Extending your home is becoming an increasingly popular choice with clients who are looking for more space, experiencing a change of circumstance or even just wanting to ‘spruce up’ a tired property.
Home extensions can take many forms and can be used for any purpose that the client wishes, from a simple porch extension or conservatory to a complex multi-storey extension used for a garage, utility, kitchen, living & dining room.
Main types of the home extensions are following.
Single Storey Extensions
Single storey extensions can help you expand your kitchen or add an extra room to your house. They come in three types.
Rear Extensions:
A popular type of home renovation project, a rear extension takes in the fashion for large open-plan kitchens. You could add sliding glass doors to extend the space out into the garden too.
Side Return Extensions:
A side extension is perfect for owners of older Victorian and Georgian properties with unused side alleyways. It can add up to three metres to the kitchen width, which could transform a small dark room into a bright kitchen-diner. Adding a large roof light or a glazed ceiling will bring extra light into your home.
Wrap Around Extensions:
A wrap around extensions combines both a long side extension and a rear extension creating a distinct L shaped house extension. These extensions look great both open plan and sectioned off as bathrooms, storage cupboards and living areas.
Double Storey Extensions
If you need to add more than one room to your home, a double-storey extension is a cost-effective option as you will be using one roof and the same foundations for both levels. You could create a large kitchen with dining area and easy access to the garden on the ground floor and additional bedrooms, large family bathroom, or even a study/playroom on the first floor. Double storey home extensions can be built onto the back or the side of the house.
Over-Structure Extensions
If your house has an attached garage or a previous single-storey extension, you could build a new extension on top of it. In other words, you are 'building over' the existing structure, hence the name.
Some older garages have single-skin brickwork unable to carry the load of another building on top. If this is the case, more structural work would be required to strengthen the original walls before a new extension can be built on top of the garage.
This type of extension project is great if you want to add an extra bedroom, office, study or a playroom for the children.
Garage Conversion
Another popular type of conversion is to use the existing garage. This has the advantage of not losing any of your garden but can be restrictive in what the room could be used for depending on it locality to the main house. Both can be used for living spaces however detached garages may need planning permission.
For houses with the garage attached it could become a kitchen extension, utility room or an extended living space, while those with a detached garage could potentially use it as a study space or gym. Another style is to just convert three quarters of the garage leaving the last part for storage.
Loft Conversion
A loft conversion is a great investment to make on your property, creating extra living space from the largest unused area in your house. You can have that extra room and space; en-suite bedroom, bathroom, games room or study without the upheaval of moving and the huge costs involved – and the opportunity to add great value to your home.