In the current climate of property a lot of people have given up the idea of selling their home for fear of losing money. This is the time that l a lot of people are thinking about extending their homes to add extra space.
This can be a great way to save on money whilst adding that much needed extra space to your home. Extending your home needn’t be a difficult process if you research, plan, and take action, my philosophy in most everything I do.
The first thing to do before making any structural changes is find out if the changes you intend to make will add value to your home. There may be others in your area who have a similar house and have done something similar to what you have in mind. Check out the selling price of homes that have been extended. You could even speak to an estate agent and ask their advice on what the property value would be if you extended your home.
If you plan to stay in your house for a long time you won’t need to think about the value of your house as much but it is still important as you never know what’s around the corner.
Does your home really need extended
A lot of people rush in to home extensions when a few simple changes in their current living area would be a lot more beneficial. Think about the layout of your current home and think what could be a better layout. Once you have a better layout plan you can then find out if it is possible to do, for example you can’t take down a load bearing wall without proper advice and support.
9 Tips to help with extending your home
- You will need to find out if there are planning restrictions, so get the help of an architect to draw up plans for your extension. Sometimes you can find a company who will do everything for you from planning to getting the application passed by your local authority.
- The RIBA, Royal Institute of British Architects will provide you with a list of registered architects who will be able to plan the extension for you.
- Ask your friends and family if they can recommend someone who has doen a good job for them in the past. It is crucial at this stage to find a builder who is going to do a good job.
- Make sure the builders are registered with a reputable body. The National federation of Builders (NFB) will provide you with a list of builders in your area who are registered with them. the builders who are registered here have to comply with that trade associations regulations and standards.
- I have seen a lot of people making the mistake of extending their home and making the extension a different style to their current home. I think this not only looks out of place but it is not good for when you go to sell the property in the future. You might put a lot of people off when you go to sell your home if the extension has a different style, people want continuity.
- Again if you’re planning for the future you could do worse than make the investment of extending your kitchen as most families want a bigger kitchen.
- Another tip is to add extra bathrooms, en-suites where you can as this will drive up the price of your home should you sell it in the future.
- Another great idea to add space to your living area I to consider converting your loft. Most people use their loft to store their old memories in. This can be a great way to extend your home with less hassle as it requires less planning and building requirements.
- Ask yourself if you really need to extend your home. This might sound a bit strange but a lot of people just want a change. Why not spend a few thousand re-decorating your home instead of extending it.
Popularity: 47% [?]
