Home extensions are becoming more and more popular as the years pass. Homeowners are beginning to value large spaces in their kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms. Some homeowners, on the other hand, consider home extensions just so that they can spruce up their interior and exterior.
Home extensions take up many different forms and can be used to serve different purposes that homeowners are seeking to achieve. These vary from simple porch extensions to complex multi-story extensions for utility, garage, living room and dining rooms. Building an extension can be an exciting project. But it also can turn out to be the very worst if you do not make your plans carefully. Like any home renovation, home extensions have varying costs depending on the design and materials that will go into the construction. In this piece, however, we shall review costs of some of the home extensions. From these, you will be in a better position to tell which are the most expensive.
Porches
Ideally, this is the smallest extension in a house. But while this is a general size, there are some that can be bigger and can be built to the rear or to the side. They are simple structures comprising of columns and dwarf sized walls, doors, and windows. They can be left bare or plastered and electric sockets and lights added to them.
Most of these extensions, given their size, do not require permission to construct. However, it is always best to check with your local planning authority. But generally, as long as the porch does not have any heating, an internal door and is separated from the house, then you will not require a building certification.
That said, the costs of most porches start from $3000
Single story extensions
This is simply an extension that has been built joining part of the main house, and the extension only has the ground floor. When constructing such an extension, one has to consider the impact the extension will have on the neighboring property and just how the existing roof will work with the extension. Will the existing roof be used to cover the extension or will another roof be needed? The position of the drains, excavations, and flues also need to be considered. In some cases, planning permission may not be required though control permissions will be needed.
These types of extensions typically cost anywhere between $10,000 and $12,000.
Multi-story extensions
Just like the single story extensions, these can be built as part of any building. These, however, are usually more than a single story. With these extensions, there is usually the possibility of disturbing the peace of the neighbors. Careful planning and consultations are as such required. This makes the process of getting a multi-story extension somewhat tedious depending on the prevailing circumstances. And while it is in some cases possible to build without requiring planning permission, it is strongly advised that you get one.
Most of these extensions cost anywhere from $30,000.
Over-structure Extensions
These are extensions that are built over existing structures such as kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, and garages. While they may seem easy to hack, they are probably the most challenging of all. In some instances, building over a garage may require installing a new garage foundation to support the extra weight of the extension. Also, if you are building over a home that has been around for a long period, you might want to construct new foundations since the quality of the prevailing foundation cannot be guaranteed.
As for building control and planning permissions, these are slightly harder to determine and define since they are affected by several factors including boundaries, aspect ratios, neighbors and other factors. In addition to this, with these extension types, you just might have to get a professional to get the job done for you.
The prices of these extensions start from $28,000.
Conclusion
From the above, it is clear that the complexity of the extension determines the cost. In addition to this, it is important to bear in mind that the materials and design preferred also affect costs.
