When thinking about adding a house extension to your home, it’s easy to know what aspects to add to suit your own needs. But if you’re planning on selling your house at some point further down the line, it’s also important to make sure your home extension suits the local area.
From the type of prospective buyers you’re likely to attract, through to the overall look and cost of house extensions, Essex residents should be considerate of the area in which they live.
Ceiling Values
By ceiling values, we’re not talking about the cost of adding extra floors – although cost is an important factor in this aspect – but rather, what the ceiling cost is for housing in your area, and particularly in your own street.
If you’re extending purely to make money, there is no point in spending more than you’ll be able to recoup in your sale. If you’re going to live in the house and the new extension first, then this isn’t such an issue, as you’ll get your money’s worth from living there before selling, but it’s still something to bear in mind.
Research your Area
What sort of people does your area attract? If your closest streets are mainly populated by young professionals, an extension aimed at a family – such as a large kitchen-diner or family room – won’t be what they’re looking for. Instead, something like a home office will be more popular, or maybe even an extra bedroom to bring in some rental income.
Similarly, if you’re close to reputable schools and your house offers good sized accommodation, you will be more likely to attract those aforementioned
families, in which case build away with your playroom, family den or kitchen-diner.
Keep in Character
It’s important that any extension is in keeping with the character of your home and your local area. Indeed, many local authorities will not give permission for extensions which are wildly out of character with the surrounding area.
If you live in a picture perfect cottage, bear this in mind when extending; a large steel and glass structure may look out of place, but an extension that uses similar construction products to those used for the rest of the house and retains character will look right at home.
Having said this, you don’t always have to stick with something that’s exactly the same as the rest of your house. Sometimes adding an extension which is different is precisely what you need to make your home stand out from the crowd.
We know this is very contradictory information, which is why we would always advise that you seek the advice of a good architect and home extension company before submitting plans. If you need more advice or wish to discuss a potential extension, feel free to call Bespoke Lofts for a quote.