Home Extensions
Adding value By Claire Wright
Build & Renovate Today chats with Anthony Bown, Licensed Building Practitioner and Registered Master Builder, about how to make the most out of your home extension When people are looking to renovate homes, they usually know what they want – a bigger bedroom or an additional bathroom – but don’t delve into why they need the extra space.
“The process is quite complex, and it changes from building to building. Of course, it has to be a site-specific response that both corresponds to what the client’s trying to achieve and what the building will allow us to do within the compliance format,” Smith & Sons Port Hills owner and builder, Anthony Bown says. Understanding the why of your renovation project is key to the project’s success – your builder may be able to recommend an alternative solution that will match your needs more specifically than your original idea.
take the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in the house to base a projected sales price off of using something akin to a recipe, Anthony says. The reality is not quite so simple, though. “One of the things we can do is make the house really appeal to your needs, which adds value because it’s got a whole lot of usability. It broadens the market, and it entices more people to look at the house.”
consider why. If you’re doing it to make money, then you’re going to have a totally different outcome. You’re going to drive it in a totally different fashion. “For others, it’s not about creating value in the house. It’s about creating a space where their built environment they live in on a constant basis responds to their needs.”
Small changes, big results One of the smallest changes a homeowner can make while renovating with the biggest results are maximising light and heat. Things like better insulation and a solid heating system, as well as double glazing, will do wonders for not only your house but for your wellbeing.
Anthony uses the example of a six-bedroom home where the client would like to add an ensuite. The client loses a bedroom to do it, however, it gains value with two bathrooms in it.
This goes beyond what renovations would increase the market value of your home.
Losing a bedroom will theoretically devalue the house, Anthony says, but any real estate agent will say that it doesn’t matter how much you think your house is worth – at the end of the day, it’s about the buyers you’re trying to sell it to.
In theory when houses are valued, a registered valuer will
“When you go to renovate your house, you should stop and
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Trendset Build, winner of the Waikato Supreme Renovation Award and Bunnings Renovation over $1 million, for a home in Hamilton. Photo courtesy of Debbie Moore.
www.buildandrenovate.co.nz
Bennie Builders, winner of the Southern Supreme Renovation Award, and Bunnings Renovation over $1 million category, for a home in Queenstown. Photo courtesy of Dale Wowk.
