Can Your Foundation Support First Floor Extensions?

Renovating your house is one of the best ways to increase the square footage. It will also increase the value of the property when you decide to sell. But, before you add the extension, it’s important to make sure that your foundation is strong enough to support the weight of the structure. Here are some of the things you need to do. 

Think About The Type of Extension You Want

The first thing that you need to decide is where you are going to put the extension. It’s also important to think about how large the extension will be. This will determine the amount of pressure that will be placed on your foundations.

It’s also important to think about the type of things that will be included with the extension. There are lots of options that you can explore. Our team of first-floor extensions in Western Sydney will be able to offer a lot of designs. For example, you can incorporate laundry spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, or add a media room. Each of these will affect the weight and size of the extension, which affects how much work will need to be done to your foundation. 

Contact an First Floor Extension Expert

Once you have a plan, you will need to contact an expert. They will need to visit your home to inspect your existing foundation. This lets them see how much structural strength you currently have. Once you know this, they will be able to determine what needs to be done. 

Multiple elements will affect how strong your foundations are. For example, you will need to think about how old the house is. Generally, older properties will have weaker foundations. It’s also important to think about the thickness of the concrete slab and what the walls are built from.
In some cases, it will be as simple as creating a design and getting it approved by the council. Then, you will be able to start the construction process.

Strengthening House Foundations

At other times, the engineers might say that the foundations aren’t strong enough to support the extensions. Thankfully, this doesn’t need to be the end of your dreams. It just means that you need to strengthen your foundations. There are a few ways that you can do this. 

There are plenty of options that a builder has at their disposal. For example, they can create a metal jacket. This will be added to the existing walls. As a result, they will be strong enough to take the additional load created by the extension. This is the most common option that builders have at their disposal. 

It’s also possible that they might need to underpin the foundation. This will increase the size of the concrete slab, so it will be able to handle the additional load. 

Contact Our Team Today

There is no reason why your dream of adding an extension to your home can’t come to life. Sometimes, it will just take a little more work, strengthening the existing foundations. The good news is that our team of Penrith builders is here to help. So, give us a call today and find out more about how we can create the ideal first-floor extension for your property.