Whether you have a large or small home, the chances are you’ve utilised the space to capacity and desire more room to live. This could be to have a home office, more storage capacity, a workshop, or even a gym. You can make a home feel larger by reconfiguring existing rooms, knocking through walls, or extending your square footage. If you need some inspiration, take a look at the following four ways to add living space to your home.
Garage Conversion
A garage conversion is a fantastic way to increase the living space, especially if it’s not serving a purpose. You can turn your garage into anything including a spare bedroom, an office, a gym, or a workshop. Depending on your current garage setup, you will need to think carefully about adding electricals. For successful garage conversions, we suggest relying on the West Yorkshire Garages Conversion Company, which can be found here: https://wygarageconversions.co.uk.
Extend Upwards
If you need a substantial amount of new living space, because you’re increasing the size of your family, you should consider adding a second floor before investing in a completely different property. Extending upwards has the potential to double your home’s interior square footage, and it will add plenty of value to your property.
In the UK, you can add a floor under permitted development as long as the current house meets these terms:
- This is the property’s first floor extension
- The property’s purpose wasn’t altered to become residential
- The house was built between July 1984 and October 2018
- There are no flats inside
- The property is not listed, standing on land of scientific interest, or Article 2(3) land
There are some other limitations regarding a permitted development project, but you can read through these by following this link.
Minimal Extension
Adding an extra floor is a costly project, which is why you might choose to implement a minimal extension. For example, if you have enough space to the rear of your property, you may consider adding a conservatory to your home, which can act as a breakfast nook for the kitchen. Again, you won’t need to apply for planning permissions to change your home this way.
Convert an Attic
Instead of adding a new floor, why not make use of the one already there – the attic? Many attics in the UK are unfinished, but there’s nothing to stop you from consulting a professional and turning it into a living area. Your attic can become anything from a bedroom to an office to a home studio. When you finish your attic, you will need to make sure it meets all building regulations, which you can find here.
There are many ways to make your home feel larger, but you’ll eventually gravitate towards the idea of increasing your square footage. You have no reason to hesitate, just set a budget and get planning your next project – it’s not like you need to secure planning permission