How to Prepare When Building a Home Extension
Home extensions are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s not hard to understand why. Moving house is so much hard work and hassle, so when families need a bit more space, it makes sense to build an extension instead.
Just because everyone’s building them, it doesn’t mean they’re easy to build though! There’s a lot of planning and preparation that needs to be done before you start any building work. Here’s how to prepare for your new home extension.
Plan Carefully
Before you do anything else, you need to draw up a detailed budget and spending plan. It’s vital to stick to a strict budget, if you don’t you could find the cash drying up before the job is finished. Then you’ll be left with a half-built extension, and you don’t want that.
You’ll also need to decide what kind of extension you want to build. Is it going to be a ground floor extension or do you want two storeys? What is the space going to be used for? And what materials are you going to need?
Consider Hiring an Architect
If you’re not much of a designer, you might want to harness the expertise of a professional architect. This is an especially good idea if you’re taking on a particularly ambitious project. There are many benefits of using an architect.
They will make sure your plans are realistic, safe and functional. As an amateur, you might not get these things right if you designed the extension by yourself. It might be costly to hire one, but it’ll be worth it.
Be Aware of Building Regulations
You’re going to need the required planning permission before you start building. The planning and building laws differ depending on your location, so make sure you’ve read up on your local regulations. Research might be boring, but it’s vital if you want the process to go smoothly.
If you go ahead with the work without getting planning permission, you might be fined by the local authorities and have the project shut down. It won’t make you very popular with your neighbours either. If you don’t meet the required regulations, it might be because your plans affect the neighbours.
Lay the Foundations
Your architect should give you the details about the foundations that are required. You can dig the holes and lay them yourself if you want to, it’s not a huge job. It’s just a case of digging the right holes in the right places and inserting the correct material to act as your foundations.
You will probably want to make sure they’re all correct and in good shape once they’re in the ground though. You can do this by having a concrete inspection carried out by a professional.
Get Good Builders
You can undertake the whole job by yourself if you have experience in construction. Get a few friends to chip in and help too if you need. But if you don’t have the required experience, you’ll need a team of good builders. Using builders will usually mean the job is completed much quicker too.
Don’t let all that work and preparation put you off, building a home extension can be a great way to improve your home and add value to it.
