The kitchen is at the heart of every home – a place where families and friends gather to cook, socialise, and create memories that last a lifetime. Expanding your kitchen can make it a beautiful room that’s filled with more laughter, warmth and love.

1. Create a wish list

If you’re thinking about expanding your home with a kitchen extension, it’s important to plan out how you will use the extra space. The kitchen is an integral part of many families’ lives, so some people make it a priority to have a versatile, light-filled kitchen where everyone can come together. For others, practicality is key—whether that means storage space or prep space or state-of-the-art cooking equipment.

2. Set a budget and choose a company

The price of an extension depends on the nature of the work. Naturally, the more extensive the expansion and design, the higher your budget should be set. We recommend factoring in additional costs as well, such as party wall agreements and planning permissions, and allow for around 10% contingency.

3. Finalise the layout

It is best to decide on a layout as soon as possible. This will allow the build team to begin the task at hand, allocating the services and ordering the flooring, windows and doors.

4. Appoint your team

Your team will depend on the scope and complexity of your kitchen extension. In some instances, a structural engineer or builder will be able to draw up plans, but it may be worth considering appointing an architect in some cases. They will be useful in planning the plumbing and electrics as well as ensuring that the space is structurally sound.

5. Decide on your kitchen’s style

Now for the fun part! When you are looking for kitchen ideas, start by pulling together photos from magazines and saving images on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook. Eventually you’ll uncover similarities between all the designs you like best. Unlike other rooms in your house, the kitchen has multiple textures and finishes so they need to work together harmoniously.

6. Prepare for the finished product

Once the flooring has been fitted, plumbing and electrics have been positioned and windows have been installed, it’s time to sit back and let the carpenters work their magic. Over the course of a week, your dream kitchen extension will finally become reality.