Building a House Extension - An Introduction

So you've finally decided that you've had enough of that poky little house your living in and it's time to start making more space available. So what are your options? Well I guess you could just move and buy a bigger place, but they prove to be very expensive, or you could arrange to have an extension added to your current house.

How Does Building A New Extension It Work?

Well I'm afraid there is a little more to it than you may actually think. It's not just a case, as some would have you believe, of getting a small set of plans drawn up, submitting them to the local council and then a couple of weeks later you get a nod to go ahead with them.

There are many considerations to think about when planning on building a home extension. Are you plans adequately drawn? Have you applied for building regulations approval or will you be submitting a building notice? Is the ground suitable for extending on?

In fairness, when we are talking about development to an existing premises, we actually inherit whatever ground conditions actually already exist but even if this is the case, we should still not be put off conducting a thorough site investigation to ensure everything is as it should be before we even start to think about building a house extension.

You will need to know where the water main runs, the layout of existing drainage pipes or soak ways etc, and more to the point, will these pipes get into the way of your proposed building plans of building a house extension.

The last thing you want is to be pleasantly surprised just as you start to excavate your site, and find out that you can't build in the spot you want due to obstacles that could have been avoided if only you would have done your homework.

Make sure you have contingency plans in place and even go so far to plan another position or placement for your extension should you not be able to build in your first sought after position. Being prepared and ready will stop any unnecessary delays that may hold up your project.

There is much to cover on this topic that cannot be possibly covered in one short article so I will therefore continue this text in 'Building A House Extension | part 2' which can be found via the articles contents.

Kirk Smith's company 4K Construction are professional builders from Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Please visit 4K Constructions Builders Talk for professional help and advice on construction, DIY, and all aspects of building.