Has anyone regretted an extension?

[Mnusernc]

Hello, trying to decide whether to go out over a downstairs extension ( or rebuild as necessary) to give an extra bedroom. We could cope without, by using a downstairs study as a bedroom, but upstairs would be preferable. We need to decide soon as the kitchen needs doing, and once that's done we won't touch the house again for a v long time.
Just wondering if anyone went for it and regretted, or didn't go for it and wished they had.
Thanks

Not quite your question, but we removed a downstairs extension - we didn’t need that room - it was a full-width extension onto the kitchen. We wanted a bigger garden.

Ours takes up too much garden and throws shade …. Could have been a metre shorter and would have been more in proportion. But don’t regret the extension. Architect said it should have been shorter.

Can’t imagine how we lived without our extension. The kitchen is 12ft longer and so is the lounge. We also got a downstairs loo and shower. We also converted the loft into two bedrooms with a box room and shower room. the house is so much bigger and more comfortable. I should say that we still have a very large garden but it would have been worth it anyway.

As a buyer I'd much prefer all bedrooms to be upstairs, and many others would too, so when you eventually come to sell, the house will be more attractive.

In my area, every additional (upstairs) bedroom adds another £100k to the base price of a 3 bedroom semi!

Thanks all, really appreciate the comments.

@BadAtMaths2 thanks that's a good consideration. We wouldn't increase the footprint as our garden is small already.

@Starseeking this is what I'm thinking.

The house is much larger downstairs so could take an extra room. We plan to be here a long time but I think I might get itchy feet if we don't move. Even if total cost inc kitchen redo was 100k, I think it would hold the value. Plus to move, the ones I like are 400k more expensive!

As a buyer I'd much prefer all bedrooms to be upstairs, and many others would too, so when you eventually come to sell, the house will be more attractive.

People in middle/old age would do well to plan ahead, for living downstairs eventually - have a room, capable of being a bedroom; and a bathroom downstairs! MIL like many other women, per threads on Elderly Parents can’t cope with stairs (after breaking her hip) and has to have a bed in the dining room, and a strip wash in the kitchen sink! There is no downstairs toilet, never mind bathroom, so she has to pay for carers to empty the commode in the dining room, twice a day! We do not want to end up like that!

The OP already has a downstairs study, which could be used as a bedroom.

I'm guessing OP already has a downstairs loo, and I'd agree with you and absolutely convert that into a shower room (which isn't particularly expensive to do), then you're sorted for old age as well as making the house more attractive upstairs from a future sales perspective.

Hi, yes we already have a decent sized study downstairs and a shower room so could totally make do. Although if we did extend we would be going out over the roof of the existing extension so we wouldn't be losing any space.

I guess the only downside (apart from the disruption) is the money. It wouldn't be wasted as it would add the equivalent value to the house, but as we don't really plan to move before the mortgage ends then we would likely just pay it all off eventually.