Construction Estimating For Room Addition

If you want to add a room to your house you should know that it can be a very complex affair. In fact usually the room addition is as complex as building a home. Apart from the usual things, you also have to reach a proper construction estimate that tells you the kind of money you need to spend to get that room addition.

The construction estimating for a room addition is all about calculating the average cost per square feet of the room addition. For that you need to make a list of various expenses. The calculation of this cost includes various elements. You have to include the cost of the excavation work, the cost of building the foundation, the framing cost, the cost of electrical fitting, the plumbing costs, insulation and heating costs.

The total cost of finished carpentry, painting and flooring are also to be included. Also you need to include things like the money to be paid to the workmen. Also since the flooring takes its own time and is a very important part of the entire room, you have to separately allocate a budget for it. This budget allocation will help you give your contractor an idea, as to how much you would like to spend on the flooring. When it comes to accessories, you have to choose them at your own convenience and buy only those things that are useful for you. Allocating a separate budget for these accessories will surely help in calculating the entire room addition estimate.

Another thing that you should do is that you should draw a crude floor plan, wherein you should include actual dimensions. Base your floor plan on the existing room sizes in your home. This way you can find the total square feet you have for a room addition. You can then check out with your zoning office, as to how much of an area you can use for a room addition under the zoning laws. In case your floor plan needs more area than what is allowed under the laws, you can file an appeal. If you are able to prove a practical hardship to the zoning board, you may get permission.

Also you can then show the crude floor plans to the contractors to tell them about the area you want to build upon. They will then properly tell you the average cost per sqft room addition, according to the floor plan. Ask the contractor for a cost breakdown. Now compare the breakdown with the one done by you as mentioned above. See how much you are being charged for things like painting, carpenter, flooring and more. This way you can compare different room addition quotes to suit your construction estimate and budget.

Construction Estimating