More House, Built Right
Bump-outs, full room additions, second stories and in-law suites. Engineered footings, stamped drawings, county permits and inspections - an addition is the one project where cutting a corner shows up in the resale appraisal.
What's included
An addition is really six trades in sequence. Here's what we carry, and all of it is on the written scope before you commit to anything.
Design and drawings
Measured existing conditions, floor plans and elevations, and a structural engineer's stamp where the county requires one. You approve drawings before a shovel moves.
Stamped where requiredZoning and permits
Setback, lot coverage and height checked against your county's code before design is finalized. We pull the building permit and every trade permit under it.
Foundation
Footings poured below the Maryland frost line, sized to the engineer's spec, on undisturbed or properly compacted soil. Inspected before concrete.
Below frost lineFraming and roof tie-in
Floor system, walls, roof framing and the tie-in to your existing roof. The tie-in is where amateur additions leak, so it gets flashed and woven, not caulked.
Where additions leakMechanicals
HVAC sized by actual load rather than guesswork, electrical run to your panel with a capacity check, and plumbing where the addition includes a bath or kitchenette.
Load-calculatedInsulation and envelope
Code-compliant insulation, air sealing and vapor control, with a blower door or inspection sign-off where the county asks for one. A cold room over a garage is an envelope failure, not a heating one.
Interior finish
Drywall, trim, doors, flooring, paint, lighting - finished so the addition reads as part of the house rather than as an obvious box bolted onto the back.
Exterior match
Siding, roofing and trim matched to your existing home as closely as the material still made allows. Where an exact match no longer exists, we show you the options before ordering.
Types of addition and what they really run
Additions are priced per square foot of new conditioned space, but the per-foot number swings hard on foundation, roof geometry and whether the addition contains water. These are Maryland ranges for turnkey work including permits.
| Type | Typical size | Turnkey range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bump-out | 20-80 sq ft | $18,000-$45,000 | Cantilevered off existing framing where structure allows, which skips a foundation. Cheapest way to gain real space, and the most limited. |
| Single-room addition | 200-400 sq ft | $55,000-$140,000 | New footings, new roof, tie-in, HVAC extension. Family room and bedroom additions are the most common thing we build. |
| Primary suite addition | 350-600 sq ft | $110,000-$220,000 | Room addition plus a full bath, which means plumbing, waterproofing and ventilation. Water in the addition is what moves it up a tier. |
| Second-story addition | 800-1,400 sq ft | $180,000-$330,000 | Existing foundation and framing have to be evaluated for the added load, the roof comes off, and you are out of the house for part of it. |
| In-law suite / ADU | 500-900 sq ft | $130,000-$280,000 | A separate dwelling triggers its own zoning questions, separate egress, and sometimes separate utility service. Check zoning before falling in love with the plan. |
| Garage conversion | 300-500 sq ft | $45,000-$95,000 | No new foundation, but you're adding a floor system, insulation, egress and HVAC, and often losing the parking a buyer expected. |
Ranges are Maryland turnkey figures for July 2026, including permits and standard finishes. Difficult site access, a high water table, structural reinforcement of the existing house, or a panel and service upgrade will push a project above its band. Everything above is a starting frame, not a quote.
The four things that wreck additions
We get called into other people's additions often enough to know exactly where they go wrong. All four are decided in the first two weeks, before anything looks like a problem.
What a cheap bid leaves out
- Footings poured too shallow, above the frost line
- Roof tie-in caulked instead of properly flashed and woven
- HVAC extended off the existing system with no load calculation
- Zoning setbacks never checked, discovered at inspection
- Electrical panel already full, no capacity plan
- Floor heights that don't line up, leaving a step into the new room
- No engineered drawings, so the inspector stops the job mid-build
- Exterior materials ordered without checking the match first
What is in ours
- Footing depth and size to the engineer's stamped spec
- Tie-in flashed, woven and inspected before it's covered
- Manual-J style load check before HVAC is sized
- Zoning, setback and lot coverage verified before design is final
- Panel capacity checked, subpanel quoted up front if needed
- Floor elevations planned so the addition reads as original house
- Stamped drawings submitted and approved before we start
- Siding, trim and roof match confirmed with physical samples
How it goes
Additions take months, not weeks. Knowing the sequence in advance is what keeps it from feeling out of control.
Free on-site consultation
We look at the house, the lot, the existing structure and where the utilities run, and talk honestly about what your lot and your county will actually allow.
Feasibility and zoning check
Setbacks, lot coverage, height limits and easements verified before you spend money on design. This is where some projects change shape and a few stop.
Design and engineering
Plans, elevations and a structural engineer's stamp where required. You approve the drawings and the fixed written scope before permits go in.
Permits
Building permit plus separate trade permits. County review commonly runs four to ten weeks in Maryland, and we tell you where you sit in that queue.
