Building Services – The Guide to House Extensions in West Hendon
Many people are extending their current homes instead of moving for a number of reasons. These include remaining in the same area, keeping children at the same schools and saving on the expense of lawyers and stamp duty.
The trick to a cost-effective extension is to do some homework on house prices in your area before making any decisions. Ideally it is good to get the most return for your added investment. Additional living and sleeping space and updated bathrooms and kitchens can add a large value to the price of your home when you consider to sell in the future.
The first decision to make is whether to extend on one floor or two and whether to make additional rooms or just enlarge current ones.
Sometimes planning permission is needed from your local authority but building regulation approval is always needed. It is always wise to ensure the builder chosen for the work is familiar with these regulations to avoid any unnecessary issues further down the line.
When you have decided what type of extension you would like often it is wise to employ a designer or architect to draw up the plans. During this process care is taken to extent current services such as electrical work and plumbing and heating. This stage is more complicated if the work includes addition of a new kitchen or bathroom rather than just additional rooms. This planning may also include changing of windows, outside doors and roof alterations.
Many extensions are single storey conservatories which allow extra light into the house and give an impression of having a light and airy environment giving the feel of being closer to the outdoors than any other regular room.
If you have decided to add extra bedrooms to the house this is probably due to having more people living in the house and often with that comes additional vehicles needing off-road parking. Often the front garden can be opened up and hard standing included in the plan to deal with this issue.
It is wise to have a detailed contract with the builder with a number of payments over the time of the building work. Often a deposit will be needed upfront if the work is not being started immediately.
If the extension is large it may be wise to add a second heating system rather than replace what may be a very functional boiler with a bigger capacity one. Underfloor electric heating is sometimes an option worth considering too.
Especially when adding a kitchen an additional electric circuit will need to be added and often it is a good time to change any single outlets into doubles.
The essential element of house extensions is thought and consideration into the process so that you are able to make and commit to single decisions rather than altering plans as you go along. This care and deliberation will inevitably produce a superior finish and ensure the smooth running of the process.
For more information you can call us 07595 510 190 or email us [email protected] or visit our website https://andlondonbuilders.co.uk/.