Creating a kitchen extension
The kitchen is the hub of a home: a space that can be used for entertaining guests and a place for the family to come together and enjoy each other's company. As a result, many homeowners choose to extend their kitchen to create a large open plan kitchen space.
Glazed extensions by their very nature are ideally suited to the demands of a kitchen, providing plenty of natural light and depending on location, opening the kitchen up to the garden and surrounding area. However, in order to truly feel the benefit of a new extension, it is important to give adequate consideration to the design and planning process.
Whilst budget ultimately drives the design and size of the extension, it is also important to think about the intended uses of the room. For example, if the space is to be used as a kitchen and living area it is important to allow enough space for furniture as well as enough space for people to move around in. Similarly it is important to design an extension that is in proportion with the rest of the property in order to ensure that there is a seamless blend between old and new.
Aesthetic considerations
When it comes to choosing a type of extension, both garden rooms and orangeries can work well within the kitchen space. The former would typically feature a tiled roof and is well suited to properties with lots of natural sunlight, such as in south-facing locations if looking for more shade. Alternatively an orangery would typically feature a roof lantern design within the roof, which would provide plenty of natural sunlight to the area below.
One of the key advantages to these types of extension is often that it blurs the boundaries between outdoor and indoors and as a result many choose to include large door-sets that truly open the room up into the garden and surrounding space. As with all other dimensions of the design process, there are a range of door-sets to choose from. Both french doors and folding stacking doors can help to optimise the area. Folding and stacking doors are a largely glazed unit that can be completely opened out to form a wall, or stacked away to open the area completely to the outside. Where possible it's important to ensure that the patio and the extension floor run at the same height in order to create a continuous space when using folding, stacking doors.
Further considerations
Whilst aesthetic considerations are no doubt important, in order to ensure the room can be enjoyed all year round it is also important to think about the more technical factors such as glazing, ventilation and heating.
Ventilation is absolutely crucial to a kitchen - both to ensure the room doesn't get too hot and also to allow the air to move around. As a result, many homeowners will often choose to invest in motorised ventilation windows on the roof lantern. These can often be fitted with temperature sensors and rain sensors to automatically open or close depending on the environment outside in order to control the temperature of the room.
On the same note, glazed extensions by their very nature can get cool during the winter months and therefore need suitable heating in place to ensure that there is an adequate temperature for all to enjoy the space. Underfloor heating tends to be one of the most popular choices when designing an extension, however if used in the kitchen it is important to think about the placement of cabinets. As underfloor heating tends to be spread across the entire floor space any lower level cabinets will be warmed up, meaning it is not suitable to store food or drinks. Instead, many homeowners may opt for traditional style radiators that can be placed near locations where needed, such as seating areas. Underfloor heating does however have the benefit of not using up valuable wall space, which can then either be left bare for a feeling of space, or used for additional storage.
One final consideration is the type of glass to be used in the extension. Whilst this may seem like an odd consideration, there are now a huge variety of glazing options that can work extremely well within the kitchen. Extensions that are likely to attract plenty of natural sunlight can benefit from a solar reflective film applied to the glass. This helps reflect some of the natural sunlight away, keeping the room at a suitable temperature and also minimising the chances of furniture fading from sunlight.
Finally, the placement of a roof lantern can make it difficult to clean which makes self-cleaning glass a really useful option. This basically works by using a special enzyme which deteriorates organic matter, allowing rainwater to wash away any stubborn stains.
Whilst it may seem like there are a lot of considerations when designing and planning a kitchen extension, a reputable designer should discuss the various options with you. This will ensure that the extension caters to your exact needs and is a room that the entire family can enjoy all year round.
Glazed extensions by their very nature are ideally suited to the demands of a kitchen, providing plenty of natural light and depending on location, opening the kitchen up to the garden and surrounding area. However, in order to truly feel the benefit of a new extension, it is important to give adequate consideration to the design and planning process.
Whilst budget ultimately drives the design and size of the extension, it is also important to think about the intended uses of the room. For example, if the space is to be used as a kitchen and living area it is important to allow enough space for furniture as well as enough space for people to move around in. Similarly it is important to design an extension that is in proportion with the rest of the property in order to ensure that there is a seamless blend between old and new.
Aesthetic considerations
When it comes to choosing a type of extension, both garden rooms and orangeries can work well within the kitchen space. The former would typically feature a tiled roof and is well suited to properties with lots of natural sunlight, such as in south-facing locations if looking for more shade. Alternatively an orangery would typically feature a roof lantern design within the roof, which would provide plenty of natural sunlight to the area below.
One of the key advantages to these types of extension is often that it blurs the boundaries between outdoor and indoors and as a result many choose to include large door-sets that truly open the room up into the garden and surrounding space. As with all other dimensions of the design process, there are a range of door-sets to choose from. Both french doors and folding stacking doors can help to optimise the area. Folding and stacking doors are a largely glazed unit that can be completely opened out to form a wall, or stacked away to open the area completely to the outside. Where possible it's important to ensure that the patio and the extension floor run at the same height in order to create a continuous space when using folding, stacking doors.
Further considerations
Whilst aesthetic considerations are no doubt important, in order to ensure the room can be enjoyed all year round it is also important to think about the more technical factors such as glazing, ventilation and heating.
Ventilation is absolutely crucial to a kitchen - both to ensure the room doesn't get too hot and also to allow the air to move around. As a result, many homeowners will often choose to invest in motorised ventilation windows on the roof lantern. These can often be fitted with temperature sensors and rain sensors to automatically open or close depending on the environment outside in order to control the temperature of the room.
On the same note, glazed extensions by their very nature can get cool during the winter months and therefore need suitable heating in place to ensure that there is an adequate temperature for all to enjoy the space. Underfloor heating tends to be one of the most popular choices when designing an extension, however if used in the kitchen it is important to think about the placement of cabinets. As underfloor heating tends to be spread across the entire floor space any lower level cabinets will be warmed up, meaning it is not suitable to store food or drinks. Instead, many homeowners may opt for traditional style radiators that can be placed near locations where needed, such as seating areas. Underfloor heating does however have the benefit of not using up valuable wall space, which can then either be left bare for a feeling of space, or used for additional storage.
One final consideration is the type of glass to be used in the extension. Whilst this may seem like an odd consideration, there are now a huge variety of glazing options that can work extremely well within the kitchen. Extensions that are likely to attract plenty of natural sunlight can benefit from a solar reflective film applied to the glass. This helps reflect some of the natural sunlight away, keeping the room at a suitable temperature and also minimising the chances of furniture fading from sunlight.
Finally, the placement of a roof lantern can make it difficult to clean which makes self-cleaning glass a really useful option. This basically works by using a special enzyme which deteriorates organic matter, allowing rainwater to wash away any stubborn stains.
Whilst it may seem like there are a lot of considerations when designing and planning a kitchen extension, a reputable designer should discuss the various options with you. This will ensure that the extension caters to your exact needs and is a room that the entire family can enjoy all year round.
