Extending your home is a pivotal move in making your property reach its fullest potential. Whether it’s making more room for social space with a kitchen diner, adding a utility room or downstairs bathroom, or even adding a new bedroom, games room, or anything else you could think of, extending has endless possibilities.
When you do choose to extend, however, there are a lot of different things to consider before making a decision. While a good architect or designer can help with this, there is much still down to you as the homeowner, too. You have things like aesthetics, practicalities, costs, and everything in between to contend with. Even on top of this, however, three serious factors that should be in mind for every step of the process lay above the rest.
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The Long-Term Practicality & Likeability
One of the fundamental aspects of a house extension for homeowners is that that extension is going to be a big part of your property, permanently. That is exactly why it needs to be done how you want it to be done. It has to be something that will be practical for you and your family or living situation for years to come, as well as right now.
Make sure that the extension is serving the purpose that you need it to. Functionality is often at the heart of these kinds of projects, as you need to create a living space that works, above all else. It’s really important to make sure that the extension is something that you are going to use and enjoy when you’re in the property. That includes after the newness wears away after the initial few years.
Compromising at this stage with things like the size, materials, features and other things can be prime examples of this. While architects or designers may try to give you the full picture about what they think is the best thing for your build, that doesn’t mean it’s something that you agree with. They may stop you from making a big mistake, but in the same breath, they may take away your input.
It’s a tricky balance to find, but above all else, make sure you love the design and the workmanship of the builders alike, as each has a big impact on the finish.
The Value to the Property
As well as needing to function properly, the extension to your property also has to be valuable. That goes for both your lifestyle and for the property itself in most cases. While this isn’t as important if you’re intending to stay in the property as your “forever home”, if the home is something that could be sold in years to come, it’s a very good point to make sure that the extension can add value to the property.
With something as intricate and with as much potential as a house extension, there is more than enough room for costly additions. Whether it’s adding more costly materials or overly extravagant designs on a property that was already close to the ceiling price for its area, it’s easy to spend more than you can recuperate if you’re not aware of your situation.
While all of this sounds daunting, remember that the inverse is just as important. While an ultra-luxury extension can cause increased expense, having a well-designed, well suited and well thought out project can just as easily mean that your property value increases massively, even paying for itself instantly in some cases as well as appreciating over the years to come.
The Rest of the Property
Lastly, one thing that so many people don’t think about when extending their property is that the rest of the property is also important to keep in mind. An extension has the potential to transform the home. That goes without question. It also however has the potential to ruin existing spaces in the process if it is not thought out correctly.
If that should happen, you’re opening up your home dynamic to change completely, and it could undo the changes you’ve spent so much time, money and energy on creating.
Although proper design makes this near impossible, when using inexperienced professionals or building without design, it’s possible. Rooms can be made into corridors or dark spaces. The flow of the home can feel unnatural or incorrect.
Even small annoyances can build over time, and they can have an adverse effect on your overall opinion of the property. That’s a terrible thing since an extension can just as easily transform your home completely.
Conclusion
Overall, extending your home should always be a positive experience. While it may well be stressful during the build (which is to be expected for a while, it’s a big change), the home extension when finished should be a source of pride in your home, of value to your property, and all in all, be a practical and enhancing benefit to your home life.
As long as you or your designer make sure that the extension is planned for the future as well as the present situation and remains practical and is reasonable considering the property in question, it’s hard to go far wrong when all things are considered. These should be at the heart of the design process, and it should be easy to make sure this is the case.
While the build itself has the potential to cause issues once 3rd parties get involved and workmanship becomes responsible for the build rather than the design, it doesn’t have to. Just like choosing the right architect or designer, choosing the right builder is pivotal to getting the best finish possible.
You may also utilise project management services in some cases which help make this an even safer project. A project manager, especially a 3rd party, will manage the build and oversee the work as it goes on. They’ll reduce wastage, negate any issues and ultimately just make the whole process much smoother than otherwise possible.
This article was written by Joshua Pearson. Joshua is an executive for CK Architectural, working with a wide range of designers and architects to curate insightful content that benefits homeowners and professionals alike.
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Millie is a perfectionist with a passion for property and writing articles. You’ll find her researching the latest housing trends and the newest up and coming areas worth investing in. Read more about Millie here.
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