A few years ago, when my third child was born, I realized that the space which I had at home simply wasn’t sufficient for all of us and I had to make a decision as to whether I would stay in the property or move to a new property with more ample space. The decision was made pretty easy for me thanks to a property market which had recently bombed and the last thing that I wanted was to sell my house at the low end of the market and be forced to uproot us all, just to get some more space. I opted for an extension which in the main ran pretty smooth so I thought I’d offer you some advice on how to go about deciding on whether you should extend your home.

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After The Design

Once you have the design of your home, you should really start taking a vested interest in the materials and contract prices which you are going to have to pay as part of your extension. Building firms will give you one set price but I found it to be more cost effective, albeit more time consuming, to individually source the parts. Allow of some inflation on your budget here because in my experience, save for the good folk down at David Montoya Stonemakers all of the quotes that I received where above the price I had anticipated.

Budget Well

When considering your budget, do not put in all your chips on the construction work itself. The reason I say this is because first of all, there will always, always be additional costs which you had not expected and also once the move is complete, don’t forget that you are going to have to decorate and furnish the new space.

Get Permission

Planning permission is in place to protect the rights of those that love around you, if you are planning on an extension which could block someone’s view for example then they are well within their rights to protest the move. For this reason you should try to get planning permission as soon as possible for your housing extension. To help the process run smoothly, contact your neighbors directly and allow them to voice any concerns which they may have around the move. An open dialogue with neighbors is also important as there will be a lot going on during the work and you want them to feel as comfortable as can be.

Moving Out

There is nothing to say that you cannot stay in the home whilst the work is being completed by my advice would be to move out if possible. Not only will the job be completed quicker if you move out, thus saving you money, but you will also be able to avoid the chaos which goes on as your home is turned into a construction site, not to mention the dangers that exist.