According to the MET office, 2010 was the coldest year since 1986, although the rest of the world experienced one of the hottest years on record. Stats show that the mean average temperature during 2010 was 7.96C – which is the twelfth coldest on record (the coldest being 1919 and 1963). December 2010 was the coldest month since records began, 100 years ago.

The deep freeze at the end of 2010 lasted well into the new year, yet the winter of 2011 seemed a little milder. But right now, we’re seeing a severe drop in temperature and for many this can bring serious headaches. For the older generation, it can even be dangerous.

There’s not much we can do about the weather outside (even though as a nation, we love to moan about it). But we don’t have to suffer through it at home.

With energy prices going through the roof over the past few years, we’ve all been looking for ways to stay warm during the winter months, yet save money (and energy).

If you have a conservatory as part of your home, you’ll know that it’s pretty cold in there right now. This doesn’t just make the room totally unuseable for the winter months, it can also be badly leaking heat from your home into the outside environment.

We are currently working with several clients to convert their existing conservatories into impressive new garden rooms – with a solid roof and less glass. One thing’s for sure is that a good quality garden room is going to keep you and your family considerably more warm during these cold winter snaps than a conservatory ever will.

Save money on energy and maximise the space accessible to you in your existing house – we can help you design, plan, and get permission for a truly functional and visually impressive extension to your existing home.

Photo courtesy of David Paul Ohmer.
Featured photo courtesy of KB32.

Buying a house can be a major event in many people’s lives, especially for a young couple setting up their life together in their first home.

As you go further along your journey through life, you will inevitably pick up extra little keepsakes and other items that mean something to you on the way, whether it’s a rather large carved wooden giraffe you brought home from a trip to Africa, various gifts from friends and family, or photos of memorable and fun events in your life. They make up an important part of your home, giving it your own personality. And of course let’s not forget the children that might pop up a long the way!

This all may sound very daunting, and while moving to a bigger property may seem like an easy solution to this problem, there are other less stressful and cost-effective steps that you can take.

Extending or redeveloping your current house will allow you to add that much needed extra space for your growing family, without the disruption of relocating.

Here are some of the main reasons why building an extension, rather than moving home, may be more beneficial for you:

• Extensions can add value to your property, an advantage in the long run if you decide to move house in the future.
• Extensions can transform the inside of a standard house into a luxury, more spacious home.
• The increased space that comes with an extension will create better floorspace and more room for storage. This will definitely come in handy for all those toys you’ll acquire over the years!
• An extension may provide enough space to add an en-suite bathroom or a downstairs toilet. This would solve the problem of having to queue to use the bathroom when everyone’s rushing around getting ready to work and school in the morning!
• An extension will significantly improve the quality of your home life, giving you and your family the space it needs to grow.

So if you like where you’re living but need more room, then there’s no need to move, just improve!

Featured photo courtesy of J Bennett.

People often buy them because they appear to be a quick fix to a problem – namely they need more space. They also appear to be an attractive proposition because they seem cheap and usually do not need planning permission.

There are many conservatories in Milton Keynes, in fact I can see eight of them from where I sit writing this. I doubt any of them are in use today with the outside temperature struggling to exceed 6 degrees. I have also noticed that few of them are used for anything other than storage, even in summer.

As for being cheap, I think spending £10,000 for an appendage to your house that is not permanent, is expensive. Despite what you may think they generally do have a life span of a decade or two because they tend to look scruffy after some years in use – they are made of plastic after all.

The very worst part of a conservatory is the roof. This damned polycarbonate double or triple skinned plastic roofing really does look awful very quickly and in this weather the space below is very very cold because despite what the salesmen tell you, polycarbonate is rubbish at keeping the heat in – it costs a fortune to keep the space warm if you are determined to try.

