Up, Down, In, or Out: 4 Directions for your House Extension

Ever get that eerie feeling that your house is… shrinking?

You’re not the only one. If you bought your house as a young couple and watched your family grow, it may feel like lately, we’re finding that the house is a little smaller than it used to be: it’s not filled with children, friends, toys, pets, and all the objects we accumulate with time.

And that’s ok, that’s life.

But what if you want to regain a little space for yourself? Well, you could move. But moving is expensive, and if you love your home and your neighborhood, that option is off the table.

The better option is extending your home – it’s a great way to increase your living space.

Thinking about what kind of space you need will help you determine what kind of extension best suits your family – and which direction you should extend in!

Up

If you want a little more space, but you don’t have the room to extend outwards into your yard, or you just don’t want to lose your outdoor space, going up is a great way to go.

That extra space is perfect for separating living spaces from bedrooms, or for adding a granny flat for guests, offering you a little more privacy. It may also be a great idea to extend up if you have great views you can capitalize by adding another floor.

A second-floor extension can be added to many different types of houses. It might even be cheaper to extend up rather than down because there’s no need for expensive foundations or preparation work on the ground.

You may even think of transforming your downstairs to an open-plan space and to group your dining and kitchen areas together.

You’ll lose a little space on the ground floor for stairs, and of course upward extensions aren’t suitable for all houses, but we think it’s a great way to create more space.

And an extra bonus: real estate markets can be hard to predict, but houses with two floors often have a higher resale value.

Extend up for: Attic conversions, children’s or extra bedrooms, home offices, granny flats, additional bathrooms, balconies, roof gardens.

Down

Extending downwards is another great way to create more living space for your family without affecting your outdoor space. It’s not always possible for our neighbors in southern states, where high water tables make it too cost-prohibitive to extend downwards, but up here in Oregon, many home renovations are basement conversions.

If you have an unfinished basement, you can exploit that space and turn into extra habitable space. You may even be able to extend downwards by creating a basement.

With the right kind of insulation, basements can be warm and cozy, a quiet little refuge. Finished basements often increase your home’s value.

To keep it within budget, you could keep the renovation work to simply creating a little more space in the basement as a kitchen cellar or pantry. You might not even need planning permission, though your construction company will evaluate the extension design plans for structural integrity.

Extend down for: Dens, home offices, children’s playrooms, guest rooms, extra bathrooms, kitchen pantries, wine cellars.

In

When looking to add space to your house, you might not initially think of looking in, but reconfiguring the layout of your house to create more space is often an overlooked and inexpensive renovation, compared to full extensions.

Renovating internally could let you make the most of natural light, add a little privacy, enhance your views, give you a little more space, and improve access.

You could remove internal walls and door – or add them – to get the look you need and integrate a new extension. Some houses with high ceilings are great candidates for creating a mezzanine or split-level space, while others can accommodate raising the ceiling so the room feels bigger or creating vaulted ceilings into the attic.

These renovations can be very affordable compared to digging down or building up. They’re also a great way to add structural visual interest to the inside of your house.

Extend in for: Mezzanines, bedrooms, open-plan designs, entertainment spaces, extra storage, visual interest.

Out

Like the upwards extensions, outdoor extensions are extremely popular and add an enormous amount of space. They often add value to your house, too!

While you may lose a little outdoor space, how much is entirely up to you. Extending out is a great way to personalize space because you can truly create an extension that’s highly personalized and can be adapted to so many different uses.

The possibilities are endless: Add an open-plan kitchen extension to cook to your heart’s desires, a living or dining room extension to entertain, an extra den for the teenagers in your life, a cozy home office with great views, or an extra closed-room bedroom for guests.

If you’re in Oregon like us, outdoor extensions like sunrooms and conservatories can provide a cozy way to get more use of your garden and the sunlight in winter. And with the amount of snow we have in Oregon, garages connected to the house are always popular to protect us from the elements as we bring the kids and groceries in and out of the car.

Extend out for: Front porches, home offices, sunrooms and conservatories, sheds and garden roomskitchen and living room extensions, garages, “she-sheds” and “man-caves”.

Extending your home in any direction can seem a little intimidating, but we have great news for you: we can help with every step of the way, from the dreams and design to the construction and completion.

Feeling like you could use a little more space? Let us help you create it: give us a call at Keith Green Construction.

A Room of your Own: Sunroom and Conservatory Extensions

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Author Joyce Rachelle once wrote, “If we can’t have world peace, I’ll settle for a quiet room.”

Winter or summer, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a bit of sunlight in a comfortable, heated room of their own?

It’s all possible with a sunroom or conservatory extension.

Imagine relaxing with your morning coffee, summer or winter, in your own cozy, sunlit room, looking out at your garden. Or entertaining friends and family in the evenings in a beautifully designed room with enormous windows, attached to the kitchen. Some even create an extension for the benefit of children, so they can enjoy their own little space to watch TV or play games.

Building an extension to your home offers lots of benefits: more light, more space, and more value for your home. And it’s far more moderately priced than adding on an extra traditional room to your house.

The attractive designs of a sunroom or conservatory extension instantly add luxury and value to your home.

Quickly and easily built, sunrooms and conservatories cause little disturbance to your family, and will delight you with the versatility of their uses.

Choosing between sunrooms and conservatories

Many people use the terms interchangeably, but sunrooms and conservatories are a little different. They both create spacious new living areas and maximize the amount of sunlight coming into the room, but the main differences are structure and usage. Sunrooms have a solid roof, like the other rooms of your house, while conservatories have glass roofs.

