Growing your family home doesn’t carry all the same connotations it once did. The pitter-patter of tiny feet still calls for adaptations to be made but it’s far from the only way your family layout could influence the way you live. After all, families are growing higher – think of young adults staying at home for longer or inviting older relatives to join the home – sideways – blended families with kids of various ages come to mind – and, of course, the traditional lower – with little ones arriving into the world.
And, because each and every family is different and comes with a unique set of needs, no one family home is a perfect one. We explore just some of the extension options available and how they could benefit your family unit.
Different types of home renovations for growing families
However your family is growing, it’s often the case that there’s pressure on space and time to accommodate any new faces in the home. We’ve unpicked the pros and cons of a range of home extensions and renovations options to make the transformation process as smooth as possible for you and your brood.
Side return extensions
Side return extensions (also referred to as side infill extensions) are relatively small but mighty. They’re a winning option for almost any property that has unused space to its side – Victorian terraces with alleyways are a classic candidate for this reason.
These extensions come in a wide range of materials, styles and sizes so they’re easy to individualise for your family’s needs. Because of the vast number of options available, the costs can range from £80-£200k. Of course, each property and project is entirely unique so this is more of a ballpark figure than a certainty. To learn more about the various types of side extensions and how much each costs, check out our deep dive and become a side return extension aficionado.
As well as being cheaper than some other extension options, side returns take advantage of the dead space next to your home and don’t cut into your garden space. This is a huge benefit if you’re a young family with little ones spending time outdoors or your green space is a haven for yourself and older family members.
What’s more, the amount of time a side return extension takes to be built is also minimal by comparison to some other options. While the amount of time it takes to build any extension is never an exact science, side extensions tend to take between 3 and 5 months. Read our guide to how long renovations usually take for more precise timelines.
If you’re looking to invite more light into your home, maximise your existing space, create a more open-plan living set up or even a small storage area, side return extensions could be a great option for your family. You can create a snug area for your teenage kids to unwind, a play space for toddlers or a satisfying storage space to keep everything in order. For more inspiration, discover our side return extension ideas to improve your home.
© Veronica Rodriguez
Rear extensions
Simply put, a rear extension is a way of increasing the amount of available space in your home by adding on to the back of the existing property. If you’re lucky enough to have some garden space at your disposal, they can be a fantastic way of boosting the indoor area of your home (although at the expense of your garden).
Rear extensions can range from conservatories to double-storey extensions so, naturally, there’s no uniform way of predicting prices. The style you choose aside, you’ll have to consider factors including planning permission, the area that the property is in and who you choose to carry out your construction work. For a more detailed breakdown of prices explore our Ultimate guide to rear extensions or try our Quick Quote Calculator.
Learn more about the different styles of rear extensions with this inspiring ideas shortlist and weigh up which options would be best suited to you and your loved ones. We love the idea of a double-storey extension for creating an open-plan kitchen and a brand new bedroom in one go or an elegant orangery that’s perfect for your mother-in-law to unwind on sunny days.
One downside of some of the rear extension options is that they can be extremely disruptive as well as time consuming (and that’s supposing that they stick to their predicted timeline). If you’re on a deadline – an impending birth is up there in our books – it could be wise to ensure that you have a project manager taking care of the renovation process and that you have somewhere safe and relaxing to stay while the works are taking place.
For all the disruption, time and cost that a rear extension demands, the outcome is rarely regretted and the results can be life-changing for families. Explore Pinterest for rear extension inspiration.
