Thoughts on proposed extension

last year

Please help! We were finding it really difficult to get builders to quote without drawings but didn’t want to get drawings if we couldn’t afford the build… in the end we went with a company that provide drawings but they drew exactly what I asked for without offering any feedback, insight or professional opinions. The extension will mean we are in our house for at least another 10 to 15 years rather than a few but with costs rising it is feeling scarier and scarier to commit! We are soon welcoming our third little boy to the family too with our eldest turning 4 and our soon to be middle man just turned 2 so we are a growing family of 5. While the boys are little they can share bedrooms but this plan gives everyone their own room and much wanted extra bathrooms. I’ve looked through the plans and my main worries are:

will the utility be too narrow?
will we have space for coats and shoes in what is the current downstairs WC
is the new en-suite and dressing room too small? Are they worth doing?
will the end of the kitchen have enough light?

I feel like these are questions for an architect but do I get an architect although the drawings are done? Sorry for the floundering message. I’d just love some views/opinions from people that have taken on jobs like this. We are a three bed semi and right now our neighbours are amazing but are we crazy spending so much when all could change with bad ones? Ah! I’m just going in circles 😩🙈

Thank you in advance if you read this far and for any pearls of wisdom out there.

Featured Answer

Jonathan

last year

I think you are too eager to press ahead with planning permission on a design you are not sold on and I although I see the financial argument of not moving the kitchen it is a shame to not future proof the kitchen for years to come by moving it to stop it becoming a corridor.

So I offer an alternative

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Comments (7)

Lorraine
last year
Hi Neeta, I can feel your dizzied brain oozing out of your message, I will do my best to give you the confidence to move past your ‘chicken and egg’ stalemate.

My first piece of advice is to sit down and fill your mind with everything you love and value about your home. There is priceless value in this heart-felt instinct that can’t be measured in pounds and pence. Having a place that you, as a family, feel you belong is a precious gift. Let that realisation sing to you and strengthen your resolve. It may feel existential and intangible in reasoning, but it is very relevant. It’s your ticket to long term happiness and is worth fighting to hold on to.

So, getting down to the nitty-gritty, is it worth bringing in an architect at this stage?

Hiring an architect of proven ability will never be a waste of money. Not only are you investing in a bespoke design that is tailored to give you a happier family life, it is also insurance against expensive and unnecessary mistakes, or worse still mistakes you have to live with indefinitely. Architects train for years to get this stuff right. By short cutting them out of the process you are robbing yourself of the opportunity to get the best return of outcomes for your investment which by-the-way will be substantial regardless. If funds are an issue don’t forget that it is possible to do work in phases. Consider doing the ground floor first, an investment that will have immediate benefit to the welfare and happiness of the household and then take on the bedrooms later when the necessity for the extra rooms come into play. An architect can plan a project around this intention, and you can be assured of achieving everything you want without compromise to the integrity of the design.

It’s hard to comment on the specifics of the plans you have come up with so far as they are not at a high enough resolution to see exactly what’s going on, but in a way, I think they are a distraction from what you should be doing, causing you to obsess over details that an architect could iron out as part of process.

Hopefully they have been successful in reassuring you of the overall financial feasibility of the project which was your intention. Now it is time to trust in the next phase of the design process. It is of course possible that your drawings contain some ideas that will be brought forward into the final design, but the important thing is that you don’t handicap your architect by insisting upon it. Instead use all the insights you have gained so far to shape their approach and understanding of your needs. Lastly be clear about your budget. Knowing how much you can spend will get your conversations off to the right start as sometimes shortfalls can be mitigated with some innovative thinking. A design proposal that is out of your financial reach will not serve to forward the interests of either party.

Okay, well I’m going to shut up now, good luck, I hope I have helped you unpick your conundrum.

L
Neeta S thanked Lorraine
Susy Q
last year
The one thing I would add is check what is likely to get through planning in your area- we went through 4 designs before getting one approved
Neeta S thanked Susy Q
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Jonathan
last year
I echo the earlier point that creative input could work wonders.

I wonder if the new plan downstairs plan leaves you with two reception room that would be underused and perhaps you would consider opening up to at least the back reception.

And although I have no doubt that the stairs will be impressive I wonder if relocating them to the side extension would help to get a better upstairs solving the problems of oversized bathroom, undersized master suite and side facing bedroom with likely obscured glass windows. A new position of stairs could also help add a front facing reception near the front door which could add value (rather than the planned small side spaces which may not be valued by the next people).
Neeta S thanked Jonathan
Neeta S
Original Author
last year
Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really really appreciate the kind words and pearls of wisdom.

Lorraine, you’re right about me feeling dizzy with it all but also to think about my heart and how it feels about our home.

Suzy, we are currently waiting for permission to come through and I think it’s in line with what other houses on the street have done so just waiting to see what happens. Or at least the external work that has been done.

Jonathan, I have wondered about a space being underused too but I think when my three boys are in their teens more space won’t be a bad option. At the moment the front reception is used as an occasional guest room/ working from home space and no toys allowed zone where we sit in the evening. The back reception will become a family living and playroom. I’d love to open up the back reception and go totally open plan but we had a new kitchen put in just two years ago so are trying not to affect that which may be a silly decision.

I think I’ll look for a consultation with an architect on the current plans but bare in mind what has been said about stifling their ideas with a preconceived plan. We have a builder booked for March so I’m feeligg by quite overwhelmed and also don’t want to lose our booking.

Thank you again so much.
Neeta S
Original Author
last year
Hi Jonathan, thank you so much for taking the time to share these ideas. unfortunately this would be out of our price range as it looks like every room is being altered (i absolu love the layout though - I can see the longecvity in it especially the grandparent suite). our current kitchen is wide and doesnt feel like a corridor at all but i think we will look at knocking the wall betweeen that and the existing dining room to create a more open feel. you are right, im very keen to just get going and perhaps that will be at the expense of getting it right so thanks for making me stop and think properly.
Neeta S
Original Author
last year
Sorry for so many typos!

Thoughts on proposed extension

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