Designing your home for open plan living
Open plan layouts have become one of the most desirable home features in recent years. A bright and airy space that’s flexible to your needs helps to bring the family together, improves the flow around your home and can also add value to a property.
If your current ground floor layout feels cramped or disconnected, a home extension is one of the most effective ways to achieve an integrated living space.
How do home extensions make open plan living possible?
Quite simply, it gives you the opportunity to redesign the space from the ground up so that you can get exactly the floor space you need in your property.
An extension lets you add valuable square footage, ideal for spacious kitchen-diners, lounge areas or combined living areas, drastically improving the flow of your home.
Extensions also offer the chance to incorporate desirable features such as large bi-fold or sliding doors, skylights or roof lanterns and wider windows to let natural light flood your space for a more pleasant aesthetic and making the whole space feel bigger and brighter.
Remodelling your floor plan
Older houses often have small, separate rooms that limit movement and light. Combining an extension with selective internal reconfiguration as part of your building work allows you to create a large, seamless space, even if your extension is relatively small.
Working with an architect alongside a building contractor can also ensure that you’ve considered zonal areas and how they’re connected, for example, from the kitchen to a dining and living area, as part of your planning process.
Considerations before starting work
It’s not just your budget and layout you need to think through before planning your home improvement. You’ll want to ensure you can retain enough outside space for your needs and also ensure the practical implications of extending are also covered such as drainage.
Other factors can impact your project such as:
Structural support – steel support beams are a must if removing load bearing walls.
Ventilation and heating – open plan kitchens need good extraction, heating zones and efficient insulation for comfort and to conform to current building regulations.
Storage solutions – with fewer walls, cabinetry and built-in units will help keep your space clutter free.
Acoustic control – open areas can carry sound so adding soft furnishings, acoustic panelling and zoning areas can help.
Planning permission – you may need planning consent depending on the size and location of your extension.
The good news is that when working with Stubbs Homes, we help you navigate through all the decisions you’ll need to make during your project. Plus, we’ll make sure everything is monitored, approved and completion signed off from building control at every stage.
Our many years of experience building home extensions means we’re able to support your project from start to finish so that you end up with a multifunctional space that becomes the hub of your home.