Life can move very quickly as years go by and families grow and change, and so it’s very easy to find yourself in a property which was perfect when you first purchased it, but which now doesn’t quite fit your living requirements.

It’s always the eternal question isn’t it… whether to move or improve, especially if you love where you live but you just want a bit more room.

So rather than uprooting you and the family for that extra bedroom or a bigger kitchen, the answer may be to extend your home. However, with any building projects, you should consider whether the work will add value to your home, or impact the value of your home and in a city like St Albans where space is at a premium, it’s always tricky trying to decide how to extend your home in order to have the space you need and add value to your property.

1.    Hire the Professionals

Involve an Architect and Builders from the get go as these professionals will be able to come up with inventive uses for the space and give you ideas that you may not have not previously considered. Get three different quotes before appointing an architect or building company. Ask for examples of work and to speak to former customers. An interior designer may also be able to give you some good ideas of how to maximise the potential of your space. 

2.    Add Creative Living Space at the back which brings the outside in

Anyone who watches Location, Location, Location will hear Kirsty and Phil talk a lot about “bringing the outside in”, meaning creating a space which offers a seamless transition from inside to outside, or which can be opened up to the elements when needed, and a great way to do this is through an extension to the back of the house into the garden. This extension could include bi-fold doors on one side, or even all around, which can be opened on Sunny Days for some al-fresco living, Sky Lights to create an extra airy, bright space or a space which can double as indoor or outdoor living space dependent on the weather! Extensions to the back of the house are a great way to extend a kitchen area or create a family or multi-purpose room and often make a very popular addition to any home.

3.    Extend Upwards or Downwards!

If extending outwards isn’t possible, then it may make more sense to extend above or below existing floor space, which could increase the size of your property by up to 50%!

Perhaps you want to create more bedrooms for family members, an office space for business or leisure, or even create a whole new self-contained apartment at the top of your property, all of these are possibilities with a loft space!

If going up above ground isn’t an option, then why not consider going underground and creating a basement or cellar room! Basement rooms are fantastic at absorbing noise, so they make a great option as a sound-proof room for budding musicians in the home, a family hang-out room for watching TV, Video Gaming, playing music or even a home gym!

4.    Utilise Garden Space

It’s helpful to consider how much land you have on your plot and whether you want to sacrifice Garden Space for living space, and if so how much you may decide that sacrificing six to twelve foot of garden space for a back extension is worth it, or you may decide that you value your outside space more. Also consider this in resale terms. Whilst you may love a shoebox garden with a large, imposing home in front of it, others may want a property which offers them better proportions of inside and outside space. Rather than extending for a bit more space onto the back of the house, adding a Garden Room or outside extension on another part of your land could be a good compromise, creating a separate useable space - perfect for a home office, sound-proof studio, or just somewhere to hide away for a little privacy in the busyness of life!

5.    Rebuild, rebuild, rebuild

If your property just really isn’t working for you and you want to create a home which is bespoke to your requirements, then you might decide to knock down your existing property and build a brand-new home from scratch on the land! This means that rather than moving to a new location, you can create a home that you love, in a location that you love too!

Do you have a more substantial piece of land? If you don’t mind forgoing some of your own existing space for a new property and new neighbours then it’s a great way to create an investment home to rent out or sell as an extra Income. You could even create a new living space for family members to live close-by!

If you need a trusted agency to help market a new property for you then of course, we are always happy to help!

In fact, we’re always happy to help try and answer property-related questions whether you are looking to move, or improve, so feel free to give us a call on 01727 221290 or pop into the office as we’d love to chat!