Having to stick to a single-floor extension might feel limiting at first, especially if you’ve dreamed of a larger two-story addition to your home. The reality is though, that plenty of homeowners actually end up preferring their single-story extension once it’s complete, and not just because of the reduced planning hassle or neighbourly negotiations that come with it. 

Sometimes limitations can help our creativity in ways we don’t expect, even if we’ve been limited by local development restrictions or pushback from the people who live near us.

Thankfully, many clever homeowners have found that working within these constraints often results in more practical and beautiful spaces than they initially imagined. A one-story might not have as much space as you wanted, but you can still plan the extension about what you need most in the house, and of course, there’s no reason why certain options like bedrooms need to be on a second floor.

But what does all that mean in practice? Let’s consider this, below:

Natural Light Solutions

You have less wall blocking your interior when you have one story, so you can make more use of the sun. That means you can get creative with how light enters your space. 

Partnering with a good rooflight company can help you let in light more easily and pour it in from above, which can be lovely if you’re hoping to design an open plan living space or kitchen area. You’d be surprised how much bigger a room feels when it’s flooded with daylight from multiple angles, because that doesn’t mean there are large periods of shade throughout the day here.

Smart Space Planning

Single-story extensions often end up more practical because everything stays on one level – no running up and down stairs just to grab something from another room. Open-plan layouts become more fluid and natural, and you can create zones within the space that flow seamlessly into one another, perhaps with natural borders like curtains or arches. Some might even implement wider open spaces without the same limitations as others, like a wet room where you can angle the floor slightly to ensure all moisture drips out.

Indoor-Outdoor Connection

Ground-floor extensions make it so much easier to blur the line between inside and outside spaces which is great for people who enjoy their garden or want to create an exterior entertainment space. You could add french doors that open fully to your garden, implement a covered patio that feels like part of your indoor space, or add planters that seem to flow right into your interior design if you have plants inside too. That way you can make this the de facto area to come and go from the property while still feeling private about doing so, and you can take deliveries at the front door or simply keep it closed most of the time for security reasons – perfect if you live on a busy road!

With this advice, we hope you can see that limitations sometimes lead to the most creative and practical solutions for your home, even if you’re stuck to one storey.

We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with TuffX Glass. For more features, please pay a visit to our Lifestyle Page.