Should You Build That Extension On Your House? Things You Should Consider. So you have a home and you wish it was larger. Whether it is because your family has grown or you have accumulated many things, you just want the comfort of a larger home. Expanding your home will take a lot of planning and important decisions; the first one being: are you financially able to afford the added expense? Assuming that you are able to afford that construction or home-equity line if you are not paying with cash, the next consideration is: Is it better to do the construction or to sell your home and buy a larger house? It all depends on the size of the expansion. If you are looking, for instance, to add a second floor, then this is a major undertaking and the cost will be a heavy factor. You might be better off not doing the construction if you can find a larger house in your neighborhood that suits your needs. This article is not about talking you out of construction, it is about making a thoroughly informed decision before undertaking a costly and time-consuming investment. You may have to temporarily relocate, or if you live at home while the construction is going on, it can be stressful at the least. Construction costs do not swing in price to the extent that real estate does. If there are many homes for sale in your neighborhood, or the market has come down, it may be possible to find that larger house and not go through the ordeal of the construction. Depending on the market, you might make a huge investment to do the construction, but the finished house may not equate in value to the investment you made because there are similar houses in the area at a lower price. But assuming you love your home, the location, and everything else you can think of other than the size, then construction might be the way. The next step is to hire an architect to draw-up plans to put on paper your expansion concept. After the architectural plans are prepared to your liking and they are approved by your local building department in your Town, construction can begin. Depending on the size of your construction project, it may take many months to complete. The next question: Should you hire a contractor or contract yourself? A contractor will manage all facets of the project including hiring all workers and dealing with building department inspections and approvals. This is a huge decision and unless you have any experience with building and the time to manage the project, it is better to hire a contractor who is reputable and you know has completed similar projects. The money you would save by doing the project yourself may not offset the time and effort needed. To summarize: get an estimate of the cost for the entire construction project. With this figure, see if there are any houses in the area that suit your needs instead of doing the construction. If you have a unique home that no other house offers, such as your location, style, or other feature that only your house offers, then construction would be warranted. On the other hand, if you can locate another home the size that you had planned for and the location and all other requirements are satisfied, then it might be better to sell your home and buy that home instead of going through the expense and effort of a construction project. Website: http://www.betterlifestyles.com