Adding a room to your existing property

An excellent solution to improving your living space and increasing the overall value of your property is by adding a room to the property. This can be achieved through an extension – single storey or double storey, a full house refurbishment which includes changing the layout of the property, loft conversion, converting an attic, basement conversion or even converting an unused garage into a room. Whatever option adopted, if an en-suite bathroom is added to the new room then the value of the property easily moves into the next price range.
 
Recent studies have shown that adding a double room to your existing property can add more than 10 per cent to the value which could be about £30,000 as the average UK home is about £300,000. Whether you are selling the property, flipping the property, or just adding more space to your home so that you do not move, this no doubt would be of great benefit overall.
 
It is important to do this right as getting it wrong could lead to even more costs and headache. Depending on the type of property, there are key structural issues that must be considered to comply with building regulations.
 
Here are some tips if you are considering adding a room to your property
 
Always deal with the experts
Find an experienced builder and arrange an initial consultation with them. It is important that you communicate your ideas and vision to them and leave them to work out options. In most cases, any additional development work within permitted development guidelines will not require planning permission. However, if you are building on top of an existing garage or a double storey extension then check the legal building requirements
 
Assemble a great team
Architects, builders, electricians, painters, interior decorators (if necessary). It is important that you focus on getting the best results. Find competent people with a strong portfolio and get them working for you.
 
Budget, Budget, Budget !!!
Note our comment above that an additional room can add another 10 percent to the value of your house. It is important the overall cost of adding the room is less than the potential additional value from the sale. On average an additional room cost range is between £15,000 and £35,000. This however depends on the type of property and even the location.
 
Research
There are a lot of free available information out there than can be helpful. Read blogs, property sections of newspapers and even magazines focused on property and homes. There are also a lot of other online resources available and some good TV programmes on how you can improve your living space and add value to your property.
 
Ask questions
A lot of reputable builders offer free initial consultation. Do your research before your meeting and then ask the right questions. Do not stress, you do not need to be an expert on building projects, but a basic research will give you the confidence to get more value out of your meeting. When a builder feels you are asking the right questions there is a chance you get more out of them.
 
Have a plan in place and do not procrastinate
It is important you have an outline of when you will start the project and when you want it completed. A bit of urgency helps otherwise it can drag over a long period of time and you lose interest or the experts you are engaging move on to other things. Important that you get the right people to do the job. For some reason, the best tradesmen always have a full diary which means you may be on the waiting list for months.
 
Use the best materials
This does not mean expensive. Adopt style, colour and materials that blend with the rest of the house. It is inappropriate to have one room looking extremely different from the other rooms.
 
Just Do it !!!!
This is always a cheaper option that moving home and disconnecting from the local community you are familiar with and all the great things you will miss when you move from an area you have lived in for years.
 
Want to add a room to your property? Then talk to our friendly team. Let us arrange an initial consultation and bring your ideas to life. We have done this so many times. Ask our team for help, guidance and a reasonable quote.