Home Addition Costs: Advice from Award Winning Builder Simply Additions of Newington CT

Jan. 20, 2009 - PRLog -- Home addition estimates can be quite complex, because in some cases a person is doubling the size of their home such as adding a second story addition to a single level home. We created a simple guideline for you to follow which will help you get up to speed.

Step 1: List your goals.
Example - Add second bedroom and a family room.

Step 2: Visualize and roughly sketch where this addition should go.
Example - This second bedroom addition should be built off the rear right side of our house and the family room should be built connected to the kitchen.

Step 3: Assess the size of each room addition.
Example - If you plan on adding a bedroom it may be a good idea to take a trip to your local furniture store with a tape measure, pencil, and graphing paper. Measure the furniture that you plan on putting in the room and put its dimensions on paper. When you get home, sketch out a room that can accommodate your furniture as well as provide to you enough space to walk around it.

Note: A Design/Build Construction Company or Residential Architect can create a virtual rendering of your home addition with the furniture in it, thus giving you a proper concept of space.

Step 4: Find a qualified company.
1. We suggest that you visit your local Better Business Bureau's website and research each company's performance history online. Recently the Better Business Bureau released a letter grading system making it easier for consumers to find the proper contractor or remodeling company.

2. Research each company's complaint and license history with your local Department of Consumer Protections.

3. A Reputable contractor or remodeling firm will have a respectable record with preferably zero complaints filed against them. A complaint usually implicates that the company or contractor failed to resolve a matter with the consumer, leaving the consumer helpless.

As an established company with a pristine working history, we have made our mistakes in the past; however, we paid for our own mistakes so that our customers would not have to. A clean history reflects to us that a company/contractor believes in business integrity; this step should not be overlooked as a prerequisite to contacting any contractor.

4. Request to see photos and addresses of previous home additions that they have built. Not every contractor knows how to build a home addition the right way, it is best to do your homework on each company before you shell out big bucks on a home addition.

5. Request a detailed estimate and ask if the price on the estimate will stick if nothing else changes. We always tell our customers that the price on their estimate can change for three reasons.

Number One: During the foundation phase we uncover solid ledge, larger than the size of a small Volkswagen which may need to be blasted in order to proceed.

Number Two: Customer requests a change order, adding something such as more windows, skylights, etc.

Number Three: Existing structure needs repairs due to unforeseen conditions such as termite damage, water damage, etc.

Our procedure is to inform our customer of the condition that we have uncovered, provide them with an estimate of how much it will cost to repair or make the addition to the contract, and finally we ask for them to sign off on the change before we continue.

6. Request to see a copy of their home addition contract. A home addition contract should be well detailed depicting the rooms to be added, the materials to be used, and the costs that you will have to pay for. A detailed contract protects you from contractors who have little experience with large projects such as home additions.

7. Verify References. Ask for a list of references of customers who had home additions built. Ensure that they are not giving you references for other project types (example: roofing jobs, tile work, etc.). Remember a home addition is a complex project where most of the time you are completely changing the energy efficiency of a home. An experienced and reputable company knows how to engineer the project so that your electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems work seamlessly once completed.

8. Be realistic and do not choose a company on price alone. As a home addition building company we have realized that we are not the cheapest nor the most expensive, we are however one of the most experienced and qualified companies in Connecticut. Many times we had consumers choose other contractors because of price alone; only to find out that the contractor they hired did not have the skill necessary to accomplish their project properly.

It is wise to remember that in the beginning it may seem that saving a couple thousand on a hundred thousand dollar project is a big deal, but if the contractor you hired makes inexperienced mistakes, you will have to cough up more money even though your signed a contract for a lower price.


In conclusion finding the right company to build your home addition should be done with care. It is easy to become another statistic if you decide to not follow some guidance. A home addition is usually an expensive project where if a mistake is made, the mistake costs big bucks to fix. Experienced construction companies know how to properly estimate these projects because they have already experienced the most common newbie mistakes. Plan wisely.


As a premiere builder of homes, home additions, and commercial projects, we are equally dedicated to educating consumers about building processes. Our website http://www.simplyadditions.com is a source for building, construction, and process information to all consumers who seek information in these areas. Simply Additions is a local Connecticut Design/Build Construction Company that has won many awards ranging from sources such as the CT Better Business Bureau to awards from the State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal himself. Our dedication is to our consumers and to everyone who can benefit from our professional guidance, products, and services. Please contact Voitek L. Klimczyk for media relations by visiting our websites contact us page.

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