If you are looking to add value to your home, extending is the way to go. The high costs of houses on the market, on top of the cost of living is making it difficult for homeowners to move houses. However, here is a list of way you can extend your home on a budget.
Use simple materials –
One of the best ways to keep the prices of extending your home down is by using the simplest materials. For example, you could use basic glazing and a felted roof which is low in cost and can be negotiated between builders.
Go with a simple design –
If you want to save money don’t complicate your extension plans. Bringing the ground floor wall out a few meters, under permitted development will reduce the price compared to going the maximum and needing full planning permission.
Project manage the extension yourself –
Most builders will add 10 – 25% onto the total cost of materials and labour to cover their time while working on your project. Being your own project manager will mean liaising with your designer/architect, your local authority’s building control department, and finding and hiring tradespeople etc. Although, this can be time consuming and a bit stressful, the savings can be enormous.
Opt for a loft conversion –
In general, a loft conversion is much cheaper and straightforward than building an extension. loft conversions will mostly come under permitted development and if you have limited outside space, it won’t eat into it. A standard 40 sqm loft conversion with a dormer would cost around £35k.
Use affordable cladding –
Cladding or rendering the exterior of an extension built with a timber frame or block work will work out much more affordable than facing it with brick. This is ideal if you are looking to achieve the modern look.
Want to improve or expand the living area in your home? Then a rear extension is a great way to do this instead of moving house. We know that the living space in most of the houses in the UK is very tight, especially in the cities. Home Extensions are a great solution to cope with living space issues. Well, getting an extension is not an easy task are requiring a decent amount of capital. However, it is a significant investment that can help increase the value of your property. It is best to invest in an extension if you want to sell your home in the future. So, in this article, we will share expert advice on things you need to know about rear extension.
Types of Extension
There are mainly three types of House Extensions that you can found in UK cities: the side return extension, the wrapped extension, and the rear extension. But when we talk about a rear extension, it means an extension that goes across the full width of the house. It goes out towards the garden.
On the other hand, a side return extensionincreases the living space at the side of the rear projection. Many properties in the UK have a small alleyway on the side. So, we just need to incorporate this space into the home.
One of the most common types of extension is a single-story rear extension. It is a great way to link areas together to make them bigger. Furthermore, it also adds to the value of your property and makes it more pleasant.
Permitted Development Rights For Rear Extension
In many areas in the UK, you can add an extension without planning permission because they come under permitted development. For this, you need to download some documents from the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and local councils to see what you can do under permitted development.
Let us explain; the document says that you can extend your existing home by a percentage of the volumetric space. By it means that every extension is included, such as loft extension, etc. You need to submit an application that consists of the volume of the property and sketches of the design. It is better to go through the process even you are withing permitted development. You can do this on your own as it is not a complicated task.
If you want rules regarding an extension, you can read them on planning porta. All the regulations related to height, distance, and size of an extension can be found there. It is easy to get confused by permitted development. So, it is better to get help from local authorities to make sure that you do not step outside. It is also better to hire a professional at this state who knows about these limits and who can help you make these changes without planning permission.
Planning Permission
Suppose, the extension you want does require planning permission, then what you need to do? Well, you can apply for it yourself. You need to submit elevations, drawings of plans, and its relation to the surrounding properties. Some of the people are nor comfortable with the process, so in this case, you hire a professional. If you want an expert opinion, then we will recommend you to get the help of a professional in the early stages. An architectural services provider can provide valuable input regarding the design of the space.
Conservation Areas
If your property is in a conservation area, then you need planning permission. If you are not sure whether you live in a conservation area, you can check with local planning authority online. In short, most city centers are conservation areas. Local authorities designate an area as conservation when they want to maintain the feel and look of that particular area.
Rear Extension Design
Architectural services providers can help you with the planning and design of the extension. First of all, you need to discuss their packages. They will survey the job site and will tell you whether the project is feasible or not. If it is possible, then they will provide you with initial sketches of the design. Once you are happy with the initial plans, they will give you detailed drawings that you can use for planning permission.
They cannot only help you with the designs but also with project management. We are also providing these services; a client can go as far as he or she wants. Some of our clients are capable of managing the project, so they only need some advice on the design. Some of them want our help with planning regulations and permission.
On the other hand, some clients want us to manage their whole project. The cost of our services depends on what you want from us. Getting the help of a professional is a good idea because they know how to deal with builders and contractors.
