Here are 7 great ideas to improve your home or extension design. Pick out the ideas that you like the most to help you focus on where to spend your budget most wisely: –
- Skylights. We believe they pack the most punch when it comes to cost vs reward. For example, they generally don’t need steelwork to be installed and cost a few hundred pounds each, whilst the light they bring into the Kitchen or Living area makes a huge difference to the room overall, not to mention the added ventilation they can provide. They can help make a standard Kitchen become a wow Kitchen so they are must in our view on all rear ground floor tiles roofs. Velux are a popular make that are widely available in a range of sizes and types. They can be opened manually with a pole or remotely with a controller that can also open and close integrated blinds at additional cost.
- Roof Lanterns. When you have a flat roof you will require a different type of roof roof window to skylights. Although you can also have flat skylights like the type on tiled roofs, it is more common to have one or two larger roof lanterns. They comprise of angled glass sections forming a pyramid style structure which are generally much larger than skylights. If too large then steelwork will be needed to support them within the roof structure. They make a more significant impact upon the room and will likely be the first thing people notice when admiring your house. They can be designed traditionally, but more often they are finished in a modern black or grey profile.
- Bi-folding Doors. Although pricey, coming in at around £1000 per door leaf, they really add the modern aspect to an open plan layout that most people crave. They can be full width across the entire room or half and half with a Kitchen window on the other side to offer more Kitchen unit space and less dead space in front of the doors. When you go over 3 doors you generally require steelwork which can also increase costs. A popular choice of bi-fold is to have one door open independently for everyday use.
- Sliding Doors. Thin profile sliding doors are becoming the latest fashion trend from what we can see, as they offer larger sheets of glass over bi-fold doors with less panels being required. The downside to this type of door is that they still take up half or a third of the opening typically, whereas bi-folds can be pushed all the way against the wall for maximum open space. They can also be just as expensive if not more so than bi-folds when the thin profile option is desired.
- Kitchen Islands. The vast majority of a our clients desire a Kitchen island within their newly extended home; they look amazing and offer that hybrid space between cooking and socialising with family and friends. But the room must be fairly large to allow for a true kitchen island to be feasible that is detached on all sides, so they are not suited to all homes. We can look at this for you during the design stage to see if this is available for you.
- Creating an Opening. Most walls that clients want to remove are loadbearing internal or external walls that allow a more open plan layout to be achieved. This is something that requires careful consideration by our team as pipes and structural elements can make it tricky to achieve. We can guide you through this in principle and go into detail with our partner at Building Regulations Stage and with a Structural Engineer.
- Changing the House Façade. Whether your house is brick or render, an increasingly popular choice is to change the properties external appearance by changing the material used. For example, a current trend is for smooth white render to the bottom half and crisp composite cladding to the top that’s finished in natural timber effect or coloured. You can also take this opportunity to add external insulation below the render and cladding creating a super insulated property that will significantly reduce your energy bills.
