Adding a second storey to your property is a chance for you to upgrade your home and create your dream space.
Making the decision to go through with this kind of project will allow you to add more space, improve your lifestyle, all while adding significant value to your home.
However, like any large renovation project, planning a second storey extension can take time.
There are lots of factors that you need to consider, like your house foundations, planning approvals, and of course what the second storey will actually look like.
If you’re thinking about taking on a project of this nature, here’s everything you need to know about second storey extension plans.
Why Consider a Second Storey Extension?
We think that the choice to add a second storey to your home is a great one. Not only can you improve your family’s lifestyle, but the whole project doesn’t take as much time as a double storey extensions and causes minimal disruption.
Adding a second storey can dramatically increase the value of your home as the additional square footage will make it much more attractive to potential buyers. In Brisbane, an additional storey can increase the price of your house by as much as 60%, which will be a great return on investment if you ever decide to sell your home.
If your family is growing and not comfortable in your current space, an additional storey will provide ample space for everyone to play, relax and unwind.
You can normally also stay living in your home while construction work commences as second storey extensions cause minimal disruption.
As long as you have access to everything you need on your ground floor, there’s no need to find alternative accommodation while the builders are in – which can drastically reduce the price of your project.
There are so many reasons why someone might consider a second storey extension. It’s a quick and simple project that can result in a range of benefits for you and your family.
How to Plan a Second Storey Extension
There are a lot of things to consider when planning a second storey extension, and the process will depend on the scale of your renovations.
Here are some of the main steps that you’ll have to prepare for during your extension project:
1. Think about planning permission
Before you get wrapped up in the planning process, you should first consider if your project requires planning permission or council approval.
Depending on the state you live in, you might have to obtain permission to start your project. This approval means that local authorities are OK with the work you’re doing on your house.
You should try and get this approval as soon as you can. If you don’t, it could cause delays for your whole project.
2. Decide on a plan and budget
Never underestimate the power of a detailed construction plan and budget to keep you on track before building commences.
Your plan will help hold you and your team accountable and will provide you with goals to work towards.
These plans don’t have to be completely set in stone, but they should be used as a rough guide to ensure the project runs smoothly.
3. Partner with expert home builders
It would be hard to complete an entire second storey extension project alone, you should partner with a team of custom home builders to help bring your plans to life.
Research different home builders in your area, organise meetings with each, and partner with the team that you think understands your vision the best.
This is an important decision as the wrong home builders could be detrimental to your project.
4. Order the building materials you need
Before you start extending, your builders will need a lot of materials. Your home builders may be ordering all your materials for you, but you should always double-check that everything is covered.
Building materials can take a long time to get delivered, and you wouldn’t want to cause delays because you didn’t take into consideration material lead times.
5. Construction gets underway
After you’ve spent time planning and ordering your materials, your builders can get to work.
The project will start by ripping off your roof and building up from an existing ground floor. Once all the internal features are complete, you can either put your old roof back on or install a brand-new one.
Second Storey Extension Floor Plans
Adding a new storey to your home will give you a chance to come up with your own floor plan. This is an important part of any project as this will give you and your builders a visual representation of what your upper floor is going to look like.
Your floor plan will include the shape and size of each of your rooms, showing how each of them will fit into your new extension..
You should think about how your second storey is going to enhance your daily life, designing your floor plans to add space, comfort and value to your home.
A good layout can make all the difference. On the other hand, a bad layout can make your new storey uncomfortable, unorganised and difficult to live in.
Before you start putting together your floor plan, have a think about the following questions:
- Do you want a more open-plan living space for your family?
- How many rooms do you need in your new storey?
- Do you need any additional storage space?
- Do you need extra office space, a new master bedroom or study?
- How accessible do you want all the rooms to be?
- Will you be adding bathrooms to the second floor?
Final Thoughts
In this article, we’ve taken you through everything you need to know about planning your second storey extension – now it’s time to put your plan into action.
If you follow our tips, the planning process should be smooth and quick. Let us know what tips were the most helpful, and share your second storey extension plans in the comments.
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