Movies, DVD Players for Home Theater Systems

Planning An Extension To Your Home

Adding an extension to your home is becoming more and more popular as an alternative to moving house. Ever increasing house prices and the costs of moving can make adapting your current home seem an attractive, more affordable option. However, you do need to think carefully and do some research to ensure your plans go smoothly. Although you will save on agent?s fees, stamp duty and removal expenses, there will be architect?s costs and disruption to your home.

Why build an extension?

Firstly think about the purpose of your extension. Do you need more space for a growing family, a home office, a self-contained area for an elderly relative, or are you thinking of the extension as an investment to increase the value of your property? The purpose of your building project will affect the planning permission you need and your budget. For example planning a large scale two storey extension will require a different approach to a small conservatory, and there is no point installing expensive, luxury fittings in your new kitchen if you are planning to move in a year or two.

Planning considerations

You should have a good look around your local area. In particular note whether any of your neighbours have extended their property and if so how? Do you wish to do something similar or do you have very different ideas? Your planning application will have to be in keeping with the area and is more likely to be accepted if there is already something similar nearby. All areas have rules and regulations covering basics such as how close to the house next door you can build and potential use of the building. However, in some cases there will be other restrictions such as in green belt areas, national parks and for listed buildings.

As long as they are done properly most extensions will add some value to your home. However, the cost of the build could be higher than the added value. Remember there will be fees incurred and there is likely to be a ceiling value for your particular type of property and neighbourhood.

How to finance your extension

How you decide to finance your extension will depend on the costs involved and your circumstances. However, re-mortgaging could well be your best option. This means you will pay off your current mortgage by taking out another. At the same time you increase the amount you borrow to cover the cost of your build. It is important to include all fees, internal fixtures and fittings, decorating and so on in your budget. Also consider whether you will have to move into rented accommodation for a short time and allow for that. Something unexpected will always happen so make sure you include a contingency fund.

Architects and planning permission

In order to decide whether your plans are feasible you are likely to need advice from an architect. Contact the Royal Institute of British Architects for a list of those registered in your area. Choose several and make an appointment to discuss your ideas. This type of initial consultation is usually free but check first. You can outline your requirements, look at their portfolio to see whether they have worked on similar projects before, and ask about their fee structure. You will then be in a position to select the most appropriate for your situation.

As a minimum an architect will draw up plans to submit to the planning department. They can negotiate with the council and hopefully you will obtain planning permission. However, be prepared for a slow process, particularly if you are refused at first or there are objections. Once you have planning permission you then have to submit detailed technical plans to cover building regulations. Some architects offer a further service to manage the whole project for you. This means they will get quotes from builders and oversee the work in progress. This may save you some worry and hassle but will be an additional expense.

How do I find a reputable builder?

By far the best way of finding a builder is word of mouth recommendation. Have any of your friends, neighbours or family used local builders and if so would they recommend their services? Alternatively look out for builders working nearby. They often put out company boards on site. Some builders specialise in particular types of work, for example loft or garage conversions, which may be appropriate for you. Think about whether you want a large company to come in and get the job done as soon as possible. In that case you can expect a lot of different people coming and going all the time, depending on the stage of the work. Alternatively are you prepared to wait for a two man set up which will be slower but may be less disruptive? It is a good idea to get at least three quotes and ask for a fixed price, otherwise your budget could quickly disappear. Also ask for timescales and how they will go about the work. Will they expect you to move out or will they work around you as far as possible?

Sue Barnard writes and publishes guides on managing your home and running your personal finances. More of her work can be seen on these http://www.improve-your-home.co.uk and http://www.homefinance.org.uk websites.

