Extending or Renovating

Your home transformation starts here

Extending or Renovating

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Getting Started

House survey
To devise a plan, you need to know what you’re…
Do I need planning permission?
Planning permission is the government’s written authorisation for you to build a house…
Site Access
A significant cost to consider with a renovation or extension…

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Pre Design

Home Improvement Grants
If you’re planning a renovation or extension, especially one that…
Budgeting for a house extension or major renovation
Setting a budget for an extension or major renovation depends…
Energy Efficiency, Airtightness and the Environment
Energy efficiency should be thought about from the earliest stages…
Direct labour vs main contractor
If you don’t have hands-on experience hiring tradespeople — or…
Choosing an architectural designer for your extension or renovation
A good architectural designer will not only bring your ideas…
Working Out Your Requirements
Before you even think about getting plans drawn up or…

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Design

Electrical, lighting, ventilation and solar energy
When you’re planning a major renovation or extension, it’s worth…
Key interior design decisions
When you’re planning a major home extension or renovation your…
Electrics including Ventilation and Solar
When you’re planning a major renovation or extension, it’s worth…
Heating systems and heat emitters
If you’re modernising, extending or upgrading your home, your heating…
Securing planning permission
When extending, renovating or improving your home, one of the…
Choosing Windows And Doors
Design, performance and cost are the three variables to consider…
Designing the outside space
While it’s often one of the last things physically completed,…
Structural decisions
If you are extending, you are essentially building a new…
Key Internal Design Decisions
When you’re planning a major home extension or renovation your…
Getting The Space Right
Writing a clear design brief helps shape a home that…
Cost Savers
How do you put a price on something that hasn’t…

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Before you start the build

Living Arrangements
Because rented accommodation is a direct cost to your building…
Managing Direct Labour
Direct labour consists of hiring all of the individual tradesmen…
Appointing A Builder
If you’re building an extension to your home, it can…
Insurance And Warranty Cover
It is not a legal requirement to take out self-build…
Statutory requirements
The three sets of regulations to be aware of if…

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On Site

Renovation Watchpoints
An existing house poses its own set of problems; there…
Extension Watchpoints
For an extension project, you’ll be following similar steps to…
Managing the Build
For a renovation and extension project, you’ll need to set…

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Signing Off

Selling it?
If you’ve just renovated or extended your house, the last…
Certificates Of Compliance
In the case of a renovation project, you won’t need…
Snag Lists and Retention If Builder
However small the job, and whether or not you’ve tackled…