Home Extension Ideas
Whether you’re looking for a bigger kitchen, a more luxurious bathroom or simply a bit more space for your growing family, then you may need a home extension. At Simply Extend, we are London and the Midland’s leading home extension specialists and our expert teams can help you to design and build a practical and striking space that will transform your home.
Adding an extension to your home can not only be an effective way to add space and make day-to-day life just that little bit easier, but it is also a great way to add value to your property. So, if you’re thinking about taking the leap, take a look at some of our home extension ideas below.
What type of extension to choose?
When you are looking to expand your property with a house or home extension it is quite often the external look and feel that is considered when we speak with our clients. In particular the type of extension, be it wrap around, rear or side return extension is decided upon in the first instance along with the type of roof, glazing and cladding it will include. When designing an extension, there are a plethora of choices to be made. A good place to start with is considering what type of home you have – is it a terraced or a detached home? A 1930’s home or a period property? The next decision to be made, is whether you would like to build within permitted development rights or submit a bigger design into planning permission. If you live in a conservation area or in a listed building, you will need to submit your design and plans to the local planning department regardless of building within permitted development rights.
Here are the most typical designs of house extensions that we are asked to design and build:
The exterior of your extension
The above three extensions are our most typically asked for home and kitchen extensions. There are a multitude of glazing designs, roofing and cladding styles that can be chosen once the shape of the extension has been decided upon. Doors and window designs can be chosen when you come to design your home extension with Simply Extend.
Extension doors
A popular choice for clients is bi-folding doors. Bi-fold doors are easy to pull open in the summer and allow your new extension to feel like part of your outdoor space. If you are looking for a style of door, which allows in maximum light, then why not consider using sliding doors for your house extension design? Again, they are easy to open and close, however these are only worthwhile being installed on larger extensions as there will always be one panel that will have to remain static.
Reconfiguring your existing living space
If you’re stuck for extra space to extend into, why not think about making your internal space work better for you by reconfiguring the existing footprint of your home? Reconfiguring your home can allow you to optimise the use of space your property has to offer, as well as making better use of natural light to make your home look and feel, much bigger.
Previous Simply Extend clients have added and removed internal walls and doorways, as well as totally repositioning the central hallway of their homes to make efficient use of all main rooms.
In the 21st century, a house needs to be more than a home. We transformed a ground floor Kensal Rise flat belonging to BBC chef and writer Rachel Khoo. She needed a space in the capital that would function as a home for the family, when they were in town, as well as being a place of work that included a home office and a test kitchen that would be used for filming. To achieve this, we added a rear extension and took out a couple of unused chimney breasts to make the most of the space. In the kitchen extension, we added some skylights and a large bi-folding door to let in as much light as possible.
We can help you to think about the current relationship between key spaces in your home (for example, is the dining room close enough to the kitchen?), and consider how you can make your external access work better for you whilst still making the most of the views on offer and maintaining your privacy.
Extend your kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so why not make sure that yours is a multi-functional area where you and your family can cook, dine and relax together?
At Simply Extend, we have transformed kitchens in every which way you can think of: from adding bi-folding doors to help to create a seamless flow between both inside and outside spaces, to reworking the existing space to separate out the eating and living areas of bigger properties, and even extending the property right out to include luxury sunrooms that are perfect for growing families.
When it comes to the design of your new kitchen extension, then you may like to first consider the layout of the space when planning it with your architect. Important things to consider are:
- Will you be installing a new kitchen? If so, what will be the rough design and layout of the kitchen?
- Consider whether you will need a utility room or pantry adding to the extension. This is the best time to consider these items as it is easy for builders to stud partition off a section of your new extension to house areas such as this.
- Would you like a seating area or open plan living room adding to the space? Again, this is good to consider at this stage so you can plan around where the kitchen will sit.
- Lighting is also worthwhile thinking about in your design. Will you need pendant lighting over your kitchen island or worktops?
