Anyone know anything about roofs? Bungalow extension

[Blackfluffycats]

We want to put an extension on our bungalow but the architects are saying we will have to remove part of the roof which is obviously going to be costly. Is this definitely the only way? It’s ugly too!

I’m not a roofing expect, but when we put our extension on our bungalow we had roof lantern. As well as bringing in lots of extra light I like the aesthetic of them.

Yes this is what we wanted! They are saying they can’t connect it all together though without removing a lot of the existing roof 😫

Well the obvious thing to do would be extend from the roof shown on the left. But instead the design has the extension over to the left of that roof so of course it would have to be removed. Can you place the extension further over to the right? It would be pretty close to the existing "leg".

Flat roofs are cheaper than a proper roof, do you think that's why the architect has suggested it? They are probably trying to keep within your budget. You can ask how much it would cost to put a roof on! Also a proper roof would give attic space or future loft conversion.

@Parkmybentley yes that would be the obvious thing to do if only it was that simple. It would be quite difficult to get everything we need and it would mean the layout changing significantly inside.

yes the flat roof is due to budget which is fine I’m happy with a flat roof I guess I just didn’t expect it to be so much. Clearly shows how little I know about this sort of thing.

I would investigate moving the extension over to the right so you follow the existing roof on the left. Then think about infilling the bit between the two pitches as that should give you more floor space and a simpler roof alteration.

It's a odd looking roof - to have flat and hip mix.
Can you not extend long ways for the full width further before you come out with a hip roof the same degree angle as the other side? Is the middle front extension essential? Can that middle front section be something better than planned (if you need to keep it)?

@user1492757084 the middle bit is already there but it’s quite quirky and part of it currently has a corrugated plastic roof which would need replacing. The extension is only the bit on the far left.

I keep looking at it and im really struggling to find a way of making it work. The architects wanted to change the layout of the whole house without extending but that didn’t feel right for us as we want more space and I want a big kitchen.

I’ll attach the current and planned floor plan.

Hi there! My partner is an architect and is a master at extensions. Has done a lot and has a lot of experience. Are you still looking for someone?

We have the same issue here in our bungalow. Ours already had half of the back extended with a flat roof by the previous owners. We wanted to extend and square off the rest of the back of the house. Our architect wasn't great; he designed a flat roof and all I could see was a massive flat roof plonked on the back of a lovely 30s bungalow He was adamant we couldn't have a pitched roof. However I have since seen others locally where the back extension was full width with the ridge going parallel as original house ridge with a valley between the new and old instead of perpendicular ridge or lean to.

Obviously this pitched roof will be a lot more expensive in chippy time and require more steels.

We are actually now considering reconfiguring the space instead of extending. The current flat roof can be changed to a pitched one with velux windows. Or we can keep the flat roof and add veluxes to it.

See if reconfiguring might still deliver what you want; you could be surprised. When we bought it was a two bed bungalow. We had planned to do a loft conversion for more bedrooms and office and also a back extension. We needed the bedrooms but wanted the extra space downstairs. When worked out that extending would cost over £100k, we have been reevaluating. We want an en-suite to our bedroom. We want a downstairs toilet. We want a utility. We also want a kitchen diner lounge but also keeping a separate living room which is currently the playroom. We have reconfigured the house to give us that. Current kitchen will be split into en-suite and utility. Current living room and dining will be combined to turn into kitchen diner lounge. Current bathroom will be split with half becoming toilet and the other half added to the kitchen diner lounge space. We get all we want but more modestly. We can even just about fit in island in the kitchen area. Good luck with your plans.