Adding a room to your home can increase both the home’s square footage as well as its resale value. An addition offers more functionality and room as well as suits your needs. But the new addition will only be as good as the design itself.
If you’re considering another bedroom or bathroom, a new den or living room, or a new home office, a room addition can be just as complicated—and sometimes costly—as building a new home.
Should you hire an architect for the room addition?
The Architect
This is an individual with education, experience, certifications, and licensure. They have a high level of expertise that includes correct design, and the laws regarding building codes and permits. An architect is trained in a variety of relevant subjects, including design, construction, project management, budgeting, and other relevant needs.
An architect will look at your house, discuss your needs and wishes for the new room, then provide the designs and solutions along with the costs. The architect has the most current information on building codes, zoning laws, permits, and other technical characteristics of room addition or other building projects, and can offer advice on the best way forward.
The Design-Build Company
This is a company with both designers and builders who work together to offer everything for both the design and building of your room addition. While a designer isn’t an architect, a design-build company has a designer, engineer, and builder all under one roof.
Your room addition can be planned and built by one company instead of multiple. And they can help keep the project within your set budget so that you don’t need expensive re-draws to bring costs back in line.
Additionally, you can hire an architectural draftsman to create and complete your drawings. However most do not have the engineering and design experience, and you’ll still need to have an architect’s approval on the design and drawings before getting permits.
Why Hire An Architect?
You may believe that you can forego hiring an architect for your room addition, but if nothing else, you’ll need someone to approve your plans to get the required building permits.
Working with an architect can ensure that your project is built correctly. Any mistakes are worked out in the design and drawing phase, rather than during the construction phase where it’s more expensive. This is especially true when the room addition is a bathroom, where mistakes could become particularly expensive.
While you will have to pay a little more to have an architect involved in your project, the end result is that your room addition will be exactly what you want and compliant with Maui’s building codes. Read more about hiring an architect before beginning your room addition project.
Pro Draft For All Your Architectural Design Needs
When you’re ready to begin remodeling or adding a new room to your home, Pro Draft can help with architecture, drawings, blueprints, and permits, and answer all of your questions before the first day of construction. We’re happy to help and will work to ensure your project is exactly the way you envision.
Call Pro Draft today at (808) 579-9050 or 1-800-499-4699 from the Mainland.
