Types of additions
- Room additions: a bedroom, office or family room off the existing house.
- Primary suite additions: bedroom, bath and closet together. See also master suite remodeling.
- Kitchen bump-outs that add a few feet for an island or dining area.
- Enclosing a patio to make it conditioned living space.
- Guest suites or casitas, which may fall under Scottsdale’s ADU rules if they include separate living facilities. See the city’s ADU page.
What decides what you can build
Zoning and setbacks
Each property’s zoning sets how close you can build to property lines and how much of the lot can be covered. Scottsdale publishes a residential development standards map and points owners to their title report and HOA for added restrictions. See the single-family construction page.
Environmentally Sensitive Lands
Much of northern Scottsdale falls under the ESL overlay, which requires that part of each property remain natural open space and protects washes, ridges and native vegetation. That can limit where an addition goes. See the ESL page.
HOA approval
Additions change the exterior, so HOA architectural review is almost always required in planned communities.
Matching the existing house
Roof lines, exterior materials, window styles and floor heights need to line up so the addition looks original. In slab homes, matching floor heights takes careful foundation work.
Systems capacity
Extra square footage may need more HVAC capacity, an electrical panel upgrade or plumbing extensions.
Permits
Scottsdale’s minor addition and remodel packet applies to single-story projects under 1,000 square feet. Larger or two-story projects follow the major path. Both require plans and inspections. Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Carefree and Maricopa County each run their own processes. See Scottsdale permit services and our permit guide.
Addition or remodel?
Sometimes rearranging the existing floor plan gains the space you need at lower cost. We compare both during design. Additions are a good fit for our design-build process, which keeps design, pricing and approvals together.
