No matter how big a family home seems at first, as children grow, you can easily run out of room. When that happens, the logical move is to add an extension to the side or rear of your house.
But it’s not the only solution. And there are many reasons why you might not want to extend outwards. Perhaps you don’t have the outside space or you may have already extended out as far as you can.
So, here are some of the ways you can expand your home without increasing its footprint.
Do a loft conversion
Let’s start with one of the most common and most practical solutions for adding space. The loft conversion. Although the type of conversion you do is somewhat determined by your house and your budget, it does affect the amount extra space you get.
A basic Velux conversion is going to be the most affordable but it won’t necessarily offer you the most space. Going for a Mansard, flat-roofed dormer or hip to gable loft conversion with dormer windows is better. This should give you extra head height, so the space is more usable. A hip to gable loft conversion works well on detached and semi-detached homes while dormer and mansard loft conversions are handy for improving terraces and bungalows.
Build up
Aside from loft conversions, there are other ways to build upwards. One solution is to change a single storey extension to a double one. You may need to take down your existing extension to do this, rather than build straight on top. But this depends on the extra weight involved and the foundations. A structural engineer can tell you for sure what you’ll need to do. Either way, you’ll double your floorspace without losing more of your outside space.
Another solution is to build over a garage. Many detached and semi-detached homes have a garage to the side of the house. If the garage’s walls and footings offer enough support, you might be able to extend your upper floor over the top. The newer your home is, the more likely this will be possible. This could give you space for an extra bedroom or bathroom. Both of which growing families can make use of.
Convert a garage
Integral garages aren’t just great for building over, they’re also ripe for converting into living spaces. As this type of garage is already part of the home, it should be fairly easy to do. It’s likely to have an electricity supply and may have cavity walls, so wiring and insulating should be straightforward.
Of course, the old garage door will need bricking up and you’ll probably need a new window putting in that matches the style of your others. And you may need additional insulation and heating installing, along with plastering and decoration. But it’s still one of the easiest spaces to convert. So, it’s a very cost-effective option.
Upgrade a lean-to extension
Sadly, if you live in an older home or a terrace, then you probably won’t have an integral garage you can utilise. But there might be other parts of your home you can convert, such as a lean-to extension.
Lean-to extensions have been used for decades as a cheap way to add space to the rear of the home. Often, they’re used as utility spaces or sunrooms. These simple constructions typically only use a single skin of bricks and contain lots of glazing, which might be single glazing or polycarbonate panels. This means they’re not the most practical or functional, ruling out year-round family use.
So, taking an old lean-to extension down and replacing it with a well-insulated conservatory or a proper extension, could be a good way to gain usable space without increasing your home’s footprint. You could use this to increase your kitchen size or to create a playroom or snug.
Knock through to outbuildings
Terraces also commonly feature outbuildings at the rear. These would once have housed the toilet, a coal store, workshops and other things back in the day. But now they’re somewhat redundant. And if you do have some outbuildings, it’s likely that they’re lying empty or are full of junk.
So, you could knock through your rear wall into these buildings, increasing the size of your kitchen. Or you could create a separate utility room and downstairs toilet. Both of which are handy for family homes.
Convert a cellar
Finally, if you have a cellar, you could consider converting this into an extra room or two. This can be costly to do, but if there is already sufficient head height of at least 2m and a window in place, then you’re already part way there.
Although it’s unlikely you’ll need planning permission, there are plenty of building regulations to meet. And you’ll need to consider lots of aspects such as waterproofing and insulation, to make it habitable. So, you’re wise to hire a company that specialises in basement conversions. However, this will give you an extra floor that could be used as an open plan kitchen-diner or entertainment room, enhancing your family’s life together.
