Building a two-storey extension can transform your home and be an opportunity to update the exterior.

A two-storey extension can be a great way to upgrade your home – whether you want a bigger, more open-plan downstairs living space with extra bedrooms and bathrooms above or to extend a cramped kitchen-dining area and create a master bedroom suite on the first floor. It’s also an opportunity to give the exterior of your home a facelift.

A key decision is where the double-height storey extension should be located. While an extension to the rear is often the only place to extend onto a terraced property, there may be potential to extend to the side if it’s on a corner plot. For semi-detached and detached properties, side extensions can also be a good option as you can keep your existing rear garden space. Front double-storey extensions are less likely to get planning approval but still possible even in a conservation area with expert help from an experienced local architect. If you’re super-sizing, adding two storeys on multiple sides is also an option as well as extending into the roof.

Two-storey extensions are brilliant for creating extra rooms upstairs and down, but they can present design challenges, such as how to fully integrate the new extension into your home. This is where an architect or design professional can be invaluable. You may have to reconfigure the internal layout and extend the hall and landing, possibly moving the staircase and sacrificing part of existing rooms. Alternatively, it may be more cost-effective to build a second staircase and back hall in the new extension instead of changing the existing structure.