Room Additions – Spaces Homeowners Add Explained

There are many reasons why Orange County homeowners might decide to do a room addition, but here are some of the top reasons:

Room Additions for Aging in Place

A room addition can be an excellent way to help homeowners age in place, as it can provide additional living space and features that are designed to promote safety and accessibility. Orange County homeowners with a second floor may add on to their first floor to accommodate aging-in-place needs. A room addition can be designed with accessibility features, such as wider doorways, lower countertops, and lever-style door handles and faucets, which can make it easier for seniors with mobility issues to navigate their home safely and independently for as long as possible, keeping seniors comfortable in the home they love and have spent their life in longer. A room addition can also be designed to accommodate future needs, such as the installation of a stairlift or other mobility aids, which can make it easier for seniors to age in place as their needs change over time.

For example, adding a ground-level master suite can eliminate the need to navigate stairs, while adding a home office can provide a space for seniors to work from home. An alternate approach by many of our Orange County remodeling clients has been to build an ADU, enabling them to stay in their location and move to a single-story home design layout with a new, smaller, single-story footprint in their backyard. Often these homeowners invite their adult children to live in the main home, keeping them close for any care needs. While others rent out their main property and use it as income to pay off their new smaller dwelling with aging-in-place design elements, making it more comfortable to live in longer and age gracefully.

This San Clemente room addition project added space on the front and back of the house to support aging-in-place needs. An island was added that enabled wheelchairs to pull up to the bar and not have space restrictions. The doors were made wider and a double-decker gorgeous observation deck was added enabling them to see more of the Pacific Ocean right from their backyard.  The bathroom had a walk-in soaking tub and bidet, enabling the couple to enjoy their home as long as possible as they knew that they would need these features after a recent diagnosis that would degrade mobility over time. They knew this was a priority to stay in their home as long as possible, so they added all the necessary finishings to support immediate and long-term needs. To read the full San Clemente remodel case study, click here>>

Room Addition for Aging Parents

The trend of room additions for aging parents is also on the rise, as many families are choosing to care for their aging loved ones at home.  This too includes incorporating aging-in-place design to support aging parents’ needs that are moving into your home.  Homeowners are installing safety features such as grab bars, non-slip flooring, and wider doorways to make the home safer and more accessible for elderly family members.  Many families are adding a separate entrance to the home or a separate living space for their elderly loved ones to provide them with privacy and independence.

Many families are adding a separate bedroom and bathrooms for their elderly loved ones to provide them with privacy and independence. Homeowners are also modifying the layout of their homes to make it easier for elderly family members to move around, such as removing stairs or adding ramps.  Homeowners are also incorporating smart home technology into their home additions, such as video monitoring and emergency response systems, to provide peace of mind and ensure the safety of their aging family members.

It’s nice that Orange County homes have the lot space enabling families to care for their aging parents with a sense of confidence and comfort knowing they are close in case of an emergency or daily care needs. If you are considering adding on a room to care for your aging parents, please call Sea Pointe Design & Remodel. We are certified aging in place experts and at the ready to design the perfect space for your aging parents and family-members.

Room Addition for a Media Room

The post-pandemic era has homeowners needing more space for many things, including a media room. This room may be used in several ways, pending your hobbies and lifestyle. This client wanted a theater viewing room and a place to keep his collectibles. For the theater viewing room, it was important to have an ice machine and bar area to prepare beverages as well as a mini refrigerator. All of this in custom built-in cabinetry to make these amenities fit right into the modern design with clean lines. A display cabinet features the homeowners many figurines from decades of collecting and brings him pride to display in his media room.

Small Room Addition for Laundry Room Relocation

This has been a popular trend in our recent Orange County remodeling projects.  The convenience of having your laundry room inside your home has certainly not been lost on our remodeling clients. We have added a dozen or so laundry rooms in our Orange County remodels this past year and the demand seems to keep growing. Some people have the space they can reallocate in their home just as it is and some really need a tiny room addition to get the laundry room they really want.  It takes a professional designer to really analyze your home layout to determine if you can reallocate the space or need additional square footage for the project.

You also need to consider how much space you need – how much existing space can you leverage and how big do you want your laundry room?  The size of a laundry room can vary depending on the specific needs and preferences you want in your laundry room. However, as a general rule of thumb, a laundry room should be at least 50 square feet in size to comfortably accommodate a washer and dryer, storage space for laundry supplies, and enough room to move around and work in.  If you plan on adding additional features, such as a utility sink, ironing board, or folding table, you may want to consider increasing the size of the room accordingly. Additionally, if you have a larger family or do a lot of laundry, you may want to consider a larger laundry room to accommodate larger appliances or additional storage space. Ultimately, the size of your laundry room will depend on your individual needs and the available space in your home.

And while a laundry room does not sound like it should cost a lot, it’s more than just a remodel. Any time you open your home up for a room addition, you are requiring additional ground support and you are affecting the roofline, which requires more than most may consider.  The general contractor needs to dig into the concrete to build the foundational support for the structure. Underneath your home’s foundation are subterranean supports for your home’s structure. This same support is necessary for any new square footage added. Once you have the foundational support, you will also need to pour the subfloor with concrete, frame the structure, frame the new roof, add any windows, and finish the roofing with like roofing materials.

Laundry room additions also include considerations like a sink with running water, custom cabinetry and storage, floating shelves, countertop space, any pet maintenance you want to be housed in the laundry room or cleaning provisioning, such as tall closets, etc. Your designer will consider electrical and plumbing locations when designing your room addition for a laundry room.

