Our home is bursting at the seams." If Barry Hobbs had a nickel for every time he's heard those words recently. As the owner of Addition Associates, he's been fielding phone calls from families far and wide who need to improve their living space.

Perhaps it's a kitchen upgrade to accommodate more cooking, or a closed-in porch for year-round use of the space, or an in-law suite added to the property. There are all sorts of ways to make a home more livable, and Barry is available to help. Addition Associates is a full-service contractor for designing and building to improve residential properties. In other words, Barry's team can help a client gain a better home without a new home purchase.

All the things that a client loves about an existing house can be built upon and expanded. A beloved, familiar home feels amazingly new. After 40 years in the business, Barry has learned how to meet each family's needs in the most efficient and cost-friendly manner. Every project begins with a visit to assess the home situation. Some clients know exactly what they want; some simply say they're running out of space.

Barry can offer ideas for solutions that clients may not have thought of, drawing from the experience of a long and distinguished career. He also has insights on which renovations and additions will boost a home's resale value. Some of these improvements are repairs to existing components, such as windows or patio doors. Kitchen and bath remodels, always popular, are a great place to start, and rooms can be reconfigured in this process to maximize the overall use of the home. Basements and attics are often transformed into studio apartments.

Ground-level bedrooms, a rec room, and a larger dining room are often added as extensions. From start to finish, an addition to a home can be completed before a home sale closes, at a much lower cost. For the optimal increase in a home's value, Barry focuses on its design elements. He explains that design is equally as important as construction, especially when it comes to additions.

New parts of a home should match the exterior style and offer a sense of symmetry for better curb appeal. Barry develops a unique design around each client's property and lifestyle. Utilizing software, he is able to create a three-dimensional view of his vision for clients to see. Construction begins only after a client approves the proposal.

"The design is my favorite part," Barry says. "I get to step into a client's daily life for a few days. It leaves an impact on me, and I'd like to think my work leaves a positive impact on their whole household." Once a project is ready, Barry's trusted team, many of whom have worked with him for years, take over from there.

Brother-in-law Perry Holland-known around the office as quite the perfectionist-serves as the production manager, bringing all the diverse elements together into one beautifully harmonized whole. Although subcontractors may be brought into a project, Perry relies on a network of highly experienced artisans with years of successful projects to their credit.

Work crew members are true professionals who manage themselves well: No smoking, no cursing, no music or phone calls on the job, and absolutely no leaving a mess when they leave the job site. They arrive on schedule, and they don't stop until the client is thrilled with the outcome.

Budgets and timelines agreed upon in advance are honored. In fact, Barry credits his team for much of the success of Addition Associates. "A client will often choose us for window replacements or a bathroom remodel as their first project," Barry explains. "My guys make such a great impression that I'll soon get a call requesting a basement renovation. This kind of teamwork is the result of years of dedicated customer service." Four decades ago, a young Barry, fresh out of college, set out to build his incredible operation.

Despite his age, he was already a faithful churchgoer, devoted husband, and hard worker. Knowing that Barry had studied architecture in college, his father-in-law approached him with a business opportunity. That offer ultimately became Addition Associates. Barry used a Biblical passage-Colossians 3:23-as his compass for leadership. He treated his staffers like a second family, giving them the resources they needed to create beautiful craftsmanship.

As other contractors cut corners in a tighter economy, Barry maintained his quality, trusting in faith that his decision would pay off. It didn't take long for the wheat to separate from the chaff, and talented contractors soon preferred to answer his calls. Addition Associates uses high-quality materials, such as Anderson windows, installed by knowledgeable tradesmen.

The result is a new construction look with a lived-in feel. The Addition Associates website offers photo after photo of stunning home renovations. These renovations are so impressive that in 2010, Addition Associates was honored to lead the effort to save Suffolk's historic Obici House.This year, as more and more families are reconnecting around the dinner table, Barry says his services are in high demand.

He's getting to know clients from new households who are thankful to take advantage of his experience. Many older clients have chosen Barry for multiple projects as their needs have changed over the years. He's watched rooms go from nursery to bedroom to craft station, and sometimes back to nursery again, as a family grows.

Because of his depth of knowledge, he can advise clients to think ahead about what they may need in the future from investing in their homes-usually the most significant investment that most people make. "By God's grace, I'm still going strong and have no plan to retire as of yet," Barry says with a warm smile. "It's fun to meet new people.

Homeowners who want to get the most from their homes are welcome to call me. I look forward to helping them. After all these years, I still enjoy what I do!"