Home renovations companies have a responsibility to give their clients a clear insight into how their proposed project will impact their property. At Home Tales, we offer an excellent bespoke service for your home extension and renovation goals, and always aim to keep our clients well-informed along the way. This is why we wanted to explore how to configure the layout of your prospective ground floor extension to best suit your needs.

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What would you like to do with your space?

When approaching the configuration of your current or future ground floor extension layout, it is important to consider what you want to do with the extra floor area. Whether you want to promote better social interaction in the household, or love to host gatherings but didn’t quite have enough space for it.

The first thing to do is decide which large appliances you would like in your extension. If you are installing a kitchen extension, will you be adding a larger fridge, dishwasher, or washing machine? This will determine how much countertop space you will have, and how much storage you will need.

Oftentimes, our clients express the need for a comfortable family space to adjust to their growing households. In this situation, an open plan kitchen dining area with an extra bathroom would be perfect. You may be an artist who likes to observe and paint nature. In this case, the homeowner would be prioritising natural lighting, therefore their extension plan should account for extra skylights and large spans of glazing towards the rear.

How can your space help you?

Function and practicality are important matters to address when working with your architect. Even more so if you have difficulties that require help from the design of your room. There are many solutions that work effectively to improve a property’s accessibility for people with disabilities. For example, an additional bathroom in a ground floor extension would be highly beneficial for those who struggle to go up the stairs. This would be great for homeowners that need to convert their property’s ground floor into a habitable space in the future, as the infrastructure will already be in place.

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Storage

After identifying the necessary appliances and furniture in your extension, you should have a clearer outline of how much space you have for storage. If you find out that your options are limited, don’t panic. Design has evolved to accommodate for homes with less square footage, leading to an increase in space-saving storage solutions. It is all dependent on how much storage you require and how much space you want in the room. Following this stage, you will be able to move on and experiment with your extension layout.

Balance

The key to a successful home arrangement is balance. This means coherence and continuity throughout the room. Identifying the strong (well-connected) and weak (dead space) parts of the extension will further inform where to place certain furniture and décor. For example, your living room may have a bold purple velvet sofa on one side, but have neutral décor on the other. This causes a visual imbalance. To resolve this, you could bring elements of purple or velvet décor into the rest of the room to improve visual coherence. Alternatively, you could place a contrasting piece of heavy furniture on the opposite side of the room.

Focus

Placing a focal point in your extension allows for a natural flow of movement around the room. A fireplace is an excellent example of a focal point that would contribute to a symmetrical living space, making the room automatically feel well-designed. This is because symmetry implies intention, therefore a fireplace indicates thought and purpose in your layout.

Indoor-outdoor

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There are multiple types of extension that you can choose from, including rear extensions, side infills, wraparound extensions, etc. All boast the benefit of allowing for an improved indoor-outdoor feel to your home. When building a rear extension, you can install a large set of glass doors that would act as a frame for a scenic garden. As you would be building further into your back garden, you can make your home feel surrounded by nature. Place your dining table towards the garden view to create a fantastic set up.

A side infill extension allows for a similar effect and is ideal for a house with an unused side alley. This type of extension does not eat into your rear garden space yet still offers the opportunity to install large windows and skylights. Some of our clients opt for large panes of glazing to maximise the garden view.

It can be argued that the wraparound extension is the best possible option to enhance the indoor-outdoor atmosphere, as it adds width and length to your property. Of course, the ideal option is always dependent on the homeowner’s needs. The added volume makes a huge difference, giving you more flexibility in the layout of your home, particularly new window placements and type of transition from your garden into your property. This can house a comfortable open plan kitchen, dining and living area.

Function

When designing the layout of your extension, you’ll notice that there is a lot of area to play around with. For those that want a multipurpose space, it would be great to accommodate a large dining area or living space. This way, you would be able to use the space for whatever you would like, for example, as a work or exercise space. You can make it even more versatile by adding some folding furniture.

Thinking about the layout of your dream extension allows you to review the health and safety issues that you may face. It is a good idea to put your essentials such as your fridge and sink away from your oven and stove top. This is to reassure you that your children do not have to walk past a fire hazard any time they would like to use the sink.

We hope that we have helped you better understand the process of planning the layout of a new ground floor extension. If you would like to discuss any home extensions you are considering, we would be more than happy to talk to you on 02070432378. Alternatively, you can reach us at hello@hometales.co.uk or book a telephone consultation here.