Your family is growing and you’re running out of room, but with Auckland house prices still eye-wateringly high, buying a bigger property might not be feasible. Or perhaps you love where you live and don’t want to leave the area just to gain some extra floor space.
In these situations, extending your existing property could be the ideal solution. But are you willing to sacrifice your outdoor living space to extend outwards? Would it be better to go up instead?
There are a few considerations that can help you decide.
One is your budget. Extending upwards will be more expensive than extending outwards, because you will need to replace the roof of your home, as well as ensuring the structure can support an additional floor. Extending outwards is usually around 25% cheaper and comes with fewer hoops to jump through, compliance-wise, but you may not get the boost in property value that comes with extending while retaining your outdoor space.
The second consideration is whether building upwards is permitted by the council regulations in your area. New intensification rules now permit houses of up to three stories in many parts of suburban Auckland, but not all. To find out what’s allowed at your place, you’ll need to know your property zone, which you can find out using the Auckland Council planning map. If you click on your property within the map, your property summary will pop up, and any qualifying matters (such as natural hazards or areas of historic, ecological, or cultural significance) should display in the box.
The pros of extending upwards include preservation of outdoor space (and therefore, a potentially higher future property value), as well as access to better views and more natural light. Cons include the extra costs of re-roofing and any necessary structural strengthening, as well as additional compliance costs.
The pros of extending outwards include lower compliance and building costs and not having to sacrifice existing indoor space to accommodate a staircase. Cons include losing outdoor space and possibly off-street parking space, as well as the potential cost of excavating your section if it slopes steeply away from the current building.
Of course, these are not the only two options available to you. If part of your house is up on poles, you could make use of the space beneath by adding a basement extension. Or you go both out and up by adding a two-storey extension beside your existing house.
If you’d like to chat about your options and which one might be most suitable for your property and your needs, book a discovery meeting with our team. We’ve been extending Auckland houses for over 15 years and can help you with every aspect of your project.
Build Right Contactors is a family-operated business serving the Greater Auckland Region
We have more than 15 years of experience completing building projects. We cover a wide area of Central Auckland, East Auckland and South Auckland. No matter what type of residential or commercial building project you have in mind, we have the knowledge and expertise to make it a reality. From new homes, house extensions and renovations to significant upgrades to Daycare Centre and Community Projects, we offer a full range of building services.