With how interchangeably the words home addition and home remodeling are used, you may be mistaken into believing they both mean the same thing. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Building home addition and remodeling your house are quite different from each other.

Defining Home Remodeling

If you look up the word remodel in the dictionary, it is defined as changing the structure, shape, or appearance of something. When it comes to homes, a remodeling job usually includes the following:

Modifying the Space for A Different Use

A home remodeling project involves changing the purpose of a space. It entails an altering of the existing structure with the intention of completely transforming it. This means that floor plan reconfigurations or layout changes count as home remodeling.

Improving the Functionality of a Construction

Two of the most common places to be remodeled in homes are the kitchen and the bathroom, and most often the not, the reason behind it is to improve the functionality of the space, or make it more usable.

Breathing New Life into an Existing Construction

Remodeling gives any old room a brand-new look and feel. It often involves tearing down existing walls or fixtures to create a more spacious and streamlined look with more efficient use of the space.

How Home Remodeling Differs from Home Addition?

Even though both a home remodeling project as well as a home addition use the existing structure as the starting point, the key difference is that while the former stays within the confines of said structure, the latter builds out in any direction from it. To decide which best suits your needs, let us consider all of the ways they are different from each other.

A Remodel Entails A Structure Alteration Whereas an Addition Builds from The Ground Up

Most of the time, a remodeling project involves first of all clearing of a space and then reimagining the layout within the four walls for improved functionality. Sometimes, a wall between two rooms may be torn down to create a continuous, more spacious look.

An addition on the other hand uses one of the walls or a section of the existing construction as a reference point but since it is a brand-new construction, the ground plan and the layout has to be designed from scratch, keeping in mind the purpose of the addition.

Home Additions Are Often Costlier Than Remodeling

Building a new construction from the ground up will almost always be pricier than just remodeling an existing space. The price gap increases even more if special permits and professional construction staff is required to carry out home addition. So if budget is a concern for you, it is usually better to opt for a home remodeling for more efficient use of the existing space, rather than going for brand-new room additions to your home in an attempt to increase the living space.

Small Remodeling Jobs May Not Require A Permit but A New Addition Almost Always Does

For any construction project, a permit is required in order to ensure that proper building codes were followed and that the space is suitable to be used for its intended purpose. If the alterations done to the preexisting construction are not that large in scale, for example a new paint job or a flooring change, most likely there is no need to get a permit before you can start with the remodeling. However, in the case of a home addition, since it is a brand-new space with a brand-new function, a permit is almost always necessitated before the project can go ahead as planned.

Renovating Is More DIY-Friendly

Personally getting involved with your own home to bring your design dreams and ideas to life with respect to a certain room or area in your house can be a source of immense pleasure, not to mention, much more economical compared to hiring a team of professionals, especially for those on a tight budget.

When it comes to a home addition, however, you have no choice but to seek the services of experienced construction professionals to build the construction from the ground up. You may also need to get approvals and get contractors involved if the project is big and requires a lot of paperwork to be handled before the project can proceed.

Now that you are familiar with the ins and outs of home addition and remodeling, we hope this knowledge will serve to help you make a better decision as to what treatment you should go for, keeping in mind your specific needs and demands. And be sure to select home addition companies DC which can translate your dream house into reality.