Expert Kitchen Extension Ideas & Planning
Whether your extending your home or re planning the layouts to allow for a larger kitchen, one of the key requirements is light. One of the more popular ways of getting more light into your new kitchen is to install large doors across the back of your home.
Whether you go for large French doors, bi-folding or sliding this really is a great way to open up the back of your home and get great views into your garden. Any openings you create over 2m will generally require a steel beam which you will need to factor into the cost of your building works.
Having the doors across the back does mean you lose valuable wall space for your kitchen which you will need to accommodate elsewhere. If you can create around 4m of kitchen units whether that be in a straight line or more favourable l shape you will have plenty of worktop and storage space, you can reduce this distance if you can accommodate an island or breakfast bar.
Doors
Rather than having one set of doors across the back of your extension a smaller set of doors and a large window can work well if you are working with a tight space, this options allows you to utilise the wall beneath the window for work tops and low level units and also allows for a sink to be placed to gain views into the garden whilst washing up.
Depending on your property windows on the side walls can allow light into your home extension and also act as features to break up large expanses of wall. If your worried about privacy or your extension is close to a fence, then a high-level wide window can allow for plenty of light and limits overlooking from neighbours.
Let The Light In
It isn’t always a case of creating openings in the external faces of an extension to allow natural light in, using the internal space and creating openings in internal walls can help flood light into the centre of the property.
Inserting a large opening between two rooms can help create a dual aspect to a living and dining room to get light into the centre of these rooms. You don’t always need to have an opening, glazed doors, room dividers or even internal windows can allow light into a room without having to have a complete open plan space.
Although an open plan kitchen area is becoming very popular, when planning your kitchen design consider having separate rooms. Creating living space in a family home can be much needed as we all need our own space from time to time. How about a kitchen island, room for a dining table and a glazed door or divider (which can limit the amount of noise traveling from one room to another) but also allows light to these rooms.
Crittall style exterior doors look amazing on a period property but they also work just as well internally, using them as a dividing wall between a hall and a living room or to break up an open plan family and dining space.
Make Space
If you have extended your property with a single storey extension, then the new roof can be the perfect solution to getting light into your new space. Pitched roofs are very popular with these types of extensions.
If the budget allows then vaulted this ceiling not only makes the space feel larger due to the extra height you can also install roof lights which allow plenty of light to flood into the new kitchen. With your design ideas ensure that you get expert advice on planning permission, building regulations and permitted development.
Depending on the size or shape of your extension a pitched roof may not be possible so we can design a flat roof. This allows the opportunity to install roof lanterns, there are more and more options available on the market, traditional pitched lanterns or pendant lights to make your extension look like an orangery and add extra height to the space or if you want a modern space with clean lines there are some fantastic flat roof lights available.
