Building An Addition For Your Parents: 4 Things To Consider
Are your parents planning on moving in with you? When faced with this situation, people often choose to add on to their homes. You can work with a company that offers custom home additions and have them build an in-law suite. This way, your parents will live with you, but they will also have their own, private space. Here are some things to consider as you start to navigate this process.
Find out how much your HVAC system and water can support.
Before you decide how large to make the addition, consult with an HVAC contractor. See how much capacity your HVAC equipment has. How large can you make the addition before you'd have to upgrade to a new furnace or install a separate heating system? Also, ask them where it would be easiest to tie into and extend the current ducts. This may play a key role in determining where you place the addition relative to the existing home.
Decide whether a kitchen is necessary.
A kitchen is often the most expensive room to build. Consider whether this is necessary for the in-law suite. If you think your parents will mostly eat meals with you, then you may prefer not to add a kitchen to the addition. A little nook with a microwave, mini fridge, and coffee maker might be enough. On the other hand, if your parents are really independent and cook a lot, it might be worth adding a second kitchen to their addition.
Try to avoid steps.
Often, additions are built so that you have to go up or down a couple of steps when moving from the original home to the addition. It's best to avoid this when building an addition for older adults. Even if your parents are very mobile now, they may not always be. They'll be safer in the home for longer if you avoid building the addition in a way that requires steps.
Do include a bathroom.
Regardless of how large the addition ends up being and whether you include a kitchen, make sure you do include a bathroom. This will give your parents privacy, make sure the bathroom in the main home does not get too crowded, and enable you to design an accessible bathroom that they'll be able to use as they continue to age.
Building an addition for your parents is a lovely gesture and one they'll surely appreciate. Talk to a remodeling service like RMS Contracting LLC to learn more.
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