After making the decision to stay put and extend their home we’ve seen many families thrilled with outcomes they hadn’t known were possible until they engaged a renovation specialist.
A home extension may involve the addition of a bedroom or home office, or it could entail the addition of a second storey. The options are only limited by want you want to achieve and the budget you are allocating. Your block and the type of structure of your existing home will dictate the way your extension needs to be constructed.
We see a few different types of extensions.
- Single-Storey Extensions
One of the most popular and least costly kinds of extensions, this involves building a single storey room (or rooms) onto the side or rear of the home. This is a relatively simple project which can have a huge impact—not only by increasing the available space but also by opening the home up to the garden and improving the flow through the house. While the area of your home increases it is possible to tweak the existing floorplan to get the most out of your home in terms of functionality, practicality, privacy and more.
- Second-Storey Extensions
If your block size doesn’t allow for a lateral extension, or you want to maintain your outdoor living area, a second-storey extension may do the trick. Your builder will help you obtain permits and approvals which are critical. As you’d expect this is a more involved and expensive renovation but can open up a plethora of options you’d otherwise not have on a smaller block—views, breezes and, of course, space. We discuss second-storey extensions further here.
- Double or Multi-Storey Extensions
These are very involved renovations and can include a full reconfiguration of the home’s floorplan. Adding rooms, expanding rooms, relocating rooms, you name it. Again, council approvals are critical but a renovation specialist is an old hand at jumping through the hoops. It is important that the new areas of the home are designed to blend with the old, both aesthetically and in terms of construction materials.
- Lift & Build Under
Some homes are perfectly conducive to having living space created beneath them (think Queenslander or pole home). In many cases the home first requires a lift in order to gain the necessary height or it might need some excavation below it. Rooms are then built underneath to create a cohesive home.