Home extension! Where do I start?

tishybabe

Hi guys,

Not sure if this will be in the correct forum but here goes.

We have been thinking for a while about moving house as the downstairs of our house doesn't suit us as I would like a more open plan feel. However the upstairs is perfect. We had a look at a couple of houses but we haven't found anything that suits all our requirements so we are now thinking about extending the ground floor into the garden, demolishing the built-in shed ... however we don't really know where to start with that.

Shall we get a builder in to check what would be possible (or not!) and to find a cost? Would we need an architect ...

Any advice really welcome

x

DTDfanBoy

If I was you I'd have a look at the govt Planning Portal http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/ first.

It should give you a basic idea as to what you can do with your property.

When dealing with builders it often pays to be able to demontrate a basic knowledge of what you want to acheive, and show you have some understanding as to how that can take place.

Spending a few hours understanding your project can literally save you thousands

tishybabe

Thanks for that. I am soooo out of my depth there!!!

I know that I want to achieve a open plan feel downstairs but can't visualise it. I guess I'll have to play around with plans on the net and see what can be achieved.

I'll have a look at the site that you sent!!

Really excited but not v confident!!!

krlyr

You could always try drawing up a floorplan - or download something like Google Sketchup for free and make your own 3D model!

nickj_2

i would get a builder in to give you a rough idea of costs , and then take it from there , once you've had plans drawn up he can give you a proper quote

tishybabe

Thanks guys. I am going to call a builder in the next couple of days and hopefully will have a better idea on cost and also they will probably be able to tell me what is possible to do and what is not.