Your house is your prized asset. Keeping it in great condition is of utmost importance. And so does the appearance. But there comes a time when your needs cannot be satisfied by your home.
Whether it is appearance wise or the lack of space, it happens to all of us. But moving to another home is a tough process. The troubles of moving and the property market uncertainties provide more reasons to stay put and work around your home.
So why move if you can convert your home with what you have? Use the resources at hand. Use it to make your home and extend it to suit your needs.
House extension can be the way to improve your current home to be your dream home. Be it a small design change or a complete makeover; there are endless possibilities. You can use your ideas to make your home look better.
Here, we are going to discuss house extension designs to augment the appearance of your home. Let us take a look at some of the things to consider before renovating your home:
1) Do Your Research Before You Start
Every area has its own ceiling value. So it is important for you to consult a professional renovation specialist and get an idea of the extension which suits you the most.
If you are planning to see a good return on the property, they will be able to suggest the kind of extension designs. Plan the design wisely. You will get more than what you paid for. You can find this article on 11 renovation guides to increase your house value.
2) Choose A Builder With Interior Design Knowledge
Builders are those who build things. But interior designers are those who design. So when you are in a need of designing house extensions, it is fair to get the help of an interior designer. The use of an interior designer will help you build the home which is perfect for you. Also remember, the value of house extension takes a hit if it is badly designed. View this article on 81 renovation tips to transform your house into a designer Masterpiece.
Having a good relationship with the builder is necessary. They help you throughout the process such as secure the building regulation certification and planning consent, adhere to safety standards, find suitable contractors, monitor the progress, get inputs from the specialist, and to make sure the project is completed successfully.
3) Find The Future Extension Trends
Contemporary extensions are still the best option. But the cost incurred would be high and not feasible. The mixed material and ultra-modern glass boxes designs are those of the past. It would be a great idea to stay away from it.
The best and most feasible option would be to go with a simple design. Airy and light space, which can be personalized according to your needs should be opted for.
With the trend of work from home on the rise, there has been a shift of designing workspace at home. Some people even convert the room at the front of the house into office spaces.
With the enforcement of environmental friendly regulations, there has been a shift to the use of environmentally sound materials.
4) Communicate With Your Builder Frequently To Ensure No Ambiguity
Know what you are expecting from the house extension. Discuss with your contractor about your expectations. Incorporate your idea and their professional outlook to create a place that adds value to your life. Make the briefing on point and well defined. Give no space for ambiguity.
Following are the things you should take into consideration:
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How is the extension going to function once the project is complete? Do you want a bigger kitchen, an extra bedroom, or more light in the rooms? What are you going to use it? And who will use it?
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Have you found something you want to incorporate? How will it fit with the existing design?
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Will there be any changes in the internal setting? Light switches, storage, and flooring. Anything that can affect your budget.
Also, have an idea of the time of completion. This would help in properly utilizing your budget.
5) Set Your Renovation Budget: Make a List
Know how much you can spend. Discuss with your builder how you can use it. If the architect can do the extension for lower cost, the spare amount can be used for fittings. So have a fair idea of where you are spending your money.
Once you have a better understanding of these factors, you can work on the rest of the elements. The following are the ways to use house extension designs to augment the appearance of your home:
6) Reconfigure The Existing Room: Slight Change Can Make Huge Impact
Other than adding new spaces, you can also make changes to the existing room. It might be the right time to improve the appearance of the existing space and create a layout which would provide maximum value to your home.
Internal doorways and walls can be added or removed to utilize maximum space of your home. The connectivity between main rooms can also be improved while you extend your house.
Add more mirrors to make the room look spacious or add more lights to have a brighter room, this minor changes can give your room a different feel.
7) Use Strong Styling
The two options you have while house extension is to use the contemporary style or to add the extension with a feeling that it was always there. The contemporary style is easier and does give a contrasting effect.
But if you are going with the latter, make sure to copy the key elements exactly as it is. The key elements referred are roof pitch, design, materials used, mortar color, and brick bond. It is essential to get these aspects right, or the extension will look wrong.
8) Build Vertical If You Have Limited Space To Extent
The best way to maximize the value and appearance of your home would be to build vertically. Instead of building horizontal, building another storey would reduce the cost of elements such as roof and foundation. It will also make the house look better if done correctly.
