Modern Extension Ideas: Expert Considerations From an Architectural Designer
There are many reasons to consider building an extension, the most obvious being to increase the area of your existing home. However, you may also want to tidy up your existing floor plan configuration or strengthen the connection between your home and garden.
Contemporary house extensions not only allow you to do these things but there are countless additional advantages, including modernising your home, transforming its appearance, and improving your home's energy performance.
At FORMA Architecture, we can help you realise your extension, from conception to completion. If you would like to know more, schedule a free 30-minute consultation, or you can email us at hello@formaarchitecture.co.uk.
Advantages of Modern Extensions
Here are some advantages to building a modern extension to your home.
Increase internal floor area: Whether you're looking to add another room or extend an existing one, building an extension can improve the functionality of your home by providing additional space and storage, while simultaneously alleviating other existing spaces.
Enhance your existing floor plan configuration: Your existing floor plan may be poorly designed with poky rooms or a confused layout. An extension, conjoined with some internal renovative works, can help tidy up that floor plan, optimising how the rooms are used and improving spaces that were either previously neglected or unused.
For inspiration, take a look at our Buttermere Close project.
Modernise your home: Modern design, materials, and technologies used to create your extension can help transform your home both aesthetically and functionally. This could be achieved by designing a contemporary form such as a rectilinear, flat roof design that contrasts with an existing traditional pitched roof; or specifying large, triple-glazed doors and windows that draw in plenty of natural light while achieving high thermal performance.
Increase the home's energy performance: Through good design and the specification of modern, green materials and technologies, you can achieve a low-energy, high-performance home extension, and as a result, improve the energy performance of your home as a whole. This can be achieved by designing a building envelope with generous insulation and specifying triple-glazed doors and windows to create a space which doesn’t lose its heat.
Strengthen the connection between your home and garden: A ground-floor extension can be designed to enhance the connection between your home and your garden. This can be achieved by introducing large sliding or bi-fold doors that open up fully, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors.
Improve ingress of natural light: Large, full-height doors, windows, and roof lights can be implemented to allow plenty of natural light to enter both the extension and the existing home, establishing modern and natural light-filled spaces with generous views.
Take a look at our Treetops project for inspiration.
Types of extensions to explore
The type of extension you consider will depend on your needs, as well as what may be appropriate to build onto your existing home. Here are a few typical types of extensions:
Single-storey, ground-floor extensions: Great for accommodating an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area with large sliding doors that open into your garden whilst opening up and ameliorating your current floor plan.
Two-storey extension: Two-storey extensions offer even greater scope for expanding space. A dining room can be created on the ground floor whilst an additional bedroom or larger primary suite can be created on the upper floor.
Over-structure extension: Building an extension on top of an existing structure such as a garage or single-storey extension allows homeowners to maximise vertical space without sacrificing outdoor space.
Dormer roof and loft conversions: Utilising an otherwise neglected space such as an attic to create an additional bedroom, study and/or bathroom can improve the functionality of your home and alleviate other existing spaces. A loft conversion also provides a great opportunity to improve the thermal envelope of your roof, thus improving your home’s energy performance.
Side return extensions: Victorian terrace houses commonly comprise a slender courtyard or alleyway on one side of the home to the rear, designed to allow natural light to enter the rooms within, a space that routinely ends up neglected and unused. A common practice would be to design a rear extension that envelopes this nook, accommodating an open-plan, light-filled extension that opens into the garden.
Important Design Considerations
There are many design considerations to think about regarding your new extension such as whether to continue the same material from the existing home helping to seamlessly blend the new with the old, or conversely, design something that differentiates itself from the rest of the home, celebrating the new and contemporary extension. Here are some key considerations regarding the design of your extension:
Context: Each extension is unique and should respond appropriately to the existing property and its setting. Considerations concerning circulation, orientation, views, sunlight, and shade should all be made. As an example, the extension could be strategically orientated with large apertures to draw in plenty of natural light, and thus reducing the need for mechanical lighting, helping to reduce your electricity bill.
Form: A unique form that contrasts with the existing one can be designed such as an asymmetrical shape, distinguishing itself as a piece of contemporary architecture.
Scale: Scale can be played with to evoke a different psychological feeling as one moves between the old and new space, such as designing an extension with tall ceilings and oversized apertures that may contrast with the existing home.
Materiality: Materiality can be played with both inside and out to distinguish itself from the rest of the home. This can include cladding the external walls in a glazed porcelain tile or leaving plaster exposed internally.
