In Zimbabwe it is common for people to extend their houses. People extend their houses for different reasons, some do it to make the house bigger to carter for a growing family, and some extend the house to increase its market value.
When extending a house, you must first of all define why you need to extend house, which rooms you need to add and where you want those rooms. Define the functions of the rooms to be added and see how they complement the existing rooms.
Engage a good architect who will guide you in designing the layout of the house and how the existing rooms can be joined with the new ones. Working out the most efficient and practical way to access an extension is often the greatest design challenge. Do not sacrifice more than you are gaining, for instance by slicing up a good sized bedroom in order to gain access to an extension that adds only one more bedroom of a similar size.
Using an existing room to access an extension rarely works unless it is sufficiently large and the furniture carefully arranged. Such rooms usually end up as nothing more than a corridor and a dumping ground for homeless storage.
Circulation space is very important to the healthy function of a house, ensuring that it is liveable and that the best use is made out of all of the space. When extending, this may mean rethinking the function of every room in order that the main rooms, most importantly the kitchen, dining and lounge, can all be accessed directly from the main hallway.
In smaller houses where there is no space for a separate hallway, it is a good idea to have at least a small lobby or enclosed porch to create privacy from the front door.
When designing your extension plan, try to save existing walls and existing structures as much as possible, this will save you money and time. However there are some walls and structures which should inevitably be demolished because they stand in the way of the new design.
If planned well, extending your house will not only give you more space but it can also increase the market value of your property.
All house extensions in Zimbabwe are regulated by council by laws and as such all extensions should have plans that are approved by council.
