House Extensions

The vast variations in the types and sizes of house extensions mean that there are a number of different benefits depending on your approach:

More rooms without moving home

The primary benefit of a house extension is to provide more space without the stress or financial complications of moving to a larger property. If you like your existing home and have no prior intentions of moving, then you can get an extension to give you that extra space you need. For example, this may involve a new bedroom to accommodate a growing family.

Increasing the size of existing rooms without moving home

Alongside creating new rooms in your property, you can also use house extensions to increase the size of existing rooms. Long-gone are the days where homeowners had to accept the given sizes of the rooms in their property. If you feel as if your kitchen is too small, then you could use a house extension to increase its size and turn it into an open plan kitchen and eating area. You could also use an extension to increase the size of a main living area or bedroom. The choice is yours!

Increasing property value

The right sort of house extension can provide a fantastic return on investment by increasing property value. After all, with property size and room numbers playing a key role in the value of a property, a house extension can add many thousands of pounds in extra value and provide a strong profit from the initial expenditure of the extension. If property value is the main focus, then it’s best to use the extension to provide the space and rooms which homebuyers are likely to find most appealing. For example, families looking for large family homes may appreciate an extra bedroom if the current number of bedrooms in your home is low.

Adding different types of living space

If you want to add a different type of room to your home, a house extension can be a brilliant way to do it without sacrificing an existing room. It also allows you unprecedented control over the extension and its contents, such as the size, shape, design and amenities. This not only allows you to add new types of living space like gyms and entertainment rooms, but also conservatories, garages and other areas of specific use.

The level of control in a house extension means that uses can be virtually endless. The only factors you are limited by are the amount of available land to extend the property and any relevant planning permissions or neighbour objections. Some of the most common uses include:

New bathroom – One or more bathrooms can be created as either individual bathrooms or en-suite bathrooms for existing bedrooms. This also allows the potential of upstairs and downstairs bathrooms.

New bedroom – One or more new bedrooms can make the property ideal for larger families or homeowners with frequent guests. You could also add a bedroom with en-suite amenities.

Gym – A room could be created with your own personal workout space including machines and weights. Whilst a gym generally isn’t a common reason to invest in an expensive house extension on its own, it can be a fantastic inclusion in a larger house extension for another purpose – especially if the extension spans both floors. For example, an extension could include a new bedroom upstairs with a new gym downstairs.

Entertainment area – Create an area with a television, games, music centre, pool table, home bar and more. You could also create a more child-friendly entertainment area with toys and plenty of space to play. This can provide the added benefit of keeping all of the mess in one room!

Storage space – It can be amazing how much extra space you can provide in all of the other rooms of your house by creating a designated storage room for any furniture or objects you don’t want to throw away.

Office – Create your own dedicated office if you run your own business or carry out educational activities (for example, university). This is a great way to separate work and relaxation time whilst still allowing yourself to work from the comfort of your own home.

Extended bathroom – A house extension doesn’t necessarily mean adding a new bathroom. It can simply involve extending an existing bathroom. A small bathroom could be made larger to accommodate a growing family, or you could simply treat yourself by making a big bathroom even bigger to include a larger bath or spa suite.

Extended bedroom – Instead of creating a new bedroom, you could increase the size of your existing bedroom. Make one bedroom larger if you have kids or make your own master bedroom even larger for that added level of luxury.

Extended kitchen – Virtually every home has a kitchen and only needs one, so any house extension involving a kitchen generally means that the size of it is increased as opposed to creating a new kitchen entirely. Not only can this involve increasing the cooking and food preparation space, but it can also involve adding an eating area to create a large open-plan kitchen with a combination of cooking and living spaces.

Extended living space – Your living room, sitting room or lounge could be increased to accommodate a family or simply provide more space to relax in.

En-suite – You could use a house extension to add an en-suite bathroom to one or more existing bedrooms.

Conservatory – A house extension doesn’t always involve increasing the size of the primary property by way of building new walls. You could also add a conservatory to provide a new living space. This type of house extension is usually less extensive and expensive than traditional extensions.

Garage – You could add a garage to your property to include your vehicle(s) and also add additional storage space. This has the added benefit of freeing up an existing driveway or patio for other uses.

Multiple uses on both floors – As house extensions can include both floors, it opens up the possibility of using the additional space on both floors for different uses. For example, you could create a new bedroom upstairs with a kitchen extension downstairs.