See our Fairfield project for inspiration.
Contemporary features: Incorporate a modern feature in the design of your extension, such as an oriel window (glass box window) that protrudes out from the building.
For inspiration, check out our Woodlands park project below.
How to get approval for a modern extension
Before commencing construction, it’s essential to understand the regulatory landscape. This can be difficult to navigate, but with the correct advice and support, it can be made easy:
Full planning permission consent: This involves submitting a comprehensive planning application to your local planning authority, detailing the proposed extension and its impact on the surrounding environment. Factors, including the scale, design, and location, will influence the likelihood of obtaining planning permission, as well as whether your property falls within a conservation area.
Permitted development rights: Under specific circumstances, permitted development rights allow homeowners to undertake certain works without planning permission. However, some limitations and conditions must be followed, particularly concerning the size, height, and location of said works.
Additional design challenges
From structural integrity to budgetary constraints, each extension project presents its unique set of challenges and considerations:
Structural integrity: Engagement with an experienced structural engineer is essential to ensure the extension is structurally sound and compliant with building regulations. Structural elements such as foundations, floors, walls, apertures and roof structures must be carefully designed to withstand the loads imposed by the extension.
Budgetary constraints: Establishing a realistic budget and project timeline is crucial for managing costs and avoiding potential delays. It’s advisable to obtain multiple quotes from reputable builders and tradespeople to ensure competitive pricing and quality craftsmanship.
Neighbour consultation: Depending on the nature and scale of the extension, it may be necessary to consult with neighbouring properties and obtain their consent. This is particularly relevant for extensions that may impact neighbouring views, access to light, or privacy.
Design your perfect home with FORMA Architecture
Whether the aim is to expand living areas to accommodate your growing family, convert a neglected loft space, or modernise and improve the energy performance of your home, extensions offer endless possibilities for enhancing comfort, functionality, and aesthetic appeal.
By carefully considering design elements, regulatory requirements, and practical constraints, homeowners can embark on a transformative journey towards realising their dream living space. With meticulous planning and expert guidance, the vision of a modern and functional home can become a reality, enriching the lives of residents for years to come.
If you would like to contact FORMA Architecture about a potential project or if you have any questions, please schedule a free 30-minute consultation, or you can email us at hello@formaarchitecture.co.uk
FAQs
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Finding an architectural designer to entrust with your extension design can feel like a big decision. There are many factors to consider including your preference of architectural style, as well as their competency, cost and availability. Here are five tips for finding the best architectural designer for you:
Look for a designer who is experienced across the entire architectural design process
From conceptual design through to construction and interiors. Finding a designer who is competent at all stages will streamline the process and make it easy for you.
Don’t restrict your search to your local area
Instead, focus on finding a designer whose style and specialisation match your tastes and preferences. A skilled architectural designer will possess the tools and resources to create your design from afar.
Forma Architecture uses a combination of virtual consultations, topographical surveys and photos and videos to understand your home and its setting.
Choose a designer who has worked with renowned firms
A great way to ensure an architectural designer has the skills and competencies to execute your ideal extension design is if they have a rapport with reputable firms. Before starting their own practices, many architectural designers learn their craft by working for larger established firms.
Look for a designer with a background in construction
From an engineering and feasibility perspective, a designer with these skills will be able to produce a design that will require minimal alterations when an engineer is introduced to your project down the line.
Consider a designer with an international portfolio
An architectural designer who can draw from an international portfolio will be able to cross-pollinate ideas across locations and geographies to create unique designs that don’t simply copy and imitate what’s already been done before.
Forma Architecture has extensive experience working with an international client base, designing restorations and extensions in the Scottish and Cumbrian national parks in the UK, as well as new builds located in California, Texas and Hawaii.
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Depending on your design aspirations and the scale of the extension, you should expect to spend somewhere between 8-15% of the overall cost of the build. If you would like FORMA Architecture to provide a quote, please schedule a free 30-minute consultation, or you can email us at hello@formaarchitecture.co.uk
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While it’s not obligatory, involving an architect in your extension design can help accelerate the planning approval process and provide you with the most desirable result.
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Depending on the scale and complexity of the extension, it can take as little as one week to produce drawings for a planning application.
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Your architect can usually help you source a local builder, however, you could also conduct an online search or get a recommendation from a family member or friend.
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Both. Once an architect has drawn up your extension plans, they will need to be run by an engineer to ensure the extension design is feasible and structurally sound. Forma Architecture is connected with a network of engineers that can assist you at this stage.
