I need home addition ideas

[Leola]

We are adding on to the house, and we are trying to figure out what to add...

 

We have 4 kids - 12 to 2 ~ 2 boys and 2 girls in 1400 sq feet. We have 3 bedrooms upstairs and 2 full bathrooms & a 1/2 bath (2 upstairs and the 1/2 downstairs.)

 

I know we are adding a garage.

 

I know I want a mudroom - I want a big mudroom to serve as a pantry, place for coats/boots etc What else should a mud room have or do?

 

We are trying to decide whether to add space to the second floor (over the garage) or the first floor.

 

We don't have dining room - we have an eat in kitchen and a large family room on the first floor.

 

Second floor is cheaper - first floor feel more practical.

 

Help what do I want? What do I not want?

Edited September 23, 2010 by Leola

[KatieJ]

Where is your laundry room? If it's in the basement, I would work it into either the main floor addition or upstairs. And it would be big enough that my ironing board could be set up at all times.

 

My Dd has a "bonus" room ( that's what the contractors are calling it these days) over her garage. It's a 2nd floor family room. It's awesome. There is a small tv for watching videos, lots of books, toys and lots of room for little boys to do what little boys do.

[Leola]

Our laundry is in the main level - right off the kitchen. Right next to where the mudroom would be. There isn't room for the ironing board - that drives me crazy - I will add that to the mudroom though. hadn't thought of that.

 

I am considering a laundry chute - not sure if that's safe with the little ones.

 

Any heating or cooling issues with the room over the garage?

[RoughCollie]

When kids become teenagers, they like to have their own bedrooms. At least mine do. So you may want to add a bedroom (or two).

 

You may also want to add a living room. I'm tossing this idea at you only because I like having a living room for reading, visiting, listening to music, and conversation, and a family room for the t.v. and for game storage. Basically, one room for quieter activities and one for the television set & video game consoles. It is very practical to have either built-ins or furniture in which to store toys, video game stuff, and board games.

 

You may like having a space for an extra fridge and/or upright freezer in the mudroom/pantry. I have a freezer, and it is full. I wish I had another refrigerator and a place to put it.

 

Also, you may want to put a charging station for phones, laptops, and so forth in the mudroom. Dedicated shoe umbrella, and glove storage areas are nice to have. So is a place to put cleaning supplies, mops, bucket, baskets, broom, dust pan, vacuum cleaner. If you have pets, you may want to put their feeding stations in there, too. I like having a place to hang keys -- there has to be wall space for that, so planning for that is a good thing.

 

One of the most important things to do is to figure out how much space you need for each thing by measuring everything you plan to put in each room -- that way, you won't run short. I think it is better to overestimate storage needs, and to figure out a place for everything so as to eliminate clutter. We live in a small house now, and it is a pain in the neck not to have a place for each thing so it is all neatly organized.

Edited September 23, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Dobela]

Have you looked at books with house plans at all? Some of them have wonderful ideas you may be able to incorporate. If I had a mud room, I would want one of those big, deep sinks and my washer/dryer in there as well, for convenience.

 

My parents have a laundry chute and loved it when we were kids. It was one side of a cabinet upstairs and dropped into a cabinet just below. Mabe 4ft from top to bottom. Both parts had doors making it look like part of the cabinet. My mom liked that her dirty laundry was hidden.

 

One of my best friends in high school was one of 5 children. So each could have a bit of privacy their dad divided the basement into rooms about 8 ft by 8 ft and gave them each a bedroom. It wasn't much space but enough to get away from the others.

[SailorMom]

Mudroom - incorporate a laundry room if you are not allready happy with yours

Add 2 bedrooms - above the garage if possible (cheaper)

Consider adding an extra full bath (or a shower only - no tub)

[KatieJ]

Our laundry is in the main level - right off the kitchen. Right next to where the mudroom would be. There isn't room for the ironing board - that drives me crazy - I will add that to the mudroom though. hadn't thought of that.

 

I am considering a laundry chute - not sure if that's safe with the little ones.

 

Any heating or cooling issues with the room over the garage?

 

Actually, yes, they do have issues. However, when they built the room they were on a tight budget and opted for the less expensive heating/cooling option which was tying into the existing heating/cooling for the house, instead of putting in a separate thermostat.

They keep a fan/heater in there and keeps it comfortable enough. But I would explore that in depth with my HV guy.

[Sherry in OH]

In addition to items mentioned by others - a utility sink and possibly a shower. Storage for sports equipment and other debris that belongs in the garage but always ends up in the house. :)

 

Rooms above garages can be chilly. Noise and vibration from garage door openers can be an issue. You want a lot of insulation in the floor if you go that route.

[KatieJ]

 

I like having a place to hang keys -- there has to be wall space for that, so planning for that is a good thing.

 

QUOTE]

 

Rough Collie has great suggestions.

 

When we remodeled we had a cabinet built ( so it has a door) specifically for keys,bills, receipts, stamps, envelopes, etc. It is awesome. No one knows it's there because it has the door,but it keeps the mail and all that stuff organized. The one I found online ( our carpenter made one just like it) also had a white board built into the door for family notes. He coulnd't find a white board and I gave up tryign to explain what I wanted, but it would have been nice for shopping lists.

I will see if I can find that picture..

[Lisa in Jax]

Two bedrooms and one bathroom for four kids? I'd add at least one bedroom and bath upstairs. Your kids aren't big now, but when they're all adult-sized, you'll wish for more space.

 

If the bath you add can allow for two people to be in there at the same time, all the better. For example, what about a layout with a toilet room, a couple of sinks, and a separate shower? That way, two kids can be in the bathroom w/o sacrificing privacy.

 

In terms of the mudroom area, we added a space like the top photo on this page http://blog.ddharch.com/tips-and-trends/mud-room-organizational-inspirations/ to allow the kids to hang up their coats and put away their shoes.

