What type of home addition is cheapest?

Finishing a basement, attic, or garage is one of the more inexpensive ways to add a room to your home as you won’t need to add a foundation, roof, or structural elements.

Is it cheaper to add on to a house or build up? Building up is always the least expensive option for increasing your home’s square-footage because it requires less material and labor.

For example, if you have 1,000 sq. feet on the main level and want to add 1,000 sq. feet as a second floor, all you have to do is add more wood and framing labor.

Is it cheaper to build up or out? In general, building up tends to be less costly than building out. When you factor in things like digging and pouring a new foundation, building out typically carries a higher price tag (though this isn’t always true, and certainly depends on the size of the room and its purpose).

What is the most expensive part of a home addition? The Framing A home’s framing is its skeleton. Because so much material and skilled labor is required, this is an incredibly expensive part of building a home. While framing may not be as expensive as the foundation or lot, it is typically more costly than other items. Is an addition to a house worth it? It can also potentially increase your home’s value. The reason is simple: Most methods of estimating a home’s value consider the square footage, so adding additional living space may increase its worth.