If you feel that your home is getting a bit too crowded and too small for the needs of you and your family before you start thinking about moving to a different place – check the options you already have. Many homeowners don’t realise that their house is actually bigger than it appears to be because there are parts of it that have a lot more potential than is currently used. There’s a chance that your attic can be converted into a spacious loft, but even when its size doesn’t allow it – consider extending your building to gain additional living space.
You can achieve incredible results with a rear extension, but when you don’t have enough land, you can choose to extend the house vertically with a roof extension as well. Of course, you need to keep in mind that while it’s a great solution that can give you extra space that is filled with natural light, the cost of extension – including the planning and the construction – depends on the size of the changes and their type.
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Do you need planning permission for roof extensions?
Whether you’ll have to apply for a building permit or not depends on the type of extension you’re planning to undertake. Remember that in some cases, such a project can fall under the permitted development. For a roof extension to not require permission, it has to stay within the specific requirements that include:
- it has to be limited to 40 m³ when it’s in a terraced house and 50 m³ in a detached or semi-detached house,
- it cannot extend the existing plane of the roof at the frontal side of the building,
- it cannot add any balconies or verandas to the existing structure of the house,
- it cannot use materials that will alter the visual appearance of the roof,
- windows installed lower than 1.7 m from the ground level should be fixed,
- windows located on the sides of the house should be obscure-glazed,
- the planned extension shouldn’t expand over the outer walls of the house.
Any construction plans that extend the roof over the given conditions will require getting a permit. Though you should also be aware that even when your new extension meets those requirements, but your home is in a designated area, for example, a conservation area, you won’t be able to build it based on permitted development regulations and you’ll still have to apply for planning permission.
What type of a pitched roof extension can you choose?
If you’re looking for design ideas that can help you gain extra space in your home, a roof extension is definitely worth considering. But you should focus not only on the cost of extensions and new design ideas you can find, but it’s also important to remember that there are different options available to you based on whether your home has a flat roof or a pitched roof.
Pitched roof extension ideas:
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hip-to-gable extension
This type of extension is great for houses with a hipped roof (meaning that its roof is pitched on all sides, not only at the front and the back of the property, thus greatly limiting the space available in the building). It works by replacing one or two sloped sides of the roof with vertical walls. As a result, you gain additional space with increased headroom that makes it more functional.
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dormer extension
This is one of the most common ideas that people use to extend their pitched roof and add new space to their home. It provides you with additional headroom by adding a vertical wall that projects from the existing pitched roof. And depending on your needs, you can choose to add a single dormer or a full-width dormer. It can help you make your attic space more comfortable to use and, at the same time, the extension costs, in this case, are usually lower than with other types of projects you can use to make your home bigger.
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mansard extension
Such extensions can help you gain a lot of new space inside your home by replacing one of the sloped sides with a steep, almost vertical, wall and a flat roof, or a roof that is very slightly sloped. In some cases, it’s also possible to go with a double mansard project for an even better result. Though you need to keep in mind that due to the amount of construction work involved, the extension cost will be significantly higher.
How to plan your roof extension
When it comes to adding extensions on houses, you have a lot of options to choose from. You can find many interesting design ideas for both flat roofs and pitched roofs that add more headroom to your new loft and make it more functional. But you can also decide to build an extension connected to one of the sides of your home, and even in such a case, the matter of choosing the most suitable roof is important because you have to make a choice between a flat roof and a pitched roof.
And once you pick the type of extension you want, choose the perfect location for it and get all the necessary permits – it’s time to look for design ideas. After all, you want your new roof design to fit in well with the rest of your home design. You should also look around for the ideal roof windows that will help you make your newly acquired room airy and comfortable by letting in a lot of daylight.
Choosing the right idea for your pitched roof extension is crucial and shouldn’t be decided without considering all the advantages and disadvantages first. It has the ability to add more character to the building, that’s why your choice should depend on whether you want to change the existing design, and give the house a new appearance, or maintain its current look. At Sunlux, we have a great range of roof windows that will make this decision easier, no matter what design and type of windows you’re looking for.
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