I had my polycarbonate roof removed before Christmas, a steel supporting structure erected and a new proper well insulated and attractive slate roof constructed. It was planned very carefully so that the roof came off and the new roof installed in the same day ( not finished but sufficient to make it watertight). Within 3 days we had a warm room that could be heated with one radiator and it was warm enough to use in comfort. What a difference! By Christmas, a week later, it was finished inside and we had our Christmas dinner in there.

It also looks superb inside and out. I elected to have three Velux rooflights; there are cheaper ones on the market but these have terrific thermal insulation properties – after all this trouble, the last thing I was going to risk was being cold. If fact I went very overboard with the thermal insulation and given the amount of glass in the sides of the conservatory that we have retained, it was a questionable expenditure. However, I have no doubt that it has paid off. We now have a superb Garden Room as I like to call such a space, and it will have added much more value to the house, than the old conservatory that existed when we bought the house.

When carrying out such a project you have to check whether you need permission since you are deemed to be creating a proper room whereas a conservatory is generally exempt. However justifying this change was easy. It looks better and is much more efficient than the previous space to keep warm, especially so since the previous owners had removed the door and window separating the conservatory from the house. This is a real no no and should never be done, although I know it is done and often encouraged by some of the less scrupulous conservatory salesmen of Milton Keynes for instance.

To give a balanced view on the subject, I must just point out that if you do not expect to use the conservatory all the year round and if you do not intend it to be your dining room or any other space you have to use regularly, a really nice conservatory can be a joy for a few weeks of the year.

Escaping a two dimensional world and rising up into the security of your bedroom or the special excitement experienced by looking down on the world from your attic space is only made possible by the staircase. I would also argue that the journey itself, transcending another physical level is, well, uplifting.

Of course a staircase is more than a phenomenlocial exercise and is a piece of building structure that because of its special nature is nearly always built in a workshop, traditionally by a joiner who would use his very special carpentry skills to cut and fit the wood components together with wedges, glue and joints to form this “case” of wooden steps. It has to be strong and the technology has been honed over hundreds of years to give us this special building component.

From an architects or interior designers point of view the staircase can become a beautiful design feature. Making a virtue out of necessity and allowing this relatively expensive but necessary part of the domestic house to become an object of beauty is a neat trick. Of course the stair has to be located so that it communicates effectively with as much of the house as possible and is therefore usually quite central. However it is interesting that the usual location in the average british house owes more to history and the development of house design than pure practicality.

It is possible that the Italian Renaissance villa with the main reception rooms being on the first floor and the drama associated with “making an entrance” into what was called the piano nobile and the adoption of this architectural grand gesture by the Georgian architects in the UK led to the arrangement we now take for granted. The Georgian house with its impressive external steps up to the front entrance door and another even grander stairway to the living quarters of the town house or the poor mans version of this, the single stone step outside the front door and the stairway then directly inside the front door leading to the bedrooms. When you think about this arrangement, for the average house, this does not always make sense.

Anyway that’s history and it is worth questioning the traditional layout. Building Tectonics have been known to suggest the relocation of the stairway and it sometime is the key to unlocking a particularly difficult design problem.

Strangely it can be the key to making a loft conversion work successfully since getting the stairway into the loft comfortably without losing an existing bedroom can be greatly facilitated by rationalising the means of vertical conveyance namely the stairs. Quite often when houses have been extended once or possibly twice, the stairs end up being badly located and moving the existing stairs, albeit messy, can be very worthwhile.

Some families love the idea of connecting the upstairs to the main living area of the house which is often the kitchen / family room part of the house. This can be a problem, as to satisfy UK building regulations, your only means of escape cannot be via the kitchen.

Amateur designers often fail to allow enough space for the staircase and in particular spiral staircases take up more space than is usually anticipated. Other design aspects that have to be considered other than those mentioned above include designing for the removal of furniture, headroom, noise transmission and safety in use ( the correct height of the step and width of the tread and the pitch and protection from falling) and of course the structural stability which has been touched on earlier but is worth reiterating.

