Extending your home is a great way to add some much-needed space to your home, without having to move home. People extend their home for a number of reasons from a new addition in the family, to just needing more space for day-to-day life.

We are all for extending your home, but there are a few things you should be aware of before jumping into the process.

Planning

From a kitchen extension to a single-storey extension, it is important that you have a plan in place. These plans can stem from a simple layout plan depicting where everything will be put to a professional 3D design.

Planning permissions

Unfortunately, you cannot simply decide to build an extension without doing research into planning permissions. There is a long list of rules that explain whether or not you need planning permission, such as the extension cannot be more than half the area of land around the house.

We strongly advise that you seek professional advice from a planning officer, to establish whether you need planning permission.

Plumbing

Once you have the plan and planning permission sorted, plumbing is something else you need to consider. Plumbing can be completed as you need to consider whether you can use existing installations or if you need new pipe work.

Drainage

When it comes to drainage, there are a few building regulations that you need to abide by. There are different types of drainage to consider when building an extension which includes, foul drainage and surface water drainage.

Structural integrity

In order to make sure your extension is safe, you need to make sure that your building passes a structural integrity inspection. Structural integrity is the capability of your home to keep its structure over a period of time, which includes not breaking, collapsing or bending.

Electricals

You will also have to consider the electricals when extending your home. You cannot have an extension if it is so dark that you cannot use it. You might need to rewire or install new electricals in order to have power in your extension.

We highly recommend that you seek professional assistance when adding electricals into your extension.