How to Add on a Laundry Room

Measure and draw a floor plan of your existing house. Use 1/4-inch graph paper and a pencil. Use a scale of 1/4 inch on the paper equals1 foot. Draw all of your exterior and interior walls, doors, door swings, windows, sinks, commodes, showers, bathtubs and appliances. Draw exterior spaces such as sidewalks, driveways, porches, decks and patios and any other hardscape feature such as a strongly sloped yard, terracing and exterior stairs.

Mark down accurate measurements and note outside of the house the location of underground utilities, easements, fences, trees, large shrubs or other obstructions that will impact construction and design.

Visit your local building department and acquire a copy of your home's site plan. Discuss with the department the cost of building an addition and any requirements you need to meet in terms of addition design. Some neighborhoods have strict design guidelines that you may need to adhere to. The building department can assist you in determining where a laundry room could be placed and if your current plumbing will accommodate the addition.

Establish a budget that includes design assistance if you need to have an architect create a buildable plan for you. Determine which aspects of the construction you have sufficient knowledge, tools and expertise to accomplish to code. For all jobs you cannot do on your own, you will need to identify how much the job will cost. A good way to determine such costs is to ask three reputable contractors to estimate the job cost given the same guidelines. Average out their estimates and you have a place to start.

Add 10 to 15 percent to your estimated budget and time of completion. Make sure you have ample funds in place before beginning your addition. Permits generally have specific time limitations that additions need to meet. If you are building the laundry room with bank funds the bank may also require that the job be completed in a specific amount of time.

Buy your permits once your funds and contractors are both in place. The building department will inspect the work during the construction process, but it is important to work with quality contractors who show up on time and build to code. For a small addition like a laundry room, you may be able to reduce costs by acting as labor for your contractor. Because both plumbing and electricity will need to be connected to your existing home, both of those jobs should be done by licensed experts.