One-Room Home Additions

The architect connected this garden room to the rest of the home by removing a portion of a wall and replacing it with a wide hallway. Slate-tile flooring, banks of windows, decorative beams, and the fireplace all add architectural detail. Note that placing the fireplace on the outer wall makes venting easy.

Building an addition that projects out onto the patio creates a gathering space and transition area between pool decks and homes. This is a good example of how to use an existing structure to inspire the lines of an addition.

A coffered ceiling and a new fireplace transform a boxy space into a welcoming family room. Before you add a stone fireplace, have your contractor check the foundation to make sure it can support the weight.

Pendant lights and a ceiling fan dangle between the exposed trusses, providing light and air circulation without interfering with the views into or out of the oversize windows.

French doors, windows, and skylights give this addition an atrium like quality. Note the way pillars were used to support the load-bearing beam that separates the original house from the addition.