Which you choose depends on what you want from the space. Of course, if you have one but want the other, it’s very doable to transform a conservatory into a sunroom.

Sunrooms – room to grow

Sunrooms are a great way of adding a new multipurpose space to your house, if your family has grown, you need a home office, a kids’ playroom, or simply more space to entertain friends and family.

A sunroom extension has a solid roof (with shingles, tiles, or slate) and lots of large windows (sometimes even sliding doors) that will let tons of light into the room. You’ll feel as though you’re right in your garden, but with all the luxury and protection of your house.

A sunroom can be used year-round and will be nearly as warm or cool as the rest of the house. Add double or triple glazing for the winter months so it’ll be cozy­ despite all the glass.

Conservatories – let the light in

With their glass roofs and windows, conservatories are ideal for getting an all-around great view of the garden and the sky.

In the past, conservatories were too hot for summer and too cold for winters. Nowadays, though, you can get energy-efficient glazing, self-cleaning glass for low maintenance, and climate control systems.

They’re a great addition to your home for avid gardeners, sun-seekers, and those who just like to relax and enjoy the garden view. Conservatories will let the light flood into your home – even more than sunrooms, believe it or not.

Not sure which you need? Go for an orangery, a combination of a sunroom and conservatory, with a largely solid roof and a large central glass section in the roof!

Make a plan and bring the outdoors in!

  • Usage: The first thing to ask yourself is what you want to use the room for. Once you have that answer, it’ll be easier to decide between a sunroom or a conservatory. Do you need more room for your family, or do just want a little space to enjoy the garden in winter?
  • Sunlight: How important is sunlight to you? A conservatory offers much more light but won’t look like a true extension of your house the way a sunroom will. Be warned, also, that sunrooms may make the adjoining room of your house a bit darker, as that wall will be built on to.
  • Budget: Because of the materials used and the type of structure involved, sunrooms and conservatories will have different build costs. A sunroom is a true extension, with its own ceiling and a roof that matches that of your house. A conservatory’s roof and walls are mostly glass, and so will be cheaper to build.
  • Permissions: Depending on the State you live in, there may be some restrictions on building extensions, so find out ahead of time if you need planning permission. In Oregon? Great, we can help!
  • Location: Where will you place your extension? Many people choose to build it in the rear of the house, facing a backyard, so they can enjoy the view and privacy. But others choose a sunny spot, regardless of whether it’s to the side or the back of a house. You may want to extend your living room, kitchen, or dining room, so purpose will come into play here as well.
  • Style: Sunrooms and conservatories come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes. First, you’ll have to choose the shape of the extension (rectangular, octagonal, Victorian-style, etc.). Then, you’ll have to decide what you want the roof to look like (in the case of a sunroom). Finally, you can choose the interior design: Will you have elegant sofas or comfy couches? Bright colors or simple whites? Fancy rugs or rustic floorboards?

Whether you decide on a sunroom or conservatory, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the extra space and the view, throughout the year.

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Looking to install a new deck or patio? Call KGC experts today!

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6 Apps to Kick Start your Remodeling Project

home-improvement-app-montageHome renovations can be nerve-wracking. There are so many decisions to make, and it isn’t always easy to picture what the end result will look like.

Fortunately, you now have access to a wide assortment of top-notch apps that will inspire you, help you collect and organize your ideas, and take the stress out of remodeling. Here are 6 of our favorites.

 

pinterest

Pinterest
FREE

You can download Pinterest as an app, or simply use it through the Web at www.pinterest.com. Pinterest helps you explore and plan things you want to do in a fun, visual, way. It is perfectly suited for collecting home renovation ideas.

All you have to do is surf the Web for ideas. When you find one you like, just Pin it to your online board, the way you would to a cork bulletin board.

 

houzz

Houzz
FREE

Branded “the Wikipedia of interior and exterior design” by CNN, Houzz is a huge online database of home design ideas.

Houzz includes over two million high resolution photos for your viewing pleasure. Browse photos by style or room, and save them to one of your idea books, which you can refer to offline.

Join the conversation and turn to the Houzz community for help with your renovation dilemmas.

 


 

DesignMine

DesignMine
FREE

DesignMine lets you browse other people’s design boards and thousands of photos to get inspired. Then, crop and rearrange your photos to create your very own personalized design boards that you can share with friends and family.

 


 

Ready to get started turning your home renovation plans into reality?
Call Keith Green Construction Inc. today.

 


 

diggs

Zillow Digs
FREE

Zillow Digs is a central hub for home improvement and design ideas, which also gives you project cost estimates. The interface is simple, making it easy to get inspired for your next remodel. And the Zillow Digs app is now available on the iPhone.

 


InteriorDesign

Interior Design!
$2.99

A truly beautiful app, Interior Design! features photos of stunning examples of interior design from renowned international photographer, to turbo boost your renovation inspiration. Save any of the photos as wallpaper for around-the-clock inspiration.

 


 

Remodelista

Remodelista
$2.99

Gwyneth Paltrow calls Remodelista magazine “her obsession”, and it’s easy to understand why. The New York Times says, “Remodelista is earning a reputation as a sourcebook for interior design at a time when many shelter magazines, including Domino, House & Garden, and O at Home, have fallen by the wayside.”

Now, Remodelista’s new Home Design app makes it easy to browse daily content from Remodelista, including DIY projects, stunning examples of architecture, and fun segments to help you find the best home decoration products.

 


 

With these apps in your arsenal, you should have an abundance of beautiful and practical ideas at your fingertips. All you’ll need is a reputable construction company you can trust, and you’ll be on your way to a more beautiful home.