If I want a sunroom, why would I build a deck on my new home?
Building a new home can be more expensive than you may have planned for. The last time you built a new home was perhaps 20, 30, or more years ago. Or, you may never have been able to build a new home before now and youre not familiar with the process. And, by the way, each and every new home builder has a slightly different process, more about that later.
New Home Builder Choices
Most builders do offer a choice of options or additions to your home. It is typical today for a home to be available as a one-story home with an optional loft or second floor. Occasionally, a basement is an option. The same is true of additions like a deck or a patio, a screened porch, or a sunroom that you can use all year long.
Considering Building Options on a Budget
When budget is an issue, we always advise that you focus on the structure of the home itself and the things most costly to replace or add later. These include the kitchen, the bathrooms, your flooring, and the size of the interior space.
In the past, we have seen our clients decide to add a deck because this was the least expensive option for some outdoor living. While we understand you would love to start your new life with as many things you have been dreaming of, sometimes it is best to wait. If you do go ahead and build a deck, what happens when you remember you really wanted a screen porch? I'll tell you what happens... complications.
Building Complications To Avoid
In this scenario, you would get a contractor to put a screen porch on top of the deck. Not a bad solution, but it is not optimal because the size deck you built may not be the best size for a screened porch. To complicate matters further, you may be new to Southern Delaware and not that familiar with local weather conditions. Summer can be humid and we have our share of bugs. So, if you enjoy eating outdoors, you may quickly find that a screened room would be more useful.
A deck built by the builder during initial construction costs about the same as a similarly sized deck built later by an outside contractor. You may even save a little money or end up with more of what you really want. Our best advice is to give yourself some time to live in the home and determine what would meet your needs best. Would you get more use out of a deck, a screened porch, or a 3-season room? Or, do you actually need another fully conditioned space? For more flexibility, it might be more cost effective to build a concrete patio initially instead of a deck. Tell your contractor to size the patio appropriately so you can build a screened porch or other room.
Are you considering new construction for your next home in Delaware? Why not start by sitting down withanActive Adults Realty agent to go over your choices in communities and builder options. Or request your copy our free Home Buyers Guide today to equip you with the right tools and resources to find you a home that you will love.