Never “DIY” With Loft Conversions or Home Extensions.
Extending your home is a breath of fresh air.
It means more space at home. You can have a person or 2 move into the new extension. Or, you could setup a dream room after your renovations are over.
You know, like a gym, a library, or a new bedroom!
But do note that expanding your home is never an easy activity. And below, we’ll tell you why…
We’ll mention 6 reasons why home extensions must be done by professionals.
First – Proper Boiler Extensions.
Boilers are utilities in England. You need them.
Especially in Essex, where the climate is cooler than the rest of the country.
When extending your home, you have to account for the new load on your boilers. You must also account for you radiators’ capacity to keep up.
Can you do so on your own?
We don’t think so. You’ll need the evaluation of a professional. And you’ll need a professional to upgrade your heating system.
Second – Insulation.
This again, has to do with the cold. But it’s also rainfall related.
It’s a problem that applies a lot to loft conversions. Because one of the problems there is rainfall…
If you don’t renovate your loft well (or damage your roof), expect leakage. And this will ruin your life quality…
Not to mention, it’ll make your new extension unusable. So you’re spending money for nothing.
With a professional Southend-On-Sea builder, you get a specialist to insulate your extension well.
Whether it be a loft or a new room, you won’t have any water leaking in – or room heat leaking out!
Third – What Kind of Extension Are You Doing?
Are you making a new floor at your home? Or are you just expanding on the ground floor?
Because both require different safety measures.
When extending above, you have to account for load. You’ve got to make sure that your home can support a 2nd floor.
Or else, expect a collapse.
Over-extensions are done a lot by builders in Southend-On-Sea. And that’s because the town is more urbanized than the rest of Britain.
If you live in a rural area, you usually won’t need an overextension.
Get a Professional to Gauge Load.
The last thing you need if for your house to collapse on you.
Not only do you lose your home. But you might not get an insurance payout for it. Because many insurance companies don’t support home extensions.
Fourth – Can You Combine Style and Utility?
Most people can’t.
Can you design a new room that lets in enough sun-light, while maintaining privacy? Do you know the best angles to setup windows and blinds?
Do you know the window sizes you want?
Even better, do you know the best fabrics and materials for your new room?
A lot of those questions are best answered by a professional. They’ll show you the best types of materials on the market to achieve the look you want.
They’ll tell you how to maximize the efficiency and lifespan of your new room.
Fifth – What About Regulations?
There are regulations for fire safety, and structural integrity. You have others for moisture proofing, and heat/water insulation.
Not to mention regulations on energy use in your new extensions.
Before commencing on a DIY project, you must be aware of those regulations. Because you don’t want to pay a fine for building what you’re not supposed to build.
In worst case scenarios, what you build might be torn down.
Sixth – Piping and Wiring.
How do you plan on connecting your extension (or loft conversion) to your main power source?
What about piping? Will your new room have water supplied to it? If yes, what’s the piping structure going to be like?
Can you plan those out in advance? Can you install a sophisticated piping system on your own?
Definitely not.
As You Can See…
With building, the “DIY” approach is practically impossible.
You can’t do it alone. Because it’s not easy. There are so many variables that come into play when managing a building project.
And you need training to be a good builder.
You need an expert to advise you on how to approach the project. And by hiring a professional builder, you get insight on what is in the realm of possibilities.
And that’s the just planning part. There’s still the building too, which we assume you don’t have the tools for…
In summation, hire yourself builders in Southend-On-Sea. It’ll save you tons of pain and lost time!
