If you need more space, here are the best places to add an extension to your home that will offer the most benefit for you…

A home extension can be a very wise decision; for those who are planning to live in the property, it brings an increase in space, a touch of modernisation, and a chance to personalise your home. For those who intend to sell on at some point, it’s an opportunity to add floorspace and functionality in a house, and edge up the eventual selling price. If your valuations have failed to break the ceiling price in the street, adding an extension could be the way to move on up.

The big question, for people considering expanding their home space, is what kind of extension makes the most sense. To really offer that improved curb appeal or better living space, an extension needs to be done in the right place and for the right reasons. Making that decision can be tricky and frustrating, so it is essential to consider your priorities as you go about it.

Does a garage conversion make sense?

A home with a garage can be very worthwhile, as it offers sheltered parking for your car and thus helps a second asset keep its value. However, the space taken up by a garage can also become an additional room or even a self-contained flat. Cleaned-up, repainted and given a visit from fayflooring.com or similar, your garage can add to the value of the home by not being a garage anymore. This is particularly worthwhile if you already have additional off-road parking by means of a driveway; but if you want to keep the garage as a car space, it may also be worth looking at extending on top of it; increasing the floorspace without having to expand the home’s footprint.

Should you build out from the kitchen?

If you’ve lived in a house for some time, the chances are that the “living” space in it has been more than ample, but if there is one room you’ve found to be too small it’s probably the kitchen. If more than one person is cooking a meal, you’ll likely have found yourselves flattening against walls and ducking at regular intervals, so adding kitchen space might be an excellent idea. It’s often said that a good kitchen sells a house, and the more space (and gadgets) you add, the greater the potential there is for a perfect, dream kitchen project.

Can you keep building up?

Often, an extension in one’s home means applying for planning permission, which takes time and money, and may end up being rejected for reasons that don’t make a lot of sense. As you can see at gov.uk, however, there are ways that you can extend without applying for permission, and these include adding extra storeys (up to two) in some cases. Building up, rather than out, can permit you to extend quickly and also add a better view which will come in useful should you be looking to sell the house later on. 

Depending on your reasons for expanding, there are a lot of different ways to go about building an extension to your house. Give some consideration to each of the above before you make a definitive decision.