If you live in a typical 2-4 bedroom detached or semi-detached house in the UK, you may find that you need more space. For example if you are expecting another baby, your teenage kids are overtaking your living room or you just need an extra room for a home office. This leaves homeowners with two clear options – moving or extending the house.
In this blog we will discuss whether extension is a viable option compared to moving home and later we will go through the most popular residential home extensions that you must consider before you talk to a building company. Here is a quick link to the options:
- Garage conversion creating extra rooms
- Building a conservatory for extra living space and light
- Small extensions around your house
- Loft and attic conversions
- Annex for a new home office or for family members
- Adding a single-storey extension to your home
A home extension is cheaper than moving house?
According to TSB bank research, extending a house is a better choice today than moving due to high agency and solicitor fees, removal costs, plus the added stress of packing up the whole house. This explains why 41% of brits would prefer to extend rather than moving.
Of course the cost of extension (fees for architect, surveying, planning, building) will require some sort of capital investment or financing but it actually adds value to your property but equally importantly the new extension will be done exactly as per as your taste and requirements.
Do you need some tips for home extensions?
We are here to help, we will show you the most popular house extensions that boost your property value and create a perfect home environment for you.
1.Garage conversion creating extra rooms
If you have an integral garage full of unwanted household items, converting it to a garage to create a new living space for living room, bedroom or study may well be worthwhile. If you park your car in your garage, but you have on-street parking or a big enough driveway, garage conversion will be valuable both in terms of living space and potential profit when you sell on. This is also a practical solution for small properties and gardens to gain an extra room when no other options are available for expansion around the house due to limited footprint. As the initial garage foundation and walls will be utilised for this project, it helps reduce a significant amount of building work saving you time and money. Garages could be converted to a spacious bedroom with or without an en-suite bathroom, a playing room, dining or a study.
2. Building a conservatory for extra living space and light
Conservatories are a cheap and great way to add a ground floor extension, or an additional living room. They quite often don’t need planning permission and pre-fabricated designs often mean quick installation and little hard labour. To get the most benefit throughout the year, you will need to invest in heating and conservatory blinds.
From autumn to spring when people spend more time inside, it provides an amazing “outdoor” experience looking at the blue skies and green garden through the windows, no surprise why it is extremely popular in the UK.
And why not go for a bigger footprint or a bigger ceiling height for the wow affect, which could be your beloved space for entertaining and socializing? The benefits will always outweigh the costs.
3.Small extensions around your house
Typical terraced and semi-detached homes in the UK have a small outdoor area behind and at the side. Using the space with a small single-storey extension is a great way to increase the size of a kitchen, making it better suited to become an open plan kitchen living area or a special utility room.
Link your home with separate buildings outside such as garages or annex via a small corridor and create extra space for storage or utility. A covered, glazed walkway is a practical solution using up spaces that are wasted at the moment.
Or, add a porch to your house especially if your front door straight opens to your living room, or if your hall is very tiny which is typical for the two to three bedroom detached or semi-detached houses in Sussex.
4.Loft and attic conversions
If you cannot extend your home building sideways, go upwards, there are lots of potential there. Converting an attic or loft is a great way to add an entire extra floor to your home. Adding an extra bedroom when space for bedrooms are lacking, or a luxury master bedroom with en-suite bathroom or even a large office well separated from the rest of the house is a certain way to boost your property.
Depending on how big your attic is and what the layout looks like, and whether there are any restrictions with height will determine whether a conversion is viable, how much building work will be required and how much it will cost.
Converting your loft or attic is likely to be a sensible investment according to Nationwide Building Society and The Guardian, both calculating that it can add 20% to the value of your home.
5. Annex for home office or family members
An annex is a wonderful way to provide living space for your in-laws or relatives that need to live near you. Or if you run a small business and you need a small office separated from your main home, an annex could be your answer. It will also save time from commuting daily. Make certain to obtain any necessary permissions as this is a significant change to your home. Adding an annex can also help increase the value of your property, so this is an investment worth researching.
6.Adding a single-storey extension to your home
Extending your home is a great alternative to add more living space and square footage to your property without the need of moving houses especially if you love your neighbourhood and your location is perfect.
For additional bedrooms and bathroom
An incredible and popular way to add two or more bedrooms and a bathroom to your home is to build a storey above your garage or existing home foundation. Since there is no foundation work required, it helps save a significant amount of money. Make sure you double check if the foundation is strong enough for the extra storey, but don’t worry if not as with creative engineering there is a way to overcome this problem.
For a large all in-one kitchen, dining and living space
Adding a single storey extension across the back of your garden, even if it is just 2-3 meters extra across, it can totally transform your home. When this is combined with knocking down a wall between a kitchen and dining/living room, it can leave you an array of choices to redesign the downstairs area the way you want it.
Most people now desire larger kitchen, dining and living room areas and when the extension work is done in a clever way it could create a whole new layout, lighter spaces and huge open living space creating an excellent sociable area for the entire family.
Generally, the bigger an extension is, the more value it will add but the practicality of the layout and the wow factor also counts. The design options and variations are unlimited, for example adding a large expanse of glazed sliding doors instead of walls or windows into the roof will ensure your newly expanded room is flooded with light all year round, this could really have a positive impact on the home itself and its value.
Due to the complexity of this building work you need planning permission and follow building regulations, so talking to a reliable building company is absolutely vital, but not enough; you also need a company with creative ideas and plenty of experiences. So don’t be afraid to spend plenty of time to approach several architects or construction companies as you need to choose the one who can make your vision a reality in an effective and affordable way.
Do you need more tips on residential buildings?
Contact RAM Construction to discuss your extension project.
