Out or Up? Should You Extend Your Home or Add an Upstairs?

Expanding your home is rarely about simply increasing the available floorspace. It’s about enhancing its liveability and tailoring the floor plan to truly suit your lifestyle. It’s about adding value, both economically and logistically.

There are a couple of different ways to achieve this, and the path you pick will influence the end result. Extending your home by building out the back, side, or both, increases its footprint while optimising its flow. Adding on to your home by building a second floor increases overall floorspace while enhancing zoning and potentially capturing views.

There are a few important factors that you need to think about when choosing your home expansion approach.

Balancing the budget

An extension is usually the more cost-effective option. The horizontal nature of building works means access is easier and fewer changes to the existing structure are required. Depending on your plans, you may also be able to stay in your home during construction, saving temporary accommodation costs.

To add a second storey, at least part of your home’s roof will need to be removed and lifted. Additional reinforcement may also be required to take the weight of the taller structure. And you will most likely need to move out of your home for at least part of the construction phase.

As a result, an addition will generally cost around 30% more than an extension. However, the extra floor space and retained green space mean that an addition will usually add more value than an extension. As such, it could be a better long-term investment.

Suiting the space

The physical restrictions of your site will have a significant impact on your expansion plans. In many instances, the size, shape, contours, and surrounds of your building parcel will make one option more suitable.

In inner city areas, where block sizes are smaller, opportunities for extension can be limited. Even if building out is possible, it’s often hard to do while maintaining the balance between indoor and outdoor spaces. So, in these locations, building up is usually the easier, or potentially only, option.

In more suburban and semi-rural areas, where available space is less of a concern, extension is usually the easier choice. Though this depends on the state of the building parcel, as certain conditions, like a significant slope, can create complexity.

Focusing on functionality

Understanding why you want to expand your home will allow you to set clear goals for your redesign plans. Do you need more space to accommodate your growing family or to enable multi-generational living? Do you want to entertain more, increase your communal space, or create additional dedicated spaces?

Digging a little deeper into your motivations can also help determine the best expansion approach. If you’re creating space for young children or older relatives, an extension reduces the risk of mobility and safety issues. Conversely, if you’re trying to accommodate a large family, an addition splits living spaces over two levels, providing greater independence and privacy.

Allowing for approvals

While some exemptions exist, most home expansions will require planning permission before work can begin. Rules vary from state to state and council to council, but height restrictions and minimum green space requirements are common. Consult your local council for more information on the specific rules in your area.

In many locations, smaller, ‘straightforward’ building projects may be eligible for a faster, more streamlined approval process. To access this, plans need to meet stringent pre-set guidelines on everything from lot size to planning overlays. Keeping your plans within these parameters can mean avoiding the expensive and time-consuming formal Development Approval process.

If securing planning permission is a concern, a small rear extension will usually be the easiest to get approved. Even if your plans are not eligible to be fast-tracked, there will generally be less scope for objections. Whereas an addition will almost certainly need formal Development Approval and is much more likely to attract overlay, overshadowing, and overlooking objections.

Choosing the right direction

A successful home expansion builds on the existing structure to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It thoughtfully considers the property’s limitations while effortlessly supporting your evolving requirements and lifestyle. It addresses financial, structural, and planning considerations while delivering additional space that is functional and adds value.

Whether you should build out or up really depends on your property design, your expansion plans, and your long-term goals. Whichever direction you choose, engaging qualified professionals, like experienced designers and Melbourne scaffold hire experts, will help keep the project running smoothly. 

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