Most people will at some point come to a fork in the road with their property. It was great when they bought it, but the times, they are a-changing and they need to make a decision: to knock down and rebuild, or to sell and look for something entirely new. Both offer exciting new possibilities, but both have the potential to go horribly wrong.

Enter: the home extension!

This oft neglected third option is a pretty crafty move if you like the location of your house, and don’t want to uproot the family for months at a time. The fork in the road collapses into a wide and easy path, and you get the best of both worlds. We’ve got three reasons why a home extension is a great alternative to a rebuilding or a relocation.

Firstly, it takes a fraction of the time. The average extension takes less than 10 weeks in New South Wales. A new house? It can be up to five times as long. We love the building process, but we understand that most of our clients don’t revel in the joy of a beautiful dovetail joint. They would just like their house to be completed yesterday, if not sooner. A home extension lets you sit down and take a long slow exhale much much sooner.

Secondly, it is significantly cheaper than either of the other options. Consider the time and money spent on real estate agents, open houses, stamp duty! Or alternatively, the cost of a demotion, the laying of a slab. The humble home extension doesn’t break the bank, or your soul.

Thirdly, a home extension means you can stay put for the duration of the build. Sure, this comes with a few logistical considerations; the kids might end up sharing a bedroom, or the laundry might temporarily double with the kitchen. But consider the pros to this.

• Your kids aren’t uprooted from their friendship groups at a time when they need stability and consistency
• You don’t need the headache of calling credit card companies, banks, telcos (the list goes on. And on. And on) informing them of your change of address
• You aren’t paying someone else rent for 3-12 months. When you’re in the middle of a build, anything you can do to avoid hemorrhaging money is a serious win. That’s assuming you can find a short term rental property that is nearby. 
• Let’s imagine you don’t need to pay rent because you can move back into Casa da Mum and Dad. This is phenomenal news for about four days, before you remember why you moved out in the first place. 

When you find yourself at the fork in the road, consider this: No fork only has two tines. There are always three. Yes, we’ve stretched the metaphor, but the point remains. Don’t forget about the sensible flying-under-the-radar option of extending out. 

And if you do decide to go down this path, we at LPC Projects would be more than happy to help you take those first few steps.