Architects and Engineers' Expert Tips and Tricks For Home Improvements and Building a Property From Scratch

Many homeowners these days are choosing to either improve the home they currently live in or even build their own completely from scratch. Both of these methods ensure that homeowners are in the driving seat, choosing how they want their home to be and how much space they have available. This flexibility, as well as avoiding the expensive property market, makes both of these options attractive as opposed to simply moving home. However, there’s plenty that can go wrong when building an extension or a new home. With that in mind, it’s always important to ensure you are working with reputable architects and engineers on your project. 

Before working with architects and engineers, however, it’s useful to have some expert advice to ensure that you start your project with the right foot forward. Read on to discover just some of our architects and engineers’ expert tips and tricks when making home improvements or building your own home.

Working on a home improvement project can be confusing at the best of times. It’s not easy to know where to start and how to avoid some of the common mistakes. Rather than concentrating on the types of improvements you can make, we want to give you advice on some of the things to keep in mind which will help smooth the process and reduce the likelihood of any glaring and costly mistakes.

Building a new extension for your property is an excellent way to increase the value of your home. As well as this, it provides that all-important additional space for growing families. Having the extra space provided by an extension to your home can make your property a more functional and attractive place to live.

However, although extensions are a valuable addition, it’s critical to balance the costs. Particularly if you’re investing in an extension to increase the value of your home, you need to be wary of the amount you spend. When pricing up the cost of your extension, evaluate the cost per square meter of the extension and the average cost per square meter in your local area. If the cost per square meter of your extension is less than the average cost per square meter of properties in your local area, you’re likely to add value and gain profit when it comes time to sell up.

Knocking through a wall to create an open plan living area or kitchen is a popular home improvement. Doing so can increase the value of your home as well as create a more bright and attractive property. However, doing so does require expert help from architects and engineers. Knocking through internal walls is a common job, but getting it wrong can be disastrous.

Architects and engineers will be able to help you identify the load-bearing walls to ensure that the project you have in mind is safe. Knocking through a load-bearing wall by accident can cause serious structural issues in your home.

It may seem obvious but, before starting any work, it’s vital to have a clear idea of what improvements you want to make. You may think you just want to work on a loft conversion, however, considering all the possible improvements and then whittling them down can help you have a more comprehensive vision. By looking at your home improvements holistically, you can create an overall vision to discuss with architects and engineers. Once you have this vision, you can create the most efficient and cost-effective plan to achieve as much of the plan as possible.

Whether you’ve bought a property to renovate or you’re making improvements to your current home, you need to consider repairs first. Before any work starts on improvements and expansions, you should iron out any kinks in the property. If anything needs fixing, repairing or general maintenance, it’s always advisable to work on that first. Once you have this sorted, you can pile on the value with your improvements.

If you are interested in creating a more eco-friendly and energy-efficient home, you can build this into the fabric of the property. With the help of architects and engineers, you can use sustainable materials and building techniques which reduce waste. For example, architects and engineers can provide advice on the types of recycled materials which can be used. They can also integrate energy efficiency into the design of an extension or a self-build property.

By improving the flow of natural light and ventilation through an extension, you’ll save money on your energy bills and create a more eco-friendly property.

When making improvements to your home, you must keep some budget aside for any issues that may arise. Building projects can often have unexpected hiccups and delays which require additional investment. With that in mind, it’s always worth hoping for the best but planning for the worst. By keeping some additional funds aside, and factoring them into your overall budget, you will be prepared for any additional costs. If no additional costs are required, the extra money can go back into your savings or be used to furnish an extension or make other improvements later down the line!

Sometimes you have to spend now to save later. Although it might be daunting to invest significant amounts of money into home improvements, you can end up with greater savings over time. For example, investing in high-quality insulation for an extension may cost a bit extra but it will see you make savings on your energy bills in just a few years. Similarly, by evaluating the cost of your improvements with the average additional value you may get from the home when you sell, you could even be making money!

If you are planning a large-scale project - like a large extension or a self-build outhouse or second property - you should always work with architects and engineers. These professionals will be able to ensure that your project goes to plan. Paying for their services and getting the project right the first time is always more beneficial than making costly mistakes along the way that need to be rectified.

Here at Integrated Designs & Associates, we provide expert structural design services in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Whether you are a homeowner requiring architectural services for your next extension or a commercial property owner, we can help. Our architects and engineers are experts when it comes to helping homeowners build their own properties. As well as this, we can also provide geotechnical engineering services. This allows you to be certain that the site you have chosen for your next project is safe and secure to work on.

With more than twenty years of experience in the industry, our architects and engineers are highly regarded and always endeavour to provide the very best service on every project. No matter the size of your project, you can rely on us to provide expert services.

To find out more, please feel free to contact us today. You can find us at Integrated Designs & Associates Ltd, 38, Old Walsall Rd, Birmingham, B42 1NP. Alternatively, call us on 01213 582 233 or email us at contact@integratedesigns.co.uk.