How would you extend?

[Rg9g08]

Hi everyone, advice much appreciated as extending a home in 2025 is no small matter.

I’m hoping to add a small, rear, single, lean to extension to my home. See floor plan photo with yellow mark where extension would go.

This extension will consequently create a “middle room” currently used as our tv and living room. As the extension will open into the garden it will have lots of windows and patio doors meaning it will be difficult to reconfigure the space. I can’t quite visualise how to organise the downstairs space to make it functional. In total the extension which will add about 12m2 will fit a home office and then I welcome any ideas on layout and design.

How big does your office space need to be? If not too big I’d split your middle room up to make a walk way into the new extension and then the rest would be the offfice. It won’t have window but I’d have lots and lots of lights in there. make the middle room into the office,

We recently moved and I went from a beautiful view from my office window to a fence about a metre from my window. I don’t notice it at all because I’m too busy looking at the computer.

No don’t need much space for the home office But the wood burning stove is in the living room so reluctant to make the extension the new living room if that makes sense

Do you actually put a car in the garage? If not I'd split that, put a big window in the back and have the office there. Will need proper insulation but cheaper than building.

I think you'll spoil your living space by making it the middle.

It seems a lot of expense to gain a room awkwardly bolted to the back.

I think the lean to is a bad idea. Your office with shelves desk computer is going to spoil the view from your best room onto garden.

What about making the garage into a home office?

Or a pod in the garden even ?

And if you put in a door from the dining room to garage you could have glass/frosted glass to put extra light into that space.

Garage isn’t an option as to meet regs I’d have to raise its roof making it too expensive

Does it need to be classed as proper living space?
If you had an external quality door then it wouldn't be any different to a garden pod.

You can have a door into a garage as long as it meets fire regs.

Can the office extension not go behind the garage in the space there?

Would still be a lot of cost to insulate and decorate and split as I’d need to keep a section of garage for storage. Without much gain as I’d lose the dining area by adding a door there…

The garage opens up there and it would block the access to the garden… also how would it connect to main house from there

We did a very similar thing to what you’re suggesting (but with a glass roof so sort of a high quality conservatory/orangery). To be honest, I regret it a bit even though it’s a really nice room - we totally underestimated the impact on light levels in what became the ‘middle room’ (which is still our main living room as like you are planning to we use the lean-to extension as a home-office (it’s not big enough to become our main living area)). We are end of terrace so are planning to try to install a new window in the middle room to alleviate this. So I would think very carefully and if there is an alternative I would seriously consider that to be honest.

Are you able to share any photos? I was told with some glass roof windows on the lean to light would be a problem… I currently have a covered pergola where the extension would go and don’t see much of a difference

Could you make the current kitchen the office at the front. That would add a corridor to the toilet that would be better.

Then the middle room becomes a kitchen and the back with the extension could be living/dining.

Kitchens are easier to light and if you opened up the back properly it would be lighter.

The problem with the office across the back is that it needs walls of some kind to separate it from the living and then you are looking at computer stuff which isn't great.

Like this, with doors from a utility and office onto a new hallway. Plumbing is already there. Maybe office at the front instead of utility to use the window for light.

I'd definitely look at some of these suggestions, rather than creating 2 living room / Reception rooms without any external windows.

I would cost up a proper garden room in your garden.

I would cost up a proper garden room in your garden.

Moving the whole kitchen is not in the budget unfortunately

There will be walls and pocket glass doors and the desk can be a built in with bookshelves to make it more aesthetic….

People are overly focused on the office but is that the main dilemma here? What is the problem you are trying to solve, is it that you want larger living spaces, reconfigure the space so the kitchen is in a different location or create somewhere for a home office? It seems a lot of cost for a tiny gain if all you are getting is making the existing living area larger so would be good to understand what you are trying to achieve

Yes thank you. My questions are:

1. is whether adding an extra 12m2 of a modern brick built conservatory style worth it?
2. how would you best utilise the space given the kitchen is at the front and the living room would become the middle room?

thank you

1. is whether adding an extra 12m2 of a modern brick built conservatory style worth it?

I would say not.

I saw your reply re the garage opening up to the garden but didn't really understand it, why can't you infill the back of the garage to the back of the house as the extension?

I put a 2m x 3m extension onto my house, basically taking a 24ft x 12ft front to back living room and making it longer but splitting into 2 rooms, so now have an 18ft x 12ft living room at the back with patio doors and a smaller 12ft x 12 narrowing to 10ft room at the front with windows.

Looking at the 2m x 3m space on its own (ie without the bit of lounge I added to it), it really wouldn't be a usable sized space on its own.

I also have a well built, glass roof, half brick wall conservatory at the back of the house. I love it, but it isn't a usable space for most of the winter and I wouldn't consider using it as an office year round.

Have you priced it up yet?

At the very least I'd be trying to get a rough comparison between the conservatory option, converting the back of the garage to work as an office but not to be part of main house (stud walls and kingspan while not cheap are not anywhere near the cost of foundations and brick) and a garden pod.

If you have a covered pergola then even if you have to go outside to access the office it wouldn't be too bad and it would give you peace. I wouldn't like my computer facing into the only living space for people to sit and watch TV..

If you can't reconfigure downstairs and are just adding a conservatory to the back I think you need to weigh up how that space would be better than the other options in terms of what it gives you. And the risk it has a detrimental impact on what you already have.

So it sounds like you are intending to keep the back wall and just add the conservatory as an extra self contained room is that right? Or are you planning to knock it through? If it's just to add the conservatory on the back as it's own space. I like @Chasingsquirrels idea of infilling the space behind the garage much better as will be a nice useable, self contained space

What 2m x 3m are you referring to? The extensions would be bigger than that.

I cannot extend the garage. It is too costly, the access to it would mean adding a door in an awkward place on either side of the fire place, the fireplace has a wood burning stove and a flue which would have to be incorporated into the garage extension also.

I am surprised yours brick built conservatory style extension is not useable. Builders are telling me this wouldn’t be the case as it would have a proper roof etc just lots of bifold doors and roof windows for light. Example below.