5 Ideas for Your House Extension Decide what you need in terms of use and space. Planning and preparation will help you get the most out of any house extension project. Because you don’t get a second bite of the cherry, it is important to be as clear as you can about what you are trying to achieve. Your most vital contribution is deciding what you want from your home. Only you can do this and it is an essential starting and finishing point. The professionals involved can help with this and will often take a lead role in other matters like design, layout, finishes, material-types, orientation, budget, etc. Take the time to put down your requirements on paper. We have prepared a document which will help you complete a brief and it is free to download here – home extension brief. Don’t forget the existing living areas Many people think the additional space gained is restricted to the footprint of the new home extension. However, by careful consideration of how the new living space is incorporated into the existing areas, a house can be transformed and new areas can be created from the existing footprint. Even when the dividing wall between two existing rooms is taken down to create one larger space, the effect can be dramatic. Another consideration is how the new house extension will affect the existing rooms of the house, in particular the retention of a sufficient amount of natural light is a recurring issue. Good Design It is amazing the difference good design will make to your house extension and to your home. After standing in thousands of properties and looking up and down the rows of gardens, it is easy to tell which extensions have had design input and the ones that have little or none. The reality is that many house extensions are considered too small to warrant or afford the full services of an architect. That is why we offer our Architectural Design Service, which gives design input at an affordable cost. Given the importance of getting it right, you can’t afford not to have design input. There are a number of big design decisions such as location of the extension, roof styles, external finishes, windows, doors, rooflights, internal finishes, integration with the existing house, relationship between the house and the garden, etc. People have become much more aware of the importance of orientation and light, so it deserves a special mention here. The detailing of the elevations (walls) and the choice and position of the windows, doors and rooflights will determine how successfully you optimise the orientation and natural light. Don’t despair if you are North facing, good design can still ensure plenty of natural light. Future Proof Your House Extension The term “Future-Proof” is normally associated with thermal performance, insulation specification, U-Values, sustainable materials, etc. and we certainly include that when we suggest you “Future Proof Your Home Extension”. Comprehensive Future- Proofing must also: Add value to your home in the event of a sale. Ensure the design caters for further development if required later. Be able to cater for the changing needs of the family. Value for Money A house extension is a very significant investment, so value for money is essential. This shouldn’t mean cutting back on important items or using cheap materials. As you will live with your decisions for a long time, it is worth making good ones and cutting back on important items is a false economy. Value for money involves getting a quality product and service at a competitive price. You really want to avoid the saying, “you buy cheap, you buy twice”, as you don’t really get a second chance on a building project. Bad workmanship, failure to work to specifications, poorly dug foundations, badly insulated walls, cheap, ill-fitted windows and bad junction details cost an awful lot more to remedy than to do it right the first time.

Top Tips from JB Architectural Services Appointing an Architectural Technician/Architect Involving an Architectural Technician/Architect early on in a project can actually save you time and money. They will offer you a range of options and discuss with you the most economic and appropriate design for your requirements. Even on small projects, such as a kitchen extension or an attic conversion, working with an architect can make a big difference, as they will find solutions that will realise the full potential of your home. Discuss what qualities are you looking for in an Architectural Technician/Architect? Are there examples of extensions and buildings that you like? Ask to see examples of existing work the architect has completed. Identify who will be the primary contact with the Architectural Technician/Architect, contractor, and others involved in designing and building your project. It is good to have one point of contact to prevent confusion and mixed messages. Now is a good time to get planning permission. It lasts for five years, and means that you will not get lost in the glut of applications that will swamp the planning system when the upturn takes place. Developing a Brief (your list of requirements) What do you want to achieve with this project? Why do you want to build, extend or renovate? Describe your current home. What do you like about it? What's missing? What don't you like? Do you want to change the space you have? What do you envisage in your extended or renovated home that your present home lacks? What functions / activities will be housed in a new space? What is your lifestyle and what kind of spaces do you need? For example, are you at home a great deal? Do you work at home? Do you entertain often? How much time do you spend in the living areas, bedroom, kitchen, study, utility space, garden? How much time and energy are you willing to invest to maintain your home? Do you have strong ideas about design and materials? What do you think the extension or renovation should look like? How much can you realistically afford to spend? How much disruption in your life can you tolerate to extend or renovate your home? How soon would you like to be settled into your new home or extension? Are there rigid time restraints? Is there anyone in the family with a disability or do you envisage staying in the house for a long time so that the mobility problems of aging may need to be addressed? First floor rooms can be more than just bedrooms. Using a bright upstairs room in winter might be just the thing to help you through dark days. Design and Energy Efficiency Energy efficiency is considered an integral part of any extension and refurbishment. Do you have any specific requests, for example for using energy from renewable sources (solar hot water, wood pellets etc)? Insulating external or internal walls for better thermal performance – your Architectural Technician/Architect will advise on the best option and on any planning requirements Upgrading of windows to improve the thermal performance and reduce heat loss, also known as U-values. For example, upgrading an existing sunroom or conservatory with triple glazing can ensure that it can be used all-year-round. Improving the air-tightness of your home to avoid unwanted air leaks. Commonly a door-blower test is used to identify air leaks. Fitting of renewable energy sources such as solar collectors for hot water, wood pellet boilers or heat pumps. As these are expensive additions, your architect will advise on the payback implications. Remodelling your home for better orientation to benefit from light. Your architect may recommend changes to the layout or opening up a south-facing wall to benefit from sunlight, also known as passive solar gain. Insulate your attic. This can reduce bills and make your home more comfortable to live in. It pays for itself within two years. Fit another lagging jacket over your hot water cylinder to half the heat loss for minimal expense. Furniture and Finishes Get extra high kitchen wall cabinets, wardrobes and shelves that extend up to your ceiling. You gain additional shelving, it looks impressive and you reduce visible clutter. Be selective in your use of colour – lighter, unified colour schemes maximise the sense of space as well as light. The floor and furnishings can be a good source of colour. Use up-lighters and floor lights in preference to traditional down-lighters, and reduce wattage to create a more pleasant ambience.

