As house renovation specialists, we see a huge variety of projects. In most cases, our clients are extending their property in some way. The most common type of extension we undertake here at Home Tales are kitchen extensions. Ground floor extensions come a variety of shapes and sizes. You can extend to the rear, to the side or in some cases, both. The type of extension that is available to you will depend on your existing property layout and your local council’s interpretation of planning policy. During the design phase, your assigned architectural designer will work with you to find the best possible design for you. This is generally a balance of what you want to achieve from the new space, while adhering to local planning policy guidelines. It’s no good designing a scheme that won’t be approved. Likewise, it’s important you have a final design you are happy with. 

We love a good before and after photo. These shots really contextualise just how far the project has come. A home extension can completely transform a property. In some cases, the additional floor area might not sound like a huge amount. The key thing to remember is it’s not just adding SQM. It’s adding the SQM to a room. In most cases, this creates a generous room size, which is bigger than the rooms we typically see in period properties. You can also add lots of exciting features such as rooflights and large glass doors. 

We thought we would talk you through some of our recent kitchen extension projects, as well as the design decisions behind the transformation of these rooms.   

Side return extension in SW18

We extended into the side return of this mid-terrace in Wandsworth. The original property had 3 rooms that were encompassed into the outrigger (the rear room). A small kitchenette, a WC which was accessed from the outside, via the side return, and a rear room that overlooked the garden. As you can see, the property was in desperate need of modernisation and refurbishment throughout. The homeowner wanted to remove all of the internal walls in this rear room and extend into the side return, to create one large room. 

The side return was 6m in length and 1m in width. As it’s now encompassed into the original outrigger of the property, the total room size is an impressive 6m x 4.5m. This space allows for a full run of kitchen cabinets, a spacious kitchen island and an American style fridge freezer. The room also houses a 6-seater dining table comfortably too. 

The client opted for 3 Velux windows to sit above the original side return. These ensure that natural light is able to penetrate deep into the room. The garden doors are crittal style. They are made from aluminium and sprayed black to give the appearance of crittal. These are a fraction of the cost of genuine crittal and are a popular alternative. 

Kitchen extension in N8

We extended the first floor of this maisonette in Crouch End. The side and rear extension added 25SQM of additional floor area to this property. This completely transformed the social area of this home and added an extra bedroom to the property. The existing living room was able to become a bedroom, as the extension enabled a spacious open plan area to be former. The new kitchen is from Ikea and our builder fitted it as part of the contract. This is a very cost-efficient way of buying a kitchen as you are buying an ‘off-the-shelf’ kitchen and fitting it yourself. 

We particularly love the open plan layout of this property. Open plan design is becoming more and more popular in households today. When you don’t have a huge amount of space, it’s a favourable option as you are merging different functions into one large area. Walls not only take up space, but they also block visual connections. Open plan design works well if you can create clear zones within the room. Carpets and rugs, pendant lighting, furniture placement and even coloured walls are all techniques you can use to create a defined ‘zone’ for your functional area. This homeowner has done it perfectly – what do you think? 

Rear extension, N4

We added 17SQM of additional floor area to this home with a rear extension. The homeowner wanted full-width glass doors to ensure the room was flooded with natural light. If you love these doors, check out one of our recent blog articles which is on door option for your home extension. These doors span an impressive 6m in length. They have a blind which is recessed into the ceiling. This property also uses open plan living as they use on large room to house their dining, kitchen and living area. The shape of this room compliments open plan design, as the l-shape of the room creates a natural visual segregation between the zones. 

If you are thinking of extending, get in touch with our team today to discuss your project in more detail. We would be delighted to book you in for a telephone consultation with a member of our team. This will enable us to learn more about your project so we can issue you with a quote for the works. We also take the opportunity to explain more about how we work. Call us on 0207 043 2378 or email hello@hometales.co.uk. Alternatively, you can book via our live bookings page.