A Coach house is a bit like living in a flat however, most coach houses come with a garden space. If you are interested in coach houses and want to find out more, this blog will be helpful to you.
What is a coach house?
A coach house is best described as a house that is situated above a row of garages or carports. They are a design that may be seen as old. However, they have become popular with landlords who rent out the living space above and the storage space below.
The history of coach houses –
Coach houses were first introduced in England in the 18th century. They were used to store carriages and horses in stables on the ground floor and had living quarters above.
The houses used to be a status symbol as most people couldn’t afford a horse and carriage. Although, when cars became popular people started converting their carriage houses into garages.
Why a coach house is a good choice –
Many people see coach houses a great style of building. They can be seen as a combination between a flat and a detached house. A coach house is also a more affordable option than a detached house in the same area.
Just like a detached property, you wouldn’t have the issue of neighbours on either side of you. So, this is a great home option to if you are either looking to be loud and rambunctious or looking for peace and quiet.
Unlike flats coach houses often come with an outdoor space. This is a major deciding factor for many homeowners.
Are there any downsides?
These houses are known to get cold and difficult to heat, this is due to the fact they are above poorly insulated garages.
You also need to consider the resale value of the property, before you commit to an offer. As, coach houses are more limited than a regular home so they could take longer to sell.
Although, HMO’s can be a great investment there are a range of factors you need to keep in mind. An HMO refusal can be inconvenient and expensive. Councils can refuse to licence HMO’s if the property doesn’t meet certain conditions. Or, if the licence applicant is not a fit and proper person to hold the licence.
Here is a list of common reasons why HMO’s may get refused –
The bedroom sizes are too small –
To avoid refusal, the bedroom sizes in your home must be at least:
4.64 square meters for a child under 10 years old
6.51 square meters for a person 10 years old or over
10.22 square meters for 2 people aged 10 or over
All rooms that are being used as sleeping accommodation must have a ceiling height of at least 2.14 meters over a minimum, of 75% of the room area. If any floor area has a ceiling height less than 1.53 meters, it will be disregarded when calculating room size. The council will also consider the shape of the room and useable living space, to determine whether its suitable.
Too many rooms/changes of use –
When converting your house into an HMO it is important that you use the correct change of use. This is often one of the main reasons they get refused.
Standard houses and flats belong to the use class C3. These are usually occupied by a single household.
Whereas, depending on the number of occupants, an HMO is either use class C4 or sui generis. If the HMO is occupied by 3-6 people is C4. Furthermore, if the HMO has 7 or more occupants, its sui generis.
The area of the HMO –
Before you make any big decisions, you should speak to your local council and planning department and seek advice. You might find out that there are policies restricting HMO’s. If many properties have been converted into HMO’s, you might have a harder time getting permission.
Here are some basic rules to follow –
Inner bedrooms are not acceptable (This is a bedroom which can only be accessed by passing through another room, such as a lounge, kitchen or bedroom.)
No common areas are to be used for sleeping purposes
No one is allowed to sleep in a room without any access to natural light, heating, and ventilation.
So, children, 11 years or older should not share a bedroom with their parents.
First impressions are important to people. So you should create a warm welcome for guests by adding a stylish and functional porch extension to the front of your home.
What Is A Porch Extension?
A porch is a single storey structure. That can be enclosed and projects out from the front of the house.
Designing The Porch –
A porch not just adds an extra bit of storage for shoes, or coats, it can be completely bespoke to suit your needs. A porch also can provide extra security benefits because it creates a barrier between your front door and the outside. Closed porches also are energy efficient because they prevent heat escaping and it saves you a bit on your bills. There are many different porch designs and choices when it comes to building one. Starting from brickwork, front doors, windows, and roof options. However, when you are making these choices, you need to make sure you are integrating the design of your original house.
Planning Permission –
A porch is considered to be permitted development. This means that you do not require an application for planning permission, provided:
The ground floor area would not exceed three square meters
No part would be more than three meters above ground level.
No part of the porch would be within two meters of any boundary of the dwelling house and the highway
You would also need to check if you live in a listed building or a conservation area before you start your project. Prices of a porch extension – The prices of a porch extension can vary depending on what you want to do to the property and if you have a budget. Adding a porch typically costs around £1000-£1,200 per meter square. Installing a porch will very likely increase your home’s value. When it’s time to sell your home, some sources say the average return on investment for a porch addition is around 84%.
