Services >>
Home Additions
ADDITIONS DESIGN PROCESS AND CONSIDERATIONS
Unlike most kitchen remodels and bathroom renovations, home additions are not considered a by-right remodeling project. Zoning restrictions, historic-district preservation ordinances and even neighbors can often prevent a home owner from constructing the home addition of their dreams. Zoning restrictions include by-right lot coverage, floor/area ratio and rear or side and front yard setbacks. In certain neighborhoods exterior construction can be highly regulated by various entities such as, Homeowners Associations, Historic Preservation or District Committees.
Therefore, it’s important to conduct preliminary research prior to getting too involved in the Design Process for the home addition. When the legality or logistics of a proposed home addition is in question, Ohio Property Brothers can typically perform a feasibility study as a first step. This can involve an informal meeting with relevant local committees, production and presentation of preliminary drawings for concept approval, and pre-design review meetings with zoning board members. Once we are fairly certain that the proposed home addition will be approved, Ohio Property Brothers will begin the Design Process.
The majority of remodeling we complete on older homes have excellent bones or details that are original to when the house was built. In such instances, the challenge is to integrate modern amenities, while preserving the historical integrity of the home. We take this responsibility seriously and design with a careful eye to preserve the relationship between the old and new structure. While such integration is generally more costly than “slapping on a box” to increase square footage, we believe the extra expense is always worth it. With these considerations in mind, Ohio Property Brothers will lead you through the home addition Design Process. The steps involved are outlined below:
Initial Design Consultation:
Visiting with you in your home will allow us to understand your vision while talking openly about your needs and preferences. We will have high level discussions about the existing spaces that are affected by the new addition. You should be ready to identify any issues with the current layout or with the way your family functions in it. We will want to know if you prefer the extra space for a large couch to watch the game or an enhanced entertainment area for dinner parties. We will ask design related questions about the way you function daily and if that differs from holiday gatherings. This is a great time to review your inspirational pictures from Houzz or Pintrest!
Conceptual Design:
We will begin to revise the design based on your feedback from the initial Design Meeting. A conceptual plan will begin to emerge and this will provide us with the information we need to start developing a design package. From here we will compile elements from previous designs options and refine until we have the final layout that works for everyone.
Material Selections:
During this stage of the design we will have a solid view of your aesthetic vision for the addition. At this point the broad strokes of the type of materials you want will be broken down into manageable bite size decisions related to the actual products we will use in your home. We will help you prioritize the selections based on common lead times and connect you with the appropriate showrooms or vendors. Many of Ohio Property Brothers clients will utilize these referrals as we have negotiated discounts and established relationships.
Trade Partner Walkthrough:
After you have approved the preliminary or conceptual design of your new addition, Ohio Property Brothers will coordinate walkthroughs with our Trade Partners. This can normally be accomplished in a couple visits to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Our trade women and men are critical to the success of the project and Ohio Property Brothers will actively engaged in communication with any plumber, electrician, engineer, site foreman and any others on the construction team. We will use all of this information and feedback to develop the pricing for the project.
Construction Documents:
After the Trade Partner walkthrough and finish selections have been finalized we communicate the necessary design and architectural elements to the construction team and finish preparing the documents for the appropriate permitting departments. The planning prior to this stage will pay off exponentially as we define and detail the final plans.
ADDITION PERMITTING AND CONSTRUCTION
At this point we have the information we need to write the construction contract and finalize pricing for your home addition. In the rare occasion where specific finish materials for the addition have not been finalized, material allowances may be used. This enables us to move into contract and begin the permitting process.
There will be multiple pre-construction meetings, some with you and a number will be with our staff and the construction team. These meetings will define logistical issues such as living and parking arrangements, tool and material staging, dumpster placement, nosy neighbor protocol and much more! Some projects will be invasive enough that you will move offsite for specific portions of the project. Be assured, Ohio Property Brothers Project Managers will be in tune to your needs and will remain in consistent communication. Parts of the construction phase are exciting as we all get to view the fruits of our collective efforts with tangible progress! Before you know it, you will be snuggled in to your newly improved home!
“If you are looking for an honest, trustworthy, timely and hardworking group look no further. I think first impressions hold a lot of value and Brian Hayes met with me and took his time to understand my vision and wants for our kitchen, bathroom and mantle renovation. He knew that I was not going to be an easy customer to please and that I expected perfection and his company delivered just that. I value honestly and from day one he was transparent and I knew I was in the best of hands with OPB. He was always accessible when I needed opinions and/or had questions and brought all my visions to life. We could not be happier with our experience with OPB and would HIGHLY recommend them!!!! Thank you OPB for giving us exactly what we wanted!!!”.
Services >>