In lieu of moving, some homeowners in Northern Virginia appear to be opting for larger home addition projects amid a challenging housing market.
Some local construction firms have reported seeing demand shift in favor of certain kinds of home additions over the past few years. While the number of home addition projects in Arlington may not actually be increasing — in fact, according to county data, it appears to have declined since 2024 — firms report a heightened demand for large-scale projects.
At Arlington-based TriVistaUSA Design + Build, for instance, the total number of work requests has held steady, but the average project scope of work has increased by 20% over the past year, General Manager Steve Inch said.
“Inquiries to the company are about the same,” he said. “The percentage of those leads or inquiries are trending toward bigger-scope jobs, rather than smaller projects like just a kitchen or only a bathroom”
Alfredo Esquivel, a project manager at Kingstowne-based Vale Construction, told ARLnow that affordability is a main factor driving the focus on additions, which homeowners may favor over moving or funding a new build. Families may be seeking to accommodate a multigenerational household, stay put in a beloved neighborhood or support senior family members aging in place.
“Families in Arlington and Alexandria are increasingly choosing additions over moving, driven by interest-rate stickiness, school zoning, and how expensive a comparable larger home is in the same neighborhood,” Esquivel said.
County data complicates the picture, however. While some families opt for major home improvements, the number of approved residential addition permits dropped last year across Arlington, and appears on track to do so again in 2026.
While the county approved 558 such permits in 2024 — on par with 557 in 2023 — only 501 permits were issued in 2025, Rachel LaPiana, spokesperson for the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, told ARLnow. So far in 2026, only 185 permits have been issued amid ongoing economic issues region-wide.
The apparent trend comes as the average Arlington home sale price hit an all-time high in April, after exceeding $1 million for the first time the month before. As of last month, that price continues to rise.
Meanwhile, the county’s Expanded Housing Option zoning change — which allows for the construction of duplexes, townhouses and small multi-family buildings in previously single-family-only neighborhoods — remains in a legal tug-of-war, as the Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to review a corresponding lawsuit.
Demand for home additions isn’t new to Northern Virginia. Last summer, Fortune magazine reported that millennials outgrowing their first homes are opting to stay in place and fund renovations rather than seek out a newer home, as a result of high home prices and mortgage rates.
The report cited a June 2025 survey by home improvement brand This Old House, in which 60% of millennial homeowners and 56% of their Gen Z counterparts had remodeling or renovation plans last year.
“This shift reflects the new reality where renovating for function and value, rather than moving, is becoming the norm among younger generations,” according to Fortune.
Fortune reported that the most common home expansion projects include additions, detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or unused space conversions — all of which can significantly raise a home’s value when it eventually comes time to sell.
“When appraisers look at values of homes, they look for three main things: square footage, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms,” Inch said. “From the standpoint of long-term financial planning, you know, it makes sense … maybe I don’t get all of it back in equity, but I am putting some equity into my house.”
Looking ahead statewide, ADUs are soon expected to become easier to build across Virginia due to a new Virginia law signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) in April, Esquivel said. Senate Bill 531 requires localities to allow ADUs in single-family zoning districts and will go into effect in July 2027.
The County Board voted to loosen regulations on ADUs in Arlington back in 2019.
Photo by Junior Jacques/Unsplash
