BUILD | EXTEND | RENOVATE | REPAIR
External features
When it comes to external features. The last thing anyone wants is to spend money on building an extension that looks out of sync with the original features of their home. When you apply for your planning permission, and it is granted. The local building authority may stipulate your choice of brick and roofing materials to be as close of a match as possible for exactly this reason.
If your home was built many years ago when building materials were in imperial measure. This can sometimes be a difficult to find a match.
However, selecting a knowledgeable builder with experience of matching new materials with old can save you a lot of headaches. They should also be able to provide you with choices on saving money by providing you with alternative materials varying in price from the least expensive to ensure you get value for money.
The same applies to your soffits, fascia boards, downpipes, and gutters.
Internal features
Extensions should be open and the new area created should flow into the existing part of your home.
Structural opening can be created using overhead structural supports. It’s important these steels are supported and comply with building regulations to ensure they have sufficient support on either end and they have been calculated correctly by a structural engineer to ensure they are sufficient for the pending load they are supporting. This is usually the floor or roof they are supporting directly above. Depending on if your extension is single storey or double.
Overhead supports are usually covered using plasterboard to form the ceilings. Vertical supports such as brick columns created for supporting either end over the overhead steels are usually covered over with plasterboards to be concealed behind the plastered walls.
It is possible to make features of exposed floor joists and supporting steel. However, there is regulations to protect against eventualities such as fire which will need to be considered. So, if you’re thinking about doing this then it is important to discuss your proposals for this with your architect and structural engineer to ensure risks are eliminated and factored in at the design stage. This will save time with redesigning later.
For more advice on making your new extension flow into your existing home. Contact Gibbons Construction Management.
Gibbons Construction Management
Build | Extend | Renovate | Repair
Website: https://gcm-limited.com
Tel: 01617103349
Mobile: 07940195544
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