A home addition can prove to be an excellent investment. With three to four additional square feet per bedroom, you gain usable space for your daily needs. Furthermore, you will increase the value of your home. However, these additions must be done carefully. You have to consider the layout and structure. You also have to take electricity into account.
Here are some pointers to get you started in the right direction.
Spare Room in the Budget
A home addition can be valuable—it can also be expensive. While you may already be budgeting for many parts of the project, do not neglect the electrical costs. Often, people forget about electrical work until the project is underway. Then, they are hit with unexpected costs. Installing electrical systems in a new room is not a small project. You will need lighting, electrical outlets and more. Since the room is entirely new, all the work will be new as well. You need to be prepared for the costs.
Consider a Heavy-Up
As you expand your home, you are also expanding your home’s electrical usage. If you use more electrical energy than your home can handle, you could be straining its resources. This is especially true in older homes that have older electrical setups. If you are adding on, you need to see if you have enough amps to support the addition. If you do not, then you will need a heavy-up. This solution will increase the power you have available.
Plan for Electrical Access
Your home addition may seem like a blank slate, but you have to have enough foresight to plan electrical access. In other words, you need to know upfront where you want things like outlets, light switches, and fixtures. A lot of these decisions have to be made before you install the drywall and add the finishing touches. Tweaks can be made, but they get more complicated and more expensive as you go along. Plan your electrical access early in the process to streamline installation.
Work with a Professional Team
Ultimately, you should always get the help of a professional electrician. At JDP Electric, we have plenty of experience with home additions. We can help you plan and implement an electrical system for your home addition and more.