Planning An Extension | Westbury Garden Rooms

Designing and building an extension on your home is a huge undertaking. Whatever the scale, there’s so much to consider especially if it’s going to be housing a new kitchen, dining and/ or living space. Westbury Garden Rooms however, have this down to a ‘T’ and we often have the pleasure of working with them to create incredible spaces for our clients to enjoy for many years to come.

Scroll down to review some key considerations when planning an extension, inspired by specialist insight from the team at Westbury Garden Rooms…

S T Y L E

Whether you are looking to make a property your own or turn a cramped and dark (perhaps almost unusable) space into a larger room that the whole family can utilise; a bespoke garden room can offer the potential to give you the home that you can be truly happy with.

Deciding on the style of your extension is the first step. There’s three main styles to explore – conservatories, orangeries and garden rooms. There’s benefits to each of these of course, here’s the lowdown:

A conservatory is made from glazed units and built onto a brick base. A fully glazed conservatory is an elegant option, however it is worth noting that they can become uncomfortable in very warm or very cold temperatures.

An orangery has semi-glazed walls with a roof lantern on the top of a flat roof. This design allows an abundance of natural light flood in whilst protecting the room from extreme sunlight.

A garden room is identifiable by a fully tiled roof and typically will have large glazed gables which form high vaulted ceilings.

M A T E R I A L S

It sounds crude, but as with most things in life you get what you pay for. Investing in a quality garden room will not only look good but will perform well and stand the test of time with minimal maintenance. The right building materials for example will ensure you’re maximising the potential lifespan of your new structure. Wood is a beautiful, natural material that will allow for flush joins, clean sharp edges and results in a classic, refined appearance.

“At Westbury, we use Accoya©, a revolutionary, sustainable material made from Radiata pine. This material will not move, meaning that your garden room’s joints, doors and windows have a 50-year guarantee above ground. We then use Teknos, a water-based paint explicitly formulated for external use on timber, to create a smart-looking and protective layer over the wood. This high-quality paint system is resistant to bacteria, mould, and UV attack”.

F L O O R I N G

It’s essential to consider flooring early on and is the same for both kitchens and extensions as the wrong colours and textures have the potential to create unwelcome, flat interiors. We love to see continuity in flooring whether it is wood or stone.

Many of the kitchen extensions we have worked on at Humphrey Munson have specified natural limestone flooring. Limestone is a durable, low maintenance option for high traffic areas, as well as working so well in light and bright spaces. Earl Grey natural limestone and Babington natural limestone by HM Flooring Library work particularly well in open plan kitchen extensions and can have underfloor heating installed beneath.

T R U S T  &  C O N F I D E N C E

Finding a company you trust can be the most important thing of all.

‘”Ideally, speak to a reputable design and build company who can offer you a diligent service and work collaboratively with you. An architecturally led designer will do their best to understand and consider your needs, provide you with a full and transparent quotation and use innovative manufacturing techniques.

Choosing to work with a company who can provide you with assistance when it comes to applying for planning permission will give you peace of mind throughout the whole process. It is best to choose a design and build company that you can have a good relationship with from the beginning, so you will want to know that they can communicate clearly with you”.

These key notes are just a few things to consider in the initial stages of your planning process. To find out more about designing a Garden room, visit the Westbury Garden Room website here.