House extensions range from small additions to vast expansions in size. Some of the most common types of extension include:

Conservatories

This type of extension can add living or recreational space to a home and garden. Most conservatories are not overly invasive in construction due to the primary use of PVC and glass, although a small amount of brick work may be required.

Orangeries

An orangery, also known as a sunroom, is like a conservatory but with solid brick walls to act as an extension to the existing property wall. Usually the roof is made entirely out of glass with plenty of glazing in the walls to provide the strong daylight input of a conservatory with the solidity and warmth of a brick wall structure.

Porches

A porch is often used to extend the entrance space of a home. It can free up hallways and allow more space for things generally located near the front door of a home such as coats, shoes and other items. It can also provide the benefit of allowing a second door behind the main front door for warmth or security reasons.

Single storey extensions

A single storey extension is where the property is only extended out over a single storey. A roof is usually placed on top which is on a lower level than the existing roof of the home if it is a two-storey house. This can be useful if there are budget constraints or if you simply only need extra space on one storey and have no use for a double storey extension. This is also useful if there are planning or neighbour objections to a double story extension.

Two-story extensions

As the name implies, a two-storey extension increases the size of the property on both floors. An existing section of wall is knocked through with a larger section of wall built to increase the size inside. A roof is also built on this extended space and usually integrated into the existing roof of the property. This has the primary benefit of providing a new area of space on both floors for multiple uses.

Multi-storey extensions

Whilst most homes have two-storeys, some homes have more. This means that a multi-storey extension is possible, i.e. 3 or 4 storeys. The loft space of a two-storey home could also be increased, providing extra space along with a new or existing loft conversion.

Garages

A single-storey garage can be added to the side of a home to store vehicles and other items. It can also be used as an external workspace. This garage can be independent of the property with no in-property access, or it can be integrated into the property with a door to allow easy access without going outside.

Over-structure extensions

If you have a double-storey home with an existing single-storey area, such as a garage or previous extension, you can build on top of it to create added second-storey space. This is known as an over-structure extension. Whilst this type of extension is a great way to add space if the property setup is suitable, it also has a number of considerations. For example, a garage with only a single layer of brickwork would not have the structural integrity to support a new floor above and may therefore require re-structuring first.

1). Planning

The first step is to decide what type of house extension you would like. You may already have an idea of which part of your home you would like to have extended and by what size. It’s also important to consider windows, doors, fixtures, fittings, partitioning walls and the overall interior design of the extension. Any good design and build company will listen very carefully to your needs, ideas and tastes to plan out the initial house extension design. Attention to detail during this stage is vital for the best results and the most seamless build project.

Some of the key areas to consider include:

• The type of house extension
• The size and shape
• The number of rooms
• Light fittings
• Electricity fittings
• Other fixtures
• Doors
• Windows
• Heating
• Painting, decorating and interior design
• Flooring
• Tiling

A lot of the initial planning stage is likely to involve discussions, sketches and blueprints. Some design and build companies, such as Bischell, can produce 3D graphics and walkthroughs to help you get a better idea of how your new house extension is likely to look before building commences.

2). Feasibility

Any on-site cost estimates usually involve a feasibility study. This is where the building company checks whether the desired type of house extension is possible given the current property and its foundations. This not only involves structural checks, but also more specific internal checks based on your ideas. For example, can electrical sockets and windows be placed where you want them to go? Does your heating system have enough pressure to supply hot water to the new rooms? Is there any internal damp or rot which could impact the construction of your new extension? Checking for any issues and remedying them at the beginning can result in a much smoother build project.

3). Setup

Most extensions need building equipment to be moved into place. Skips may also have to be ordered by the building company to deal with any debris and used materials. For larger extensions, scaffolding will have to be erected along with any support structures to keep the property structurally sound whilst the extension is being built.

4). The house extension commences

The way the extension is built depends heavily on the type of extension you choose. A porch or conservatory may only require building and foundation work followed by any glazing and interior design. However, a large single or double storey extension may involve the removal of an existing property wall followed by the creation of the new extension walls.

Once the main structural and building work is complete, any doors and windows are usually installed. This is followed by interior work such as electrical installations, heating installations, plastering, flooring, decorating and the installation of fixtures and fittings (such as units, shelves, decorative features and so on).

5). Extension complete!

The area will be thoroughly tidied with the skip, scaffolding, building equipment and any waste materials removed. You will then be free to enjoy your brand new house extension!