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There’s no denying that moving house can be a stressful and costly business: dealing with buyers and finding a new home combined with pricey estate agent’s and solicitor’s fees can all add up to months of anxiety and expense.
Rather than face the upheaval and expense of moving, more and more homeowners are opting to extend their homes instead. Adding an extension to your house is a great way to provide the extra space you need whilst also increasing the value of your property and maximising your long-term investment.
Homeowners decide to extend their homes for a huge range of different reasons but in most cases, home extensions are built simply to increase the footprint of the property. If you are considering extending your home, it’s worthwhile spending as much time as possible thinking about what you need from the additional space and how you’ll use it, rather than making snap decisions. For example, if your children are growing up fast and you desperately need extra space, would you prefer to convert your attic or build a ground-floor extension? Paying careful consideration to the individual requirements of your family and lifestyle is important if you are to avoid potentially costly mistakes.
Whilst an extension is a great way to add value and space to your home it must be done well if it is to achieve these aims. So how do you get the best results from the money you have to spend? Making your extension as big as you can possibly can is, as a general rule, one of the best ways to get a better space. Once you’ve found a builder and he’s started work you might as well make the most of his services: an extension that’s 6 metres by 6 metres will only cost a couple of thousand pounds more than one that measures 5 metres by 5 metres. Its also a great opportunity to re-roof or add skylights to improve the natural lighting in your home. Find a great roofer in Skipton or UK based.
In terms of building design, if your extension is going to add value to your home, it must look good and be in keeping with the rest of the property. If you live in a period property but want to add a super-modern extension, that’s fine but don’t overlook proportion and scale. Modern extensions on older properties can look great but not if they dwarf the rest of the house and are totally out of proportion. If in doubt, it’s usually best to opt for an extension that’s in keeping with the style of your home.
A huge range of different building materials are widely used in home extensions but again it’s important to make sure that these materials are appropriate for the style of your home. Timber clad extensions seem to be popping up everywhere these days and huge panes of glass have become common-place design features. If you decide to go for the same materials as the rest of your home, make sure that the size and colour of the bricks or stone match the ones used in the original building.
So rather than face the expense and hassle of moving, why not create the home you’ve always dreamed of by extending the space you have?