The Most Popular Single Storey Extensions

Many home owners feel like they could use a little extra space, especially if they have their family. As moving house is usually a mammoth task, not to mention extremely expensive, it’s no surprise that house extensions are often the preferred option. In many cases, families only need a small amount of extra space, for example, adding on to an existing room, or perhaps building another room for the house. As a result, most home additions are single storey extensions.

Here we look at the type of commonly seen single storey extensions in Birmingham:

Kitchen Extensions

One of the most popular parts of the house to extend is the kitchen. In many houses, the kitchen is not just a room to cook – for many families, the kitchen is also a social hub, where meals are eaten and people can talk about their days or discuss any plans. Whilst there are ways that the layout of a kitchen can be altered to make better use of space, adding a single storey kitchen extension to a home not only adds valuable space, but can also add value to a house, as large kitchens are much sought after by home buyers.

Living Room Extensions

Another common reason for house extensions is for more ground floor living space, particularly for growing families, or people that enjoy having guests over on a regular basis. For larger families, living areas can quickly become cluttered with furniture and belongings, in turn making the room seem even smaller. Adding extra space in the form of a single storey extension can help to open up a room, allowing more space for homeowners to relax or work, without having to worry about clutter.

Garage Extensions

As families grow in size, and children grow into teenagers and young adults, as well as living space, extra garage space can also be just as important. As many properties have a driveway that only caters to 1 or 2 vehicles, extra garage space can be extremely beneficial as young people pass their driving tests and get their first car whilst they still live with their parents. It may be that a garage extension may not actually be used to park a car, but function as an extra storage area or a work space.

It is important to remember when considering any single storey extensions in Birmingham or the rest of the UK, most building additions will require planning permission due to their size, as well as the type of roof that will be used and where new drains will be located.

For more advice on building single storey extensions, you can call Pantheon Construction on 0121 241 4419.

Kitchen Extensions – The Whys and Hows

Some of the most common reasons for people looking to move house are to find a property with more space, whether this be storage space, living space, more bathrooms, or very commonly, a property with a bigger kitchen. However, moving house is not always the best and certainly not the most cost effective option.

First of all, there are a lot of ways that you can manipulate a kitchen to be able to make the most of the small area of space. If you still can’t find the space to work comfortably or store all of your utensils, the best option maybe to invest in a kitchen extension. There are numerous benefits to deciding to extend your kitchen rather than going through the hassle of trying to find a more suitable property:

• Extending your kitchen allows you to stay where you are, rather than moving for the sake of one room
• Building a kitchen extension provides you with many more options for cooking and space to store utensils and groceries. This is extremely valuable for big families, or individuals that love to cook
• A Kitchen extension could be used for an extra dining area. Kitchen diners are increasingly popular, not only with families that prefer to save their dining room for special occasions, but also with home buyers if you are to sell your property in the future. Converting your kitchen into a kitchen diner by building a kitchen diner can help to add value to your house
• You may choose to create a kitchen extension that opens onto your garden and creates further space to relax in. For many households, the kitchen is a very social place

There are a number of ways you could choose to extend your kitchen, depending on your existing property and how much extra space you will want to achieve by adding a kitchen extension to your house.

• If you are looking to widen your existing kitchen, you could look to add on to the side of your house. By extending in this way, you can transform a narrow, cramped galley into a much wider space, with room for a dining area, more living space or even extra work surfaces. A popular choice for add on kitchen extensions is to install a glazed roof or a series of skylights to the extension to create the impression of more space by allowing in more light
• If you have the right budget and a large enough garden, you may choose to extend out and add a sizeable kitchen extension to your home. This is likely the best way to create the space for the perfect kitchen, with sufficient cooking and storage space, combined with dining and living area, all opening out into your garden. By installing bi fold or French doors, you can let in more light and create the effect of bringing the outside in
• If you feel that the layout of your house is unbalanced, with a small kitchen, but with copious amounts of living space, you may choose instead to knock through the kitchen wall and extend into the next room to create a kitchen/living area or a kitchen/diner. This open style of living is becoming increasingly popular rather than having a separate dining room which is much more formal and less comfortable

Thinking of Extending Your Home? – Types of House Extensions in Birmingham

Throughout Birmingham, extending your home is becoming increasingly popular for homeowners that have outgrown their current living space. Although there is always the option to move house, many people are starting to realise the benefits of building a house extension rather than upping sticks.

In many cases, people are happy with the house and area that they live in, but due to a change of circumstances, just don’t have enough space any more. In this kind of situation, it is understandable that the lure of building a house extension is much stronger than looking to move. Moving house can be very expensive, with moving costs, the extra costs of a new property and stamp duty adding up to considerably more than the price of extending an existing building.

Whereas it can be difficult to find the ideal new home to suit all of your needs, home extensions can take a wide variety of forms to suit any purpose that you require. You may simply need a larger amount of storage space, or in most cases, more living areas.

Here we look at some of the most common types of house extensions:

Porches

In most cases, a porch is a small extension to the front of the house. This being said, there is no rule saying that a porch can’t be much larger or be built on the side or back of a building. Commonly, a porch is quite a simple structure of brick walls, windows, a door and often a lean-to roof. You may decide to plaster the walls of your porch and add a light, heating and electricity sockets to make your home seem more inviting to visitors.

A porch can provide excellent storage space for shoes and coats, leaving you with more storage and living space in the rest of your home.

Due to their small size, most porches don’t require planning permission, however, it is always best to check with builders and local authorities before you start work. If your porch is separated from the rest of your house by an internal door and is not heated, you can also avoid building regulations, however, as with planning permission, it is always best to check rather than facing a hefty fine.

Single Storey House Extensions

For extra downstairs living space, whether it be a new or extended dining room, lounge area or kitchen, a single storey house extension is often the best option.

A single storey extension is an extension that is built to adjoin the existing property that has only one floor, unless there is a basement built. In most cases, single storey extensions will need planning permission due to their size. The main considerations for building a single storey house extension is how the size of the building could impact the neighbours, as well as how the extension roof will fit to the existing house. You must also think about where any drains, evacuations and flues will be positioned.

In a small amount of cases, planning permission won’t be needed for single storey extensions, but it is almost certain that building control permission will always be needed.

Two or Multi-Storey House Extensions

Like a single storey extension, a multi-storey extension can be built onto any part of the existing building, but with more than one floor. A two or multi-storey extension adds more living space to both downstairs living areas and bed and bathrooms above.

Due to the increased height of a multi-storey extension, it is likely to have much more of an effect on neighbours, so it is highly likely that planning permission will be required. As with any other house extension, it is always advisable to check with the local planning department to ensure that you are covered to make the planned changes to your home.

Over-Structure House Extensions

An over-structure extension is extended from the existing building, over the top as an existing structure, for example, a garage, living room, dining room, or kitchen, perhaps a previously built single storey extension. While this may sound simple, this is rarely the case. In most cases, especially if building over a garage with single-skin brickwork, new foundations will need to be dug, a new inner leaf added, and blockwork piers built into the existing structure, with steel reinforcement beams added to the top.

Due to the complications of building an over-structure extension to your home, the rules of planning permission can be much more difficult to define. It is most advisable to seek expert advice for planning permission as well as building control permission.

Garage, Loft and Basement Conversions

While conversions may not traditionally be seen as extensions, as they extend living space, there are also house extensions. As with other house extensions, it is advisable to consult with an expert in planning permission building regulations to ensure that you can legally make these home improvements

For more information on house extensions in Birmingham, you can visit the Pantheon Construction website.