Developing a home is a deeply involved process, from the smallest decorative touches to the biggest structural interventions. In a market where property values are temporarily on the downswing, it makes sense as a homeowner to want to invest in its value – whether for your personal enjoyment or for better market performance in the future.
Building an extension is one of the most impactful things you can do for property value, in some cases increasing your property’s value by as much as 20%. But extensions are also the most difficult and disruptive of home renovations, requiring expert help to bring together. How – and why – should you go about finding that help?
The Challenges of Building an Extension
Extensions are by no means trifling projects. They are fundamentally complex buildings, at once requiring structural stability as an independent structure and seamless interface with an existing structure. Where many home renovations can be undertaken on a DIY basis, there are too many challenges that the casual DIY-er might face in attempting an extension alone.
For one, extensions require designing. These designs must meet building regulation standards, and pass inspection by the council through applying for planning permission. Even if you had the requisite skills to design your own extension, merely preparing your land for its construction is the work of several people – from digging out and levelling ground to pouring foundation concrete. Then, the building of the structure itself requires a wide array of specific and specialised skills, from bricklaying to electrical work and roofing.
Why Hire Tradespeople?
With all this in mind, it behoves you to at least find some extra bodies to help you with your build. But why should they be skilled tradespeople? You might be money-conscious, and hoping that a DIY build brings the overall cost of your extension down. It is true that labour often accounts for a significant portion of a domestic project’s costs, but cutting costs here can run the risk of inflating costs elsewhere – for example, where poor brickwork leads to structural failure down the line.
Not only is your labour money hiring skilled workers with experience building structures, but also hiring the specialised tools that they use to complete the work. They are equipped with equipment that is rarely found in the average DIY-er’s toolbox, from angle grinders for cutting rebar and stonework to compacters for preparing the groundwork.
Where Do You Find Contractors?
If you’ve been convinced to seek out specialist help for your extension build, you might now be wondering where to find the right contractors for the job. This is an important consideration, where ‘cowboy builders’ remain a systemic issue within the domestic construction sphere.
The most important factor in hiring contractors should be proof of quality – particularly in the form of customer reviews or testimonials. Word-of-mouth is the best route by which to find a quality contractor, but online reviews on industry-specific can be just as useful.
