Roof extensions are the perfect way to revitalise your home! There’s so much optionality to how and what you want from your room Extension that diving right in or even being overwhelmed and scared are normal reactions. But it’s vital to plan effectively and make sure you know exactly what steps you should take to get the results you want!

1. Decide Where You Want it
First things first, where do you want your roof extension? This is of course the obvious beginning step; you can’t skip forward to the interior design before you’ve even decided where it can be built.

Often your options are going to be limited; as such you have to decide between where it can go and what type of room you want. You don’t want to shoehorn in a room, just because it’s what you want. If the flow of the house is disrupted or doesn’t allow for the room you want, think about placing it elsewhere or changing the type of room.

2. Properly Plan and Design the room
Whether you believe all that Sims architecture experience will be enough or you want to hire a professional architect, you’re new room (or porch) will need a design. When designing keep in mind the rest of the houses’ architecture; you’ll most likely want to go with a similar style, or at least a style that compliments the rest of your home. An architect will likely have many creative ideas on how to best use the space as well as providing you with much needs plans.
3. Obtain a Planning Permit
You’ll need to get a planning permit. This is certainly not the most exciting step of any renovation, but arguably the most important. Most of the time this is for basic bureaucratic purposes, but you’ll need to check that the plan isn’t breaking any regulations or that your neighbours aren’t being unfairly disadvantaged by the project. Take your architects’ plans and get them verified, this can be the fastest and easiest step, but it can also be the longest and most testing, so be prepared and be patient.

4. Find the Right builder
Any construction endeavour requires the right team for the job. Interview multiple builders to see whose profile best fits what you need. Also make sure you bring the plans and blueprints to them so you can get exact quotes on what it’ll cost and so they can have a much better understanding of exactly what they will be doing.

Something’s to look for:
How familiar are they with this type of extension?
Is it their speciality?
How much experience do they have?
What has been their other work?
Check out their customer reviews
Look at photos of their previous work

Once you have decided, draw up a contract that specifies exactly what work they are expected to do. Also create a timetable that describes what they’ll be expected to complete by when and dictate payments by these milestones

Something you may need to keep in mind is whether you’ll be able to live in the house while the project is underway. Most quality roof extensions mean you don’t have to move out momentarily, but if this is the case, plan accordingly.

5. Filling it out
It depends on what you consider fun, but interior design can be the best part of the extension. The process of fleshing out your new room or deck with the furniture and décor that you desire. It can be smart to have at least a draft of your interior design plans when designing the room. This means the architecture and the interior design can work symbiotically and complement each other.

Roof extensions are great and providing a new life to your home. They can give you a much needed new room or simply improve the design you already have. Either way it’s necessary to know all the steps before you embark on the journey.

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