10 Things to consider when extending your home - PART 1
/If you are thinking about gaining space by extending your home you may feel overwhelmed with all the things you need to consider.
Use our guide to make sure you’ve got it covered!
1 Don’t render your previous space redundant!
Get used to the idea of the two spaces being combined and so avoid the trap of creating nothing more than a corridor out of the old space. Think about what it could be used for and how it can be combined with the new space. Remember, you won’t suddenly be doing drastically different things in the new space, you will still be cooking, eating, playing, sitting, talking, watching.Think about the space as a whole but allocate areas for these tasks, including what was the ‘old space’.
2 It’s a whole big space but…
There will be features that lend themselves to zoning - whether this is apparent before or after the planning and installation. Some things happen by a plan on paper for example, where the drainage will be or the best location of a cooker, a potential location for a kitchen island and so a plan for a skylight over it. On the other hand some things are more subtle and by being aware of them you can really enhance your experience of the space; A lower supporting beam suggesting a cosier spot, that one place where you can see everything that’s going on, the nice spot where the light catches in the evening and you can watch the garden, the acoustics in that particular corner, the bit that's just good to lean on.
3 Embrace negative space!
A good friend of mine has a simple way of living. She isn't a minimalist, she just doesn't have excess stuff. In her apartment you can see where the walls meet the floor; there aren’t baskets, bits of furniture or shoe racks side by side along every wall. It’s pleasant and restful for the eye.
This negative, or empty, space is the space not taken up by anything, be it art, furniture, or stuff, and it’s incredibly important! Negative space gives your eyes and mind space to breath and it’s what enhances and enriches the quality of space. Being generous when it comes to allocating negative space can make your room feel much bigger. So don’t neglect this negative space. If it’s well considered it enhances the space and is as important as the room itself. If you put too much into the space it will feel small and cramped. Carefully curated collections and mementos work well, but balance this with breathing space to avoid creating a feeling of claustrophobia. So….
4 Remember why you needed the space
Before you decided to do this did you feel like the house was too full? Did you have too much stuff? You probably wished for more space and better storage.
So now that you have it, don’t over stuff it!
We know that people are prone to fill up whatever size of home they have with possessions. Try to avoid doing this by having a regular clear out, assigning everything a specific and logical place, and thinking about why it didn’t work for you before. It wasn’t maybe too much stuff as too little storage, or maybe it WAS too much stuff and you have a tendency to fill whatever storage is viable, no matter how well planned. A new extension on your home isn’t going to solve all your problems but it can drastically improve the quality of your home and if you live more simply you might even get to enjoy it!
5 Think about visual lines from different work spots
If you cook a lot, or even a little, you can enhance the experience and make it so much more enjoyable and fulfilling if you have a good environment. Open plan living is popular for many reasons but one main one is that you can feel part of what's going on when you are in the kitchen. Can you see the dining area from the proposed kitchen site? Are you able to enjoy a view of the garden when standing at the stove, island or sink? Can you see the sky through a skylight of picture window? Can you see who is at the front door? Are you able to keep an eye on the kids? It would be unlikely that a space can fulfil every expectation or answer every question for you. Think about what matters to you and your family. Consider what your original vision was and how it made you feel.
Thanks for reading Part 1 of this post! Click here for Part 2