Notwithstanding all of the above, please allow me to end where I started by extolling the benefit of a well designed, well located staircase and it is a good designer who can integrate the necessary with the ideal.

If you have a vague idea that you need more living space, whether it is a extra bedroom or garden room that is enough to start.

If you are dissatisfied with the relationship of your living space, kitchen, your entrance hall to other parts of your house, this is enough to start.

You do not need to have the answers to start – you just need to contact a company like Building Tectonics.

The other main reason not to start the design process is fear.

Fear of the building work taking over you house.

Fear of the much publicised builder from hell.

Fear of the architect. It is true that some people are put off contacting the architectural profession because they have a image of a rather snobby person arriving at their average Milton Keynes house who then proceeds to talk down to them and tell them what they want.

You do not have to be frightened of any of these things – Telephone or email Building Tectonics to be put at ease.

Let me describe how the first telephone conversations with a new client starts:

me – Building Tectonics, how can I help?
new client – Well I am not sure if you can help me but we are thinking of extending our house, well I think that is what we want to do. Also do you know any good builders and can you supervise the work too, oh and we have a budget to work to so its quite a small project and you may not do work like this.

I then proceed to explain how we can help them and I must be saying something right because I convert most of these polite unassuming Milton Keynes people to clients and then subsequently to a proud owner of an improved Milton keynes house.

It starts with a call or email – do it now while you are thinking of it. Be assertive – no fear. Whats the worst that can happen? well you might leave it another year.

Invoke the power of now.

Featured photo courtesy of Genista

Above: Photo courtesy of Bryn Pinzgauer

Up until the 1960s it was the norm to construct a roof on site out of lengths of timber. This was the carpenters job to frame up the roof and would take typically a couple of days or more depending on the complexity. Then came along the roof truss. The roof truss utilises slender timber but fixed together in such a way to form a series of triangles so that the whole unit derives its strength from its geometry instead of each individual piece of wood acting alone. The trusses are put together in a factory and are delivered to site ready for placing on top of the walls. Felt and battens are then fixed over to receive the tiles. Even before the roof is tiled the incomplete house is now sheltered from the rain. This can be done in a day, with complex roofs (if properly designed) taking not much longer.

Apart form being quicker, roof trusses also free the designer from requiring internal loadbearing walls since roof trusses, because of their inherent strength, can span further and usually can span from outside wall to outside wall.

So if you want to take some internal walls out it is often easier with a house with trussed rafters but if you want a loft conversion, a traditional roof construction with a loadbearing internal wall if often easier. I say often but there are so many exceptions you must always ask an expert to check before making any alterations to your house such as taking walls out or altering them.

The attic space in a house with a framed roof is appealing to the eye and people often underestimate how complex it is to convert to a usable space. Conversely the lay person often thinks it is impossible to convert a roof constructed with roof trusses. Building Tectonics have designed many many roof conversions of all types and even though a framed roof is often easier we have derived techniques to overcome most structural problems inherent in a loft conversion. Removing any timbers from a roof has to be done with great care as you must assume every piece of wood is there for a reason. The open up the space to form a room in the roof you must convert the trussed rafter to a more traditional structure. This takes know-how.. The design process has to also consider where the new stairs are going to go, means of escape in fire, headroom, thermal insulation and many other things required by the building regulations. To find a good solution is pretty difficult and I have seen many howlers of a loft conversion where one or another factor has been overlooked ( we sometimes get asked to obtain retrospective building regulation approval where other have designed the conversion ).

Above: Photo courtesy of Bryn Pinzgauer

What makes a loft conversion impossible is lack of headroom. Other factors such as a timber framed house, roof trusses, hipped roofs and a small first floor landing usually make the project difficult but not usually impossible. As a guide, allow for about £18k for the loft conversion and £2k for the design and regulatory work. You do not usually need planning permission for a loft conversion as long as you are not extending or enlarging the roof space but I am sorry to make the usual caveat and say you have to check with you local planning authority to make sure.

