HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON AN EXTENSION Part 1
Adding space to your home doesn’t have to break the bank. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or simply want to keep a close eye on spending, Rebecca Foster shows how to get the best value for money. And don’t miss next month’s issue to discover another 15 ways to save money on your extension project
Above & top: This side-return kitchen extension was designed and built by Simply Extend (
www.simplyextend.co.uk). Opting for a straightforward brick and block structure was one way of keeping costs down. Another reason the homeowner chose to work with this company was the fixed price contract associated with the build. Detailed stage payments were laid out prior to work starting on site, so they knew what to pay and when
1 Plan the size carefully
Building a smaller addition doesn’t mean it’ll be cheaper. There’s an economy of scale on every project, so you’ll want to strike a balance somewhere in the middle to get maximum value per m2 . “For every job there are site set up and running costs – insurance, scaffolding, skips etc. The smaller the project the higher these are as a percentage,” says James Munro, director at Granit Architects. “There’s a sweet spot where the work is big enough to build efficiently, without it being so complicated and prolonged that it swings the other way.”