Extending your house will not just extend your family space, it will also add value to your existing property which could benefit you in the long run. You probably want to make some changes at your home especially when the needs of your family are getting bigger than usual. Designing a house extension, whether its a two storey extension, single storey extension or semi detached house will allow you and your family to maximize your lot and cater to your needs when it comes to space. You want to ask yourself if you need an extra living space for your growing kids, perhaps a new space that will serve as a home office since work from home is the new trend now.
Keep reading to carry out your plans for designing a house extension that will probably make a big difference in your home and life.
1. Think twice
Extending your home is vital, it is not just about adding another room or space for your family. It requires time, effort, money, and sometimes planning permission which means you don’t want to waste all of it just in case everything goes wrong. Things could turn out different from what you are expecting since everything does not always go well as planned. So you also have to come up with plan B and think several times about the things that you want to change at your home.
On the other hand, renovating or building a house extension could be the best decision because it could be very useful for your family in the long run.
2. Consult experts
Contact your most trusted experts like local planning authority, engineers, architects, and builders. Ask for help and assistance from you to make sure that everything will go smoothly.
Their expertise will make everything easier for you, in that way you’ll be able to save time and money. Why? If things will not work because of some mistakes such as using the wrong materials, it will just result in a mess which will force you to re-do it. Compare with having experts alongside the construction, fewer mistakes or nothing at all could happen. You can also ask your architects for a concrete and detailed plan or design for your house extension.
Make sure to also consult your local authority for building regulations and to check if you have permitted development rights.
3. Check your budget
Designing a house extension requires enough budget. It is necessary to allocate enough funds for the construction so that there will be no interruptions.
Make sure to give proper compensations for the workers and builders so that they will have enough reason to create your extensions well and smoothly. You can ask professionals to quote the cost of your projects so you could prepare them ahead of time.
It is impossible to start a project without having enough budget that’s why you need to check on the things that you need to pay for, such as labor, materials, tools and equipment, permits, etc.
Another tip for tight budgets is for you to compare prices from different contractors proposed extension. You can ask for referrals from people you know and maybe select the cheapest one because it does not mean that it is not the best for the building project.
4. Bigger doesn’t mean better
Space is just another thing to consider when it comes to having a new extension. Make sure to comply and follow the setbacks required for residential development such as the party wall act. You could look for small house extension ideas in the Philippines in order to picture out what are the possibilities and outcomes for your house extension.
Moreover, creating your house extension doesn’t need to be extravagant, you can start with small things with tiny steps. If you can’t afford to buy all the materials all at once, you can start collecting them one at a time. Maybe one sack of cement per month could help you start it because remember that small steps are still progressing. Then later on, once you collected enough materials and budget, you can start building your extensions.
5. Team meeting
Make sure that every member of your family knows your plan, or at least ask them for some suggestions regarding your extension house design. It is also significant to assess if what are the benefits that you and your family could get from extending your house not just in the meantime but in the long run.
Whenever building a house extension, thinking long term is important for it is something that your family should be able to maximize the spaces that will be added to your home. For an instance, when you’re planning to create a playroom for your kids, make sure that your kids will get to enjoy it for a long time or maybe transform it into a movie room later on when they don’t want to play anymore.
Nowadays, online learning has been implemented due to the pandemic. This means building a space for learning could help your children easily adjust to the new learning system. Later on, once everything goes back to normal, you can convert it into an office or something else that your family will get to enjoy.
Having an open family discussion regarding your house extension could help you meet your family’s expectations for the changes that your home will have.
6. Set a timeframe
Building a house extension should not take forever, so you have to set a timeframe on when to start and when should it be finalized. Especially when building the house extension, it will affect your living while your home is under construction. Looking for some other place where you are going to live during the works could make it easier for you. To make everything go smoothly, you have to make sure that schedules and working hours will be monitored to save not just time but also money.
7. Make it realistic
You need to be practical regarding your house extension design. Make sure to plan something possible to make. Designing a house extension must seamlessly blend in with your existing house design. Considering your lifestyle, your existing floor plan, and the amount of space being created by the extension is something that you need to take note of.
Figure out the purpose of the house extension and make sure that it will be vividly seen through the house extension design.
House Extensions for your Bria Home
There are several ways to design your house extension. It’s either having a rear extension that lets you extend the back of your property. Rear extension is the perfect idea for a dirty kitchen or laundry area.
Double-story, two-storey, or Loft extension is another way of designing your house extension. A huge amount of space will be added up to your home where you can make a lot of things just like an extra bedroom or an office. This extension is the best option if you don’t have any extra space around your lot.
Lastly, if you have some extra space on the side of your lot, the side extension is the perfect idea for it. This type of extension can utilize the empty space on the side of your residential properties. It is also ideal to add width to your home. This is ideal to add more space inside your house
Written by Lysandra Faye Batac
