Just like humans, houses have certain preferences which can give a whole new vibe to your living space if planned wisely. Upsizing is so much more than a cheaper, more beautiful substitute to shifting houses. It is a more sustainable way we need to adapt to save money and mother earth, as it reduces carbon footprint emission to a great extent.

And no, it doesn’t reduce your creativity. The possibilities of the extensions your original house can hold will blow your head. To make your house grow with you, physically or aesthetically, you need to bear in mind it’s requirements.

The project management needs to keep track of the ceiling heights, natural light, cost effectiveness, living space, dining area for kitchen extensions and other factors for various building projects.

Though the planning application has to come under the permitted development which is decided by the local authority in council, our experts will take care of this process in our one-stop service. This also includes everything that comes between designing, building and delivering your home back in your hands.

We will try to explain it all in this article for you to design and build your aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective living space.

Which living space will suit you the best?

Well, nobody can give you a straight answer to that right away. Similarly, we can only tell you the factors on which the extension is finalised. Moreover, we can provide free consultation to help you make the right decision, which you can book from our website right away.

Decide your money

The foremost thing to consider before you start is your budget. It should be practical and one should take some margin instead of cutting the corners during the finishing later on, as that can hugely impact the final product.

Moreover, it can be dangerous to use low quality products as you’re already creating an imbalance in the original house. The extensions have to fit right in, in terms of material and usage, which we will consider later in the article.

For example: A room in general would be more expensive than an open roof terrace or a conservatory since the bricks would be more expensive than glass. Luckily, you don’t have to bother about getting permission to construct a conservatory.

Check your walls

Not literally, but you will need to run a check if your original house is an old building and reconstructing or expanding that can be dangerous for everyone who lives in it, and those who disturb it.

If the material is good enough to withhold more weight, we can go to the next step very smoothly. Otherwise, we might not be able to have permitted development on the site and the local authority would consider that factor.

Give it a purpose

Unlike life, a room is designed as per its purpose. Therefore, it is recommended to picture the room in your head and design accordingly instead of doing it the other way around. You can add storage where you want or keep some corner empty to fit your furniture.

In the past, the most popular reasons for kitchen extensions are to recreate the dining area, increase natural light, expand living space or add a sliding door for a neat design while letting the maximum sunlight enter your house.

A growing family, on the other hand, often comes with a playroom or family room design. These rooms are provided with slightly more storage space in a way that they don’t occupy a lot of floor space.

A studio, gaming room or cinema can be designed with soundproof walls and foamy furniture to reduce the echo. While a yoga room or gym asks for a lot of ventilation and probably some open space.

Choose its spot

It might not look so big of a deal but once you know the reason, you’ll understand why this step is so important. Every house or room has its own relationship with the sun based on where it stands.

Based on how and when you want to spend time in the new room, you can choose what sort of light you would want in it.

For example, in an office room, you would need constant and plenty of natural light all day long. Therefore, keeping it south facing with respect to the sun would serve the purpose.

In other cases, a north-facing room would enjoy a lot of bright light during the sunrise and sunset and so on for the east and the west.

Open your doors to the imagined room

Well, too soon to end this journey. But, you’ll definitely need doors to open up that room and this is the stage where you decide its look, in case you want one.

Every choice serves a purpose, and this will too. If it’s going to be a busy room, it’ll need wider doors or if you want it to look a bit artsy, a french door is your go to thing (which can be articulated).

A door is like the cover of the book and gives a brief vibe of the room itself. Therefore, many clients want a bit of classy and modern touch to it. One of the widely used doors for the living space is the aluminium folds which provides flexibility and sunlight. It is easily folded and gives a clear view to the kitchen.

Additionally, you can also decide the roof structure for further aesthetics or functions.

Take possession of your permission

Once you know what you want, you can confirm it with the local authority to legalise the construction. With our experts, you won’t have to worry about any of it, since we cover it in our one-stop service, delivering you the finished room.

Our designers are aware of the latest rules and regulations and would help you design your dream room to its most realistic form. Now, go ahead and book our experts, we’re expecting you anytime.

Author: Amol

Amol is an architectural designer and has worked on hundreds of residential projects in London since 2008.Having done his M.Arch from the Glasgow School of Arts he gained valuable experience in London working in the construction industry managing high-end residential projects, before founding Good Design and Build in 2015.You will meet him for initial consultation and work closely with him during all stages of your project