If you love your location or the character of your home, but something about your space just isn’t quite working for you? Maybe you’ve considered moving, but there’s just something about your house that you don’t want to give up

If that sounds familiar, consider renovating and adding onto your home with a large home addition. Rather than a single room or small addition, a large home addition gives you the opportunity to make significant changes in your home to suit your lifestyle. 

Why Choose a Large Addition Over a Full Home Remodel? 

These don’t necessarily need to be separate projects. In fact, many homeowners choose to add on to their home while remodeling. But if you are happy with your existing space, and just need more of it, here are the main reasons why New Jersey homeowners choose large home additions:

Expanding Living Space 

Not every family wants to move as the family grows. Whether it’s welcoming aging parents to come live at home, having children, or just realizing that your space is too small for the teen years, adding on to your house can accommodate the need for more space.

Even if you aren’t adding more people to your home, you may find you need more space. Many homeowners want dedicated space for craft rooms, offices, home gyms, or more. You can accomplish this with a smaller addition, but expanding your home’s footprint can allow you to make better use of your existing home instead of hitting the market.  

Reconfiguring the Kitchen 

A large home addition allows you to completely overhaul your kitchen. Many homeowners are most dissatisfied with their kitchens — and it makes sense. We find that the kitchen is the most customizable part of your home. Everyone uses theirs a little differently — for some, it’s where the whole family gathers to do homework, prep meals, and socialize. For others, it’s a serene haven or gourmet paradise. Either way, a large addition can allow you to customize your kitchen to meet your exact needs. 

Creating Primary Suites 

Older homes don’t have ensuite bathrooms, walk-in closets, or spacious primary suites. Many homeowners want to use the primary suite as more than just a bedroom — it’s a place to unwind. Adding onto your home to create a spacious and calm space filled with storage is a popular home addition idea. 

4 Large Home Addition Ideas 

1. Chef’s Kitchen 

If your kitchen is dated, cramped, or just not meeting your needs, a large addition can help. With expanded space, you can add not only a new space for cooking, but a spacious island for family meals and entertaining guests, a breakfast nook for cozy meals at home, and a formal dining area for holidays and dinner parties. 

Recently, we added a large addition onto a home in Ramsey, NJ, which freed up enough space for a new mud room, dining room, and much larger kitchen. See the project here.

2. Embrace the Outdoors

A large addition can help integrate your indoor and outdoor spaces. Biophilic design, or design that helps connect people and nature, is gaining in popularity. You can achieve this with a large addition that adds outdoor living spaces like a sunroom and porch or deck, opens the kitchen to the yard with large French doors, or even creates an outdoor extension of the kitchen.

Recently, we completed a home remodel and addition in Mahwah, NJ, that expanded the kitchen and living areas while adding a new deck for seamless indoor-outdoor living. The project also included a new mudroom and powder room, plus a fully remodeled primary bath, all finished with custom cabinetry and modern exterior updates. See the project here.

3. Reconfigure the Layout 

A large addition opens up more possibilities for you to use your space. You can use the opportunity to reconfigure other parts of your home as well. For instance, adding a kitchen addition means you can free up space for an expanded living area, entry, or playroom — as seen in these projects:

4. Create a Serene Suite

A large addition can incorporate a primary suite into your home. You can add a spacious ensuite bathroom, his-and-hers closets, and separate sleeping and living areas within your main bedroom. This gives your home a spacious, resort-like feel. Primary suite additions are popular, especially when doing an add-a-level project. 

Does a Large Addition Add Value to Your Home? 

A large addition does add value to your home — but there’s a caveat. If you are considering any of these large home additions for the sole purpose of resale value, you’d be better off focusing on cosmetic upgrades. Smaller upgrades like a bathroom addition or kitchen update tend to have better immediate ROI. 

However, if you plan to live in your home long-term, a large addition will pay for itself over time, and add value if and when you choose to sell. Bathroom additions, kitchen additions, and primary suite additions all offer over 50% cost recovery when selling. This makes them an excellent choice when you want to make your home work for you, with no immediate plans to sell. 

How to Get the Maximum Value from Your Addition

Just because large home additions may not provide as much ROI as smaller upgrades doesn’t mean they can’t add value to your home. At White Maple Construction, we’ll guide you to make the decisions that work best for your family, while also informing you of elements that will provide the best return. 

For example, we focus on energy efficiency in all of our builds. Not just because New Jersey building codes incentivize and encourage green appliances and windows, but because an energy-efficient home lowers your long-term costs, and makes your property attractive to buyers on the market. 

Adding onto Your New Jersey Home with White Maple Construction

When choosing a large home addition contractor, it’s important to choose a team you feel comfortable with. At White Maple Construction, we start every project with an in-depth consultation and site visit to ensure we understand your goals and can see your vision. Then, we’ll guide you through our design-build process, complete with a detailed estimating process. 

This enables us to provide you with an accurate cost before construction starts. Large home additions, while a significant investment, are an excellent way to improve your existing house and stay within your budget. 

Learn more about working together. Contact us today for a free consultation.