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Last night, the crimson-carpeted ballroom of Buckingham Palace was filled to the brim as the Queen held a state banquet to welcome President Obama to the UK.  Obamas dining guests were of the highest gentry; with the likes of David Cameron, senior royalty, ambassadors, business leaders, top brass, leading academics, prominent nobility and even the archbishop of Canterbury, being seen. Of course no guest list would be complete without its fair share of notable celebrities, and the likes of Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, and Helena Bonham-Carter were also included in this carefully coordinated event, which of course saw hospitality of the highest degree.

Unfortunately we 'common folk' don't have the luxury of a ballroom and fine crockery, to entertain the mere sum of 170 guests. But from The Home Extension Company, you could have a purpose built dining area, with a garden view, decorated and designed exactly as you please. Over recent years most households have felt the tight squeeze of the falling property market, and the luxury of even having a separate dining room is probably long gone.  At The Home Extension Company we can give you back some of that lost space, so you can open your doors once again to entertaining friends and family. We will work closely with you to help you plan and design your ideal space. With the SIP building system you will see the endless possibilities of flexible designs, which can be finished within a matter of days....what are you waiting for? Get writing those invites to your 'Home Extension Warming' party!

Deciding to invest money in your home is a big decision, however with the current housing market it could be a wise choice. But where do you start? We've put together five helpful start points, if you are considering this smart investment.

• Decide on the location of your new addition. Is it to be to the side, to widen your living room? Or will it be to lengthen your kitchen into a breakfast room with a view? Whatever you decide on, the key thing is to research!!!! Look through magazines, trail the internet and talk to people. The aim here is to find out what your needs are and what you are trying to achieve with your new Home Extension.
• Take a look at the Planning Portal and talk to your local council to make sure you don't have any restrictions in your area. You will get a good idea about what is going to be possible without any further planning, or what further surveys you may need. Each extension is different but recent changes have seen planning rules significantly relaxed, so more and more Home Extensions need less intervention from the planning office. Don't forget to talk to your neighbours about your plans, paying attention to the fact that a work team may have to use their property for access. The last thing we all want is to see the excitement about your new investment, quickly spoilt with an ongoing feud with Derek and Cyril next door.
• Decide on your budget! Talk to estate agents and see how much your new Home Extension will increase your home value!! Don't be disheartened by quotes, further research may see these costs not being quite as scary as they first appeared.
• Decide on your design. Do you want to update your house architecturally with an eye catching contemporary extension? Or do you want to stay 'in keeping' with your traditional home? If you decide on lots of glass there may be further considerations, but other than that, dare to be brave and get creative!
• Updating your home is a great excuse to look into how you can improve its energy efficiency and save yourself money on future bills. Perhaps look at the inclusion of solar panels, under floor heating and use a highly insulated building system such as Structural Insulated Panel System (SIP) for the build. We all need to become that bit more energy conscious and start to reduce our carbon footprint. At Home Extension Company we will happily advise you in this area and can also offer you expert help with all things 'Extension' related.

Please feel free to contact us at Home Extension Company

The fact is, adding an extension to your home is the modern and fashionable way of adding space to your home in the 21^st Century. Firstly there is the flexibility, creating awe inspiring living space with contemporary bespoke designs. Secondly, the increase in usability and function, allowing for the solid walls to be used for storage and appliances, greatly improving the use of the room and making it part of the house as opposed to an add on; thirdly the insulation that comes from having solid walls making for a warmer, quieter, pleasing environment, that all in all is a more appealing space to have in your home.....A huge consideration, looking on in to the future, is that a SIPS extension will also help target the eco issues of today.

Conservatories on the other hand are a dying breed, lending themselves to the problems associated with heat loss - the frustration of never being able to maintain the correct, comfortable temperature; renowned for either being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer!! They add to the huge carbon footprint of the UK, with the level of glazing increasing Co2 emissions; substantially increasing the homeowners heating bill with most of the energy going towards heating up the garden!

This idea of tacking on a glazed area to your house became soo popular in the nineties as a hassle free option to gaining more space. Gone are those days, and here are the days where the future is firmly fixed on reducing carbon emissions and focussing on conservation of fuel and power. The additional building regulations seen in Part L1B has changed all ideas that a conservatory can be erected simply with no need to get the planning office involved. In fact, 60% of conservatories will need planning permission, exemption only being allowed if

• The conservatory has a floor area less than 30m²

• The existing walls, doors and windows in the part of the dwelling which separates the conservatory are retained or, if removed, they are replaced with windows, doors and walls which meet energy requirements
• The heating system of the dwelling is not extended into the conservatory

If the conservatory does not fit these criteria then it has to meet the same energy requirements of an extension as stated in Part L1B in the building regulations.

The concern of crossing the threshold in to planning permission if you opt for an extension over a conservatory is misconceived. An extension can be deemed as a conservatory if 50% of the walls and 75% of the roof are glazed and therefore they can be exempt from planning if they meet the criteria as set out above.