Home extensions
Extending your home can take many different forms. Take extending upwards – sometimes there’s already a first-floor roof to extend on top of and at other times, people will extend into the loft. Then there are cellar spaces to extend down into, or perhaps one of the most popular – extending to the side of a house with anything from a first and second floor extension to a conservatory or a porch.
With so many great options, there are several reasons why you might benefit from extending your home. Here are some examples:
Reasons for home extensions
Making the most of outdoor space:
If you have a large garden, driveway or space to the side of your home, extending into it rarely detracts from your outdoor space, whilst it adds significant benefits to your indoor space. A conservatory for example, can provide another eating space and works well to showcase a garden space. Similarly, a porch would not usually take up too much space at the front of a home, but can add significant storage and security benefits.
Providing another living area:
Often as a family grows, so does the requirement for separate relaxation rooms. Having toys strewn about the room that you use for relaxing in to watch television, or to carry out work or chores like ironing, can be problematic. Add to this the fact that the kids will probably want to watch cartoons whilst you want to catch the latest headlines or soap storyline and there’s always going to be someone unhappy with just one living area.
Providing another bedroom:
In addition to adding value to your home, additional bedrooms can be a necessity if your family grows and you don’t want to move from your home to one with more bedrooms. Even if your children can share a room, sometimes in the interest of family harmony it’s far better for them to have their own space. Similarly, as couples get older and sleeping patterns change, it can be better for everyone to have their own room (even if it’s just a room to sleep in if someone else is snoring!).
Remodelling:
Making homes lighter, more modern or even open plan are often reasons that people choose to invest in home extensions. Terraced houses in particular can often be very dark, but by opening up to the back of the property or adding in a loft extension with sky light, a home can be completely transformed.
Storage:
Sometimes home extensions take place just because people need more room. Take a porch – suddenly there’s somewhere to store your shoes, wellington boots, coats etc. where it makes sense for them to be. Similarly, if you collect anything like sporting equipment (from bicycles to kayaks), musical equipment or even just books, having a dedicated space for these can make the rest of your home more spacious and often much tidier.
Additional bathrooms:
Unless you live on your own, having just one bathroom never seems to be enough. Whether you’re adding a bathroom to the upstairs of your property or adding an additional toilet downstairs, using the bathroom becomes far more convenient and you’ll wonder how you ever coped with just one!
Making lifestyle changes:
It might have become possible or necessary for you to work from home, but a desk in the lounge or your bedroom can have a real negative impact on ‘work life balance’. Having an office space or similar, where you can close the door at the end of the day and only return to during working hours means that your home can remain your home and doesn’t just turn into your new place of work.
Another common reason for home extensions for lifestyle reasons is to add a utility area. Being able to do your own clothes washing and drying from home, or the addition of a dishwasher can be life-changing in terms of saving time and money.
Adding value:
Perhaps the most obvious of all, the main aim of all home improvements is to add value. Whether that’s value to your family in the form of a family room, to your guests in the form of a downstairs toilet or in the form of an extra bedroom to preserve family harmony, each reason has value in mind.
In addition to these types of added value, there’s monetary value. Adding an extra bedroom to a home can add around £20,000 to its value if it was to then be sold. Similarly, conservatories, utility rooms and downstairs toilets are all extremely attractive to prospective future buyers if you intend to sell on your home one day.
Home extension companies
Abell Building Services specialise in home extensions. Our extension builders have a great deal of experience in home improvements and building custom homes, so whatever type of extension you may be considering, we can help make it work best for you.
Give us a call on 01509 734550 to discuss your home improvement plans, or email us using our contact form.
