Constructionomics

A house extension is one of the largest investments you can make in your property, so it’s important that every detail is just right.

Here at Bischell, we’ve worked on hundreds of design & build house extensions of all shapes and sizes throughout London, so here are our first 5 important things to consider when you’re coming up with ideas.

1). Rooms

When selecting the rooms you’ll have in your house extension, it’s important to pre-plan their purpose and then suit the layout design to those intentions. Size is a key factor, whilst shape can be equally important as well. For example, an L-shaped layout may work well for a bathroom, but may not be so suitable for a bedroom.

It’s also useful to consider furniture choices and how they may affect the shape of the room. If you already have firm ideas in mind regarding the contents of a room, it’s important to adjust the shape to adapt.

2). Quantity vs size

The quantity of rooms vs size is an ever-present balancing act in house extensions. The more rooms you have, the smaller they’re likely to be, so it’s all about finding the right middle-ground to suit you. If you don’t mind small and cosy rooms, then you can afford to add more, whereas if you prefer more spacious environments, it might be more better to keep the number lower.

A great trick when it comes to estimating the size of a room is to take some string or rope, head out into your garden and then map out the exact, to-scale room size. You can then get a better feel for the amount of floor space you’re likely to have.

3). Added value

If you intend to eventually sell your home, it can be helpful to pay attention to how much value the house extension may add to your property. Your home may also be more appealing if the extension provides rooms which suit the type of buyers who will take interest in your property. For example, large family homes may attract the type of buyers who prefer extra bedrooms and storage space.

A carefully planned house extension can often recoup most of the cost of its construction just in added property value when it’s time to sell.

4). Neighbours

It’s important to take your neighbours into consideration. Not just during the nuisance of a noisy build, but also when the build is finished and how they’re likely to react to it, as they may raise disputes when you try to obtain planning permission. For example, this can occur when your neighbours believe that the extension will spoil their view or cast a large shadow over their sunny garden.

It can be helpful to extend the olive branch and work with neighbours instead of fighting against them if any problems do arise. Adequate pre-warning of the build and a willingness to address their concerns can defuse tensions. Plus, it’s important to be mindful of how you would feel in their situation.

5). Planning permission

There are some situations where a local council authority may not like certain aspects of your build, and either refuse planning permission or request amendments first. Here at Bischell, we always advise clients to ensure that a design has a high chance of first-time approval (our first-time success rate is 97%), and in the case of any disputes, we provide counter-arguments with the use of case precedents where applicable.

However, it’s still helpful to bear in mind that this eventuality could occur and plan accordingly, especially as planning permission can also be held up due to neighbours raising objections, which is a more difficult aspect to predict.

Visit us again soon for part 2, with five more must-see points to consider when planning your new house extension