- Exposed brick walls are very popular in kitchen or house extension designs and planning this in the initial stages can be a more cost-effective option
Many of our clients are looking to create an open plan family friendly space. If you want to create a beautiful showstopping kitchen-diner, then choosing a wrap-around kitchen extension is your best option (if you have space available at the side of your home). Perfect for families or just if you love to entertain, you will need to design your open-plan space into zones. Typically, this type of space is divided into three zones – the kitchen zone, a seating area and the dining zone. There are several ways to divide up these areas:
- Kitchen islands and peninsulas
- Flooring- using a different type of flooring for each zone. One of our clients sectioned off their dining area with a square of carpet
- Furniture – you can use large pieces of furniture such as sofas, tables or bookcases to divide the space
- Glazing – if budget permits you can use glazing to separate space while still creating a sense of space
Getting an extension done also allows you to install more efficient ways of heating your home – with either vertical radiators, which use less wall space, or under-floor heating – as well as installing better insulation and glazing.
So, if you’re dreaming of a bright and beautiful kitchen that’s both airy in summer and cosy for Christmas, make sure you take a look at our expert kitchen extension ideas.
Skylights and glazing
Good lighting is one of the things that can really make a house a home, and introducing more natural light is one of the key ingredients in successful extension design. At Simply Extend, our experts are armed with plenty of tips and tricks to help brighten up your London home – from shrewdly placed skylights to beautiful bi-folding doors and picture windows. The glazing we use is energy efficient and should help to keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter. If you have an older property, we can also install period glazing such as Crittall windows.
One of the issues that most clients face when they want to let more light into their home, is maintaining a level of privacy. But at Simply Extend, our experts can advise on the best obscured glazing options for you, so you can enjoy every second of daylight without the risk of bearing-all to your neighbours. Some options include traditional textured or stained glass, art deco inspired glass blocks or more contemporary options such as acid-etched or sand-blasted glass.
Utility room and bathroom extensions
There’s nothing worse than coming home from a long day at work to piles of laundry scattered throughout your kitchen, so it’s not surprising that more and more Simply Extend clients are opting for extensions to incorporate a utility room into their property. Big or small, our team of experts can work with your space to create a designated area for the likes of washers and dryers, or to store larger items that can clutter up the kitchen – so you can keep the chores of real-life hidden away, at least for the evening.
The same goes for bathrooms, where space can be sucked up quickly. Our experts can help you to reconfigure your bathroom and incorporate contemporary storage options so you can enjoy that luxurious hotel-bathroom feeling every day.
Indoor-outdoor space
Make your garden into another room in your home with a rear extension. Indoor-outdoor spaces are a great home extension idea and can help to make your inside space feel bigger. By opting to open up with your house with a rear extension, you can create a seamless flow into your garden with wall-to-wall bi-folding doors. On a warm day, you can then throw open the doors, enjoy the fresh air and dining alfresco. To create the feeling of flow, build a terrace or patio area and put in some outdoor furniture. Another trend that is gaining momentum is creating a covered outdoor room. This can be added on to your extension design with Simply Extend.
Consider adding a garden room or garden office
If you’re lucky enough to have a large garden, creating a bespoke garden room means you can have a space away from your home where you can work or just relax. Whether you want a garden office, a home gym, yoga studio or somewhere for the kids to play, a garden room can help you get the space you need. We have partnered with Hawksbeck, a family building company who design and build bespoke garden rooms and offices that are built to last a lifetime. From small pods to large and luxurious spaces with full utilities and amenities, you can use your garden room to be whatever you need it to be. Contact Simply Extend today to find out more about building a garden room on your property.
House extension costs
At Simply Extend, we don’t do one size fits all; we only create bespoke extensions and home renovations that make the most of light and space in your property. We offer fixed priced house extensions, so you always know where you are and can stay in control of the costs. Our extensions can cost as little as £35K for a simple side return or up to £75k or more for a double-storey extension.
Why use Simply Extend for your London home extension?
When it comes to extending your home, the world really is your oyster. But there is plenty to think about before you commit to extending your home – from how much value that a home extension can add to your London property, to the logistics of how the addition is going to work with your existing home.
To find out more about why you should choose the experts at Simply Extend, discover our fixed price and all-in-one packages here.