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.

I had a similar layout but it was a compromise. My middle spaces were darker (they WILL DEFINITELY be darker) with no direct view to the garden. Also, the middle rooms are corridor rooms which will affect furniture placement and coziness. I didn't create it though, the house was already extended so I just used what was there.

It wasn't my favoured layout when we bought it but my dh was keen for the size and it did gave us the space we needed at a price we could afford. When selling it, having no direct view to the garden from main living spaces was still an issue though, and the house sold for much less than others in the street.

What you are suggesting will also be a compromise, so the only good reason to negatively impact the other rooms is if you absolutely have to and need to fit in x, y and z. You're giving the impression you don't need the extension because aside from a desk, it sounds like you're asking for advice on how to fill up the rest of it rather than asking people where best to put things that need to fit in.

I lived in it for years and it was fine because I made it work for us but personally, I wouldn't choose it as a layout. If you can get away with doing anything else (something with/behind the garage would be much better) I'd really look at that.

Have you considered spending money reconfiguring the existing space rather than tacking on more?

@PragmaticIsh put up an excellent suggestion. I know you don't have the money to move the kitchen and extend but what if you didn't bother with the extension?

Create a small office space at the front so it is properly separate. It could have a glass door to still allow light though.

Put a utility into the back of the garage. It doesn't need to be a proper conversion. Just studs and a bit of insulation. Then you could free up extra space in the kitchen by getting rid of washing machine, having a tumble dryer out there, maybe a chest freezer.

Use the units from your old kitchen for storage or if they are fairly new see what you can reuse in terms of the carcases.

I considered extending but like you would have ended up with compromised space. But reconfiguring it by putting the kitchen in the middle has transformed it.

I think the main co fusion from poster has come from your I ital post where you say the new extension will be an office space. If you had said part of it will be office space but also extra living space people wouldn’t have got confused. However I still think people would have been suggesting other ideas for the position if the office space because it doesn’t make sense for it to be in the space with the best light and the best view.

Rather than creating a new 'room', have you considered adding the extension but removing the existing back wall and making it one, much bigger, space? Then you don't have the issue of the middle/corridor/dark room, but you have the footprint you're looking for. At the same time, you could move the wall from the dining room slightly into the new space, so that becomes bigger too (so you're not out of proportion).
In one of those 2 'new' spaces, there will be room for some kind of office set up (where exactly depends on age of kids/how much they're downstairs during the working day, what your working hours are etc)

If you don’t need more space and don’t need a home office then it seems a waste of £40k to build an extension?

This is bang on ^^

@Rg9g08 your inspiration board shows a lot of very expensive glazing. Large pane patio sliding doors, deep oriel window, large skylight, massive sliding Crittal doors. Is your builder aware of these specs? All these design elements are costly. I am doubtful that you can have all of this for your 40k budget. If I had to ballpark it, I’d say your glazing alone will be half your budget. If you can’t afford all that glass, your existing ground floor will become very dark.

Regardless of the above, I’m sorry to say I think your house is poorly laid out and tagging an extra room at the garden end isn’t going to solve that.

You need to think holistically about what you’re trying to achieve. You said this is not a forever house. Please bear in mind that the garden facing space is the most prized in a house. That’s where your kitchen and dining space should be - that’s what most buyers want. If you can’t afford to re-jig your floor plan, you will not achieve a good return on your investment, because buyers will be put off by your odd layout.

I’m concerned you’re being railroaded into an extension that won’t work, by an unscrupulous builder who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

I have a middle room with log burner and an extension, with the wall knocked completely through to create an open plan space.

The extension is wonderful - lovely and light. The middle room is dark. Also worth mentioning that we are south-facing so yours will be even darker. A solid extension is completely different to a pergola and no matter what the builder tells you, it will affect the light.

Also, your extension is quite narrow so in the summer months when you’re not using the wood burner you can’t really swap the use of the two rooms around. If it was a metre or so wider (so roughly 4m rather than 2.8m) you’d have more options but presumably that’s not viable due to cost and size of your garden.

I am also concerned about the quoted price - the type of glazing you’re talking about is bloody expensive. Bifolds, glazed roof and crittal doors - and the extension (and you do mean an extension not a conservatory?) for £40k?? That seems extremely cheap…. Is all the glazing definitely costed in the spec?

How about converting upwards? A loft extension should be doable for the same price and might make your house even more saleable in the future as you’d get a much larger third bedroom plus office space in the loft, as a bare minimum. That leaves your garden intact. If your garden is as small as you say and can’t accommodate a pod, I think your extension might look a bit bulky?

I’d go for a loft extension or failing that, can you move? Your extension plans don’t feel as if they’d give you much and I don’t think this is going to turn out like any of the pictures you’ve posted. Sorry 🫣

Is it definitely not practical to have the office added on to the back of the garage? Two walls are already there to make use of so surely cheaper than having to build three walls? Box off the flue and have a narrow bookcase in the gap? The door to the garage wouldn’t be open often.