Before you start a DIY Project - Think Practical

Practical Continued

• Do you require disabled facilities, ramps, handrails etc?
  
  There are a lot of proprietary handrails for baths, showers and WCs as well as people lifts for stairs etc, this saves on design time and they come with guarantees etc. Ramps generally have to be designed to local authority guidelines so employing someone to come in an review the house would be a good idea.
  
  
• Do you entertain frequently? Do you need a dining room? Do you eat in the living room/kitchen? Lifestyle requirements, indoor outdoor dining?
  
  Deciding how you use a space is vital, it is no use adding on a dining room because it is the latest fad if you have a teenage family who come and go, eat on the run and you never dine together. It won't be used, you would be better off building a family room adjacent to the kitchen to cater for the mobile eater.

• Are all the areas functional? Kitchen, bathroom, WC, are their enough facilities?
  
  A space can be transformed by simply repositioning a fridge, adding a dishwasher, moving out a bath and adding a shower, or adding a wash hand basin into the WC so you free up the bathroom.

• Is your storage space sufficient?
  
  NO! There is never enough storage!! Start with a clean out and have a garage sale. Then ask youself this question again! Some simple options can be - creating a window seat with storage under, putting a door under the stair, going into the roof space with seasonal things ie ski gear, surf boards etc. Adding shelving to the walls in the garage, laundry, bedrooms etc.

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