If you want to increase the resale value of your house or just need more living space for the convenience of your extended family, adding on to an existing structure is a great way to increase square footage and value to your home. Any form of home addition, whether it’s a master bedroom addition, second story addition, or even a sunroom addition, is a complex construction project. Sometimes building a room addition is even more difficult than building a small home. For one, the connection details with the existing structure are tough, and therefore the room addition plans must be extremely accurate. For instance, the wall and roof heights are a very important factor to consider. The roof line, overhang, gutter board, soffits etc…all must match perfectly on the outside with the new home addition. Sometimes a bedroom addition has a crawl space which needs ventilation to eliminate moisture problems and dampness, so the crawl space should be connected with the crawl space of the existing structure.

There are other things to consider when building a home addition or even a small room addition that never are an issue when you build a new home from scratch. Working around people and finished surfaces requires extra care; dust and utility (electric – plumbing) interruptions must be kept to a minimum and even the heating and cooling system is taken in to consideration. When working on the room addition plans the architect and home contractor must remember to evaluate the heating and cooling system needed for the new bedroom addition or home addition. Extending the existing heating and cooling system into the room addition may not be enough because the furnace and air conditioner were sized accurately for the original house, but they will not provide enough air for the new addition. If you are adding several hundred feet of new floor area, you would need a significant upgrade of your heating and cooling system. Another crucial aspect of room addition design is making sure the ceilings meet at the right height. This requires careful calculation of the foundation height from the point where the “break-through” or “connection” will be. Otherwise the floors do not line up.

The first step in home theater design is to look for inspiration. You’ve probably looked through a couple of magazines or searched the Internet for possible designs. If not, you should do this first. Look through each design and write down what you like the most about each home theater set up whether it’s the furniture, color scheme, or equipment. Then, it’s time to look at each part and come up with several possible buys. The most important part of your home theater will be your furniture. Your furniture is what will give you comfort and set the designs and pace for the rest of your home theater. When it comes to furniture, think about keeping it simple. Go with chairs that are comfortable and use colors such as black, gray, red, and beige.

Then think about what kind of furniture to get. If you are planning for big events or have a big family, it’s best to go with a sofa that seats 3-4 people. When hosting parties then it’s best to buy multiple sofas to seat everyone in your home theater. If you want a more intimate or casual setting, you can go with a recliner or a 2 person love seat. Some chairs actually come with a table and a chair riser for extra comfort and accommodation.

The same process will apply to getting your equipment. Think about what look you’re going for. Do you want to wall mount your TV or place it on an entertainment station? Do you want to connect all your components separately or do you want a digital receiver so you can control your TV, DVD, video game system, and speakers in one unit? If you don’t have anything set in stone yet, write down a list of possible buys and do some comparison shopping.

Lighting is the final element to completing your home theater. It’s best to get lighting where you can dim and brighten the lights. This will allow you to set up an intimate setting and a vibrant setting. The focus of the lighting should be centered but there can be an extra lamp on the side if you want to light up the whole room. Experiment by placing your light at different angles until you feel that it is just right. As a final tip, you should think about your budget. Think about how much you can afford to spend in each area. The furniture is really what makes your home theater so you should make sure you allocate a good budget to this aspect of the design. You can then move on to the equipment and finish up with the lighting to create the perfect environment for your friends and family.