MORE ARTICLES:

Home Improvements With HD-DVD: Toshiba's HD-A1
Toshiba's HD-DVD player first hit the market selling around $500 Although some people who reviewed it listed mixed comments, the picture quality overall was rated excellent, plus some of the features rated so-so

Home Improvements With Blu-ray and HD-DVD
To help you decide about which system to use with your home improvements, here is some information on the two formats, Blu-ray and HD-DVD, plus some pros and cons of each Ordinary CDs and DVDs use a laser that produces red light (whose wavelength is about 650nm, a little more than half a micron)

NCH Releases ExpressBurn with Blu-Ray and HD-DVD Support
NCH Swift Sound release ExpressBurn v3.00, offering support for the latest in data storage disks.

Home Improvements With Blu-Ray HD Player Models & The Pioneer BDP-HD1
Scheduled to be released in summer 2006, Blu-ray high-definition DVD players from Pioneer, Panasonic and Samsung set forth to conquer the world of video Though initial models that were estimated at selling between $1000 and $1800 were deemed pricey, that did not last long as competition from HD-DVD and more manufacturers geared up

Toshiba Ships First U.S. Notebook Computer with HD DVD-R Drive for Complete HD Experience
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Qosmio(R) G45-AV680, a cutting-edge audio-video notebook computer with Dolby(R) surround sound technology and the first U.S. model to feature an HD DVD-R optical drive and full 1080p playback resolution.

WB and New Line Going Blu-Ray 'Final Nails in HD-DVD Coffin' -- Exec
"For the good of film industry, Universal and Paramount must stop releasing in HD-DVD only so the $24 billion home video industry can avoid a crisis," states Blue Ray Technologies founder Erick Hansen. He cites 4.5 percent drop in DVD sales as example of Hi-def format war not only hurting transition to next gen format but present one as well.

HD DVD and Blu-Ray Burning
This article explains high definition video recording. Some of you may wonder what HD brings to the table, so here it is. The maximum resolution that a normal DVD can produce is 480i. The resolution of High Definition goes up to either 720p or 1080i, far beyond the capabilities of a standard DVD recorder. The older DVD recorders can not record HDTV broadcasts at full resolution because of this restriction.

NetBlender Releases DoStudio to HD DVD and Blu-ray Developers
New Advanced Content Authoring Tool Reduces Development Time for Next-Generation Interactivity by up to 50%

Toshiba Announces New Satellite A205 Series Laptop with HD DVD for $1,149.99(1)
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced its latest Satellite(R) A205 notebook with select models featuring cutting-edge HD DVD playback functionality.

Blu-ray Is Superior To HD-DVD In Terms Of Capacity
There has been much hype about the ?war? between Sony?s Blu-Ray technology and the HD-DVD technology of Toshiba. Both are high definition digital video disc formats but then factor that will reveal the outcome of the war is what format will be most appealing to the consumers.

Toshiba Announces Industry's Most Complete Portfolio of High-Definition Laptops: Toshiba Offers Five Free HD DVD's with Purchase of Toshiba HD
Toshiba's Digital Product Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced that it has further expanded its lineup of HD DVD-ROM capable notebook computers to give users the industry's fullest portfolio of high-definition mobile computing solutions mixing price points and screen sizes. These five HD DVD-based notebooks will be showcased this week during the DigitalLife tradeshow in New York at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Booth (#621) this week.

BRT to Pull HD-DVD Lines from Pressing Plant, Not Waiting for Toshiba Announcement
Blue Ray Technologies multi-format disc pressing plant will drop its HD-DVD lines, founder Erick Hansen says not waiting for Toshiba to throw in towel in format war. Makes statement to Toshiba and High Definition fans: "Not a loss for Toshiba, but a victory for consumers."

Blue Ray Versus HD DVD Players
Technically, it is called Blu ray, but I used the word "blue ray" because the name is actually derived from their technology idea of using a blue violet laser But which format do you buy

NetBlender Introduces High Definition Training Series for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc Developers
"Expert Series" to launch in November with two day HD DVD course in Barcelona.

Download Full DVD Movies  How To Download Full DVD Movies Online
If you are a movie freak and you can't seem to get your fill of movies from the video rentals, then it's time to shift your attention to a more practical way - download full DVD movies online.