Adding an Office to Your Home? You May Need a Room Addition

The home remodeling trend of adding home offices has been on the rise in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to work from home. Many homeowners are looking to create dedicated workspaces that are comfortable, functional, and separate from the rest of their living areas. This often calls for a room addition and we have experience adding square footage specifically for a home office.  Some people add on to their existing home, and some repurpose their garage which is more expensive than one thinks for making this space inhabitable for city code regulations, and some add an ADU in their backyard to accommodate the quiet retreat they require for working.

Just like room additions for alternative purposes, your office will also require subterranean foundational support, sub-floor concrete pouring, framing, insulation, and roof provisioning. Construction materials and the cost of labor are still on the rise along with most consumer products post-pandemic.

The greatest part of a room addition for a home office is that you get to design your office with the custom office accommodations every office should have. Consider including mounted dual monitors with all electrical hidden behind privacy panels, keeping your office looking neat and tidy.  Consider adding USB charging stations in to your desk drawers, enabling you to charge small electronics out of sight. This homeowner wanted a place to showcase his collectibles and was ecstatic with how his home office room addition design came to life.  He now has the perfect ambiance for a productive day every day and did not have to give up any space in his home to get this newfound office.

Room Addition for a Game Room

When you’re raising kids, you aren’t always prepared to make life-long choices when buying your home and it may be coming to the point where your children are getting older and need more space.  You may be considering how to keep your children entertained at home more often to keep them from entertaining “other” ideas.  A game room is a perfect addition and we have been adding these to homes for the past decade.  Below you can see a recent game room addition. This game room has direct access to the backyard where the kids may also use the California Room and pool in the backyard; bringing back the den and calling it a Game Room!

Your game room addition can be minimalistic with the fun in the games or it can be state of the art with built-in TV, snack bar, USB charging station, built-in gaming seats, and wall-sized screen opportunity.  You may consider refrigerator drawers in your game room, or even a small sink or soda fountain kit. You can see the game room below also has a drum kit – we can insulate it for such amenities.  The sky is the limit with game room amenities – your professional designer will help you design the perfect room for your growing kids.

California Room Addition

This is another room addition trend, that by far has been our most popular room addition request in recent years. A California Room addition answers a bunch of post-pandemic needs. Additional outdoor space where you can be more spread out, expand your living space into the outdoors, and have a safe and fun entertainment space. This is another room addition that may seem simple but requires all the same prep and build work that a new home starts with. From the subterranean structural support to the subfloor, framing, insulation, and roof provisioning.  The good news is that this adds value to your home and with the housing shortage in Orange County, it is one of your very few options available to getting more living space.

Once you have decided this investment is worth the squeeze, you will want to start thinking about what you want to be incorporated into your additional living space. Each of these decisions impacts the price, so we will break it up into small, medium, and large costs and value when designing your California Room.

Admittedly, there is not such thing as a low-cost California Room, as you are breaking ground and building a structure just the same. However, you can decide how much you want to spend on the inside to determine your budget.  You can trim your expenses by making this a simple living space with a television, outdoor furniture, table, and blankets.  If you keep this to soft goods and a TV, you have really provided a minimalistic space that still extends your living space but doesn’t have the additional costs of plumbing, cabinetry, and appliances.  Below you can see an example of a California Room that has basic outdoor furniture, lighting, and heating elements; this structure is stunning and provides an additional space for entertaining.

You can add a few more elements and still have a great entertainment space with a few more features. The below California Room added a ceiling fan and fireplace, giving the space a little more warmth and design charm. Adding rugs and blankets also enhances the design with textures and colors. Your designer can help you with design tips on soft goods that will really bolster your design aesthetic.

The next step up to an outdoor living room design in your new California Room is to add outdoor cabinetry, a refrigerator and ice machine to support cocktail hour and entertaining with adult beverages.  The California Room below also added unique design elements like the floating shelves and unique ceiling fan. The feature wall is outfitted in shiplap giving this new space a beachy feel.

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Now when you are looking for a complete custom kitchen solution you will find your budget climbing with additional amenities that include an oven, barbecue, running water in sink, gas burners, and trash compactors, not to mention the option of smokers, beverage centers, and more. The sky is the limit with an outdoor custom kitchen design.

Room Additions to Add a Home Bar

Home bar room additions also continue to be a trend as home entertainment is growing post-pandemic. With the trend of staying home and over 70% of restaurant orders now being taken to go, home design trends are changing. Orange County homeowners are opting to remodel and add on space to accommodate the ongoing post-pandemic home entertainment trend.  Some of these bars are simple and small and some are ornate, comprehensive bar concepts right there in an Irvine home remodeling project.

When designing a room addition for a home bar, you will consider first, what you want in your bar. Do you want a one-sided bar, do you want a two-sided or three-sided bar. All of this goes into the cost of your home bar design and build process. You may want to keep your glasses in the bar and have a sink station available for washing as well as glass holders, glass hangers, and liquor storage. Because we are in southern California, you will want railing on all glass holders and drink shelves to protect your gear from earthquakes as a bar will get hit hard by shaky ground.

Room Additions Conclusion

Adding a room to your home is a big decision as there is a big price tag that goes along with adding living space to your home. When deciding whether to add on or not, consider the purpose of the living space.  Your professional designer can help you determine the best use of your budget to get the most out of your space. Your designer can also enable you to leverage value engineering to reallocate space and save money where it’s possible in your home.  Give us a ring when your ready to meet with a designer to discuss your room addition options.