Your home reflects your life and personality. Once you’ve created a cosy, welcoming space, it’s easy to overlook its imperfections and limitations. However, over time, your lifestyle and needs may evolve. You might welcome more family members or find yourself hosting gatherings more frequently. Suddenly, your home becomes the go-to spot for extended family holidays. Storage and circulation spaces may dwindle and your home could start feeling less comfortable.

If you’re beginning to feel cramped in your home or it no longer suits your needs, it’s time for a change – and an extension could be the perfect solution. While upsizing might seem daunting, there are plenty of extension designs that could suit your budget. Plus, it’s an investment that can not only enhance your quality of life, but also add value and longevity to your property.

How do you know if it’s time for an extension? To help you decide, we’ve consulted experts…

1 HOME LIFE IS BEGINNING TO FEEL CRAMPED

Too much clutter taking over? Running out of storage space? It might be time to extend. ‘An extension will provide extra space tailored to your needs, whether it’s a new bedroom, office or living area. This is especially beneficial for growing families or to avoid the cost and hassle of moving to a larger home,’ says Nick Cryer of Berkeley Place.

‘Situations like these can result in a need to explore structural changes, to allow for additional bedrooms being added to lofts or a basement extension to create space for a playroom or snug. It can also mean a less dramatic approach in terms of building work, and instead be a reconfiguration of the existing floor plan to carve out additional space, for example for an office,’ adds Caroline Milns, head of interior design at Zulufish.

2 YOU NEED SPACE FOR NEW HOBBIES OR WORK