I would also mention that roof trusses should be treated with respect and you often see them stacked on site in the most appalling way. The other problem that was quite common was the wood being attacked by mould which is much more serious when you have such thin members. These problems have now largely been overcome by increasing the timber sized a little and ensuring adequate ventilation to the roof space – oh yes that howling gale in your loft is essential so do not be tempted to block any eaves or ridge vent up. You have to rely on insulation material above your ceiling to keep your heat in and this is another major consideration in converting your loft space properly. We as designers do not advocate taking short cuts but not all builders understand or care enough and taht is why you must get your plans prepared by an experienced company and then find a builder who will follow them to completion.

Happy loft converting!

Maybe your needs have changed over the years, your family has grown, you’ve started working from home, or you just want to live with a little more space in your life. Either way, there is one thing that stands in the way of so many householders’ dreams to live in a better home environment.

We’re in the architectural design business and designing extensions is a big part of what we do, day in and day out. So you might find it a bit strange that I’m not listing a handful of reasons why you should build an extension instead of a reason not to!

Above: Photo courtesy of steverenouk

The thing is, we want you to enjoy the benefits that the right living space can bring, and I hope that if you’re considering an extension then you’ll think of us to help you achieve your vision.

Let me give you a clue – The number 1 reason to not build an extension is NOT cost. Cost is just a solid, finite, measurable reality. Specify what you want, and a supplier will quote you for the work – either you can afford it, or you can’t. If you can’t, maybe you can find a cheaper supplier, you need to think smaller or more creatively. Either way, it’s not a good reason to give up on your project right away.

But I can share with you one good reason to call it quits, to give up, or to just consider moving house rather than expanding your existing home.

Above: Photo courtesy of junkmonkey

It’s risk.

Risk is the cost you can’t measure or you don’t know about. It’s the unknown factor in building something that lands you with a big bill when you don’t expect it, a home you can’t live in, a set of broken building regulations, or a disaster for a building site.

What’s there to risk when building an extension? Actually quite a lot. I’m sure you’ve heard horror stories of building projects that have had spiralling costs? Welcome to the world of risk.

If you hire a builder without knowing the quality of their work, you’re inviting risk into your project.

If you change your mind about something in the middle of your project, you’re introducing any number of new risks.

If you’ve failed to properly plan out your project at the start, if you haven’t checked to see if you need planning permission, or if you haven’t checked to see if your design complies with building regulations, then you’re opening your new front door to a whole stack of big, hairy, and potentially very costly risks.

Our advice? Don’t risk it. Dream big, but take your time and plan any project thoroughly. That’s where we can help – Building Tectonics work to make your vision realistic, functional and compliant. We transform your dream into a design, which has a key difference – it’s something that can be costed out, planned and delivered – with no big surprises!

Above: Converting a loft space can open up a new potential bedroom for your expanding family, even if its just a small space. Photo courtesy of someToast.

Our attics and lofts are spaces that can often go unused, untouched and unloved for a long time before we really consider doing much with them. But if your family is growing or your need for space is expanding, then turning the area at the very top of your house into a more useable, functional and visually appealing room is a great place to start.

It is reported that in the UK there are currently 19,600 building regulation applications in progress to convert roof spaces – that’s a huge number, and I wonder how many of them are destined for Milton Keynes based homeowners local to us, as it’s something we discuss with clients very regularly.

Above: And of course bigger spaces can be used in quite adventurous ways! Photo courtesy of A Magill.

There’s no question about it – our nation has a love affair with the loft conversion. Perhaps we unconsciously think of them as secret rooms or big playgrounds – either way, they can be warm, charming, and flooded with light if built well.

If you’re not intending to immediately assign your loft conversion as a new bedroom, then you also get the advantage of a room that doesn’t have a single distinct function – maybe for the first time in your home. That opens a lot of new possibilities in what you can do with the space.

Above: Or you could try something a bit more adventurous, like a place to let your creative side run free? Photo courtesy of Dee Adams