Property Owners Seek Bigger Kitchens

New research shows that the majority of UK property owners who build an extension do so to create a larger kitchen. This indicates that there is a growing trend for families wanting to spend more time together in an area where they can cook and eat. Creating an extension or increasing space with the installation of iron balconies are ideal ways of making your home more suitable for your family's lifestyles.

The research was carried out by Sainsbury's Home Insurance. It looked at the types of extensions that had been built in the last two years and the reasons why homeowners carried out this work. The report highlights that side and rear extensions are the most common types in the UK. 31% of homeowners who had built an extension within this period had added more space to the rear or side of their property. The majority of those who did this wanted to provide a larger kitchen and this is the ideal area to achieve this.

The next most popular type of extensions according to the research was a conservatory, with 21% of homeowners having one built in the past two years. Following this, 15% of people had converted their loft, 11% had adapted their garage and 5% had constructed an additional building, such as a home office or garden room.

Use of the Space

Those builders who took part in the research highlighted that the desire for a larger kitchen was the most popular reason for having an extension. 84% of those surveyed had worked on an extension to provide more space in this area within the last two years. This enables families to increase the space available for spending time together, enabling parents to cook in the same area as their children are playing.

Other reasons behind the decision to build an extension were to provide further bedrooms (61%) or an additional bathroom (53%) or to create a home office (53%).

The amount of additional space that homeowners generate by building an extension is fairly evenly spread. One quarter of those who'd built an extension recently provided themselves with 11 to 20 square metres of more space, and 23% had increased the available living space by 21 to 30 square metres. Just under a fifth of homeowners had created over 30 square metres of additional space.

Creating More Space

If you don't have space to the side of your property or the ability to build upwards, there are other options available if you want to increase your living space. Fitting iron balconies on to the side of properties can be achieved with less space and helps you to open up living areas, kitchens or bedrooms. The open doors give a feeling of a more open and spacious room. Using a balcony also provides you with greater options for outside dining and entertaining.

However you decide to extend your property, it's important that you choose a company that specialises in the type of work you require. This will ensure the project is conducted safely, on budget and to schedule.