Build
Excavation, footings, framing, roof, mechanical rough-in, inspections at each stage, then insulation, drywall and finish. Typically three to six months on site.
Final inspection and warranty
Final county sign-off, punch list walked with you, and your 10-year workmanship warranty in writing along with the closed permit record for your file.
Most additions we build land between $45,000 and $300,000 turnkey. The honest planning number for new conditioned space in our area is roughly $180 to $350 per square foot, and a bathroom inside the addition pushes toward the top of that.
Your quote is a fixed written price, not an hourly estimate. It does not move unless you change the scope in writing.
What moves the number
Foundation type
A cantilevered bump-out needs none. A full room addition needs footings and a foundation wall, and that's often 15 to 20 percent of the whole job before you see a stud.
Roof geometry
Extending a simple gable is straightforward. Tying into a hip, a valley or a second story is where framing hours multiply.
Whether there's water
The moment the addition contains a bathroom or kitchenette, you add plumbing, waterproofing, ventilation and inspections. It's the single biggest step change in cost.
Existing capacity
If your panel is full, your HVAC is at its limit, or your septic is sized for the current bedroom count, those upgrades belong in the budget from day one.
Where we work
We build additions across central Maryland. We keep the radius tight on purpose - a crew that can get back to you in a day is worth more than a company that covers the whole state and takes three weeks to return a warranty call.
Carroll County
Westminster · Eldersburg · Sykesville · Mount Airy · Hampstead · Manchester · Finksburg
Howard County
Ellicott City · Columbia · Clarksville · Fulton · Marriottsville · Glenelg
Baltimore County
Owings Mills · Reisterstown · Towson · Cockeysville · Pikesville · Catonsville
Montgomery County
Damascus · Clarksburg · Germantown · Gaithersburg · Rockville · Olney
Frederick County
Frederick · Urbana · New Market · Ijamsville · Mount Airy
Anne Arundel County
Severna Park · Crofton · Gambrills · Millersville · Arnold · Annapolis
The warranty, and what it actually means
Ten years on our workmanship, in writing, on every job. Not a marketing line - a document you keep.
Ten years, in writing
You get the warranty on paper at the final walkthrough, with the scope it covers spelled out. No verbal promises, nothing that expires when a salesman leaves.
It is why we take whole jobs
A warranty only means something when one company controlled the whole assembly. If half the work was somebody else's, nobody can honestly stand behind the result - so we don't split scopes.
The reserve is inside the price
Money for warranty callbacks is built into every quote before you see it. A contractor priced so thin that a callback hurts is a contractor who will argue with you in year three.
Manufacturer coverage on top
Materials carry their own manufacturer warranty, and we register it in your name where the manufacturer requires it. Two separate protections, not one.
Licensed and insured
MHIC #108556, general liability and workers' comp current. Certificates go to you before we start, not after you ask.
Financing if you want it
Approved financing is available through our lending partners, including options for credit in the 550+ range. Ask and we'll send the link - checking your rate doesn't affect your score.
Ask about monthly plansQuestions we get asked
How long does an addition take?
Plan on three to six months on site for a typical room or suite addition, plus four to ten weeks of county permit review before that. Second-story additions run longer because the roof comes off and the weather gets a vote.
Can we live in the house during construction?
For most single-room and bump-out additions, yes - we seal the work area off from the house and keep the existing space usable. For a second-story addition there is usually a period where you'll want to be somewhere else.
Do I need an architect?
Not always. Many Maryland counties will permit a straightforward addition from detailed construction drawings with a structural engineer's stamp. For complex or second-story work, or where a design decision drives the whole project, an architect earns their fee.
What about setbacks and my HOA?
We check county setbacks, lot coverage and height limits during feasibility, before you spend money on design. HOA architectural review is separate and is on you to submit, though we'll provide whatever drawings the committee asks for.
Will the addition match my existing house?
As closely as materials still in production allow. Siding profiles and brick blends get discontinued, so on older homes we bring samples out and show you the closest available match before anything is ordered, rather than after.
How is payment structured?
Milestone draws tied to completed and inspected stages - permit and mobilization, foundation, framing and dry-in, rough-in inspections, drywall, and final. You never pay for work that hasn't happened.
Does an addition pay for itself?
Rarely dollar for dollar. Nationally, additions typically recoup somewhere in the 50 to 65 percent range at resale, with the best returns on modest, well-matched space rather than something that overbuilds the block. Build it because you want to live in it.
What if the county fails an inspection?
We correct it and re-inspect at our cost, and we tell you it happened. Inspections exist to catch things, and a contractor who claims he's never failed one is telling you about his memory, not his record.
Get Your Free Addition Consultation
Free on-site consultation · fixed written proposal · no pressure and no sales visit that turns into two hours.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (443) 540-7985