5 practical reasons to expand your home

Are you wondering what benefits you would get from adding to your home? Home extensions are a great way to transform the style and functionality of your building. These projects can increase your home floor space and enhance comfort. Overall, when you plan to expand your home, it allows you to design a better space that caters to your and your family’s needs. If you need more convincing, here are some practical reasons to consider this project.

Unlock specialised space

Expanding your home for such a purpose can be rewarding if you seek a designated space like an entertainment room, home office, gym, or sunroom. Rather than cluttering your bedroom, you may consider extensions to meet your special needs. Adding a music room may require extra insulation and soundproofing features. For homeowners working from home, having a dedicated workspace is ideal. So, why not add an office? Building a specialised playroom for your kids is another extension project that can benefit your little ones greatly.

Get more storage

Like many homeowners, you probably have many items you often use but lack room for storage. Expanding your home will increase your storage capacity for various supplies such as toys, craft materials and photography equipment. Organising your home is easier when you have enough space to accommodate your belongings.

Accommodate new household members

It’s a good idea to design a home that suits your current and future lifestyle. Sometimes life presents you with new circumstances to which you must adapt. For example, you may want more kids. Extending your spaces allows you to add new household members without any hassle. Whether you intend to create a new room or extend an existing one, adding more liveable spaces to your home is a good investment to offer family members their much-needed comfort.

Increase your property value

Virtually all property owners want to profit significantly from their investment when selling. Thankfully, installing a new extension is an effective upgrade to boost your home’s value. However, the amount depends on the remodelling job that you undertake. If you’re unsure what additions will greatly impact your property value, consult home extension experts for more information. They can examine your unique residential situation and advise you on the most profitable home improvement projects.

Personalisation

Extensions don’t only offer you a rare chance to build new spaces, they also enable you to personalise your home. Your ageing home may need a complete facelift to accommodate your lifestyle. Irrespective of your goals and budget, you can customise your home with additions ranging from a new kitchen to extra bedroom construction. Any experienced home addition contractor can give you valuable ideas to add more personality to your home.

Maximise energy efficiency

Your current home design may be contributing to your rising energy bills. The good news is remodelling is a smart tip to maximise energy efficiency and reduce your living costs. Poor insulation in your walls, ceiling and flooring can create efficiency problems, likewise poor quality windows and doors. Once you know the areas that affect your energy bills, a professional builder can implement the right upgrades in your extension or even update your existing units to conserve energy.

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How to plan a home extension

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Building an extension to your home is the best way to increase your property value. Not only do you get the added convenience of more living space or an extra bedroom or bathroom, you also gain a boost in equity. You could then release this to fund further home improvements.

Just about any home can have an extension of some kind. If you have the space to add a garage with an added bedroom on top you can send the value of your property soaring.

Get in contact with local builders

The best way to research your options is to get some advice and estimates from local builders and handymen. Experienced builders can advise you on the structural elements of the extension, but you’ll also need to finish the interior of the new space.

With MyBuilder, it’s easy to contact a handyman in the area that can work out the cost of outfitting the interior of your extension. This is an important part of the build for which many people forget to plan. When you’re searching online for a ‘handyman near me’, remember that there are online resources to help you find one, and it includes verified customer reviews, so you can pick a handyman upon whom you know you can rely.

Build a budget

Now you have a better idea of what you can achieve with your extension, and an estimate of the costs of building and finishing, you can start to put together a budget. On paper this is easy, but finding the money to cover the cost is the hard part.

If you already have equity in your home, you should consider releasing some to help finance this build. A home extension is a perfect use for equity as you’re investing the money back into your property. You also need to budget for planning costs. Paperwork like building plans and planning applications will all need to be completed and you should get the help of a professional.

Get your home ready

The final piece of preparation work is getting your home and the surrounding grounds ready for the building work. You may need to clear space in the garden or at the side of the home so there’s access for contractors, supplies and equipment.

The area that’s being extended needs to be cleared of your possessions and prepared for the work to begin. The room may be exposed to the outdoors when the building work is being completed, so take some steps to protect the indoor space. Use plastic sheeting to cover parts of the room that will be exposed, this will prevent plasterwork on the walls or the floor from being damaged by rain water.

