consider here. Your budget, your homes style and lot space will help determine the best choice for your situation.
Tip: Check our Addition Cost Calculator for some basic pricing ideas.
Take down an interior wall – is there a pesky wall between the dining and living rooms? We often take down walls to open up space. A header board will need to be installed if any of the walls are load bearing. This will allow you more space to entertain and always be in the same room.
Design tip: light colors & mirrors help open up a room visually.
Home addition, in-laws quarters, basement or taking down walls? MBC Building & Remodeling, LLC can help you figure out is best for your situation! Contact us for a free consultation! Serving Lancaster County, PA, including Manheim, Millersville, Lancaster, Manheim Township, Lititz, Landisville, Lampeter and everywhere in between!
Budget: A major step, and one of the first places you should start is developing an investment budget for the project. This isn’t always easy; without experience in these types of large home addition projects, you may have no idea what to expect. If you aren’t sure where to even begin, try our Addition Cost Calculator.
Style: Maintaining the style and aesthetics of your current home are very important when considering an addition. You do not want an eyesore stuck to your house just to cut costs – it is better to be patient and save so you can do it right the first time. Potential buyers will notice this right away… and will keep on moving.
Create a Wish List to start: Bring ideas to the meeting. Involve your family members as much as possible in the interior designing, colors, flooring, bathroom fixtures and all of the other selections made during the design phase. This is a fun family activity, but also since they will be the one living there, their input is important. An experienced contractor can help you make the right choices to keep your budget intact while making sure of a win-win-win project design process.
Location: Should we go off the back? Add a 2nd story? What about a master suite and garage addition? Maybe we should do a garage conversion? You might have several options as to where to put the addition; or you may not. Working with an experience general contractor will give you some trusted guidance as to the pros and cons and feasibility of the different addition placement options you are considering.
Choosing Your General Contractor: Have they done the type of addition you are looking for? Putting a room on the back of a house is not the same as opening up the roof to add a second story. Always ask for work samples, state registration information and references. Check their website for evidence they have the quality and experience you desire.
From Lititz to Conestoga, Columbia to Manheim, MBC Building & Remodeling, LLC knows Lancaster County, PA home additions.
Most
of the Lancaster County, PA homeowners we talk to have no idea the cost
of building some sort of home addition, like a sunroom, family room,
master suite or garage. Now there are many different projects that fall
under the addition category, and they aren’t just all the same cost of
course. You should plan to invest anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000+
depending on the type of room addition project you and your family are
planning.
Now I’m sure you are saying, “That is a ridiculously big range... What about my sunroom?”… or mudroom, or garage, et al.
Answer?
We created this Addition Investment Calculator for Lancaster County, PA
to help you get a realistic idea of what you should plan on investing
in your specific room addition project.
Major Investment Calculator Factors:
To get a clearer idea of where your project may fall in the range
below, you must consider a lot of different things. The following are
just some of the factors that typically affect the cost of adding on to
your home.
Size:
The first major investment consideration is the square footage you
envision on your project. No matter which project you are planning,
bigger will always require a higher investment.
Exterior Finishes:
The type of siding you choose plays an important role on the cost of
your addition. Also, your door styles, roofing material, and any
exterior lights you want will add to the bottom line.
Interior Finishes:
Inside, there are a lot of ways to increase your position on the
addition calculator below. What are we going to need? The type of
flooring; total number and sizes of windows; trim work? If you are
adding a kitchen, bathroom or other family area, you may need to choose
cabinets, fixtures, countertops, tub material, paint and/or extra
outlets.
Types of Additions:
Sunroom: $20,000 – 70,000+
Mudroom: $15,000 – 35,000+
Family Room: $50,000 – 70,000+
Bathroom Addition: $35,000 – 70,000+
Kitchen Addition: $35,000 - 100,000+
Garage w/ or w/o In Law Quarters upstairs: $50,000 – 140,000+
Additional garage building considerations: 1 story or 2? # of windows
and entry doors? Number and style of garage doors? Finished drywall
inside? In-laws quarters: bathroom and kitchen finish/appliance
considerations?
Master Suite: $100,000 – 200,000+
2nd story: $150,000 – 200,000+
About this calculator:
• These estimated numbers are based on our long experience in the Lancaster County, PA remodeling field and Remodeling Magazine’s 2011-2012 Harrisburg, PA Cost vs. Value Report.
• All
additions are structural buildings, meaning they require building
permits, foundations must be dug and poured, Township inspections, etc.
These price ranges are very large, so contact us to get an exact quote on your Lancaster County, PA home addition! We can also help you with financing, design and floor plans.
Sometimes while discussing a 4-season sunroom with our Lancaster County, PA clients, we get on the discussion of an alternative option: a 3-season room. Most of the time people were not aware of the term 3-season room or what it was, even though they usually have seen one after we explain it.
Here is a quick rundown of 4-season and 3-season rooms, their pros and cons and even an idea if you’re considering your own addition!
What is a 4-season room? A four-season room is a heated room addition. These are structures added to your home. The most common types are sunrooms and mudrooms. With a sunroom, you have large windows to let in the sun! A mudroom is usually a place of entry into the home, used for umbrellas, shoes and storage, or even a nice breakfast nook!
These usually allow the perfect place to relax with your family during the beautiful sunny days, but no matter what the weather outside is doing you can enjoy these rooms 365 days a year.
Pros:
• Air-conditioned and heated for year round enjoyment.
• Enjoy the natural light. Sunrooms with a lot of windows give you an “outdoor” feeling with out leaving the AC!
Cons:
• This is a structure like your home, meaning it needs a foundation dug and footers laid. This adds to the cost of building the new room.
Ideas:
• Cover your whole sunroom roof with windows for a complete outdoor experience!
What is a 3-season room? A 3-season room is a windowed room that is not heated, therefore it is (usually) unusable in the cold winter months. They are however perfect for those cool nights of Spring and Fall, as well as being outside on a hot Summer day without the sun beating down on you and your family. You can either enclose an existing deck or porch, or build a completely new one.
Tip: When adding or enclosing a porch, use four-track windows for the best performance of the room.
Pros:
• Less expensive.
• Can take as little as a few days to complete an enclosure of an existing porch.
Cons:
• This room is usually not in use during the Winter months.
Ideas:
• Consider Sunspace four-track vinyl windows. They are custom, durable and affordable, so replacing the screens on your existing porch is a breeze.
I hope that covers it! If you have any questions or are ready for a sunroom or enclosed porch in Lancaster County, PA, please contact Mike Blank, CGR CAPS and MBC Building & Remodeling, LLC in Millersville!