An extra story can be built on existing structure of a single story. The garage is one of the places which could handle another storey.
9) Extend Ceiling Height
Increasing the ceiling height can give the rooms a fuller feel. Especially large rooms would get a spacious feel and make them more impressive to look.
This would not make much of an impact on the budget. It can be done either by building up the ceiling or by digging down the floor level.
A vaulted ceiling is another option if the extension is beneath the pitched roof. The conventional flat ceiling can be avoided by adding insulation to the pitched roof.
10) Consider An Outdoor rooms
The warm weather calls for a place to sit outside. You can even enjoy a meal there. It would be a great addition to have outdoor rooms which can provide a place to enjoy the weather, but also give that beautiful look to your property.
A veranda, loggia, or a flat roof supported by thin steel poles could be the perfect place to enjoy the climate and protect you from the sun.
11) Consider Pocket Doors
Pocket doors are ideal if you are not able to decide between closed walls or an open plan. The sliding doors give an appearance boost. When it is closed, it gives the feel of a wall. When it is open, it disappears behind the wall without giving a trace. Pocket doors give you the option which is the best of both worlds.
12) Build a Sunroom
Conservatories are another option for you to choose during house extension. Depending on the size, conservatories either do not require permissions or are excluded under building regulations. It is one of the most popular home improvements and is relatively inexpensive.
A sunroom is an extension with insulated roof and at least one insulated wall. It has large areas of glazing too. It will be easier to control the temperature as to the rest of the house and make the space more open.
13) Noise management
Polished stones, glass, concrete walls would look great for your house. However, it might result in noise issues which can ruin the experience. The sound has the property of reverberating through one solid surface to another. So it is better to understand its effects on your house before installing them.
These can be avoided by using materials which are sound absorbent. It can easily help in maintaining the noise level but also give your house a different look.
In the kitchen or dining area, curtains, rugs, and soft furniture might not be the best. Acoustic panels can be used to reduce these effects. The panels can be in the form of flat panels and art walls. Any kind of textured panels would go well to help noise management.
14) Glazed link
When you are extending your home, there comes a point when you are not able to find ways to complement the added place with the existing place. This is where a glazed link comes into play.
You get the choice to make the new space according to your choice – be it contemporary or traditional.
Once it is completed, you can use the glazed link to connect both spaces. Structural glazing with glass would help in leaving the character of the original building unchanged.
It also helps in adding to the visual beauty of the home. It is the perfect way to link existing period buildings and is favored by many conservation officers.
15) Contemporary Kitchen
The contemporary designer kitchen can be an expensive affair. So if you cannot afford it, the best alternative would be to go for creating your own. You can use modular units, and combine them with worktops, end panels, and features sourced from somewhere else to create a different look. Find this article on how you can DIY own concrete table for your kitchen.
16) Modern Staircase
If you are planning to include a staircase to
your house extension plan, add it as a key plan to your design. Open treads, floating cantilevered treads, metal or glass balustrade, sweeping curves, galleries landings, and spirals are some of the options useable for a staircase.
The staircase has the ability to take the appearance of your home to another level. It is the best way to improve the architectural feature of your home.
17) Feature lighting
A good lighting scheme would be the difference between a bad and a great atmosphere. It will allow you to use different circuits for a combination of activities.
It is essential to have smart and dimmer switches associated independently with each circuit. Ambient lighting would be a great upgrade to provide background lighting. Including accent lighting to the mix would give a great value addition to your home.
Table lamps, wall washes, direction uplights, downlights, and spotlights, baffled lights, standard lights are ideal to create shade and light according to your needs. This would help in enhancing the quality of the atmosphere.
18) Enhance lighting
Daylight is the greatest source of lighting. Bringing greater amount of daylight to your home from different directions is the way to make your home appear better while conserving energy too.
Maximizing glazed door openings and windows, adding roof lantern or banks of roof lights is another way to maximize the lighting in the room. Not only does it provide appropriate lighting, but also help you save on energy by not using electricity for lights during the day. If you are wondering how to reduce house electrical bills, find this article on 101 Home Energy Saving Tips.
The Bottom Line
House extension is the best way to enhance the appearance of your home. If you are in the process of house extension, make sure to take into account all the factors which can help in making your home look good. Take these tips and improve different aspects of your home and see the change for yourself.
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