Perhaps your house is starting to feel like a prison, perhaps it's making you feel claustrophobic. A few new additions to the family, a friend, a lodger can make your home suddenly feel like there's no room or space in which to move. At this point, you have a few choices, ask people to leave, move to a bigger house, and all this will entail, or extend your house to accommodate the additions to your family and perhaps even add value to your home.
Adding an house extension is a really good way of creating more space without having to move, and it can add value to your property. It can be a really good investment, provided of course its done properly by trustworthy and reliable builders.
In this post we're going to be looking at what you can do to improve your home by adding an extension and give your home a really useful makeover.
What are the House Extension Options?
There are many different types of house extension and below we've drawn up a list of the most popular and well-known ones.
Double/multi-storey house extension
Single storey or rear & side house extensions
Outbuildings and conservatories
Garage Conversion
Loft Conversion
Basement Conversion
Naturally, if you're going to have an extension on your house you must consider your neighbours, and this requirement is considered of sufficient importance for it to influence whether you will be given planning permission if you're having a double extension. Privacy and light are big factors, you can't have an extension if when built, you'll have windows that look directly into your neighbours gardens, or into their living space. You must also make sure an extension doesn't overshadow a neighbours property and prevent them from getting any sunlight.
Single-Storey House Extension
These can be at the side or to the rear of a property or they can be built on to an existing garage or outbuilding if you have one. You can have a pitched roof or a flat one depending on the design of your house. You must consider upper floor windows and not compromise escape routes should there be a fire. There shouldn't be too much too worry about it in terms of planning permission as long as your single storey complies with certain elements -
The materials used should be more or less the same or similar
The eaves can't be any higher than 3m and no more than around 4m in height if it's within the 2m of any boundary
Rear extensions can't be more than 4m in depth if its detached, or 3m in depth if it's a terrace or a semi-detached
Side extensions must have a width that's no bigger than half the width of your original house
You can't have a side extension that extends on to conservation areas.
Outbuildings
If you have a house extension on your outbuilding you probably won't need planing permission, but keep in mind the original must comply with the following -
its of a reasonable size
it's no higher than 4 metres.
Double Storey House Extensions
This will definitely rely on planning permission, the type of property and its design, and also the impact it will have on neighbours in terms of light and privacy. It should ideally, match the rest of your property, fitting in smoothly with the rest of the design. The materials should be more or less the same, with a matching roof, windows and doorway.
JG Joiners & Builders – For House Extensions and Conversions
Are you thinking about having a house extension carried out? If so, and if you have further queries, then get in touch with us here at JG Joiners & Builders, and we can give you all the advice and guidance you need. If you do decide to go ahead, then you won't find a more reliable, experienced or knowledgeable team of joiners and builders at your disposal.
