We’ve decades of manufacturing experience under our collective hats and worked on literally millions of projects. In that time, we’ve spoken with homeowners from all walks of life and noticed that they usually ask similar questions about their new home extensions. Topics like planning permissions, timescales, property values and others are incredibly common, and if you browse any online home improvement communities, you’ll likely see the same.
So, we thought we’d take a moment to explore the most common questions about house extensions. If you’re thinking about building a new extension and have any concerns, hopefully, we can answer them now.
What’s The Difference Between Planning Permission And Building Regulations?
This is a common one, and we can understand why they’re often assumed to be the same thing. Planning permissions relate mainly to the appearance of a structure and how it will impact the local environment. For example, will your new extension block a window for a neighbouring house?
Building regulations, on the other hand, refer to the construction and design of the structure itself. They’re there to ensure that health and safety standards are adhered to and that the building will stand the test of time. Building Regulations cover factors like structural performance, fire safety, ventilation, acoustic insulation and thermal efficiency. This can sometimes be confusing if you’re not involved in the construction industry, but systems like hup! can make it much more manageable. hup! is fully pre-approved for UK Building Regulations, leaving you one less thing to worry about when filling in the paperwork.
Can I Live At Home While My Extension Is Being Built?
It is more than possible to live at home while your new extension is being built, although there will be some disruption. Builders will be on-site, and there will inevitably be noise and other temporary inconveniences. Though there is less mess when you choose hup!. Because hup! is pre manufactured off-site, the building mess is minimised. There is alot less brick dust to keep dust to a minimum and disruption is reduced significantly as hup! extensions are usually watertight in 3-4 days.
It’s also worth noting that if you are having a traditionally built extension, it can take months for the project to be completed, and the average delays incurred are over 10 weeks. We doubt that many people would consider moving out for that long, and being away from home for the duration would be massively impractical and costly. However, using a prefabricated system like hup! is much quicker. A hup! extension can be fitted five times faster than traditional methods, so if you would prefer to live with friends or relatives or take a short break while it’s built, it’s far more convenient.
How Do I Choose The Right Builder?
Finding a reliable builder is a lot easier nowadays than it was a few decades ago, but it can still be a source of anxiety for some people. We’ve covered this topic at length in this article, but in short, we’d recommend conducting research online. You can find decent feedback on your local tradesmen using services like Checkatrade, Google reviews, and social media. Don’t worry too much if they have the odd bad review, but if they’ve got pages of them, steer clear.
That being said, there’s less cause for concern if you choose hup!. All hup! systems are made to a consistent standard and are comparatively straightforward to assemble. There’s less room for mistakes during the assembly, and as hup! is pre-approved by the leading Building Inspector networks, there’s less chance of being tied up in red tape.
Do House Extensions Increase Property Value, And If So, By How Much?
This is tricky to answer as it varies on a case-by-case basis, but if we take a broad overview, a house extension will improve the overall property value. The additional living space helps to contribute to an increased asking price, especially if they’re fitted with modern fixtures and have no wear and tear. House prices tend to be calculated on a price per m2 basis of the footprint of your home. If you add a home extension, you will be increasing the footprint and your selling price when you come to sell your home.
According to Checkatrade, the average single storey extension adds between 5 and 8% to the value of a home, while double storey extensions raise them by up to 12%. Garage conversions, meanwhile, can improve your property value by an incredible 20%. There is no exact science behind it, and factors like the style of the extension and the location of the property will have an impact. Still, there is no single incident where building an extension lowered the value of a property.
What Is A Prefabricated Extension? Is It The Same As A Modular Extension?
This is a relatively new question that has gained traction in recent years. The terms “prefabricated” and “modular” are sometimes used interchangeably, but while there are similarities, they’re not the same thing.
Essentially, prefabricated and modular extensions are systems in which the majority of the work is done off-site. “Prefabricated” is the broader term and covers a wide range of systems in which the components are made in factories and then assembled on location, whereas “modular” is more specific. Modular construction involves building larger, three-dimensional structures that are then transported to the site and joined together.
In layman’s terms, this means that all modular extensions are prefabricated, but not all prefabricated extensions are modular. For example, hup! would be considered a prefabricated system as the majority of the work is completed to a set standard in our production centres, but it isn’t modular as the overall structure isn’t assembled until the builders are onsite. That being said, it’s still remarkably quick to build, and you’ll have a fully built, stylish new extension in a matter of days rather than weeks.
Find Your Local hup! Builder
This isn’t an exhaustive list of questions, but hopefully, it’s provided a few quick answers to your concerns. We also have an FAQs page that might cover any other questions you may have.
If you are considering a new house extension, we’d have to recommend using a prefabricated system like hup!. We’re happy to admit that traditional extensions have a certain charm and can understand why they’re popular, but hup! has way too many advantages that can’t be ignored. It’s faster to build, more energy efficient and remarkably versatile. And yes, it is a great way to increase your property value. Find your local hup! builder to discover more.
