Trends in home additions in the UK
If you were to visit a typical moderately affluent suburban property, built perhaps in the 1930s 50 years ago, chances are little would have changed since it was first built. Perhaps there would be some garages, where they weren’t part of the original, often a ramshackle collection of buildings often made from concrete panel or corrugated sheet materials. However, there would be relatively few extensions as we consider them today. Fast-forward fifty years and most will have been significantly altered. Doors and windows will often have been changed (in many cases multiple times as different materials and styles come and go). Additionally, most will have some form of extension and many of the previous more basic garages will have been replaced with more elaborate matching structures. It is true that after fifty years have passed, one would expect a certain amount of change, but even looking at properties twenty or thirty years old today, there would still be a lot of alterations. Why do we feel more and more like moving house?
The generation that initially bought those new properties in the 1930s often came from crowded inner-city lodgings, so having your own bathroom, kitchen, and possibly even a bedroom seemed a world away from what you’d expect. they previously knew. Around the 1960s quite a few would have changed hands and even for those that hadn’t, people were gradually acquiring more goods. In the kitchen, a fridge and washing machine were becoming commonplace, so it was starting to feel a bit cramped. The storage room no longer seemed so spacious with the seemingly endless supply of children’s toys. It was also the time when an increasing number bought their first car, although they hadn’t hit the build quality when given the option, you could actually leave it out, unless you wanted to see it rust before your eyes and not be able to start on a winter morning.
Thus, the 1960s marked the beginning of significant housing expansion. Extensions from this time were often more open additions to the building, with flat roofs being extremely common and windows often following the style popular at the time rather than necessarily matching the original building. Prefabricated extensions also became quite popular with walls often made of concrete or wood paneling and corrugated plastic roofing or a flat felt roof and often built as a “sun room”.
As the 1970s and 1980s progressed, there was a growing trend toward home additions that matched the existing building. There are several possible reasons for this:-
· Urban planning departments increase their influence even in fairly minor plans.
The prefab type of extension, particularly when used as a habitable room (as opposed to a conservatory or similar) became more complex to justify based on building regulations with increasing requirements for insulation etc. and perhaps a more robust interpretation of them by some councils. Any cost savings began to dwindle.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the homeowners realized that, in general, it was better to make the addition appear to be a more integral part of the original building. This was fueled in part by rising home values that have at times become a national obsession. The large-scale sale of council houses also increased the number of owner-occupants who often wanted to list them, no doubt in part to prove that they now owned the property.
Changes in building regulations in a couple of areas have also helped certain types of extension. The conservatories exemption has potentially made it a quicker and easier form of extension (although it may still require planning approval, a point often forgotten http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permitted_development) . This, along with being another product for the expanding UPVC window industry and the introduction of polycarbonate roofing systems, has made it one of the most common home improvements of the last few decades. Another major change in regulations was the removal of height restrictions on rooms (apart from stairs). This has made many loft conversions, particularly those with ceiling lights only, viable which may not have been in the past and has become a very popular form of home extension, often cheaper to build than an extension at ground level, while often having less impact on the existing house and garden.
I guess it was predictable that the next trend would be away from rigidly following the existing building design towards an identity of its own. It often incorporates elements that have been popular in some individual new homes, such as large areas of glazing, white plastered walls, and the use of wood on the exterior. In general, this is a more localized trend, it will often be more expensive to build, perhaps requiring more design skill to make it work successfully, so it is mainly seen in the more affluent parts of our major conurbations.
What about the future direction of home extensions?
The current economic climate has reduced the amount of activity in general and the larger schemes in particular. However, in the longer term, property expansion will return to previous levels. We are not building enough new homes to meet potential demand which, after a temporary ‘blink’, will mean home prices will continue to rise and therefore it is generally cheaper to spend money on your existing property than to go up market . From the trends we’ve seen over the last few years, I would expect that the market for conservatories has peaked, there will always be some demand for them, but it will be a less massive market. Although sun loungers (large window areas but with a solid roof) will remain popular. The more contemporary type of extension will still be a fairly specialized area, but schemes can generally rely more on skillful use of space rather than just a large area. There are some new products on the market that can make loft conversions easier, particularly in relation to modern roof beams, which today often require huge steel beams to support the new roof. Basements have become popular in some of the more expensive urban areas, but they are generally a more expensive form of extension and therefore not likely to become widespread. However, it may be worth converting it into usable accommodation when there is some kind of existing basement in the building.
As the use of alternative energy systems (solar, heat pumps, etc.) becomes more common, home additions may increasingly be seen as a good time to incorporate such products. Similarly, cladding an existing building with a different material (plaster, shingles, wood paneling, etc.) can be a way to increase insulation and improve the appearance of a bland home. It also means that an extension built at the same time can be seamlessly combined with existing renovated parts. There are many properties from the 1960s and 1970s that are not particularly attractive, but are often good value compared to other eras, as long as they are well built and often have larger acreage and gardens than later properties. These would often benefit from a face lift plus extension to improve appearance and facilities.
There may also be a growing trend to use alternative materials such as green roofs (grass or other plants) and some of the highly insulating forms of construction including SIPS (structurally insulated panels – insulation sandwiched between two sheet materials) or even the more environmentally friendly ones. friendly methods such as straw bale walls.
Open plan layouts will likely remain popular, but on a more restricted basis, perhaps keeping a separate living room that can be closed off rather than trying to create a single open space. Trying to read ‘War and Peace’ while someone else is playing drums is not always a good combination! Also, while an open kitchen has some advantages, watching you pick up dinner off the floor or having to see stacks of plates may require a more skillful “open but not open” approach. In other words, perhaps a partially open plan but offering some degree of enclosure.
Freestanding garden rooms have become increasingly popular in recent years and are often used as “home offices”, gyms or music rooms, uses where a certain degree of separation can be a positive advantage, the Recent Permitted Development (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permitted_development) means that they are no longer included with other extensions for planning purposes when they are close to home. It will be interesting to see if this will be used as a way around the rules on home extensions in some cases.
Once economic activity picks up, we can be sure of more jumps coming to our residential areas as home improvements and additions regain their earlier momentum.