Riyadh will officially be the home to the world’s largest modern downtown. The New Murabba is reportedly the size of 20 empire state buildings.
Firstly, the crown prince announced on February 16th the launch of the New Murabba development company. The development will have over 80 entertainment and culture venues, walking trails, an immersive theatre, a new landmark called The Mukaab, “ever-changing, immersive worlds”, and a museum.
The size of the project –
So, the downtown is scheduled to be completed by 2030. The project will cover an area of 19 square kilometres and will have over 25 million square meters of floor area.
New Murabba will accommodate over 100,000 residential units and 9,000 hotel rooms. Additionally, over 300,000 jobs will become available. Furthermore, there will be 1.4 million square meters of office space and 980,000 square meters of retails space.
The Mukaab –
Located at the heart of the futuristic city lies The Mukaab. Which will be one of the largest built structures in world.
The skyscraper will be 400 metres high, 400 metres long, and 400 metres wide, and will be an immersive destination brought to life by digital and virtual technology.
The exterior of the structure will feature a delicately carved geometric pattern as a tribute to the kingdom’s Islamic history. In addition the Mukaab is inspired by modern Najdi architecture.
Also, holographics will also play a key role at the site, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in various environments.
Image Courtesy: New Murabba website
Will this project help the economy?
The crown prince Bin Salman has been trying to remake the country’s economy in a bid to bring in outside industry. Also, diversifying the country’s economy so that it is not so reliant on oil seems like a pretty common-sense idea, given that the world is slowly transitioning to renewables.
Here are some pictures of the New Murabba –
Image Courtesy: New Murabba website
Finally, check out this video of the New Murabba –
Firstly, sustainable architecture is also referred to as green architecture or environmental architecture. It is architecture that seeks to minimise the negative environmental impact of buildings. Through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large.
Why is sustainable architecture so important?
With global warming increasing, it is important to create buildings that decrease the negative effects of carbon use and emissions. This is achieved via materials, construction and internal systems. Building and construction account for more than 35% of global final energy use and for nearly 40% of energy related CO2 emissions.
Material impact and waste –
The goal of sustainable architecture is to create buildings that have low carbon footprint throughout their life cycle.
Every material used contributes significantly to a building’s embodied carbon footprint, as the manufacturing, transport and installation of materials produces greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, green architecture minimises the environmental impact and waste of materials by prioritising recycled and recyclable materials.
Sustainable building features –
Energy efficient
Water efficiency
Green roofs
Stormwater management
Solar power
Recycling
Landscaping
Benefits of sustainable architecture –
Conservation and restoration of natural resources
Reduction in energy consumption and waste
Protection of ecosystems and environmental biodiversity
Improvement of air and water quality
Competitive advantage
Upgrade asset and property values
Reduction in long term costs and dependence on traditional energy sources
Minimises demand on local utility infrastructure
Improve the living conditions, health and comfort of inhabitants
Overcoming challenges –
Finally, it is proven that sustainable architecture benefits everyone, from businesses, individuals, the economy and the environment. However, although there are benefits to sustainable architecture there are also challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the cost. While sustainable building might save you money in the long run, the materials and methods are way more expensive than traditional construction.
In this blog we are going to be taking a look at some of the UKs most popular grade 1 listed buildings. But, before we ger started, what is a grade 1 listed building? If a building is listed grade 1, this is because the site is of exceptional national, architectural or historical importance. There are over 9,000 grade 1 listed buildings in England, and the city of London contains 589 of these buildings. Furthermore, here are some of the most popular ones –
Buckingham Palace (London) –
Firstly, let’s start with one of the most iconic and popular landmarks un the UK. During the second world war, which broke out in 1939, the palace was bombed 9 times. The most serious incident destroyed the palaces chapel in 1940. After that, the palace was designated a grade 1 listed building in 1970, protected for many future generations to admire.
Andrew Holt / Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Admiralty Arch (London) –
Admiralty Arch located at the end of the mall, was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria. It was designed by Aston Webb, is now a Grade I listed building. In addition, in 2012, the government sold the building for £60m, for a proposed development of a luxury hotel.
