If you’re considering remodeling your Connecticut home, it’s probably because some aspect of your home no longer meets your current needs. That’s a great idea! In fact, for some homeowners, remodeling makes more sense than selling an existing home and moving into a new one. If you’re not sure whether building or remodeling is best for you, here’s an article that evaluates both options.

If you come to the conclusion that remodeling makes sense so that your home will better fit your current lifestyle and needs, it’s smart to think about your future needs as well.

For instance, if you have a child on the way, you may be thinking about adding an extra bedroom. Will one bedroom be enough? What if you plan on having additional children? A small child may not need much room. And two small children (even if they are a girl and a boy) can easily share space. When they hit adolescence, however, they can quickly outgrow the space and will certainly no longer want to share a room.

It can actually be less expensive (in the long run) to add two rooms at the same time instead of remodeling twice. And in the meantime, you can enjoy having a guest room that can also double as a home office or study.

Planning ahead isn’t always about doing more. It’s more about doing things smart. If you add an extra bedroom for more kids, you may also want to add another bathroom so that the kids have their own bathroom a little later (and you get to keep yours for yourself!). You might be tempted to put in smaller “kid-sized” fixtures to make it easier for your kids to access the sink and toilet. But keep in mind that your kids will grow (faster than you anticipate!) and may soon outgrow those smaller fixtures. Don’t lock yourself into something that won’t fit their needs down the road in a few years.

Your kids, however, aren’t the only ones who will have changing needs. If you plan to stay in your Connecticut home for a long time (and the vast majority of maturing Americans say they plan to stay in their own homes as long as possible), your needs may change as well. You may want to make some changes that will allow you to enjoy single level living later when you don’t want to trudge up and down the stairs.

Or you may even be considering having an older family member move in with you at some point in the future. That’s when making plans for an intergenerational suite may make a lot of sense.

When making improvements to your Connecticut home, make sure you take both short- term and long-term needs into consideration. Planning ahead now can ensure additional comfort—and even savings—in years to come.