Tips and Advice

Some Advice and Important Things to Consider

Unless you’re experienced in having your house extended and enhanced, this is probably your first time and it can be a bit scary, right? As an experienced builder, I’ve put together some ideas, advice and questions that you may need to consider:

• Is the style of my conversion or extension going to be the same or a total contrast? Unless your design is likely to impinge on your neighbours, you probably won’t get any objections to a contrasting style, but talk to me first anyway.
• Consider the size of your extension. If it’s small enough, it could fall under the Permitted Rights Development legislation and you won’t need planning permission.
• Do you want a full remodelling or just an extension? A full change could substantially add value to your property, but you’ll need to consider the upfront financial implications.
• Think about fixtures and fittings. In general, the “construction” element of a project takes up about 60% of your expenditure, but there could be a huge variance on this figure if you’re after high-end taps, sinks, finishings and so on. Again, I’d be happy to advise.
• There will be a trade-off between the time taken to complete the project, the costs and the temporary disruption to your life. I aim to manage these on your behalf to my best ability, but I’m an honest chap ask me and I’ll tell you no lies!
• Consider what I call site essentials, such as the provision of toilet facilities and a skip. We don’t insist on endless cups of tea, though…