With plenty of planning and preparation, and the help of some experienced professionals, extending a room in your home can be an easy project. This is one of the highest-value home improvements you can make to your house and the right design with a high-quality finish can pay for itself in property value.

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Get their look: Glass box extension

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A post shared by Geri – Interior, life & style (@overatno18)

I love this glass box extension – it’s one of the best of its kind that I’ve seen. The wraparound, folding Crittal-style glass doors are simply spectacular. Flung open wide, they make you feel as though you’re outside in the garden. With the unpredictable British weather, they can be shut quickly and easily, and you can still experience the al fresco vibes from the inside!

Geri’s beautiful home (and her fashion sense too!) is right up my street. Flashes of bright, happy colours everywhere. Tangerine orange always stops me in my tracks; the pair of vintage swivel armchairs teamed with the huge teal sofa forms a cosy, sociable grouping.

The layout of the glass box extension is the perfect arrangement for 21st century domestic life. Zoned yet open; The person doing the food prep or washing up is still wholly involved in what’s going on; whether it’s the kids doing their homework sitting at the breakfast bar or dinner party guests enjoying a glass of wine while sitting on the sofa.

Like this one, many of her posts are before & after carousels – it’s always an inspiration seeing other people’s renovation journeys. Go have a browse of her Instagram feed for a dose of interior… and fashion happiness!

Get their look

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Round jute rug

Swan retro one touch espresso machine – SK22150BLN, blue

KBOC3001.Y Icona Capitals kettle

Mosaïque inlaid dining table

Vintage IKEA Karlstad swivel armchair

Teal 3-seater sofa

In-ceiling speakers by Sonos and Sonance

Samsung ‘The Frame’ television

Round jute rug

Swan retro one touch espresso machine – SK22150BLN, blue

KBOC3001.Y Icona Capitals kettle

Mosaïque inlaid dining table

Vintage IKEA Karlstad swivel armchair

Teal 3-seater sofa

In-ceiling speakers by Sonos and Sonance

Samsung ‘The Frame’ television

5 things to consider before building an extension

If you’re thinking about expanding your home, you must first think about what you want to achieve. Are you thinking about adding a bathroom or a bedroom? Or do you want to make the most of your living space? Whatever your main goal is, this post can help you to think about the things you need to before committing to building an extension on your home.

Time-frame

Depending on the scope of the project, the time-line for building an extension may vary. It’s crucial to think about how much time you’re willing to devote to extending your home in order to make sure it’s in line with your extension’s key goals. You’ll likely want to have your extension completed as soon as possible; working with someone like johndoulgeridis.com.au can help with this.

Budget

It’s critical to examine how much cash you have to spend when designing a home extension.

After you’ve established your budget, you can start planning and prioritising to make the most of your money. When you meet with your contractor you’ll have the opportunity to provide the designers with a wish list – and a needs list. Make sure you think this through while keeping your budget in mind.

Transparency is essential with any contractor with whom you choose to work. Make sure there are no hidden fees for you to be concerned about, and you keep your quotes and bills to keep track. Communication is crucial, especially when it comes to budgeting. You should always be well informed and have a clear line of communication.

Do you need planning permission?

If your extension complies with specific criteria, you may not need to apply for planning permission. Whether or not you need planning approval, it’s essential that your extension meets a number of regulations to ensure the building’s safety. Ensure the professionals that you use are able to provide you with all the information you need and, in addition, pay close attention to the design and structure of your home.

Added value

Adding an extension will usually raise the overall value of your home, making it a worthwhile investment. If you’re going to expand your house to resell it, your approach and decisions will be different than if you’re not aiming to sell any time soon. The primary goal for individuals trying to resell will be to ensure that each modification and addition adds value to the home. If your home has any structural or cosmetic concerns, the best course of action for increasing property value is to remedy them. The design should be simple but appealing, with neutral colours throughout – think of it as a blank canvas, allowing potential buyers to inject their own personality and imagine themselves living there.

Bringing the old and the new together

Your extension shouldn’t feel like an add-on to your home; instead, it should connect to the original structure so that the two are one and the same. From the inside out, make sure your addition not only blends in, but also adds to the value of your home. The functionality as well as the flow of your home should be improved.

These tips should help when it comes to considering building an extension to your home. Do you have any plans for an extension? What are you thinking about? Please share some of your ideas in the comments below.