Kitchen Extension in Newcastle

You may have found a house in your dream location and the kitchen is just too small, or perhaps your family has expanded and you simple need the extra space; a kitchen extension could be far more affordable than you might think. At Acre Design, this is our most common project type and having completed over 200 in the North East of England, we are the experts in this field. Adding extra kitchen space has numerous benefits: extra storage for that clutter free space we all dream off, room to cook family meals comfortably, a relaxing area which is enjoyable to be in or a modern, stylish place to entertain friends and family. Adding large windows and/or bifold doors adds natural light and brings beautiful views of your surroundings indoors.

It is essential to make sure your plans are detailed and exactly how you want your space as failing to be organised from the outset often incurs additional fees from builders, electricians, plumbers and so on. We cannot stress enough how beneficial detailed plans are for your budget. So, we wanted to outline some key considerations for the planning and building of a kitchen extension.

Investigating and Obtaining Required Planning Permission

It’s really important to share your plans with your local planning officer before you start any work, whatever the type of extension you are planning.. Planning rules are not always fixed and often vary between different areas within one town. If a similar extension was approved at your previous address for example, this doesn’t mean it will be the same scenario in a new location. Further to this, if your property happens to be in a conservation area or national park, you will need to consider certain design aspects carefully. At Acre Design, we handle the planning process for you so that you can focus on your family, work and social life. We have years of experience in this field and can anticipate planning requirements and ensure your design sails through any approvals.

Day-to-Day Use

Extending your kitchen or home is a big investment, usually costing between £1500 and £2500 per square metre. We have found it’s helpful for our clients to ask themselves some key questions. We always send our clients a questionnaire in addition to discussing their brief at length, enabling us to really capture their wants and needs. We find thinking about your dream kitchen in your mind’s eye is helpful. When will your kitchen be used the most? Will the space be used only for cooking or will you want seating for socialising, breakfasting, kids’ homework or play area while you are cooking perhaps? Will it be used by everyone? Do you have any existing furniture or appliances you’d like to accommodate? How many seats will you need around the dining table and/or at the island/breakfast bar? How do you envisage moving about the space?

Customising Your Space to Suit You

Budget is a large deciding factor on the space you create and the finish you achieve. Even with a small budget, you should consider how to layout the space to be exactly as you want it – we can help with this. We offer four drafts of alternative layouts in our design process, enabling you to visualise many different potential layouts. Building a new kitchen extension is an exciting opportunity, you have a blank canvas to work with! Everything can be customised to suit the needs of you and your family, from underfloor heating to lighting, from worktops to the location of power points. You have the luxury of being somewhat unrestricted by prior electrical or plumbing locations, giving you complete flexibility on location and size of appliances. Exciting right?

Practical Points

You probably already have some idea of your budget, which is great. You will need to consider ensuring a contingency fund is also included. Though we provide exceptionally detailed plans and consider all elements of the build process, unfortunately, we have found that occasionally clients may need some extra money for unforeseen events during the build process. Usually, these circumstances involve rare issues such as unknown drainage issues when foundations are dug or exposing unusual building techniques when plasterboard is removed. Communicating with any neighbours from the very beginning has proven helpful with several of our clients’ projects. Ensuring you inform neighbours of your plans from the start in open, honest discussions avoids any element of surprise – a good relationship with your neighbours can make sure the planning and build process runs more smoothly.

Knocking Through to Other Rooms

Often, extending your kitchen may involve knocking down partition walls, perhaps between your kitchen and lounge or dining room. This can create a beautiful open plan space and allow reconfiguration of what may currently be a small and cramped kitchen. Importantly, some walls may be load bearing so this may require the services of our structural engineer and the installation of an RSJ for support. If this is the case, it can be more expensive, however other options could be considered. We can determine this at your free consultation.

Expanding

Victorian or period style properties are very common in Newcastle and the North East. Your kitchen may be small and narrow, this is particularly standard with Victorian homes. One way to increase floorspace is to build an extension, often creating an additional dining or lounge space at the same time. Sky lights in the extended area add to the open plan, luxurious feel of the new space while bringing in an abundance of extra light.

If you have extra space around the sides, front or rear your home, an extension may be your perfect solution. If you do own a period property, we can also ensure any alterations are in keeping with the existing design of your house. You may be more interested in a modern contrasting extension, this will often complement a period property, and we can show you previous examples of both.

Do You Need Help Building Your New Kitchen Extension?

Your kitchen could become a beautiful, comfortable, clutter free heart of your home. Yet, it may currently be too small or cluttered. Extending your kitchen gives you more space to cook, dine, relax and entertain. We can help you design your dream space, within your realistic budget.