As the millennial generation slowly finds its feet in the housing market, trends have begun to change; a cost of living crisis and the increased difficulty of travelling up the property ladder has led to homeowners improving their present home over selling. Extensions are the best way to have your home cater for a new set of needs.

Draw Up a Plan

Before you make any moves towards buying up materials or hiring contractors, you should first have a concrete plan for your extension. What purpose will the extension serve, and where in the house will you build out from? Make sure any ideas and designs for your extension fulfil its core requirements; it can be easily to get caught up in the details and miss the bigger picture – namely, that your extension design may do what it’s designed to do.

Your plan should also include a comprehensive budget, from the cost of the materials you have chosen to build with to the projected cost of completing the project with your chosen contractors. Include a contingency for delays in materials or building progress – it’s extremely common for renovation or extension projects to go over budget, and you want to be prepared for that eventuality to avoid pauses on completion.

Source Permissions

With a plan drawn up, and with official designs from a hired contractor or architect, you can now apply for planning permission via your local council. As the new build is an extension to your home, you will be applying for householder planning permission; if planning permission is granted, you have three years from the date of consent to make material progress on your extension.

You should also seek permission from your neighbours ahead of commencing any work. This is not a legality, but more of a formality – your build may block views from their garden, or the nuisance of the construction process could negatively affect the health of vulnerable residents. Letting them know of your plans in advance gives you an opportunity to compromise, and to maintain the peace in your neighbourhood.

Choose the Right Contractors

Making sure you choose the right construction company to carry out your extension work is key; you want to be assured that the work will be carried out to the highest standards, and that you aren’t paying over the odds for the project. To ensure you pick the right contractors, research companies online, and pick one with constant positive reviews and a visual portfolio of their work. You could also ask your friends or neighbours if they have any contractors they would recommend, with physical evidence of their handiwork available for you to look at.

Think About Materials

The materials you use will define your extension, not just for you but for your neighbourhood. Materials do not have to be ugly to be robust; high quality roofing sheets can give your extension a contemporary feel, especially where paired with external metal cladding which will patina over time. Alternatively, you may just want to go down the brick-and-mortar route for a mid-century feel.

Decide on Interior Design

The inside of your new extension should complement the materials you chose to build it with, without representing too far a departure from your home’s existing décor. Try to strike a balance between the home you have and a sense of something new.