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 it would have changed little since it was first built. There would perhaps be some garages, where they were not 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. Flash 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). In addition, most will have some sort of extension and many of the earlier more basic garages will have been replaced by more elaborate matching structures.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 much alteration. Why do we want to change houses more and more?
The generation that initially bought those new properties in the 1930s often came from overcrowded inner-city lodgings, so having your own bathroom, kitchen, and possibly even a bedroom seemed a world away from what you’d expect. they knew before. Around the 1960s, quite a few would have changed hands and even for those that hadn’t, people were gradually acquiring more property. In the kitchen, a fridge and a washing machine were becoming common, 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, even though they hadn’t reached build quality when given the choice, you could actually leave it out, unless you wanted to watch it rust before your eyes and not be able to start. on a winter morning
Thus, the 1960s marked the beginning of a significant extension of housing. Extensions from this era 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. Prefab extensions also became quite popular with walls often of concrete or wood paneling and roofs of corrugated plastic or a flat felt roof and often built as a “sun room”.
As the 1970s and 1980s progressed, there was an increasing trend toward home additions that matched the existing building. There are several possible reasons for this:-
· Urbanism departments increase their influence even in quite 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 under building regulations with increasing requirements for insulation etc. and perhaps a more robust interpretation of them by some councils. Any cost savings began to wane.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the homeowners realized that it was generally better to make the addition seem like a more integral part of the original building. This was fueled in part by rising home values that have sometimes become a national obsession. The large-scale sale of council houses also increased the number of owner-occupiers who often wished to individualize, no doubt in part to demonstrate that they now owned the property.
Changes in building codes in a couple of areas have also helped certain types of extension. The exemption from conservatories has potentially made it a quicker and easier form of extension (although it may still require planning approval, a point that is 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 in recent decades. Another major change to the regulations was the removal of room height restrictions (other than stairs). This has made many loft conversions, particularly those with only ceiling lights, 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 houses, 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, will often be more expensive to build, perhaps requiring more design skill to work successfully, which is why it is mostly seen in the more prosperous parts of our major conurbations.
What about the future direction of housing extensions?
The current economic climate has reduced the amount of activity in general and the grander schemes in particular. However, in the longer term, the expansion of the property will return to previous levels. We are not building enough new homes to meet potential demand which, after a temporary ‘blinker’, will mean that home prices will continue to rise and therefore it is generally cheaper to spend money on your existing property than to go up in market . From the trends we’ve seen in recent years, I would expect the market for conservatories to have peaked, there will always be some demand for them, but it will be a less mass market. Although sun loungers (large window areas but with a solid roof) will continue to be popular. The more contemporary type of extension will still be quite a specialized area, but schemes can generally rely more on skillful use of space rather than just a large surface area. There are some new products on the market that can make loft conversions easier, particularly in relation to modern ceiling joists, which these days often require huge steel joists to support the new ceiling. Basements have become popular in some of the most expensive urban areas, but they are generally a more expensive form of expansion and therefore not likely to become widespread. However, it may be worth converting to usable accommodation where there is some kind of existing basement in the building.
As the use of alternative energy systems (solar, heat pumps, etc.) becomes more common, adding to the house can 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 seamlessly blend in 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 of using alternative materials such as green roofs (grass or other plants) and some of the highly insulating forms of construction, including SIPS (Structural Insulated Panels – insulation sandwiched between two sheet materials) or even the more eco-friendly ones. friendly methods like straw bale walls.
Open-plan layouts will probably continue to be popular, but in a more restricted fashion, perhaps by 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 plays the drums isn’t always a good mix! Also, while an open kitchen has some advantages, watching yourself pick up dinner from the floor or having to look at stacks of plates may require a more slick “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 degree of separation can be a positive advantage, the recently permitted development (http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Permitted_development) means that they are no longer included with other extensions for development purposes when they are close to the house. It will be interesting to see if this will be used as a way to circumvent the rules on home extensions in some cases.
Once economic activity picks up, we can be sure of more hops to come to our residential areas as home improvements and additions regain their former momentum.