House Extensions vs. renovations
When a builder asks a client whether they would prefer their house extended or renovated, they think the client knows the difference. That is hardly the case.
Renovation in the building and construction industry means to bring up-to-date, return to the original condition, or to repair an outdated house. Extension on the flip side means extend/expand the overall size of a building but, the highest structure remains on a level lower than the highest preexisting roof. Renovation and extensions are as different as they are similar. Let us see some common differences and similarities between the two.
SIMILARITIES
Both will add value to your home. Renovations add value to a property by making outdated homes look new and up to date. The aforementioned makes the house more to be of value in the buyer’s eyes, hence a better deal than the one not renovated.
On the other hand, extensions add value to your house by increasing the length, floor space, and rooms. Thus, the property gains more income in terms of the selling price, rent, and productivity in general.
- Both will make your house more livable.
Renovations give you a safer, smarter, and more tranquil environment in your house. A renovated room has a feel of freshness comparable to the one we feel when we move into a new home.
Extensions make your house more livable by creating room enough to suit all the needs of your family. By extending, you will have a living space that can accommodate your noisy teens or a quiet place to be used as a study room outside.
- Both do not require planning permissions.
Local authorities allow homeowners to renovate their homes without having to pay for extra costs. They encourage renovation as it makes it easier than building from scratch or planning large extensions.
Authorities have also made house extensions free as long as no change whatsoever is made to the preexisting rooftop. The top of the extension is not higher than the highest roof; the wing is less than half of the existing land, extensions have no microwave aerial, there is no vent pipe or furnace in the extension
- Both may require you to vacate the site depending on the nature of the work
Renovations can make home workers needed to vacate the house for their comfort and safety if they involve any major works like removing bathrooms and kitchens. Minor renovations need not one to leave, although you may have to bear the dust and noise. Besides, living on the site during renovations will make you slow down the builders.
Extensions like renovations cause discomfort and safety threat to some degree. Since some extensions involve adding floor space outside, you can choose to continue being in the house. Many may not find this advisable, especially if you have small children.
DIFFERENCES
- Cost
Home renovations are usually cheaper than extensions. While renovations use little cash like new paint, wood, and other temporal additions, use more permanent material. Some extensions require serious architectural drawing and planning, just like making a new house. Putting a new double-story building should be more expensive than making the tiles of your floor smoother
- Planning permissions
Local authorities from many places allow house renovations exempted from applying for planning permissions. On the contrary, extensions are allowed but for a few instances in which the waiver is de-authorized.
- Scope
Renovation entails restoration, modernizing, and repairing the old structures in your home. Its scope entails
- Changing outdated facilities, like a cold shower system and replacing it with a warm shower
- Adding lighting and ventilation to your house by replacing doors and windows old windows and doors with ones that are more transparent and flexible.
- Adding storage space in your kitchens and bedrooms
- Changing your floor design to one that you and your kin will find more comfortable.
Extensions opposed to renovations have their scope mainly focused on making optimal use of the available space. Focus is usually on increasing the floor size, adding another house, making a home bigger but not going higher than the preexisting roof. Extensions involve adding space and include;
- Single story extensions; These help you create extra living space in your home and increase your room space to suit your family’s living style.
- A conservatory or orangery house extension; Conservatories are composed of dwarf walls and a lot of glass. They are attached to the main house structure either on the sides of the rear of the house. Orangeries are build using glass and bricks, and unlike conservatories, they don’t usually need to be attached to the house.
- A conversion; of an internal garage to increase more living space
- Loft conversion; which increases your living space by creating an extra room on top by converting the roof of a finished building.
House extensions prove to be more useful than renovations when the purpose of doing them is to put your property into the market. Renovating with expensive fixtures and fitting will end up doing more harm than good. That is so because your high-end renovations may not fit the preferences of the buyer. Extensions are different. By adding extra floor space guided by a qualified architect will add value to your home. Nationwide’s research on the rate of improvements to an average three-bedroom house stated that an extension adding a double bedroom and en-suite would increase the property’s value by up to 23%. After all, in the real estate market square-meters, are evaluated before other factors come into play.