 

In general, the more storage, the better. As your kids grow, you'll need more space for out-of-season clothes, bulk foods, etc. Plan for it while you're building. :)

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[RoughCollie]

I am considering a laundry chute - not sure if that's safe with the little ones.

 

If you get one, get one that has a door and put a latch on it or something that will make it childproof. I've seen them without doors, and that is a hazard for small kids.

[RoughCollie]

As your kids grow, you'll need more space for out-of-season clothes, bulk foods, etc. Plan for it while you're building. :) Lisa

 

:iagree: Teens are adult-sized people. I know that's obvious, but I'm still getting used to the fact that I am now the shortest person in this house. They spend more time in the bathroom, both boys and girls. Many of them outgrow twin beds. They eat a whole lot more food, which makes having lots of food storage space very important. Their clothes are adult sizes. Their desks are adult sized ones.

 

Overall, teens and their stuff take up a lot of space. The upside to teens' space requirements is that their "toys" are mostly tiny ones.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

We added a mudroom several years ago. I LOVE my mudroom. It includes:

 

1)A compartment for each individual. Coats. purses, bags, backpacks go on hooks, shoes are underneath. There is a bench that runs across the front of the whole set-up so they can put their shoes on in there. Each cubby also holds a basket for each person's odds and ends.

 

2) a bin for balls, skates, jump ropes etc. This also closes and is a bench.

 

3) a key rack

 

4)A Tower of built-in shelves that includes: A)A charging station for cell phones, cordless electrical tools, flashlights, B) Room underneath for pet food storage,C) A shelf for chemicals (ie bug repellant, fertilizer, anti-freeze), D)A shelf for gardening tools, E) room across the top for the shot-gun (we're in the country - it's for foxes that are after our chickens) and snow scraper.

 

5) A huge key rack

 

6) Mail slots for three people

 

7) a toilet and sink in a separate litte room. It was supposed to be a utility sink and I regret letting the contractor talk me out of it. It was also supposed to have a shower and the contractor talked me out the that too. :glare:

 

8) Two levels of Peg Racks for visitors' coats

 

9) A recycling bin - I wish I had designated space for this. It just sits in the floor and looks ugly.

 

I wish I had a small little closet to park brooms, snow shovels, etc....but I didn't think of it.

 

HTH

[ma23peas]

We are adding on to the house, and we are trying to figure out what to add...

 

Help what do I want? What do I not want?

 

Purely from a resell/appraisal point of view, I would do one of two things..

 

1. Add a bathroom/bedroom on the downstairs level

 

2. Finish out the room above the garage as a bonus room (more inexpensive...but the bathroom/bedroom on main level will add more $$ per sq. foot to your property..but weight the costs of completing it against any gains.)

 

We finished out 1200 sq feet upstairs and added a bathroom, redid the kitchen for 45k..we put high end finishes for really cheap (got great deals) and the appraisal even in this crazy market went up 95k...mainly because we added a bedroom/bath and upgraded kitchen..

HTH!

Tara

[Leola]

Great ideas - these are so helpful!!

 

When kids become teenagers, they like to have their own bedrooms.

You may like having a space for an extra fridge and/or upright freezer in the mudroom/pantry. I have a freezer, and it is full. I wish I had another refrigerator and a place to put it.

 

Also, you may want to

 

Yeah - that is good to remember. My 12 year old is as tall as an adult already.

 

We have a full freezer. I think adding another fridge is a must. Maybe putting freezer in there too for ease of storage.

 

Adding space to charge everything is a great idea. I would love another space to be away from the kids.

 

You are full of great ideas!

 

Have you looked at books with house plans at all? Some of them have wonderful ideas you may be able to incorporate. If I had a mud room, I would want one of those big, deep sinks and my washer/dryer in there as well, for convenience.

 

I have looked, but they can be so overwhelming - everything looks good. A sink or shower it a must -dh is thinking a shower in the mudroom and a utility sink in the garage.

 

Rooms above garages can be chilly. Noise and vibration from garage door openers can be an issue. You want a lot of insulation in the floor if you go that route.

 

. But I would explore that in depth with my HV guy.

 

We will talk to them about that.

 

When we remodeled we had a cabinet built ( so it has a door) specifically for keys,bills, receipts, stamps, envelopes, etc. It is awesome.

 

I love that!

[Leola]

Two bedrooms and one bathroom for four kids? I'd add at least one bedroom and bath upstairs. Your kids aren't big now, but when they're all adult-sized, you'll wish for more space.

 

We have 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths upstairs and a 1/2 downstairs. We will have on in the basement when we finish that too (that's later though.)

 

It was great when we moved in, but it's too small now - I am wishing for more space now. I can't imagine how crowded it will be when they are all adult size!

 

If you get one, get one that has a door and put a latch on it or something that will make it childproof. I've seen them without doors, and that is a hazard for small kids.

 

Great idea! Of course, that would help.

 

We added a mudroom several years ago. I LOVE my mudroom. It includes:...

HTH

 

That is a great list - thank you for that.

 

Purely from a resell/appraisal point of view, I would do one of two things..

 

1. Add a bathroom/bedroom on the downstairs level

 

2. Finish out the room above the garage as a bonus room (more

 

I really would like to have a room downstairs - I would love to put a master suite on the first floor. It's good to know it helps house value too.

[Leola]

This is so helpful - there are so many things to think through. So many details... We thought we'd have more time to make decisions. We hadn't planned on adding on now, but it's a really good time.

 

When we moved here we weren't homeschooling (we had only one child who wasn't in school.) And wow there are so many things that I would change to make it more homeschooling friendly.

 

Now, I need to think about big kids and what's next. You all have great ideas! Thank you so much.