Make an extension: pros and cons
A little cramped in your house following the arrival of a new member? Need a little more space to set up your office or create a storage room? Remember to build an extension to expand your home without having to move. This solution seems the least extreme and will bring many benefits. Be careful, making an extension also has some disadvantages. If you plan to embark on such a project, be sure to obtain all necessary permissions!
Do you dream of a large bay window overlooking your garden or a huge dressing room as an extension of your bedroom? No need to look for a new place to live. You just need to build an extension. Gain of space and originality assured. As long as you do that in the rules and follow the steps in order. Realizing an extension is not always a long calm river and can present some obstacles.
Keep your house
You have finally found the house of your dreams, and in no time it becomes too small. The more the family gets bigger, the more you find yourself cramped. You have no desire to move: for nothing in the world you would not change houses. Ideally located, arranged according to your tastes, loved by all ... It has only one defect: the living space is not big enough. The solution available to you is to increase this area by developing or building an extension.
The first goal of an extension is to save space or optimize the space you have to create one or more rooms. You will benefit from a larger space, more modern but also more comfortable.
Meet your needs
The possibilities of extension depend essentially on your needs and the dimensions of your house. Larger homes will significantly modify this one and offer you a brand new home.
Want big changes? Elevate your home by adding a floor, create new rooms or lay out abandoned areas, such as your attic or basement.
Ideas shoveled
Extension projects are not lacking to expand your home, especially when your family is growing. From the garage to the attic, the original solutions are almost limitless.
Lack of space in your house? Arrange your garage to create an extra bedroom or mini studio: the ideal solution if you have at home a teenager who claims independence. Your loft is abandoned? Invest this room into a master suite, with private bathroom. If none of the existing parts can be used as an extension, simply create it.
Low impact on the supporting structure
Even if building an extension can really transform your home by giving it new lifestyle habits, most of these "annexes" remain relatively independent of the home of origin. The impact on the already existing supporting structure is weak. It is therefore an opportunity for you to mix the modern and the old to create a break while maintaining a certain coherence and a visual balance.
Simple and fast extensions
Some materials such as wood allow for simple and very fast extensions. All at a lower cost. A considerable advantage if you do this yourself.
Thanks to the modular aspect of the wood, you will be able to create original shapes. In addition to its architectural versatility, wood is a durable material and a very good thermal insulator.
A capital gain
By making an annex, and thus transforming your home, you will increase the value of your property. One aspect to keep in mind the day you want to sell your home. A modern extension can enhance the older part of your home or modernize it.
Bring in the light
Enjoy the realization of your extension to give free rein to your imagination and bring a maximum of light into your home. The goal is not to darken the existing part of your home. By creating windows or windows in the ceiling, you can penetrate the light that was sorely lacking in your home.
Jump on the opportunity to install your living rooms (kitchen, living room and even bathroom) in this part and enjoy this natural lighting. The extension often responds to a double expectation: a bigger and more modern living space but also a more comfortable and spacious night area. Once your stay moved, reserve this free room for a parental suite.
Addition of a veranda
The veranda is probably the fastest and easiest extension to achieve. It requires less work than another extension but does not require any administrative procedure.
The veranda brings a little outside into your home and gives the impression of living in-out. The styles are as varied as the materials: steel, aluminum, wood, etc. The veranda can house your living room and your dining room as well as your workshop. Provided to heat it.
An administrative process
We do not decide to build an extension overnight. This project is regulated and is preparing. Administrative procedures, different depending on your municipality or region, are expected to obtain the necessary permissions, including permission to build. If you do not follow this step, expect problems once the job has started.
Ask the planning department about what is allowed or not so as not to disfigure your property with an extension that does not meet the standards (prohibition to cut trees or build a floor, imposed style of construction). These legal constraints can prevent your dream from coming true.
Neighborhood problems
Achieve an extension at home, it's your right. However, there are distances to be respected with the houses in the neighborhoods so as not to be too invasive and maintain good relations with your neighbors.
Ask the planning department about the minimum distances to keep. These distances may vary depending on the height of your home.
Make sacrifices
Your land is limited. By choosing to increase your living space and building your extension, you may have to choose to reduce the space dedicated to the garden. You are sacrificing part of your existing space.
Burden the house
Adding an extension can sometimes weigh down your house by forming a massive block. Do not just think about adding volume. To be successful, your extension must give a new life and a new modernity to your home of origin.
Important works
Creating an extension is not always easy. If you are not particularly handy, it is often necessary, even mandatory, to call on professionals (renovation coordinator, architect, etc.) to carry out this major project. Stability study, specifications, the process is sometimes heavy. Especially if you plan to build a new floor and new openings.
Think about heating
Expansion means more volume to heat. This sometimes neglected aspect is nonetheless unavoidable. You must think about this problem before you start the work. Which solution seems to you most suitable: floor heating, connection to the existing heating circuit, stove? If the room is intended to be heated continuously, opt for the connection. The heated floor allows it to spread a mild heat in winter and cool during the summer.
Insulation needed
To avoid significant additional costs, also consider isolating this new space. If your extension is in the attic, carry your first insulation efforts on this place. It is often there that the heat escapes in winter and accumulates in summer. If your extension consists of creating a new "annex", insulate your walls and choose quality openings.
Five mistakes to avoid when building an extension
Having a bigger house without moving is a dream for some. Be careful not to sabotage this plan. Here are five mistakes to avoid to complete your project.
1. Underestimate the cost of the project: despite its advantages, an extension has a significant cost. Do you have the necessary budget? Depending on the money you have, adjust your expansion project. The amount often varies depending on the size of the extension and the use of an architect.
2. To think badly of his project: your project must meet your needs while taking into account the constraints of the place. Setting up a laundry room or mezzanine is not possible everywhere. You are facing an emergency? Turn to the "turnkey" extensions, wood or aluminum, fully equipped and quick to install.
3. Ignore urban planning rules: knowing these rules will help you avoid unpleasant surprises at the time of construction but also resale.
4. Design an extension as a simple addition: better to call an architect who will propose a tailor-made project designed for you and your home. To achieve an extension, a reflection is necessary: should I move the entrance or change the entire organization of the rooms? More than an addition, it's a new life that you offer to your home.
5. An expansion project that lacks daring: dare! Test mixes of styles, materials or shapes. Mix the contemporary and the old. To bring a new dimension to your home, your extension should not be trivial.