House Extensions – 12 Tips on Extending your Home 1. Firstly, if you are planning on extending your home because you are looking to increase it’s value on the property market, then you really need to talk to an estate agent. An informed estate agent will be able to tell you what a potential buyer on the market will be looking for in a house. 2. if your garden space will be decreased because of the planned extension then you will need to factor this in if you plan on selling down the road. A big house with little or no garden will be a hindrance to some buyers. 3. An extension is a lot cheaper than moving or building a new house, but the cost of building the extension is greater per square foot. The reason for this is due to it being a smaller and therefore less profitable job for the builder. There are also a lot more obstacles to get around. 4. In Ireland, building an extension or indeed making any other significant changes to your house may require that you get planning permission. You must be certain you have the right permission before you start, otherwise it can result in severe fines or even imprisonment. The best way to go about finding this information out initially is to talk with your local authority on the matter. 5. Hire a professional. This is one step that is absolutely crucial if you want top quality results on your extension. This may be an expensive short term step to take, but a top architectural technician can save you money from long term mistakes and bad workmanship and he/she will also sort out the planning permission side of things for you. Before you choose your architectural technician, make sure you talk to a number of them in advance and not only to compare price but to get as much advice as you can and see who you would get on best with. If you have a good idea of what you need in advance it will save you money as the architect won’t have to do as many revisions on the plans so sketch out something on paper if you have an idea of what you want. 6. Have some idea of a budget that you want to spend on the extension. This is to make sure that you don’t face any nasty surprises half way through. Get a number of quotes and never choose a builder just because he’s given you the cheapest quote. More often than not, you will get what you paid for. Always allow for roughly 10% more than you’ve budgeted for as unforeseen expenses always pop up. Make sure that you know if the prices you got for the job are inclusive or exclusive of VAT. You don’t want to get any surprise at the end that there is VAT to be added on to the price. 7. Get references, qualifications and insurance details from each contractor who quotes for the job. Make sure you have a building contract drawn up between you and the contractor so that there is no confusion on what has to be done. The building contract should describe everything about the extension including the exact specification of the work to be done, materials to be used, stage payments and timescale etc. 8. It’s worth bearing in mind that you may also need to rent alternative accommodation while the extension is underway, and this in itself should be factored into your overall budget. A typical house extension, depending on the size can realistically take anywhere from four to six months from start to finish. In Ireland, nothing rarely gets completed in two months! 9. Make sure you use the best electrical and plumbing fixtures and fittings that you can afford. This doesn’t mean getting the fanciest fixtures and fittings that you can find but the most reliable. A good plumber or electrician can advise you on what to choose. A number of years ago I got caught myself by putting in Victorian style taps into an old cottage to retain it’s character but unfortunately although these taps were twice the price of standard taps they gave terrible trouble and eventually I ended up replacing them with standard taps. 10. Before you go extending, have a chat with your neighbours about it. Make sure they don’t have any problems with your project. You would be surprised the amount of times neighbours become irritated during a renovation, simply because they weren’t informed about it. This problem can be avoided by a simple chat prior to work commencing. 11. You may not realise it, but an extension could significantly reduce the amount of natural light entering the house. Try and utilise the light so that this doesn’t play a part. One tip is to use velux windows rather than the standard vertical ones, as they let in more light. 12. Make sure to have an independent certifier sign off on each stage of the build. Only pay for each stage as it’s signed off by the certifier. Consider using an escrow payment facility to manage the payments and to safeguard both you and the contractor.

Home Renovation Incentive The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) scheme enables homeowners or landlords to claim tax relief on repairs, renovations or improvement work that is carried out on their main home or rental property by tax-compliant contractors and that is subject to 13.5% VAT. In order to qualify for the HRI, the work must be done between 25 October 2013 and 31 December 2016 for homeowners and between 15 October 2014 and 31 December 2016 for landlords. The HRI is paid in the form of a tax credit at 13.5% of qualifying expenditure, which can be set against your income tax over 2 years. This effectively reduces the rate of VAT to zero on qualifying work, up to a value of €30,000.

Sample Projects

Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability A housing adaptation grant is available where changes need to be made to a home to make it suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or mental health difficulty to live in. The grant can help you to make changes and adaptations to your home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or a stair-lift. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included, but only under certain conditions. If you only require minor work, you can apply for the means-tested Mobility Aids Grant Scheme instead. These 2 schemes (and the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme) are administered by local authorities, under the Housing (Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability) Regulations 2007, which were amended by new Regulations in 2014. VAT refunds are available on aids and appliances used by people with disabilities. This refund scheme also applies to the cost of installation and adaptation work.

I am offering to conduct your project on No Win–No Fee terms, my fees are waived, and a specified fee is payable ONLY when I secure planning permission for you. So you will pay me NO FEE for our time and expertise unless we WIN your planning permission. Our NO WIN–NO FEE terms can therefore remove the biggest cost risk for our clients, who can then pursue planning permissions for residential and all other kinds of valuable development secure in the knowledge that they will pay our fee ONLY for success – and will then pay it from profits that we have made for them by winning value-enhancing planning permission for their land at our risk - so don't delay and call now to discuss your project!

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JB Architectural Services