Our expert advice for solving your project dilemmas

Planning a project? Our Real Homes expert, Jason Orme, solves all of your home transformation dilemmas

Q: Do I need an architect or is there another option?

A:

A skilled and experienced house designer is a critical part of any home extension project. They will grasp the things you’re trying to achieve and ensure they are incorporated into the proposed scheme – and, more importantly, they will come up with solutions to the project’s main constraints, whether the issue is a lack of light or of space. Given that the cost of a professional house designer is relatively modest – you’ll probably end up spending more on a kitchen – and that getting the space right is fundamental to your project’s success, it’s usually money well spent. But – and this is a big ‘but’ - only if you find the right designer. So many homeowners complete this process disappointed in the final results. This is largely because the designer didn’t engage properly – whether that’s with the project itself or the people they’re working with.

The problem with the process for individual homes is they usually demand more billable design hours than a client is willing to pay for – and as a result, the client is left feeling a bit unsatisfied. Other problems include an inability to design a scheme with the client’s budget in mind. One way to hedge against this is to ask how many of their previous schemes have been built – a good success metric to employ when you’re scouting out professionals and whittling down shortlists. Don’t forget, too, that you don’t necessarily need an architect –this is just one of the types of professionals that you can employ for this task. Others include architectural technologist, designer even a builder. They don’t need to be formally qualified at all, but you should ensure they have solid experience and relevant insurances such as professional indemnity insurance (PI). Alternatively, you could use a high-scale design service specially tailored to homeowner extension projects, such as Resi.co.uk.

Q: What’s the maximum size of bi-fold or sliding door I can have in my project?

A:

One of the key reasons to choose bi-fold or sliding doors is to maximise the amount of natural light coming into your room, and so for many people it’s a case of the bigger, the better. The main structural limitations on the size of the doors are the integrity of the glass (as the pane gets bigger, it gets weaker in the middle) and the strength of the framing itself as it supports the heavy glass. In the case of doors bought off the shelf, the standard opening height is 2.1m, and it’s easy to find widths anywhere between 2.3m (usually a three-panel door) and 4.5m (five panels). However, some of the more specialist suppliers tend to build bespoke, so sizing can be based around individual door panels being between 0.4-1.2m wide, and up to 3m high – and typically you can choose up to eight panels in a set. Turn to page 161 for statement door inspiration.

Q: I’m carrying out a two-storey extension to the back of my house. What will I need to do about insurance? Will my home insurance cover the work?

A:

If you’re carrying out any structural work to your existing house, you will need to approach insurance with caution. First, you should notify your existing home insurance provider of the details of the work to be commenced, including whether the house will be left open at any stage, or uninhabited. Each insurer will have their own approach to this and will likely either alter your premium or ask you to look elsewhere for insurance during the period of the project. It is absolutely critical that you are factually correct about the work as any inaccuracies may invalidate your claim in the event of defect or disaster.

The good news is that there are products out there that are designed to cover the period of the project as well as the extra insurance coverage required for things like building materials and structural work. Try the new Homebuilding & Renovating Extension Insurance with Self Build Zone (homebuilding.co.uk/hbrinsurance).

Q: I have an extension in which I’m putting underfloor heating. can I extend it into the rest of the home?

A:

Warm-water underfloor heating is a no-brainer when you’re building a new floor structure – the pipes can be buried in the floor screed and the results are a controlled, warm climate with heat you barely notice, coupled with cutting out the need for radiators. It is possible to extend the underfloor system into the existing house, but it requires a lot more effort, particularly if you want a warm-water system (electric matting can be laid underneath tiles). The problem has traditionally been that these retrofit systems build up the floor level too much, impacting on things like door thresholds, but things are changing. ‘Warm-water underfloor heating (UFH) systems have come a long way and are straightforward to install over your existing floor,’ explains Rachel Roberts, technical account manager at Nu-heat. ‘Specialist retrofit systems such as Nu-heat’s super-slim LOPROTM range add as little as 15mm to the existing floor height, minimising any impact on existing features. The new Loprotmlite is a completely dry UFH system, so floor coverings can be fitted immediately on a DIY basis.’

Q: I want to build a garden wall, but have no idea what to pay. How much should it cost?

A:

It depends on the size of the wall, what bricks or stone you’ll use, and how you’ll build it. Using standard size bricks, you’ll get a coverage of 60 bricks per m2. Typically, bricks can be bought for 70p-£1 each. If a wall is going to be above around 50cm or is holding back lots of ground, it will need to be a double skin. To give an example, a 12m long garden wall measuring around 45cm high will need approximately 325 bricks, plus sand and cement (costing another £70 or so) – bringing total material costs to roughly £300. That’s in addition to the footing, which will need to be dug out and filled with concrete. You should expect a garden wall of that size to take a bricklayer two to three days at approximately £200 per day. As a result, you could easily spend £1,000 on a wall like this. One way to reduce these costs is to have a go yourself at the bricklaying – use an aid such as the Bricky (£39, Amazon) to help you with mortar management.