Planning your house extension is an exciting endeavour, but it requires careful consideration to ensure your vision becomes a reality. There are things to consider with every house modification, and it’s important to take these into consideration before you give the green light to your tradesmen. Here are some essential tips to guide you through the process, drawing on the expertise of a registered architect:

Things to consider for your house extension

Define Your Needs:

When envisioning your house extension, it’s vital to pinpoint what you truly want and need. Instead of focusing solely on specifics, consider your home lifestyle requirements. Take a moment to jot down 4 or 5 key requirements, prioritising them from non-negotiable to least important. By focusing on your lifestyle needs, you’ll provide valuable insights to your architect, setting the stage for a design that truly reflects your aspirations.

Set Your Budget:

Determining your budget is a crucial step in the house extension journey. Share your financial scope with your architect, allowing for tailored designs that maximise your resources and are guaranteed to add value to your home. Opting for a registered architect ensures unbiased advice and professionalism in handling your private information. Whether you have a clear budget in mind or prefer to develop designs first, transparent communication with your architect is key to achieving your desired outcome.

Navigate Site Constraints:

Site constraints, such as listed buildings or conservation areas, can pose unique challenges for your extension project. With the guidance of a registered architect, you can navigate these obstacles with ease, ensuring compliance with regulations while achieving your vision. From preserving the integrity of listed buildings to mitigating the impact on protected trees, professional guidance will ensure a smooth and successful project when extending your home.

Learn From Dislikes:

Reflecting on aspects of extensions you’ve encountered that you dislike can provide valuable insights for your own project. By sharing these preferences with your architect, you’ll expedite the design process and ensure your vision aligns with your tastes and preferences. Remember, knowing what you don’t like is just as important as knowing what you do, leading to a design that exceeds your expectations. Be sure to research several house extension ideas so you can be sure to nail your perfect extension!

Consider Neighbours and Neighbourhood:

When planning your extension, it’s essential to consider the impact on your neighbours and the surrounding neighbourhood. Adopting a considerate approach ensures harmony within the community and adherence to planning policies. By envisioning how your extension would affect your neighbours’ quality of life and property values, you’ll create a design that enhances both your home and the neighbourhood.

Discuss Planning Permission:

Similarly to site constraints, the requirement of planning permission can pose unique challenges to your house extension. Some house extensions, for example specific loft conversions, require planning permission, whereas some don’t and are classed as permitted developments. You can read more about this here on the government website and in blogs such as this one here. Before going ahead with your home extension plans, knowing whether you’ll need to apply for planning permission is a good place to start, as this could come back to bite you further on down the line. Registered architects, such as Extended Ideas, can advise on whether your house extension requires planning permission and even help you gain planning permission for your house extension if need be.

Embark on your house extension journey with confidence, knowing that you have the support and expertise of a registered architect in Derby or Nottingham. By following these essential tips and prioritising transparent communication with your architect, you’ll achieve a house extension that fulfils your dreams and enhances your living space for years to come.

What is a registered architect?

You may be thinking ‘why should I listen to them?!’ and not just ask ChatGPT what to consider when planning my house extension. Well, When you were a sick child, who would you trust more for an accurate diagnosis: your mother or your doctor? Similarly, in the field of house extensions, registered Architects in the UK are licensed professionals with a minimum of seven years of university education and practical experience. They adhere to a strict professional code of conduct, carry insurance, and provide recourse for clients in case of any issues.

So, when it comes to any sort of recommendation, consideration or conversation regarding house modifications, like the considerations we’ve outlined above, it’s best to take advice from a registered architect, simply because they have the experience and know-how related to it. Obviously, do your own research too, as it’s good to have multiple angles, but for solid, no-nonsense advice, tips from a registered architect will be your best bet!

As a side note, it’s important to recognise that “Architect” is a protected title in the UK, and all professionals bearing this title are listed on the Architect Register, which can be accessed through the following link: https://arb.org.uk/public-information/before-hiring-an-architect/architects-register. Anyone not listed on this register is not recognised as a professional architect and cannot provide the same level of benefits and reassurance as a registered architect.

How much does a house extension cost?

The other day (March 2024), I had a conversation with a builder who shared his general rule of thumb for estimating costs: typically £1850 per square meter of construction. This figure covers VAT and standard finishes but does not account for additional expenses such as additional professional fees (if required), extensive window and door installations, kitchens or bathrooms etc.

Further to this, according to Checkatrade, the average cost for a 20-metre squared house extension is £48,000, this will obviously increase or decrease depending on the size and style of the extension.

Shell extensions typically range from about £1000-2000 per square metre, as these don’t include any internals and purely external work.

For internal work to be completed too, classed as a full house extension, you’d be looking at more towards £2000-3000 per square metre.

This blog outlines typical costs for all common house extensions.

There are many different types of house extensions, from single-storey extensions to loft conversions, each of which requires different planning permission applications depending on the size and scope of the work. Factors such as construction methods, location, material costs and potential electrical work can all affect the cost of the extension. Extended Ideas is happy to advise and outline the potential cost of an extension on your home, as well as provide detailed 3D and 2D drawings that will allow you to visualise your extension, helping you decide whether it’s the right choice for your home, or whether it needs altercation, which again we can help you visualise and draw up.

Does a house extension add to the value of the house?

This will obviously depend on the size and design of the extension, but it’s fair to say that any extension will add some value to the house.

Extended Ideas can help outline how much value could potentially be added to a house with an extension, and also advise on which structural elements to include/disregard to ensure that your extension is as worthwhile as possible from a financial standpoint.

Nationwide stated that a house extension can add up to 23% to the value of the property. Location, extension quality and other factors can obviously affect this. Material cost, planning permission and building labour will obviously tie into whether the added value can be seen as profit but most house extensions will add significant value to a house, especially if it’s done correctly.