Single extension, double extension and/or loft conversion?

[DottyDot]

I'm hoping to trick persuade our building society to lend us money to extend our house in some way - it's a standard 3 bed semi but with much larger than usual garden, so we're lucky in that we've got room to extend.

Priorities are another bedroom and a larger kitchen.

I'm thinking a loft conversion (proper, like!) would give us a bedroom plus hopefully shower room.

Then not sure about single extension to make kitchen/back room bigger or double extension 'cos if we've done single we might as well chuck another room on top.

Has anyone got experience of doing both/either and would what you advise?

[MollieOolala]

If you have the space to do a double extension then I would. Loft conversions are nice but they are usually too warm in summer and too cold in winter no matter how well they have been done. If you do the extension then you also don't lose the storage space in your loft!

[CuppaTeaJanice]

You'll probably get quite a good deal at the moment as most builders are pretty quiet and diy stores are doing pretty good offers if you shop around. We're having a single extension at the moment (approx 3.5 x 11m), which is costing us around £30k including all building works, kitchen, bathroom, external door, windows, external landscaping, velux windows and additional work in the existing house.

[Sidge]

Gosh I have no idea, it would depend on what you wanted doing. Don't forget to budget for planning fees, as well as decorating, carpets, fixtures and fittings, furniture etc. No point having a beautiful new space that you can't afford to finish!

[DottyDot]

Do you reckon £70K would cover everything? I was thinking £25K for loft conversion and £45K for extension?

This is completely made up money-wise of course - haven't got round to asking building society yet...

[Sidge]

I'd go for a decent sized double extension - bigger kitchen and utility room/playroom downstairs, then an extra bedroom with shower room upstairs (probably easier to plumb in over a kitchen as well). It will cost plenty whichever way you do it but I think a loft conversion has limited useability compared to a double extension (and I speak as someone who lives in a house with both!)

Your neighbour has no right to light but can object on that basis. If she already has a double extension then a precedent of sorts has been set so planning permission shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's worth getting on her good side and you could save hundreds of pounds if you run your plans past her first and check that she won't object.

[pippylongstockings]

We have gone for a single extension, making a big open kitchen/playroom that opens to the back garden with a downstairs toilet/utility. We can't aford to do a loft conversion yet but when we replaced the roof we put velux windows in hoping we will get the money together at some stage.

Do it in chunks and see what you can manage - i think a loft conversion is fairly pricey but we live in a terrace so a 2 story extension wouldn't make any sense upstairs.

[DottyDot]

Thanks - she's already extended out with a double extension (most of the houses on our block have a single - I think we're the only ones who haven't!). But I'd like to go out slightly further than she has - so that might not be possible?

I was thinking of a loft conversion + single extension but my Mum keeps going on about what a waste it'll be if we don't do a double. Mothers - so supportive...

[Frizbe]

Depends on if you're going to block the neighbours light, as to if you'll get away with a double extenstion at the back, you might be better going for single extension right across the back and a loft conversion, more likely to be accepted by planning if you have close neighbours I think. HTH's