There’s a reason why so many people seek out great house extension ideas. House extensions offer those in need of additional space within their homes to achieve this without having to up sticks and move to another property. Sometimes people choose to extend in order to accommodate a growing family, while for others, extending means they can comfortably work from home, offer a place for elderly relatives to stay or create that dream kitchen they have always wanted. Extending will also add value to a house.
Whatever your reasons for looking for house extension ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Our round-up covers everything from super contemporary glazed structures to more modest single storey rear extensions and takes into account budgets and houses of all sizes.
1. Single Storey Rear Extension
A single storey rear extension is one of the most popular ways for people to add to their living spaces. Often, single storey extensions such as this are used to create a larger, open plan kitchen and dining area – perfect for family homes and those who love to entertain, and add a real draw when it comes to eventually selling a property, too.
The other great thing about this house extension idea is that in most cases, it will fall under permitted development rights, meaning there will be no need to obtain planning permission (although it is always best to double check with your local planning office).
When designing a rear extension, think about how it will relate to your outdoor spaces – this is an ideal opportunity to create a strong connection with your garden, draw in extra natural light and frame any pretty views. Aluminium bi-fold doors or sliding doors are an ideal way to do all of these things and can be fully opened up to the elements when the weather allows. Plus, they are extremely energy efficient.
2. Loft Conversion
Loft conversions come in all shapes and sizes, from simple rooflight conversions to full-on modular loft conversions, or those with substantial mansard roofs. Whichever style you choose (something that will likely depend on your budget and the type of house you are extending), loft conversions are a great extension idea, adding valuable space without having to extend the footprint of a house.
Loft conversions are most often used to create additional bedrooms or home office space, although they also work well as games or hobby rooms. Some of the most successful loft conversion projects use large glazed French or bi-fold doors to open them up to a Juliette balcony or a small roof terrace and provide far-reaching views.
3. Garage Conversion
A garage conversion is a brilliantly cost-effective extension idea. Many people find that they no longer use their garages as somewhere to keep the car, and instead view them as storage spaces (or dumping grounds for all the stuff they can’t bear to throw away!).
If this sounds like you, consider creating another habitable space in your garage conversion. They make ideal home offices or guest bedrooms as it is usually a simple job to create a separate access door from the rest of the house. A garage conversion can also make sense when remodelling the existing layout of a house – allowing for a larger kitchen, for example.
Once you know what you will be using your newly converted garage for, you can begin to think about how to pull in natural light. If the garage is to the front of the house, you might want to consider some high level clerestory style aluminium windows to maintain privacy. It is also worth thinking about how it will be connected to the rest of the house – glazed bi-fold doors are a fantastic idea, encouraging light to flow through the spaces yet allowing the spaces to be closed off from one another when required.
4. Above-garage Conversion
If you have an attached garage, it makes perfect sense to extend above it. In fact, this is a very popular house extension idea, making use of existing foundations yet offering the potential for another bedroom, perhaps even with an en-suite bathroom if space allows.
You will need to check with a structural engineer that the existing foundations can take the extra weight of the new extension above and will probably require planning permission.
However, all being well, an above-garage extension, combined with a garage conversion below, can result in a really striking design. Whether you’re trying to tie the extension in with the existing house, or aiming to provide a more contrasting, contemporary look, talk to your chosen installerabout the window options available to you as there are aluminium windows to suit both architectural styles.
5. Side Return Extension
Side return extensions make sense for so many reasons. Firstly, they make use of the often wasted, narrow space that lies to the side of many terraced and semi-detached houses. Secondly, they make creating a rear extension easy. And, thirdly, they often fall under permitted development.
Due to the typical layout of many older properties with unused side returns – where the kitchen is smaller and at the rear of the layout – side return extensions are the ideal way to create generous open plan kitchen diners. You can enhance the new space further by incorporating a large run of bi-fold or sliding doors into one wall.
6. Conservatory or Orangery
Both conservatories and orangeries come in all kinds of styles, from frameless and contemporary to timber and period style. However, what they all have in common is the ability to extend a house at the same time as introducing extra natural light into the existing spaces and providing a sunny new space that takes in the full glory of the outdoors.
