There are plenty of reasons why people are wanting to extend their homes. Block sizes are getting smaller, dining rooms are getting more cramped, and when your family starts to grow – your house almost feels like its bursting at the seams.
But extending your home is an expensive and time-consuming process. Archicentre Australia says an extension to an existing building could cost anywhere from $1,900 to $3,600 per square metre. In addition to this, there are a lot of hidden costs from land surveyor fees, soil reports, structural engineers, architecture consultation – the list goes on! For a space of just 15 square metres, you could be looking at build costs of up to $100,000. Add on the average build time of 3 to 6 months as listed by Domain for a home extension, and you could be looking at a renovation project that is both costly and lengthy.
Luckily, with a couple of outdoor living solutions, you can extend your home – without breaking the bank. And more quickly with less hassle.
How? Let’s discuss…
Case study: As seen on The Living Room!
Josh and Caylie had a small backyard space between their main home and their granny flat. When The Living Room approached us to transform their backyard, they had recently had a baby. They wanted to extend their living space to enable them to spend more time with their young child, whilst enjoying the creature comforts of the indoors.
Pergolas
Pergolas are the first step in extending your home without all the hassle and costs of a full renovation. An average installation of a pergola only takes several days, compared to a home renovation that typically takes months. Building a pergola is not only a faster way to enclose your space, but it is also a more budget-friendly option.
Pergolas are ultimately the perfect addition to your home to extend your living space and bring the indoors, outdoors. They provide an overhead structure that will protect you from the elements and make warm afternoons enjoyable. They also add value to your home and give an added visual appeal to your outdoor living space.
Make sure that you if you have a visible theme in the interior or colour scheme of your home, this is mimicked with your pergola and exterior walls. This way it will blend seamlessly to your home.
Extending Josh and Caylie’s home using a Pergola was the perfect solution. A ribbed roof pergola was installed as the overhead structure. Completely insulated, it will shield the family from the weather and make the space feel more breathable all year round, keeping it warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Outdoor Blinds
Outdoor Blinds will make your extended living space feel enclosed and truly bring the creature comforts of the indoors, outside. Blinds are a great way to protect yourself and your guests from the outside elements without having to deal with the hassle of waiting for framing to go up and bricks to be laid.
Having the extra layer of protection from the elements means you can laze around in your new room, or entertain friends and family – rain, hail or shine! They also minimize the number of insects coming through your new living area. And, if you opt for our Bella Vista or Bella Opaque range, you’ll be able to enjoy more privacy while still being able to take in your views – without having to worry about installing and cleaning windows!
Our Outdoor Blinds come in a range of 15 colours, ranging from neutral shades such as ‘Stone’ and ‘Bianco’ to statement colours such as ‘Wafer’, ‘Latte’, and ‘Nero.’ This means that they can be seamlessly matched to the existing style of your home.
For Josh and Caylie, SmartTrack Blinds were added to close off their extended area and provide extra protection, allowing the family to use the space all year round. SmartTrack Blinds are the ultimate smart addition to any outdoor living area, as they are compatible with smart home devices and can be activated with voice commands. This is especially handy when you have small children, as you won’t need to move from your seat to manually wind up and down the blinds!
The fabric chosen for the blinds was ‘Bella Vista’ in the shade ‘Stone.’ This fabric is a great choice for families, as it keeps a level of visibility while still providing privacy.
Decking
So, we’ve covered the roof, the walls, but what about the floor?
Decking provides a great solution, giving you an option for solid flooring that is much faster to install than pouring concrete or laying paving. It also provides a more economical alternative, with Specifier Australia noting that concrete can cost anywhere between $240 to $330 per cubic metre. It also allows you to enjoy a more natural finish in your outdoor space and is perfect for dealing with pesky sloping blocks – no expensive foundation costs!
Our outdoor decking is naturally durable, environmentally sourced and is custom designed to suit your home, allowing for a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors. Choose from traditional hard wood timber decking, or if you don’t have the time to maintain a timber deck, opt FOR composite decking. Both come in a variety of finishes, so your outdoor living space will look just the way you want it to and fit perfectly with your existing colour palette.
Composite decking was used as the base for Josh and Caylie’s space, as it provided a family-friendly and busy lifestyle option – requiring no maintenance. It’s also completely splinter-free and slip resistant, so the new parents can have peace of mind as their baby learns to crawl and walk. Josh and Caylie’s backyard theme was Modern Coastal — so the shade ‘Antique’, which has a grey tone and a naturally aged look, fit seamlessly with the desired aesthetic.
Keep it simple and stress free
Not only are each of these options to extend your home timeline and budget conscious, they can all be taken care of by one team at Australian Outdoor Living. This leaves you with free time that would have otherwise been spent coordinating multiple teams of tradespeople – and the peace of mind knowing the same team will be bringing your entire dream home renovation project to life.
Best of all, we take care of council approvals within every outdoor home improvement project we do – so it’s a completely stress-free hassle-free process!
Are you thinking about extending your home? We can help!
Australian Outdoor Living is passionate about helping people love their life outdoors. We offer a range of products, including:
- Outdoor Blinds
- Artificial Grass
- Roller Shutters
- Carports
- Timber Decking
- Pergolas, Verandahs and Patios
- Outdoor Kitchens
Start your journey towards your dream backyard by filling out the free measure and quote form at the top of this article. A member of our dedicated sales team will be in touch.
