Home Additions in Dallas, TX

Can you build it? The questions that come first

Before design begins, a handful of constraints determine what's actually possible on your lot. We check these first so nobody designs an addition that can't be permitted:

• Setbacks. How close you can build to each property line. Usually the binding constraint on a side or rear addition.
• Lot coverage. The maximum share of the lot that can be built on, which often rules out ground-floor additions on smaller lots.
• Height limits and any additional rules that apply to a second storey.
• Easements. Utility and drainage easements that can't be built over, and they aren't always obvious from the deed.
• Historic or conservation district rules, where they apply, which govern what the addition can look like from the street.
• HOA approval, which is separate from and additional to city permitting.

The additions people actually build

The most common projects, and what each really involves:

• Kitchen extension. Pushing the back wall out to get an island and a proper dining area. Usually the highest-value addition per square metre.
• Primary suite addition. Bedroom, bathroom and closet added as one wing, often where an existing bedroom becomes the connection.
• Second storey. The most complex — the existing foundation and framing must carry the load, which needs engineering and sometimes reinforcement.
• Garage conversion. The cheapest way to gain conditioned space, since the structure exists. Needs insulation, HVAC, flooring and usually a foundation assessment.
• Covered outdoor living. Not conditioned space, but it extends how the house is used for most of the year here.