Home Additions in Central PA
UDA Services designs and builds home additions across Central PA. We add family rooms, primary suites, in-law suites, second stories and bump-outs. A typical home addition takes four to six weeks to build.
This one-story addition opens through a sliding door onto a paver patio.
PA Home Improvement Contractor registration PA144609Fully insuredWorkmanship covered for one yearServing Central Pennsylvania since 2018
What Is a Home Addition?
A home addition is new, enclosed living space built onto an existing house. It gets its own foundation, walls and roof, joined to the house so it reads as one building. UDA Services designs and builds additions as a design-build contractor, from the plan to the finished room. An addition can go out at ground level or up on top of the house. It is heated, finished and part of the home, unlike a porch or a deck. Additions are among the largest jobs we take on as a design-build general contractor in Central PA.
Which Home Additions Does UDA Services Build?
Additions are named by the room they add or the way they are built. We build four kinds, two of them with their own pages below.
- Family room additions add a large living room, often with a vaulted ceiling.
- Bedroom and primary suite additions add sleeping space on the main floor.
- Mother-in-law suites and ADUs. In-law suites and ADUs give a relative a private space of their own.
- Second-story and bump-out additions. Second-story and bump-out additions build up or push one wall out a few feet.
How Does UDA Services Build a Home Addition?
Building an addition joins new foundation, framing and roof to the house without weakening it. Our crews take each addition through seven steps.
- Meet us for a free site visit to walk the house and the yard.
- Work through the plans with an outside architect, as we do on larger projects.
- Hand the township paperwork and any HOA request to our office.
- See the footers poured and the foundation built, in block or as a slab.
- Watch the floor, walls and roof framed and tied into the house.
- Have the licensed electricians, plumbers and HVAC subcontractors we coordinate rough in their work.
- Walk into the finished room once drywall, trim, floors and paint are done.
What Are the Top Tips for Planning a Home Addition?
Planning an addition well means deciding its use, its place and its link to the house before the design. These five tips cover the choices to settle first.
- Decide what the room is for, since a bedroom, a family room and an in-law suite need different things.
- Check the lot for setbacks and slope before choosing where the addition goes.
- Match the roof line, siding and windows so the addition looks original.
- Plan how people walk from the house into the new room.
- Set the budget with a written estimate before the drawings are final.
How Long Does a Home Addition Take to Build?
A typical UDA Services home addition takes four to six weeks to build. Build time runs from the foundation dig to the finished room. The design, the drawings by the architect and the permit come before the first day on site. A second-story addition or a large suite can take longer. Every time here runs from the start of work to the finished addition. One reviewer wrote of an addition we built, "Every phase went like clock work."
What Sets the Price of a Home Addition?
An addition is priced mainly by its floor area, its foundation and the trades inside it. We put the price for your addition in a written estimate after the free site visit. Five factors move that price.
- The square feet set the size of the build.
- A slab, a crawl space or a full foundation changes the cost below the floor.
- One story or two changes the frame and the roof.
- The electrical, plumbing and HVAC work by the licensed subcontractors we coordinate adds to the cost.
- The windows, doors and finishes change the cost of the room.
Sourced ranges per square foot sit on our room addition cost page.
Should You Add On or Move?
You should add on if you like your lot, your neighbors and your schools but need more room. Adding on means staying in the house you have and building the room you lack. Moving brings selling costs, moving costs and closing costs on the next house. An addition is built to your own plan rather than to the layout of another house. Our guide on how to increase home value compares improvements that pay off.
Where Does UDA Services Build Home Additions?
Our crews work out of Lykens and build additions across Central PA. Most projects are in Harrisburg and the towns around it. Our crews have built projects in Hummelstown, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill and Carlisle, among other towns. As larger projects, additions are ones we travel farther for. Projects inside the city have their own page of home additions in Harrisburg.
Which Home Addition Contractor Should You Hire in Central PA?
You should hire an addition contractor that manages the design, the permit and every trade under one contract. UDA Services coordinates the architect and the licensed trades on each addition it builds. Four reasons matter most on a job this size.
- We are registered as a PA Home Improvement Contractor under PA144609 and carry full insurance.
- Each estimate draws on about 310 projects completed since 2018.
- Our workmanship is covered for one year.
- Customers rate UDA Services 4.9 out of 5 from 43 Google reviews.
Highest Recommendation:
It was a pleasure working with Jake and his guys. everyone communicated well during all phases of the addition. Every phase went like clock work. No waiting or delays. Jake made good suggestions to what "we thought" was a good plan to ensure that the results would be great. All of his guys are equally professional and a pleasure to work with.
Jake and his team completed the concrete upgrade for our pool in 2020 and this spring completed a project renovating our deck and turning it into an enclosed porch/sunroom, with new concrete patio and steps to our pool. From start to finish, they were dependable and meticulous. Jake took our ideas and vision and made it a reality, offering suggestions along the way. Both projects were done in a timely manner. Highly recommended and we plan to use UDA Services again soon for our next project.
Jake and Team can make it happen! I met with Jake to build a "custom" garage. From the initial visit to completion, his team never failed. He took my vision and worked with me every step of the way. His knowledge was very helpful in making suggestions to improve design. This project involved quite a bit of earth moving and Jake eased the stress of that, his crew knew exactly what they had to do. I can't say enough about Jake and his team, they are the hardest, sincere professionals I've seen. Daniel, Nate and crew are hard working talented workers. I have no problem recommending UDA services for any project you may have. If you want an honest, reliable, experienced, personal contractor, UDA services won't let you down. Would definitely use them for any future projects.
What Else Do Homeowners Ask About Home Additions?
Homeowners also ask about living at home during the build, permits and garage additions. Each has a short answer below.
Can You Live at Home While an Addition Is Built?
Yes, families can stay in the house while we build an addition. Most of the work happens outside the existing walls until the addition is joined to the house.
Does a Home Addition Need a Permit?
Yes, an addition adds living space to a house, so it needs a building permit and inspections. Getting that permit is part of what UDA Services handles for you.
Can a Garage Be Added to a House?
Yes, an attached garage can be added to the side of a house. It is built like an addition, with fire-resistant drywall on the garage side of the shared wall.
How Do You Start a Home Addition With UDA Services?
An addition starts with a conversation about the room you need. Call (717) 497-9398 or send the quote form, and we set up a free site visit.
- PA Home Improvement Contractor registration PA144609
- Fully insured
- Workmanship covered for one year
- Serving Central Pennsylvania since 2018