“The Seamlessness Test,” or
Housing’s Hippocratic Oath
The best additions are invisible.
That is, they blend in so well with the original home that you can’t tell where one starts and the other begins.
At the other extreme, there are homes which look — and feel — like they’re actually two parts, stapled together.
Realtor Advice
My takeaway?
Three, actually.
One. Changing a home’s floor plan or footprint is not for beginners.
On a 1-10 scale, if new painting and carpet are a “1,” remodeling a Kitchen is a “6” or “7,” a major addition is a “9” or “10.”
Which leads to . . .
Two. If you’re going tackle such a project, work with a quality contractor, and be sure to budget 6% to 8% of the total cost for an architect.
It’s worth it, believe me.
If you’re not willing or able to do that . . .
Three. Better to leave things as they are, rather than make the house worse.
Call that the real estate equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath (“first, do no harm”).
P.S.: Empirically, I’d say that less than 20% of all additions pass the “seamlessness” test.
And yes, I certainly understand that an addition can be highly functional even if it’s not especially aesthetic.
However, if resale is even a remote consideration . . . aesthetics matter.
