Extending the family home is the perfect way to enhance the space and value of your humble abode. However, if you dive in unprepared, the journey can become an emotional rollercoaster and a huge financial burden.
Luckily, things don’t have to be that way. By having a few tricks up your sleeve, life will be a lot easier on you and the family while you renovate. Here are 5 home extension hacks to help you achieve peace of mind.
1. Keep designers and builders close:
When the time comes to approach a designer and builder, you have two options: hire the design and build team separately, or choose a building company that offers both services under one roof.
Most building companies offer design as part of their services, either in-house or outsourced.
An in-house design team will give you peace of mind knowing that both the design and build team work closely each step of the way. However, with an outsourced designer, there may be a risk of miscommunication, budget blow outs or delays. Therefore, you should find out how the design and building companies work together in order to complete their projects.
With a design and build team who is comfortably on the same page, you will enjoy a smooth delivery of your home extension from start to finish.
2. Consider all associated costs:
Paying for a home extension comes with a wide range of associated costs. Depending on your builder, they will either itemise each service clearly, or keep extra costs hidden in the fine print.
Find out what is and is not included in your initial quote. If the quote list appears to be short or overly simple, the builder may be trying to hide something. Don’t be afraid to walk away if the deal seems too good to be true. In most cases, it is.
When you first receive a quote, look out for the following associated costs:
- Renovation details eg. Knocking out walls
- Excavation and digging
- Interior and exterior painting
- Lighting
- Furnishings
- Flooring
- Installation of heating and cooling appliances
- Curtains and blinds
3. Repurpose the outdoor space:
Extending from the ground floor does mean you have to sacrifice space outdoors. Sure, this may seem like a downside at first. But there are ways to transform your front or backyard space into something you, your friends, and the whole family will love.
Convert your downsized backyard into the perfect alfresco dining setting. Build a decking area around the front entrance and complete it with sofas, lounge chairs, and tables. Or, if you want to soak in the brilliant sun, yet still enjoy the creature comforts of indoors in winter, then upgrade to a full home addition sunroom.
So regardless of your plans for indoors, there’s always room to experiment outside as well.
4. Take advantage of natural lighting:
Natural lighting is a great way to brighten up a home extension and give off the feeling of more space. And there are many ways to do it! From windows and door frames, to skylights and stairways; the options are nearly endless. You can even include a combination of all four in order to flood your home with brilliant light.
If you’re not sure where to start with natural lighting, don’t worry. Your trusted home additions builder will be able to assess your current layout, and identify key areas where natural light would be most effective. Also, they can advise you on ideal window spots based on the amount of sunlight each side of the house receives.
5. Consider open plan living
An open plan living space lets you divide up each section of the layout into different ‘rooms’. You could have a dining, lounge, and kitchen area within a few feet of each other. If done correctly, the ‘rooms’ blend in seamlessly with each other and allow you to maximise the use of space.
If you don’t quite have the space to include multiple rooms in your home extension, an open plan arrangement could be just the trick.
