Do you need more room at home but aren’t in a position to move house? Then a house extension may be the perfect solution that you’ve been looking for. Not only can an extension give you the vital additional space you and your family need but it can also add value to your property. So, here, we give you an overview of how much a home extension is likely to cost.
Why Should I Add An Extension To My Home?
Adding a home extension is a great way to make one of your existing rooms larger, or to add a whole new room to your home so your family has sufficient space to stretch out and grow. In the majority of cases, a home extension will be cheaper than the cost of relocating to another property, particularly when you take stamp duty, removal costs, and legal fees into account, and even better, home extensions can add up to 20% to the value of your property.
A home extension is also the ideal solution if you like your home’s current location and are keen to avoid the stress and hassle of a move.
Different Kinds Of Home Extensions
You can extend a property in several different ways. Some of the most common include:
- Multi-storey extensions
- Single-storey extensions
- Kitchen extensions
- Bathroom extensions
- Garage conversions
- Loft conversions
- Basement extensions
Which Factors Affect Home Extension Costs
Building an extension onto your property is a complex task with many associated costs, and there are a number of factors that will affect the overall price. These include:
- Extension size – the highest costs involved in extending a property are almost always the build costs (labour and materials). A smaller and less complex extension will be cheaper than a large, complicated one.
- Home location – builders in certain areas such as London usually charge higher amounts.
- Ease of access – your builders will require access to your worksite to get their machinery and tools into place. If it’s difficult to access your property, you’ll need to pay more to facilitate this.
- Quality of extension – depending on which materials are used, the build’s complexity and the contractor’s skill, your home extension will vary in quality. A higher quality extension will cost more.
- Planning permission – not every extension requires planning permission, but if yours does, it’s another cost to keep in mind.
- Architect services – hiring an architect can help to streamline your extension project but their fees are another cost to factor into the equation.
- Fittings and finishings – the way you’re planning to furnish and finish your new space will also need to be added into the total cost.
- Groundworks – your extension needs to be structurally strong and groundworks can involve additional costs if tree roots require removal, drains have to be moved, or your soil type requires a specific building approach.
- Insurance – it’s imperative to inform your home insurers about the planned works before they begin, and this will probably cause your premium to go up.
- Doors and windows – fittings doors and windows into your extension is another cost that needs to be included in the overall price.
- Decorating – the final element to consider is the type of home décor you’re choosing for your new extension.
Costs By Extension Type
You may want your contractors to tackle your entire project or you may be happy to deal with some of the elements such as plastering and stud work yourself to save money. The more work the contractor carries out for you, the higher the costs will be. If you only want an extension shell – just the external build of the foundations, walls, and roof – you can expect to pay about £1000 – £1500 per square metre.
On the other hand, a full extension that comprises an entire living space with utilities, internal walls, glazing, flooring, and doors, will cost between £1800 and £2600 per square metre.
Another popular type of extension is a loft conversion. While this extension doesn’t involve an actual extending of the space, it does involve making the loft fit for living in and there are also extra costs associated with working at height. A loft conversion will cost you around £37500 to £60000 for a space measuring 30 square metres.
More people are investing in basement extensions in the UK, and while these are more costly, they’re a good way of boosting your property value, especially in areas where space is restricted.
This type of extension involves costly groundworks including the moving of tree roots and pipes, and the work is quite specialised, limiting the possibilities for DIY work. You can expect to pay between £100,000 and £160,000 for a basement extension.
Can I Save Money On My Extension?
You can reduce your extension construction costs in several ways. Some ways to do this include:
- Project managing your build yourself – builders add up to 25% to the cost of materials and labour for managing your project so you can save money by doing this job yourself. However, this involves a lot of hard work including being prepared to deal with directing onsite work yourself, liaising with the architect and working with the planning authorities as well as sourcing all materials and reliable tradespeople.
- Doing preparation work for the architect yourself – while using the services of an architect is vital, you can cut your billable time by preparing the plan that they can work from yourself.
- Submitting your own planning application.
- Choosing a rectangular or square footprint for your extension and opting for a pitched roof will also reduce your costs.
- Consider reusing, recycling, and repairing instead of spending money on new fittings and fixtures.
Although building an extension is a great way to increase your available living space it’s important to take all of the applicable costs fully into account before you make a final decision and consider ways in which you can save money if necessary so that you can complete your project on budget and on time.