Should you consider a kitchen extension?
by
Checkatrade

Family growing, space getting tight? If that was the situation fifteen years ago, young families would have been scanning estate agents windows for a new larger home. Today, many families with young children don’t want the upheaval and high cost of agents commission, solicitors fees, removal charges, stamp duty, and the stress and financial uncertainty incurred when moving home. Instead, they start looking at home extensions. Of all the improvement works that can be undertaken on a home, a kitchen extension is probably the most popular.

Kitchen extension ideas.

For most modern families, the kitchen is the hub of the household. It’s not just somewhere meals are prepared. It’s a place where much of the day to day running of the family home takes place, from food preparation, the washing, ironing, kids in and out of the garden, and a place where friends congregate for a morning coffee. This lively hub is a place that should feel warm and welcoming, and the addition of an extension can make all of these things much more comfortable.

A professionally built kitchen extension will significantly increase the value of your home, often in excess of the cost of construction, which means that the extension will pay for itself over time!

Small kitchen extension ideas.

For those in smaller properties, extending the kitchen can be an absolute godsend. However, the matter of having enough space to extend into is still something which needs to be considered. For those in terraced homes, this may seem impossible. Yet, depending on the style of your property, there are many options available for small kitchen extension ideas which you might not have even considered.

A kitchen is traditionally placed at the back of the property. So one common simple extension, which doesn’t alter too much of the property structure and utilises minimal outside space, is a strip extension which could be added across the back of the house, allowing both the kitchen and dining room (if present) to be extended.

Opening up the walls

If outside space is limited, and the possibility of extending your kitchen into the garden is not an option, then creating an open-plan space may be the solution. For homes with small kitchens and separate dining rooms, the simple act of knocking the wall down between the two spaces and providing one open-plan space can offer a range of benefits. From offering you a little more space, allowing more opportunities to arrange the room in a way that suits your needs and providing you with a more social area to embrace the hub of the home; the options are endless.

Conservatory kitchen extension ideas

Adding a conservatory to your home can be another excellent way of opening up the space available in your home and providing you with a new room. With modern technological advances have improved the thermal quality of conservatories over time, they are now able to be used all year round. By adding a conservatory which leads from your kitchen, you can not only expand the space you have available but also allow in far more light than ever before.

Kitchen diner extension ideas

Depending on the space available, (and local planning regulations), you can add a side extension to increase your kitchen area and transform it into a kitchen diner. For homes without an existing dining area, this is the perfect solution. If you are looking for as much extra living space as possible, why not consider the installation of a two-storey extension which will not only provide additional space for your kitchen, but also upstairs in your bedroom, bathroom, or home office extension, to make the most of any available ground space. If you can’t go out – go up.

Kitchen-living extension ideas.

Family life has become almost unrecognisable to what was considered family life fifty or sixty years ago. Back in the day, the kitchen was for cooking and household chores, the dining room for family meals, and the living room for the family to relax watch television or play games. The dining room and living room were where the family spent time together.

Nowadays, in many families, both parents work different shifts or flexy hours, and the kids come and go as they please, or as out-of-hours school activities, and clubs predict. Family members often have to eat at different times, and trying to get everyone in the same place at the same time, is a work in progress. Well thought out kitchen living extension ideas can often help increase the time family’s spend together.

The inclusion of a breakfast bar or breakfast isle in the kitchen extension offers greater opportunities for family members to spend time together, as does converting the kitchen and dining room into a kitchen diner. Think through exactly what you want from your kitchen extension, sketch a few plan ideas you may have – and then seek professional advice.

Planning permission.

The need for planning permission for all home improvements was heavily relaxed some years ago by local councils. Nonetheless, several restrictions still apply where you do require planning permission. To avoid any confusion, visit the council offices and ask to speak to a planning officer.

Based on your property type and size, the amount of available space, and the type and size of the extension you envisage, they will be able to tell you what you can and can’t do without needing planning permission. That said, even if planning permission isn’t required, the extension work will still be subject to the latest building and materials regulations.