Image: iStock
Spencer House (London) –
Spencer House is a historic town house in the St James area of Westminster. The house is Grade 1 listed on the National Heritage List for England. In 1758 Spencer House was designed to have authentic Greek details in the internal decoration, and it became one of the first examples in London of the neoclassical style.
Finally, the houses of parliament were first classed as a grade 1 listed building in 1970. Sir Charles Barry the architect of the Palace of Westminster uses the perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular in the 15th century.
Passive house design is an alternative to regular heating. Instead of having a boiler and radiators, they use a special ventilation system and effective insulation. Read on to find out more about passive house standards
What is a passive house?
A passive house is a design standard that is energy efficient, comfortable, affordable and ecological all at the same time. The houses attain thermal comfort with minimal heating and cooling. They achieve this by using insulation, appropriate windows and doors, airtightness, elimination of thermal bridges and ventilation systems with heat recovery.
Who invented the passive house?
The idea of the house was created by researchers in Germany however, they were originally called passivhaus. It all started with early conversations in the 1980s, led by academics Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist. Later, their concept was further developed through a number of research projects.
What are the requirements for passive houses?
To achieve the passive house standard, you must meet several criteria, such as:
Airtightness – these houses are very airtight and shouldn’t have no more than 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals pf pressure.
Space heating – The energy demand for space heating must not exceed 15 kWh/m2 of living space per year or 10W/m2 at peak demand. This contrasts with the 100W/m2 needed in a typical house.
Thermal comfort – Living areas should be comfortable all year round, with no more than 10% of the hours in a given year exceeding 25°C.
Primary energy – Total energy needed for all domestic applications (heating, hot water and domestic electricity) must not exceed 60 kWh/m2of living space per year.
Are passive houses expensive?
Passive buildings don’t require the expensive heating or cooling systems of conventional buildings. This means even though the buildings require high quality materials they are still affordable. Also, they make for a great investment because you save long term on energy bills.
Advantages –
Affordability
Lower heating costs
Energy saving
More durable buildings
Disadvantages –
Boxy and ugly – although there are many benefits of passive houses, many people think the homes look boxy and ugly. This is because it relates to the total surface area of all of the external walls (the Heat Loss Area) divided by the total floor area. A lower number means there’s less surface area for heat to escape.
They don’t add value when resold – one of the main reasons that people don’t buy passive houses in the UK is because they don’t add much value. The owners usually live in them for the rest of their lives.
These homes don’t fit in every location – it must be constructed in a location that allows uninterrupted sunshine to reach the south side of the home. In some big cities, this might be a problem.
Noise concerns – because they are airtight noise can’t enter or leave a passive house. tiny noises will be audible throughout the entire building.
Converting your bungalow by extending upwards or adding another storey is a great way to add lots of space at an affordable price. If you have a larger property you may be able to extend the back and the side of the property.
Converting the loft –
You can extend upward. There are four main types of loft conversions that can be suited for bungalows. They are a dormer loft conversion, a hip to gable conversion, a Velux conversion, or a mansard loft conversion. Before you decide on what conversion you like you should get advice on the best type of conversion for your bungalow, depending on its existing structure.
Most bungalow loft conversions don’t require planning permission and it comes under permitted development. As long as they meet some key conditions:
Firtsly, if your bungalow is in a conservation area or an area of outstanding natural beauty then you will need to apply for planning permission.
Secondly, you’re not allowed to raise the height of the roof
On the main elevation facing the highway, you’re not allowed to construct dormers or anything that projects out of the roof.
No balconies or raised platforms are permitted
Finally, materials must be similar in appearance to the existing bungalow
One of the big attractions of converting a bungalow loft is that it is usually a lot cheaper than a conversion in a regular home. A simple conversion would likely cost around £20,000 to £25,000 for a standard bedroom. Whereas, if you want to add dormer windows and an En suite the prices could be around £40,00. The most a loft conversion could cost with everything included could be around £65,000.
A typical bungalow loft conversion can take about 6 to 8 weeks. Although if you have to apply for planning permission you would need to add a couple of months to the timescale.
Bungalow Extension –
You do not need planning permission for an extension if you build within your permitted development rights. Without planning permission, you can build up to 6 meters or 8 depending on if your house is detached. The average single-storey bungalow extension cost is around £1875 per meter square.
Homeowners in the UK could add up to £100,000 to the value of their homes by converting their property.
