Are You Thinking Of A Home Extension?

By Author: Carolyn Clayton
Total Articles: 174
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Extending your existing home is an option that is becoming more popular with many home owners in this modern day. A home extension can provide you with the added space that you need as well as possibly adding more value to your home.

If you are interested in a home extension is it important that you think about whether a home extension is the best option for you; starting with deciding why you want your extension in the first place. Have you got a growing family and need to create more living and sleeping space? Do you have an older relative who is coming to live with you? You have to think carefully about the reasons behind your planned extension as they can have an effect on your planning permission. If you are planning on moving out in a few years time you will most likely not be granted planning permission.

Planning permission is a daunting area for home owners who are hoping to extend their property. The reason it was put in place was to protect the public interest with regards to the local environment and strict control of your planned development must be maintained to ensure that the character and amenity ...
... of your area is not negatively affected. You will need planning permission if any of the following apply:

If the proposed extension is closer to any highway than the original property unless it is at least 20 metres away from such highway. This includes any public right of way including bridle paths and footpaths.
If more than half the original amount of land surrounding the house is covered by additional buildings
If the extension is higher than the highest point of the original house
If the volume of the house is increased by more than 15% (10% for those properties within a conservation area)
If the volume of a house is increased by more than 115 cubic metres

One thing to consider however before going ahead and applying for planning permission is to speak to your neighbours about your purposed plans. This is always a good idea as it ensures that there are no disagreements between you and allows you to find out whether access to their property is needed while the work is being carried out. If you do need planning permission your neighbours will be informed by the council so it is polite to let them know what is going on prior to this.

One of the main aspects that you should also keep in mind when it comes to a home extension is how much it will cost you. You will be facing the initial cost of getting your building plans drawn up and having them submitted to the council in regards to any planning permission or building regulations that you may be facing. If you do require planning permission or building regulations then you will have fees to pay to your council.

In regards to your actual extension the cost depends on the extent of the work that has to be carried out, for example if you require the need to knock down an outside wall you will need a structural engineer to calculate how much you will need to spend to replace the structural needs of the wall. You will then be faced with the builder/contractor costs from the people who carry out your work.

There is a lot that needs to be taken care of before any work can begin and the actual work that is carried out on your property can create hassle such as you may not have use of your garden or driveway for a few months whilst the work is being carried out. All of this planning and grafting is however paid off when you see the end results of the transformation to your property.

Helen is the web master for ARCH Building Solutions; specialists in Home and Property Extensions