House extension planning - exploring the options

The term 'planning' within the house extension field can mean one of two things.  The requirement to obtain formal Planning approval or simply planning out the layout and design of the house extension with your designer or architect prior to formal applications being submitted to the council.

Planning out the layout and the external visual design of a house extension is probably the most important element of the whole house extension process.  Do not rush the design build up with your architect or home extension designer no matter how quickly you want the extension to be completed.  Getting it wrong will be disastrous later on when the penny drops and you could be looking at abortive fees and wasted time.

Make sure you explore all the design options with your house extension designer.  This could be roof options (pitched, flat, hipped gable), material  selection (matching or contrasting), siting of the works (could remodelling the existing layout provide a better location for the extension), what other upgrade works to the existing property may also be required (as this will impact on your overall construction budget)... etc.

There are many many more variables that only a good experienced home extension designer or architect can assist you with when planning your house extension.

You should also be realistic with your available budget and always allow for a healthy contingency sum to be included for the unexpected deviations that can often happen.

House extension planning can also include external landscaping as most works will severely disrupt the existing external land surrounding the main home and this can be a great opportunity to enhance the house extension design with clever use of hard and soft landscaping design - again your experienced house extension designer or architect can normally assist you in this process.

Planning your house extension correctly takes time and with some added reflective thought, can provide a sound foundation for a great house extension that will unlikely need to be adjusted during the build process on site which will save you time and reduce those dreaded builders extras.