Room Additions

The costs associated with adding a new room onto your home can be broken down into labor and materials. “Materials” refers to any of the construction materials, from plywood to lighting fixtures, which you intend on installing in the finished room. Labor costs will be incurred if you hire a contractor, or you may decide to pay friends to help.

Whatever the case may be, understanding your costs prior to beginning a room addition can help to stay within budget. Of all the additions you can put on a home — from a master bathroom to a mudroom to a laundry room — a family room may provide the biggest bang for the buck. In part that’s because the job doesn’t include any pricy plumbing fixtures, stone surfaces, or major appliances, so the costs are comparatively low per square foot. But also, a family room can be much more than just an addition: By building it next to the kitchen, with an open floor plan, you can create a single, multipurpose gathering space that’s well suited to life in the 21st century.