Did you just buy a new home? Or have you lived in your current home for a while? Perhaps you’re experiencing some life changes and realize you need additional space or reconfiguration of your current space. What should you do? Live-work-play suggests you go out, down or up!
The decision lies not only on your current building structure, but on your personal needs and vision. Do you need extra space for an office, or perhaps another bedroom and bath? Are you looking for more live-ability, accessibility or room for an aging parent? We’ll help you assess your space, create a solution and determine whether to go out, down or up.
Choosing ‘out’ means adding on to the footprint of your home. Out to the side, back or even the front. A choice could also be made to add a basement below the new addition. Keep in mind, your property will need to be large enough to accommodate the additional structure within the lot or land available. Going ‘out’ can sometimes be the most expedient addition, but you need to determine if it fits with your home and lifestyle. See some “out” examples here, here and here.
If choosing ‘down,’ the first question you should answer is whether or not your basement is dry. We can drain water away with an internal or external drainage system if it is not dry, in addition to renovating the space. Next, ask yourself: Is there enough headroom? A minimum of 6 feet 4 inches is a good rule of thumb in an older home, but higher is a lot more comfortable. Beyond these concerns, does it makes sense to excavate underneath the home and possibly change the foundation? It might, if the foundation is sub-standard to begin with. Your house could also be lifted to create more headroom.
Choosing ‘up’ could mean a second level addition, added dormers, or a renovation of the attic under the current roofline, if there is enough head room. Do you have upward stairs that are already in place? If not, we can carve out space to insert stairs into your home. Going ‘up’ is potentially the lightest and airiest option, but also potentially more expensive than ‘out’ or ‘down.’ You can view some “up” examples here, here, and here.
Consider all three options – out, down and up – when thinking about expanding, adding on or remodeling. Ask us at live-work-play to help you analyze and review your space before you go too far down the road in visualizing your ideal home. Our creative, innovative ideas will start you on the path to realizing your dream.
Contact us for more information at info@live-work-play.net or 206-726-0077.
