George Clarke on the best way to extend your home
George Clarke; The architect and presenter of Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and The Restoration Man shares his latest tips and ideas
George Clarke; The architect and presenter of Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and The Restoration Man shares his latest tips and ideas.
Image: Thomas Stewart
What’s the best way to extend?
There are many ways of adding value to your home, from upgrading kitchens and bathrooms to keeping interiors looking fresh and well maintained. But after many years of refurbishing and restoring homes all over Britain, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most foolproof way to add value to your home is by adding extra space. To a certain extent homes are valued according to their location, but they are also valued by the number of rooms and overall floor area, so if you are able to increase these it can often be a shrewd investment.
Ground-floor extensions, particularly on the side or rear of your home, can be the easiest to gain planning permission for, and can increase the size of kitchen, dining and living areas. A good-sized, communal kitchen-dining area is the most appealing ground-floor room in a twenty-first-century home because so much of the time we spend socialising as a family and entertaining friends revolves around food and drink. These extensions can also be relatively affordable additions – as long as you don’t buy the most expensive kitchen on the market.