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You have decided that you want to construct an extension on your home, but where do you start? With so many intricacies when building an extension, it can be overwhelming when starting your project.
Whether you are expanding your living space or adding a new office, incorporating rooflights can transform your home through increased levels of natural daylight.
Read this blog to understand everything that you need to consider prior to building your home extension.
With the mantra of “Don't move, improve” ever-increasing in popularity, many people are opting to build an extension to meet their updated requirements rather than moving to another home. This is because extensions are completely flexible in terms of their applications; they can be used to facilitate extra bedrooms for a growing family or they can host a “home office” for people working remotely.
With the large expenses associated with moving house, such as legal costs and stamp duty, it is no surprise that more people are choosing to build extensions.
What Are Your Requirements?
Building an extension can turn your current home into your dream home, and identifying why you require an extension will allow you to correctly design and budget your project.
The main benefit of constructing a home extension is the complete flexibility; you are able to tailor the extension to your unique requirements. Some projects will require a larger budget than others, for example implementing an ensuite bedroom may incur more costs than a simple, home office, therefore you need to factor in all of your requirements when budgeting your extension project.
Is The Project Viable?
Following on from our last point, you need to assess numerous factors such as budget before planning your extension project.
The first factor to consider is the timeline, depending on the desired application of the extension, construction timelines can vary greatly. You need to decide how long you are comfortable with building works taking place at your property as this will dictate how much can be achieved in your desired timeframe.
The next factor to consider is the suitability for you and your family whilst the building works are taking place; many families opt to move out whilst the works are taking place due to the disruption, lack of water and electricity, and noise occurring throughout works.
You will need to factor the cost of rent into your budget, if your budget does not facilitate this additional cost you could consider staying with friends or family or remaining in the property in selected rooms, your builder will be able to inform you of any water/electricity outages for forward planning.
Similarly, you should carefully consolidate your budget to ensure that your project does not over run your funds. Building an extension can incur numerous costs such as professional fees, materials, and more.
It is important to note that you need to inform your home insurance company of your changes; building an extension will typically increase the rebuild costs of your home if the worst was to happen therefore your insurance company may raise your premium, so you should factor this into your budget.
Hire The Right People
Hiring the right people for the build of your house extension will save you costly replacement work in the future, so you should ensure that you carefully research your local builders and check their reviews, this will ensure that your builder has a good track record and is trustworthy.
You should use a trade professional database such as CheckATrade to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy builder. CheckATrade scrutinises that traders pass up to 12 checks before joining the database, allowing only quality tradespeople to join their database.
Building Regulations & Planning
Permission Due to permitted development rights, you will not be required to apply for planning permission for single-story or conservatory extensions unless any of the following factors apply to you:
- You live in a listed building
- Your home is located in a conservation area
- Your home is under a Article 4 Direction
There are certain circumstances when rear, side and front extensions require planning permission, so you should check with your Local Authority as to whether you need to apply for planning permission.
Even if you do not have to apply for planning permission, your project must meet Building Regulations, this is a legal requirement set out by the UK government.
Building regulations will cover all aspects of the extension build from external walls to floors and drainage to doors and windows. If you are carrying out building works near or on a wall shared with your neighbour, you will need a Party Wall Agreement.
You are required to inform your neighbour of any building work that you want to execute near or on your shared boundary. You must give your neighbour notice between 2 months to a year before you plan to commence building works and any agreement reached should be in writing.
You are required to pay for any building works that you start on a party wall, your neighbour is not obliged to pay just because they agreed to the works.
Lighting Your Extension
You should give careful consideration to how you will light your extension. Rooflights are ever-increasingly being used to illuminate extensions through an increase of natural daylight, alleviating the reliance on artificial lighting.
Glass rooflights are an effective way at increasing the levels of natural daylight in your extension whilst adding an aesthetic touch. An increase of natural daylight can go a long way in boosting the mood of inhabitants in addition to increasing productivity, this is why many of our clients opt to install their rooflight in a home office.
Rooflights can be incorporated to suit various applications, with many options available on the market. If you are planning to utilise your extension for a kitchen or bathroom, you may opt for an opening rooflight to subsidise the humid environments, many rooflights.com customers purchase the Glazing Vision VisionVent Rooflight as they can achieve increased levels of ventilation effortlessly at the touch of a button.
If you are planning to construct a two-storey extension with a pitched roof, you will need to install a roof window as most rooflights are designed for flat roof applications only.
There are roof window options to suit every need, from electrically opening windows to conservation windows to meet stringent planning regulations.
Do You Need An Architect?
Prior to commencing your extension build planning, some people opt to enlist the services of an architect to help them find the best solution for their individual needs. Enlisting the services of an architect may not be needed for small scale projects but it can be beneficial for larger projects as they can adapt plans to your bespoke needs, advise on building regulations and planning permission and help you manage your budget.
Appointing an architect will incur costs, so this needs to be factored into the project budget, but their advice and assistance can be invaluable especially for large scale projects.
Adding rooflights and roof windows to your extension will add an aesthetic element, allowing natural daylight to fill the space and make it more welcoming.
Our experienced team are well-versed in working with customers to choose the perfect product for their chosen application, reach out to our team today and turn your idea into a reality.
