Our extension

Why we extended

We bought the house knowing that it might not be big enough for us, but we could see its potential. It had a large garden, with plenty of scope to extend at the back. Our neighbours had already added a large extension, which gave us confidence that planning permission was likely to be granted.

Rather than start straight away, we spent a couple of years living in the house and seeing how it worked for us. That gave us time to understand what we wanted and work out how to fund it. Once those pieces were in place, we started the process.

How we approached it

When we first started thinking about the project, our intention was to find a builder to build the extension. Before we could do that, we knew we needed to get our ideas down on paper.

We began with some sketches on paper and downloaded a few apps that let us put together a design plan.

What we wanted

The priorities that shaped the design, layout and decisions we made before building began.

The finished result

How the completed extension changed the way we use the house and what we think of it now.