Contemporary conservatories are currently very popular, with some designs taking the form of frameless glass boxes. Consider how you will access the outdoors from the conservatory – you are no longer restricted to only French doors (although they can suit traditional style conservatories very well), think about using aluminium sliding doors or bi-folds too. With their slim sightlines, they really make the most of this house extension idea. Another benefit of aluminium windows for conservatories is their amazing thermal properties.
7. Porch Extension
There is nothing to say that only the rear of a property can be extended. There are some great front house extension ideas out there too. One particularly good option is to add a porch to the front of your home. A porch extension can be as small or as big as you need. If you’re just looking for somewhere to store muddy footwear and coats, for example, a couple of metres squared is all you may need, freeing up space elsewhere in your home.
Porch extensions have other uses beyond extending the space in your home, though. They act as a bridge between inside and out and, in the case of rather two-dimensional facades, add character and enhance the kerb appeal of a house. This is a great time to reconsider your front door style too. How about opting for a contemporary aluminium design or adding sidelights either side to draw in bags of extra light?
8. Cellar Conversion
If you’re lucky enough to have a cellar beneath your house, then you should seriously consider converting it. As with loft conversions, cellar conversions will not require you to extend the existing footprint of your house, yet could really add some useful extra living space (as well as adding value to your home).
You will need to take into account the costs involved in damp proofing (tanking) the space and consider how you will light the space – lightpipes are a good idea as are glazed areas of ceiling that can be walked-on from above.
9. Two Storey Extension Ideas
The search for two storey house extension ideas is on the up, and for good reason – this is an extension that really makes the most of your budget. The reason for this is that the foundations and roof of any extension are the two most expensive parts of the project – these will be required whether you are building a single storey extension or a double storey extension – so why not make the most of the opportunity and add another level?
A two storey extension will allow you to add a new bedroom or bathroom upstairs, or both. It is also handy in older homes where there is a downstairs bathroom that needs to be moved upstairs. One of the most popular two storey extension ideas around right now is to create a light, bright and roomy kitchen diner on the ground floor, complete with a swathe of contemporary aluminium bi-folds or sliding doors, and a new master bedroom above. Mirroring the same aluminium full height windows on the first floor will tie the whole thing together aesthetically.
10. A Fully Glazed Extension
House extension ideas don’t come much more exciting than this: how about a glass box extension? Solid walls are out and enormous glass panels are in. And don’t think that this is a house extension idea that won’t suit you if you’re the owner of a traditional property – contemporary glass extensions look great paired with period properties, creating an eye-catching juxtaposition between old and new.
Slimline aluminium sliding doors tend to look best with this style of house extension, where their very slim sightlines and the potential for oversized proportions really come into their own. Origin’s OS-20 artisan sliding doors are the perfect example.
11. A Garden Room
If you have no room for an extension around your house or perhaps if planning constraints are making it difficult, we have just the house extension idea for you. Garden rooms are an increasingly popular way of getting more space, be that for a work- from-home area, a teenage hangout space, or just as somewhere to escape at the end of the day. You might even want to go one step further and install services such as water to the garden room so that it can be used as guest accommodation from time to time.
In order to ensure it feels fully connected to your garden, opt for a design with plenty of glazing – both sliding and bi-fold doors can work well, particularly where they lead out to a small paved or decked space.
12. Add an Annexe
Finally, if you want to take the garden room up to the next level, have you considered building an annexe instead? Annexes can be attached to the main house, yet with their own self-contained access, or completely separate. They differ from garden rooms in that they are usually in more frequent, if not full-time, use. Annexes are often used as somewhere for friends or relatives to live independently and often feature a bedroom or two, a living space, bathroom and small kitchen. The building regulations and planning permission will differ from those associated with a garden room and you can find out more about these at Planning Portal.
An annexe can be as contemporary or traditional in its design as you like, but do bear in mind that most buildings of this type will benefit from large windows and doors that link them to the garden space they often occupy. Aluminium windows and doors offer superior thermal efficiency and can lower the running costs of a home, so are well worth considering. Plus, they are virtually maintenance free, making them ideal for this type of house extension.
