Future room additions

   When looking at a lot, many people will picture their home placed squarely in the middle of the available building envelope. This may seem to make sense ascetically; however, keep in mind any future additions or expansions you, or a future buyer, may wish to do.  Mind your setbacks as well. Even if you yourself never intend to put an addition on the home, the next owner may, and it could help your resale value with the option available. Sliding the home to one side or the other by even a bit can open up many future addition options. If the home only has 10 feet on each side to the setback, you can only add a 10 foot addition on each side!

   Slide that home over in your thoughts and open up your future possibilities.  In the example here this home owner has a rather skinny lot and he wanted to have the
option of a future addition. By simply sliding the home over to one side of the lot (fig #2) there is now the red area to build a good sized addition on. Were this home owner to place the home dead center on the lot (fig #1) he’d be limited in the size of addition he could add.

   Once that home is up, it’s up and very difficult to move (read as basically impossible). Avoid having to say to yourself in the future. “I wish I’d have…” Leave yourself room not only for your future enjoyment but to enhance the resale value of the home and land. You’ll feel pretty good when you can tell a future buyer of your property “I placed the home over a bit on the lot, as you can see. Now, if you ever want to add on, it’s no problem!”