Extending a house usually comes with a list of must haves and a wish list. Here's the 'wish list' items I made the mistake of not understanding were really a 'must-have'
Juggling time, budgets and priorities when you're building an extension can be all consuming. Particularly when everything seems to cost more, take longer or take precedence when you least expect it to.
And, while I've always taken a fabric first approach to home expansion plans, believing that if you get the main structure and components of your building right, any mistakes you make on the aesthetics can easily be rectified further down the line, sometimes it pays to take a step back and think whether skimping now will really benefit you in the long run.
How do I know? Because I was guilty of doing exactly that and I soon came to regret it.
1. Include garden and external lighting design at the start – even if you can't afford them just yet
It's easy to convince yourself that you don't really need a lighting designer for your external lighting, or that you can pop up a few wall lights, run a few cables in vaguely the right direction and it will be enough. The reality is, it's not.
Even if you don't have the funds to complete your garden design yet, I urge you to invest the time in at least getting you external garden, hard landscaping and lighting designs prepared and quotes ready, so that when you do have the time and money you aren't starting the process from scratch.
While you may tweak elements once you've moved in and lived in the house for a while, understanding how to make a garden work with an extension will help you hugely when it comes to things like running water for pools or ponds, drainage, soakaways and electrics.
It's a mistake I've made more than once and one I wish I hadn't. Last minute planting plans and lighting requirements will come at a premium price when you need them urgently. I found this out to my expense in one property I extended and then decided to sell. Had I included this work before everyone left site, the garden would have had time to mature and look more complete than a rush job ever will.
Trying to make a garden look mature overnight will be costly and messy(Image credit: Alamy)
2. Bathroom design is a skill – use the experts
Ever walked into a bathroom showroom, looked around and thought I can do that? You're not alone, particularly when you're flooded with social media posts of home renovators creating their dream homes.
For most of us though, having an eye for design is one thing, understanding the practical logistics of designing a bathroom where pipework and drainage play a fundamental part is another.
It's the same too with your wall finishes and bathroom furniture.. Using someone who's trained in bathroom planning and design will turn always be a worthwhile investment, leaving you with a bathroom you love spending time in as opposed to one that's just about fit for purpose and not much else.
I thought I could cut corners by designing bathrooms myself and not using a specialist company to supply the bathroom furniture, instead opting for a cheaper option. The result? Bathrooms that looked cheap, had a few bathroom layout mistakes and lacked sufficient storage. I couldn't wait to change them.
Bathroom design is a skill – use the professionals if you don't have those skills(Image credit: Demaerre/Getty Images)
3. Choose the right driveway materials
In hindsight, I'm not sure what possessed me to think gravel would ever be the best driveway material for a sloped entrance, but I did.
I'm sure, as is usually the case, it came down to time and budget and the fact I'd used it on a previous project. But, guess what? That was a flat driveway with plenty of lawn edging in place.
It doesn't take an engineer to work out that gravel on a slope is never going to stay in place. The result? Having to delivery of new gravel on an on-going basis, which escalated costs anyway.
What should I have done? Compacted the ground that was there and waited until I had enough to pay for the resin driveway costs as this was the finish I really wanted. Sometimes patience will lead to a far better result in the long run.
Dream of a resin driveway or a more expensive one than you can currently afford? Wait until you can have one, it'll be worth it(Image credit: Urban Front)
4. The end result matters more than your moving in date
As cliched as it is, I was that person who wanted to be in for Christmas. And, once you get that idea in your head, you can become hell bent on making sure it happens, regardless of what you have to do to get there.
The consequence? A few days where every tradesman known to mankind was on site, trying to finish the last jobs so that we could wake up in the house on Christmas morning.
Needless to say the fights, squabbles and a few shoddy finishes, along with the complete exhaustion of still wrapping Christmas presents at 3am on Christmas Day were not worth it. Yes, it was amazing to be in the house, but would it have been better to spend an organised Christmas in the rental house and then move in post celebrations? Yes, it would have. Give me a full Christmas over a half hearted one any day.
When you've invested that much time, money and effort into building your dream home make that first celebration there worth it, not one that you resign to the 'not the best' memory box.
5. If you have the space for a well thought out boot room – use it wisely
Having plenty of space is a privileged position, and one I'm sorry to say I wasted. You'd think that growing up in Wales I'd know how much wet and mud would track into a family home with kids and pets. You'd assume I'd have accepted a dog washing station was a necessity, not a nice-to-have, and you'd have thought being no stranger to extending and renovating homes, I knew that making do, rarely serves you in the long-run.
Funny how that all goes out the window when you're up against it though. Yes, I put practical boot room flooring down, included a sink in the (way too small) utility room that was in the same area of the floorplan, and customised some Ikea wardrobes to provide storage. But, did it work? Partially, but with a little bit more foresight, it could have been so much more practical and a really valuable space. But the expense of knocking down internal walls and adding bespoke storage after the fact meant we had no choice but to make do.
If you have space for a boot room, you won't regret installing one(Image credit: Neolith)
Only five mistakes I hear you say? It's true, if I sat down and wrote a list of things I wish I'd done differently, there'd be more. But, with each project you learn what really matters, and what is purely an aesthetic issue that won't turn into a drama.
My advice? Whether you're project managing or hiring someone to do the job for you, make a list of non-negotiable items and refuse to budge from them. They'll need to include the big ticket items of course, the ones that form the superstructure of your build, but don't underestimate how some of the smaller things will eventually mount up and make a big difference if you don't get them right.
And even if you can't afford them right now, put the groundwork in place for when you can so that they don't end up costing more than they should.
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Sarah is Homebuilding & Renovating’s Assistant Editor and joined the team in 2024. An established homes and interiors writer, Sarah has renovated and extended a number of properties, including a listing building and renovation project that featured on Grand Designs. Although she said she would never buy a listed property again, she has recently purchased a Grade II listed apartment. As it had already been professionally renovated, she has instead set her sights on tackling some changes to improve the building’s energy efficiency, as well as adding some personal touches to the interior.
