top of page

Home Additions / Renovations

a before and after picture after designing and building a home addition

Need a little more room?  Looking to fix that house you love?  Or that house you love to hate? 

 

Additions are some of our favorite projects.  We take great pride in reconfiguring a house to make it a home.  We carefully learn how you live, what you want, and what you need.  Armed with this information, we renovate your home around you.  Sometimes, this entails an addition or other times it’s a careful renovation.  Remove a wall here, push a wall here…flip these functions and massage things until they work.  It’s a delicate balance and sometimes a puzzle, but the results are amazing.

 

If this is the type of project you are considering, make sure you have an architect on-board from the beginning.  We’ve fixed many houses where additions or renovations have gone wrong.  A poorly planned addition or renovation will negatively impact your home value.  Not mention, what a waste of time and money! 

Do I Need an Architect for a Home Addition?

 

To be fair, many homeowners are not sure if they need an architect.  Just looking to remodel a bathroom or a kitchen…a contractor should be able to do that, right?  Well…yes and no.  Is there a better design than the one you currently have?  If you think there might be, hire an architect.  Usually, there is always a better plan.  Many homes were actually not designed by architects, but rather home builders.  Home builders are great at building.  Their design skills are not one of their strengths.  We’ve all been in that house with the kitchen where no one can stand without being shimmied around or the laundry room where the washer and dryer barely fit, much less add a person or laundry basket to the situation…then, it’s a nightmare. 

 

As architects, we design space while taking into account a multitude of other factors.  These factors include light, ventilation, circulation/flow, materials, and best construction practices to just name a few things.  If you’re considering a remodel, renovation, or an addition to an existing home, do your homework and due diligence and consult an architect.  A consolation is typically free, if the conversation goes well, engage that architect for the project.  The fee, typically around 6-10% of the cost of construction, will ensure a great design and will create a solid investment in your home.  That beautiful house on your street with the great floor plan, will not only sell in a heartbeat, it will also sell for more than the okay one next door, with the awkward kitchen and family room.

We are doing an addition to our home so we can “age in place”, Mike made my ideas come to life and has been great to work with! He made the process easy and answered all my questions, no matter how silly they may have been. We are very happy with the final drawings and can’t wait to see the project as it progresses. Thank you!

5 stars from a review

"We are doing an addition to our home so we can “age in place”, Mike made my ideas come to life and has been great to work with! He made the process easy and answered all my questions, no matter how silly they may have been. We are very happy with the final drawings and can’t wait to see the project as it progresses. Thank you!" - Sarah

Live By Design logo
bottom of page