Should I Move House or Extend?
Should I Move House or Extend? Space is tight. The kids toys are taking up too much room, or the teenagers and you need space apart! Or maybe you want some space where you can work from home without getting marmite in your laptop.
If you live in a flat or have no outdoor space, then moving is clearly the answer. But if your home is a house, with a bit of outdoor space, then extending becomes a possibility.
Weighing up the advantages – and the costs – is important. If your family might grow further at some point, or if you have elderly parents who might one day need to move in, then making sure that extending will give you all the space is important too.
But moving comes with its own expenses – and not just the stamp duty. Estate agents, solicitors, not to mention removal costs – and all the money you’ll need to get the new house looking like home – add that together, and you can probably have a sizable extension to your existing house. In a location you already love, where the kids are settled at school!.
Extending
You’ll want to talk to someone who can help you draw up plans. You’ll probably also want to talk to a local estate agent, so assess what value you would add to your home by extending – sometimes a road or an area has a “cap” – a value beyond which you will never be able to sell your house.
All these are factors, but the final result needs to be a home that really works for you – and one you can sell in the future, which may not be so easy if you’ve built over too much of the garden!
There is a lot that can be done without needing planning permission, under “Permitted Development” – we can advise you on this.
Moving
But moving comes with its own expenses – and not just the stamp duty. Estate agents, solicitors, not to mention removal costs – and all the money you’ll need to get the new house looking like home – add that together, and you can probably have a sizable extension to your existing house. In a location you already love, where the kids are settled at school!.
Should I Move House or Extend?
To work out which will be better financially, you need to find out:
- Estimates of building work & materials
- Planning, building control and architectural services costs
- Stamp duty and estate agents fees
- The likely value of your home post-extension
If you’re considering “Should I Move House or Extend?”, call Alan J Currall Architectural Services for a free, no-obligation chat about your options on 01536 393505.