Green Additions/Remodel Best Practices

Preparing Your Ideas & Questions

When starting a project, purchase a binder in which to keep and your ideas and goals. When you find something you like, take a picture of it and keep it in your binder. Go through every home improvement magazine you can find and insert pictures from the magazines that look like what you want. Start to organize your binder into different sections such as lighting, flooring, windows etc.

Use the following list to help get you thinking about your project, not every item is applicable, but the more planning you can do upfront, the smoother your project will go

Users

  • Think about who will be using the space. Is it the whole family, or just one person?

Function

  • Make a list of everything that you ideally want
  • Make a list of things that you have to have (not the same as what you want!)
  • Your budget plays a big role here, be careful not to get too carried away
  • If you cannot reconcile your budget and what you want, consider breaking the project into phases 

Feel

  • What style is the rest of your house?
  • Do you like the current style, or is this the time to give the whole house a facelift?

Design

  • How will this addition tie into our existing home?
  • What changes will we need to make to the existing structure?
  • (If you are adding a second story); is the foundation strong enough for the additional loads?
  • What energy saving techniques can I incorporate into my project?
  • Can you capture southern sun in winter?
  • Can you improve the energy performance of the existing house at the same time? 

 

Building Your Team

Many homeowners have the skills to do their own additions. If this is you, congratulations! You’ve just cut your project cost. If you are unsure about undertaking the project, consult with a builder or architect early in the process to understand exactly what you are getting into. Don’t underestimate the time that construction takes and the toll living in a construction site will take on you and your family. While doing the work yourself to save money is tempting, nothing beats having an experienced team come in and get it finished in a quarter of the time.

Once you have decided who you want to work with you can get down to the design phase. Your architect can help you design a great addition and help you throughout the entire process. It is important to approach your architect with a plan, but still be open to their suggestions. If you are planning on hiring a contractor, be sure to get three bids. Less than three makes it difficult to compare, and more than three gets too complicated. For remodeling projects, a design/build team is a great way to control costs. Your team can be costing the project at each stage of design so it meets your budget when the design is complete. 

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