Instead of looking for bigger homes, more families are looking at home additions. We’ve found that most feel they are ready to apply for permit WAY before they’ve taken some necessary steps. Here are the things you need to make sure you stay out of trouble with your township or city while also getting the most return on your investment.

Check Zoning
First, you need to figure out if zoning regulations will influence how large of an addition you are permitted to build, if at all. Most people immediately think, “why do I need permission to build on my land?” Well, because it can affect the people around you. There are a lot of zoning factors, but the most tangible have to do with proximity to neighbors, blocking views and impervious surface.

The last factor, impervious surface, is especially important in cities because it influences water runoff. If there are too many hard materials like concrete or asphalt in a given area, there’s nowhere for water to go during a storm which contributes to flooding during major storms.

In New Jersey, for the township to evaluate your project, you’ll need to have a site survey that has been completed within the past 5 years.

You Might Need a Variance
If the zoning for your particular site will not allow the size addition that you’d prefer, then that means you need to apply for a variance. A variance is sort of like asking for an exception to the rule. It usually involves presenting the proposed design at a planning board hearing. Those within a certain radius of your property are notified of the hearing so that they have the opportunity to attend, so hopefully you get along with your neighbors!

An Architectural Review
If you’re in a historic district or in a development with an HOA, there may be some restrictions in regards to how the exterior is modified. In these cases there’s a separate review by a special committee. Some architects specialize in historic preservation—they know best how to navigate historic districts and know what documentation the committee will need to provide the best chance for approval.

An Architect
Licensed architects are invaluable when submitting permit, a variance and working with a historical commission. These professionals submit for permits all the time, so they’re equipped to help homeowners navigate the permitting process.

From an aesthetic standpoint, a good architect will make sure that an addition doesn’t look like an addition. Depending on the scope of the project, architects will consider the following and often so much more:

• How rooflines intersect

• Site drainage

• New window and door locations

• Integrating systems (i.e. heating and cooling, plumbing…)

• Materiality

It’s very easy to tell which homeowners worked with an architect and which didn’t, based on how well the addition fits in with the rest of the home and site. An addition should look like a natural extension of the home. If an addition is done right, you won’t be able to tell whether or not it’s original to the home.

An Interior Designer
Homeowners never call our firm when their additions were designed correctly the first time. Many homeowners reach out to us when they have a previously built addition that does not work for their needs.

Imagine spending upwards of $150K on an addition and then realizing you need to make sacrifices in regards to how much cabinetry or furniture you can fit in the room. It happens ALL THE TIME. Worse, it’s completely avoidable. Just because you have more square footage, doesn’t mean it’s functional.

When you work with an architect or a builder, most of them think of things on a bigger scale–massing, rooflines, and structure. They definitely do things we can’t do, but vice versa. I know, I used to work at an architecture firm, and we continue to collaborate with architects and builders all the time.

Good interior designers always take structure into consideration, but we also think more deeply about how the homeowner will use the space from day to day. We draft the selected furniture in the floor plan (to scale), we consider where towel bars are going to go in a bathroom, and we think about what will be stored in every single cabinet. We essentially get into the nitty gritty. All these decisions seem small, but they will affect your everyday life and overall return on your investment.

Time
As you can gather at this point, there is a lot that needs to happen before your contractor can start their work. Most of those home improvement shows are fooling you when it comes to timelines. In my experience, contractors want to submit for permit at least a month in advance for a renovation. For a project involving an addition, contractors usually want to submit for permit several months in advance. But to even get to the point where you can submit for permit, the architect and designer need time to do their work. And you need time to review the design, digest it, and approve or disapprove elements of the design. Then there are usually changes to the design….you get the picture. 

We started talking to a client about a year ago regarding their in-law suite addition. Since we knew zoning would need to be investigated, we referred them to a great architect. The architect figured out that since they already exceeded their imperious coverage (the last homeowner didn’t go for permits), they’d need a variance. On top of that, they recently found out that their home is part of the newly established historical district. All that adds up to about a year of work before we could tackle our scope of work addressing the interiors.

Plan Accordingly
Additions are a wonderful way to increase the value of your home. It’s a way of staying in a neighborhood you love while increasing the amount of living space necessary for your needs. However, building an addition is definitely a process.