If you cherish your home and love your neighborhood but, whether because of an expanding family or changing lifestyle, you’ve realized that it no longer suits your needs, it may be time to consider building an addition.
The first step in deciding what to build is determining exactly why you need more space, in both the near-term and long-term future. When it comes to building a home addition on Cape Cod, we have found that the most common reason is to increase sleeping space. This is due, in part, to the high number of vacation homes. Some homeowners plan on using their second home fulltime after they retire. Others may have grown children who are now visiting in the summer with their own families. In some cases, it’s a combination of the two.
Building a First-Floor Master Suite
For our clients who are thinking of building an addition with a bedroom or two, one of our first questions is always, “Will you live here year-round after you retire?” Even if the answer is, “We’re not sure,” we may recommend a first-floor master suite.
Because a first-floor master suite is removed from the other sleeping spaces, it provides privacy when a home is filled visitors, which means you can sleep through a fussy grandchild in need of an early-morning feeding. And according to a story on Houzz, a first-floor master bedroom is also highly desirable for homebuyers, making it a good investment. But the primary reason is to facilitate aging in place.
Having access to a bedroom and full bathroom without the need to navigate stairs can be a game-changer in allowing you to remain in your home as long as possible. A zero-threshold shower, one with no lip to impede entry, further addresses aging-in-place concerns, and it can be done beautifully.
With an older population here than in most of Massachusetts, and even the country, if you ultimately sell your Cape house before you retire, your new first-floor master will have wide appeal for homebuyers.
Building More Bedrooms
If you are adding a first-floor master suite, why not take things to the next level…literally?
With a foundation already poured and the plumbing lines in place for a new first-floor master, adding a second story above it is an efficient way to maximize your building budget. If you’re planning on a spacious master suite, perhaps with a sitting area and his-and-hers walk-in closets, you will likely have enough room above to add two very comfortable bedrooms over it.
Consider the needs of your family as you begin to contemplate the configuration of the new second-story space. If your two adult children and their spouses visit, a small en-suite bath with each bedroom may work best. With a glass-enclosed shower, a small bath can still be a stunning bath. Should your children visit with your grandchildren, a Jack-and-Jill bath, one that connects two bedrooms, might be a better choice because it would allow a bathtub, an absolute must with young children.
Building a Space Made for Entertaining
We’re fortunate to have so many regal historic homes on Cape Cod. With their vintage built-ins and wide-plank floors, and nook and crannies everywhere, these antique homes are the epitome of charming. What they aren’t is conducive to the way we entertain today.
If your kitchen is a space-challenged room that’s boxed in by walls, dinner parties can be, well, challenging! It is difficult to have your friends gathered around sipping wine while you cook if there is barely enough room for a table and two chairs in your kitchen.
Solve the problem with an addition.
Historic commission guidelines may prohibit making changes to the appearance of the front of your home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t build the kitchen of your dreams across its rear façade. Depending on the setback and building density regulations of your town, we may be able to build an addition that spans the entire back of your home, which could provide you with a spacious chef’s kitchen and adjacent eating or sitting area.
With a thoughtful design process, and an expert building team, your dream home is only an addition away.
Please contact us to arrange a complimentary in-home consultation.