With rising house prices and a growing population, families are increasingly staying together in one residence to cut down on bills.

This applies at both ends of the age scales. Teenagers are choosing to stay at home so they can save money to buy cars, holidays or houses of their own. Elderly parents are moving back in with their children to help with childcare, or because they also need looking after.

You could pool your resources to buy a larger home – but pooling your resources to extend and adapt a home you already know and love can be much more cost-effective.

If you’re adapting your home for multi-generational living it’s important to think through the changes carefully. Loft conversions can be a great way to create extra space for grandparents or teenagers while still giving them their privacy. A loft conversion can easily fit an extra bedroom or two with an en-suite bathroom, designating one floor as a separate living area.

For multiple generations living under a single roof, consider dividing up the house horizontally into sleeping arrangements. You may not want to put elderly family members at the top of the house where they have more stairs to navigate. Instead it could end up being mum and dad in the loft conversion with an en-suite, the kids on the first floor, and the grandparents on the ground floor with a bathroom of their own. Loft conversions often work out easier to plan into your existing space than finding room for a ground-floor bedroom and bathroom.

If you have decided to make some changes to your current living space rather than moving house, consider the following:

• Is my house well apportioned? (i.e does it have the right number of rooms to bathrooms?)
• Am I making the most of the available space?
• Is planning permission required for the changes? (in the case of loft conversions the answer to this is usually no.)
• Is an open plan layout preferable to having distinct areas where people can get privacy?

If you’re not sure and would like advice – ask the experts.  For a free , no obligation quote, contact Jon Pritchard today. Our team can advise you on the best way to realise your ideas and get the most from your space and your budget.

You might also find our article ‘Make Money, Convert Your Loft’