If your home is feeling cramped and you need more space, you have mainly three options available. You can redesign the interior of your home (open concept.) you can add extra space by adding on rooms, or you can increase the outdoor living capabilities by adding a three-season porch or four-season porch. Which option is right for you? Inside, we explore all three of these expansions and give you the pros and cons of each.

Going Open Concept

Open concept rooms are just that – they are open. In a traditional home, many rooms have a designated purpose – an example would be a formal dining room. In open concept, those rooms take on additional use capacities. The formal dining room might convert easily to a home learning center, home office, or video conferencing center while still retaining the formal dining vibe.

The pros of an open concept design are that you can fit a lot more “usage” into space without adding on or going bigger. That choice can save money, depending on the design and construction of the home. Not all walls are removable as some of them hold the integrity of the structure by bearing weight.

The cons of open concept homes are that you lose the formal feeling of the house. Another disadvantage of the open concept is the price. While generally less expensive than adding a room, the cost can far exceed that of adding on if the design is complicated or if the structural build of the house requires extensive alterations – such as redesigning a weight-bearing wall or adjusting the pitch of a roof.

Adding onto the Castle

There are a lot of benefits to adding onto a home. First, the square footage goes up, and generally, that means the property’s value goes up as well. Of course, if the construction is not up to code or not permitted, it can become a significant obstacle when it sells. In the age of COVID and the work-from-home era, adding a room means that it can support multiple remote workers, homeschooling, and more. The truth of the matter is that under the restrictions of COVID-19, homes need to do more.

The pros of adding onto a house include the potential increase in property value, gaining space that fits your needs, and regular usage of individual rooms. An excellent example of when to add on verses going open concept would be a home office where clients may visit. Such a unit could have an outside entrance so that there is a barrier between home life and work life. That route also helps to make social distancing easier.

Expanding the Outdoor/Indoor Living

Depending on your needs, a three-season or four-season porch can make a positive impact on your daily life. These areas tend to blend outdoor living with indoor living giving you more room without the considerable expense of adding on or tearing down walls. A four-season porch is easy to heat and cool, making the area usable all year long.

The pros of a seasonal porch are that they are generally less expensive to install than a full room, they close off when not in use, and they make it easy to blend outdoor living with your indoor lifestyle. They can also be an easy way to expand the view of a living room or kitchen, and if built correctly, do not add to the energy usage of the home. They are both open concept and an addition.

The cons of a seasonal porch are few. They are not as formal as adding a new bedroom, but they add a beautiful dimension to a home.

At Design Custom Homes, we work with you to identify the spatial issues you’d like to correct while providing beautiful design ideas that fit your lifestyle. If your home is feeling cramped, give us a call at (608) 665-3740 or send us an email to info@customhomesofmadison.com to explore your options. It is often cheaper to expand or go open concept than it is to buy a bigger house.