As many of us continue to work and learn from home, it’s not surprising that home improvement has become one of the priorities in our lives. With so much time spent inside our homes, you might feel the need for more space. But how can you do that without moving out and burning through your hard-earned cash? The answer is simple: budget-friendly home extensions. With the right planning, budgeting, team, and ideas, you’ll be on your way to a bigger space that you and your family can enjoy.
How Much Do Home Extensions Cost?
On average, a home extension can cost anywhere from $35,000 — $60,000. It can even go as low as $6,000 or as high as $100,000. These prices depend on many factors like the type of extension, labor, materials, and location. For instance, the cost of extending your bathroom will differ from if you were to extend your kitchen.
The first step to getting a home extension is having an idea of how much it will cost. You can do this by using a cost calculator. Coming up with an estimated cost will help you plan out your home improvement project and decide whether you would need to cut costs.
Factors That Make Up the Total Cost of Home Extensions
Space
You might already have an idea about how you want your finished space to look but, depending on the space you plan to extend, you need to know exactly how much space can be added. Spaces like kitchens and bathrooms might be more expensive to extend, as they need more fixtures and elements. If you’re looking into adding a second floor, it could also cost more. The upside to this is that you don’t have to worry about your foundations since you already have the first floor.
Permits
You’ll need to get a permit if you want to extend your home. Permits can depend on factors like the complexity, size, and location of your project. In some cases, you might even need to perform tests like foundation tests and soil tests to make sure that your house is sturdy enough to be extended. If you’re working on a complex project, it might take up more of your time and money.
Materials
Any construction work requires the use of different materials. The quantity, size, quality, and even functionality and aesthetics of these materials can easily hike up costs. Bathrooms and kitchens might cost you more since you’ll need different kinds of fixtures like cabinets, towel racks, countertops, sinks, faucets, and a lot more. If you don’t want to burn a hole through your wallet, consider using multi-functional fixtures or strike a balance between form and function.
Labor
You can’t extend your house on your own, and if you don’t hire the right people, you might end up with a botched extension. If you choose to go DIY, it’s at your own risk. One wrong move, and you’ll end up spending more money than you saved from doing it yourself. Get help from experienced and licensed contractors and architects that can help you make your plans into reality.
Time
If you’re not in a rush to have your extension built, you might be able to save a bit of money compared to more rush projects. Consider the time frame you have and how long you need before your extension is built.
What to Do if You’re on a Tight Budget
Plan Ahead
Don’t rush into making your project a reality. Take the time to sit down and plan every aspect of your project so that you won’t need to make changes later. If you’ve already agreed on a design with your team, then stick to it. There’s nothing more costly than having changed, and these costs can pile up too. Not only will this save you money, but your home extension process will be smoother too.
Keep Things Simple
If you’re on a tight budget, don’t go all out with grand designs. This doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on quality. Curved extensions can get expensive, so consider going with a square or rectangular build instead. This goes for fit-outs, too, like flooring and fixtures. If you can re-use old fixtures, your costs, as well as your carbon footprint, will go down.
Follow Building Regulations
Talk to your local building control authority regarding any regulations that you may need to know about. Do this before you start your project so you can avoid demolishing and re-building finished work.
Extension Ideas You Can Cop for Your Home
When choosing a design, it’s important to decide based on what you need and what your budget allows. Striking the perfect balance between those two will help you develop the best home extension plan without draining your bank account.
Open Plan Living
If you think your dining space isn’t big enough for you and your family, considering a single-story extension. You can connect this to your dining area or kitchen and extend it into your background. This will make for a good entertaining spot for your family and an open-spaced guest area for your socially-distanced get-togethers.
Loft Conversion
Loft conversions are versatile and can be changed depending on your needs. If you have space under your roof, you can have a room-in-roof type of loft with an attic-like feel to it, without the boxes and cobwebs. If you have a bigger budget and area, you can create a loft conversion that gives you space for a bedroom and bathroom!
Conservatory Extensions
If you like a lot of natural light without having to be outdoors, this type of extension might be a good fit for you. Conservatory extensions consist of glass walls and roofs, accompanied by dwarf walls.
Side-return Expansion
This is common among Victorian and other period-style properties. This extension explains itself: it uses extra space by extending a home to the side and a spacious area behind the home.
Adding an Annex
This extension isn’t always connected to the home and acts almost like a separate building. If you have any guests staying over, your annex extension can be a good way to give them some privacy, as these usually come with a bedroom, bathroom, and in some cases, a kitchen. However, it’s important to remember that adding an annex might not be possible if you have a small garden.
There are many more types of extensions that you can incorporate into your home, depending on your budget. If you remember to plan carefully and get professional advice every step of the way, you can make your dream extension plan a reality.