Extending a home adds a great deal to your lifestyle.
The only difficulty is deciding whether the extension should be made horizontally or vertically. Both do have distinct benefits.
You can work out the better option for you once you find out your constraints.
Horizontal vs Vertical Extension – Going out or Going up?
A horizontal extension utilises the land around your home and is great for larger properties. It’s also the better option if you want to avoid stairs.
Having rooms further apart allows for a design that creates private and public zones.
If the available land is limited or the council setbacks are too restrictive, then a vertical first-floor addition is more suitable. It will increase the square metres of the floor area without taking up the surrounding land.
You can successfully separate your public spaces from your private spaces with a first floor for the bedrooms and bathrooms. This is also a great way to create a much-desired parent’s retreat.
Going out horizontally
A ground floor extension can be a less expensive alternative depending on your current roof structure.
It lends itself to a common Sydney extension of an open plan and an indoor-outdoor living style.
This will lead to a reconfiguration of the floor plan to design the ideal rooms for the new space and existing spaces. An important consideration is how the light and ventilation are brought into the centre of the house.
Design considerations for extending your home horizontally
Your designer will need to consider Council setbacks, the size of your existing home and the maximum floor area possible.
If these aspects are all fine, then other considerations are whether any significant trees will be affected and how much the property slopes.
Going up vertically
A major advantage of going up instead of out is that you can maintain the light penetration and ventilation into the home as well as preserve your surrounding land for recreation and gardens.
To add another storey, you will need a new stairway to access the first floor. This will have an impact on the configuration of your current ground floor plan.
This presents a fantastic opportunity to review and renovate the ground floor.
For this reason, hold off on renovating your expensive rooms, like the kitchen and bathrooms, until you have decided on your design. You may otherwise restrict your options for the ground floor plan as you will not want to demolish any rooms that have been recently renovated.
Ninety per cent of projects have a structure that will accommodate the addition of a first floor, without the need for extra footings.
Design considerations for extending your home vertically
Consider the council restrictions. Your designer will need to follow the height restrictions specific to your property and the floor space ratio to ensure that your home is in keeping with the area.
To gain approvals for your extension, the design will need to take into consideration that your home does not block your neighbour’s access to sunlight, especially in winter, or overlook their home. Privacy screens, planting, and raised window sill heights are some solutions.
Decision time
Both kinds of extensions are great options. Talk to a designer about the subtleties related to your property.
You may even consider that both options — going out and going up — will suit your property and what you are hoping to achieve.
For home extension projects in Sydney, please feel free to contact us!