Appearances can be Deceiving… How to Make your Home Look Bigger with an Extension

AD – This is a collaborative post // This year we have all been couped up in our homes for far too much time, leaving the majority of homeowners crying out for more space within their homes! With many people considering moving to a new house to get more space for themselves and their families, the benefits of having an extension have never been more apparent. But what are the best ways to optimize every inch of your home extension?

There are three main types of extension you can choose from: a rear extension, a wrap-around extension and a side-return extension. A rear extension extends your property into your garden space, whereas a side-return extends into the dead space down the side of your property. A wrap-around extension combines both of these extensions together and adds the most amount of space to your property.

Regardless of which type of extension you have, there are several ways of making the space you have seem even bigger than you first think. One of the main ways is by increasing the amount of light in your extension. This can be achieved through installing skylights or flush glazed glass panels in the roof of your extension. It can be a popular option to have rooflights too, which add extra height to your extension subtly by adding domed windows on your extension roof.

Another way of increasing light and making your extension seem more spacious, is having bi-folding or sliding doors. These doors transform the rear of your property into what is essentially a glass wall, which can be open or shut without compromising how much light or space it adds to your extension. If you have patio doors, you can create the same look by having custom glass panels either side of the doors to bring in as much light as possible.

However, the biggest decision you will make will be whether to have an open-plan or broken-plan extension. Open-plan extensions will make your extension look wide, open and spacious, being able to see from one side of your home to the other easily. This is great if you want to create a social environment where everyone can interact no matter what they are doing. If you opt for a broken-plan layout, where there are separated rooms or sections in your extension, it can make your extension seem slightly smaller. But this can be attractive if you prefer a cosier ambience or like to have more privacy in the home.

A popular way of increasing space in home extensions currently, is to have the steels exposed. This creates an open-factory style décor, that draws attention upwards. This can make your extension seem taller if you already have a high roof but can sometimes make your extension seem smaller if you have filled the space quite densely.

No matter how you prefer to plan and decorate your home extension, Simply Extend can help advise you on all of your best options.