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Grow your garden into an extra room
Now is the time to Spring into action and move forward with that home renovation project which you’ve been toying with. Using your garden as an extra room is a valuable way to enjoy the warmer weather and unlock space that rarely gets used. Make the outside welcoming and you’ll be sure to take advantage of the space. Unfortunately, the changeable British weather means that very often we find ourselves running between the flower beds and the house.
Your garden, or outside space, may currently more resemble a boggy mess rather than a place to dream of spending your hard earned free time in; Despite all the continuous rain recently it probably won’t be too long before neighbours will be peering over walls to try and catch fellow outdoor lovers in breach of the hosepipe ban.
Nature’s ongoing unpredictability means many homeowners look at ways of creating a seamless connection between garden and the house, in effect creating an additional room for themselves outside. One way this can be achieved is by extending into the garden to create a more flexible family space inside and a decking area outside, using lots of glass or bi-fold windows or doors.
That way your garden becomes an extension of your home, and you can enjoy your garden from indoors — even when the rain stops play!
Tom Gresford, who runs the Architect Your Home Hackney office, has plenty of experience in creating the perfect garden extension. Here, Tom offers three nuggets of advice for anyone thinking of extending into their garden:
Consider the balance of your house - The balance of a property is very important, creating too big a ground floor can result in a house that is bottom heavy and appears awkward and uncomfortable.
What will the effect be on your garden or your neighbours? - Think about how the extension will fit with the look of your house, both from the road and the garden. Showing your neighbours your proposals form an early stage can help to keep them ‘onside’ and help prevent objections later on.
How do I find out more information about whether I might require planning permission? - Planning law is very complex; your architect can help and advise you through the process of planning your extension or indeed help you to make an informed decision on whether an extension is possible.
The Architect Your Home service starts with an initial visit designed to kick start a customer’s project by providing affordable inspiration, hand drawn sketches and advice. After the initial visit, the homeowners can use the services of their architect as much or as little as they need.
