Thinking about extending your home in Auckland but no idea where to start? Don’t fear!
Certified Home Extensions are here to help!
While old homes are full of character, they often lack the modern amenities that your family deserves e.g. second bathroom or spacious master suite, why not live in the twenty first century? enjoy a modern lifestyle that is made easy by indoor-outdoor flow, spacious bedrooms & more than one bathroom. If this doesn't sound like your home, don't despair and put it on the market, just consider an extension - that way you'll get everything you need + the unique features of your present home that you adore. Depending on your individual situation and/or requirements you may want to extend your house up, out, down or a combination of the above. Read on to find out a little more about each option & start the process of considering which one might work best for your family. |
“We would have no hesitation in recommending Alvin & the CHE team to our family and friends. I (Charlotte) felt we were always kept in the loop, the weekly meetings where we could clarify anything we were unsure of were much appreciated. Alvin and the team were also very easy to approach with any queries. We’d use them again! ” ANDY & CHARLOTTE |
Upper level extension
One of the main reasons people like to add an upper level to their home is so they can capitalise on the amazing views we are blessed with in this beautiful country we call home. If you can see Rangitoto from the garage roof, it is definitely worth considering going up.
Secondly. it is usually every kiwi families dream to kick a ball around the backyard or have a spacious deck flowing onto gardens that is perfect for entertaining family & friends. Building an upper level means you can still get the space that you need, without compromising the super competitive game of backyard cricket you have every Christmas. Adding an upper level to your home generally requires the greatest financial investment, however the benefits far outweigh the cost. A master suite or spacious living area full of sunshine, with gorgeous views is going to add far more to the value of your home, than a single bedroom that has been crammed onto a section that is already tight on lawn space. |
The above upper level extension which we completed in Cockle Bay required an investment of $273,000.00 from the owners. Yet, the spacious master suite with water views, along with additional bedroom that they created led to the independent valuation of their home increasing by $325,000.00. |
Single storEy Extension
The above project which we completed for the Hynds family in Glenbrook involved an extension of 105m2 to create a spacious entertaining area, customised master suite and large internal access double garage. Max stated on multiple occasions that he was happy with our "old-school values" and "high quality workmanship" so we think its safe to say that we were all stoked with the end result. |
A single storey extension is the simplest and most cost effective method of adding more space to your home. This is because the excavation and strengthening costs are not as significant as they are with basement & upper level additions.
The most popular single storey extensions are the addition of a private, master bedroom suite that is full of sunshine and/or the creation of a spacious, open plan kitchen/living area. Doing one or both of these means that you and your partner can have quiet time on your own, while your growing family has the space that they need to stretch out or spill outdoors. Adding more space to your home will also increase the resale value. Often by extending you are creating the kind of space that a future buyer will walk into & say "Wow, can't wait to live here." Or, alternatively be extending you are creating your forever home & no matter what, we guarantee you will be happy with the end result. |
basement extension
Creating usable space out of the dark & dingy area underneath your home is something that is often overlooked as prime habitual living space. You will be amazed what can be achieved from what is probably a junk storage space.
Certified Home Extensions has successfully completed countless basement extensions of various different complexities and sizes ranging from a laundry and rumpus room, through to 2 double bedrooms a bathroom and a sunny second lounge space that flows out onto a spacious back yard. One of the bonuses of a basement extension as opposed to a single level is that you often have more space to play with, as we are able to a significant portion of the area underneath your existing home. Wheres, when we are extending on the existing level of your home, backyards are often compromised to achieve the space required which can put the kids dream of a trampoline in jeopardy. Extending your basement can also stabilise your home & increase structural integrity. In one instance on a job we completed in Avondale, the home used to shake every time a truck went past, now it doesn't move due to the additional strength that their new lower level provided. A basement extension is often the perfect space for some additional bedrooms or a rumpus room for the teenagers or perhaps a retreat for Mum and Dad where you can lock yourselves away and enjoy some peace and quiet. |
The above basement which we completed in Lynfield involved the creation of a laundry, additional bathroom and rumpus room with pull-out sofa bed in preparation for guests. At the beginning it was a dark & dingy space that the Guliard family wouldn't have stored garden equipment in. Now they have a spacious, light filled area, that is the perfect place to watch the All Blacks smash the Australians - one of our favourite pastimes! |
Auckland’s Most Trusted Home EXTENSIONS Expert!
4 reasons why you can trust Certified Home Extension to extend your treasured family home.
Expert Experience and Knowledge Building an extension or renovating an existing space is tremendously more challenging than starting from scratch with an empty section and building a new home. Experience is crucial when considering who will help you to make your dream home a reality. After having successfully completed 176 home extensions, the Certified Home Extensions team has all the experience needed and more when it comes to working on treasured family homes. Throughout his twenty-one years in the construction industry, Alvin has encountered and overcome just about every problem imaginable with a building project. After thirteen years of focusing solidly on extensions and renovations, it is very unlikely that there will be a challenge arising from your project that we do not know how to overcome. |
Complete Turnkey Solution We totally understand that life is busy and it only seems to get busier! If you are anything like our previous clients, you probably struggle to spend adequate time with family and friends, which means you really do not have time to manage a building project! This is where we come in. Our team will assist with your designing process (ensuring it runs as efficiently as possible), deal with the council in order to obtain the required consents, organise the sub-trades and then manage the construction process while keeping you updated every step of the way. We will ensure that you have a stress free journey towards making your extension dream a reality. This means that you do not have to deal with any of the typical stresses involved with a building project e.g. ensuring the plumber turns up on time. We will leave you to focus on the excitement of dream home becoming true before your eyes. |
Comprehensive Communication We strive to make your extension dream a reality. We will work together with you throughout the whole project. Communication is key to ensure you understand what is going on all the time. Our team will update you once a week regardless of the stage we are at. We will always keep you in the loop, whether we are drawing up concept plans or hanging doors in your new extension. This means that we will never leave you wondering about the status of your project. You will have 24/7 access to your project schedule on our project management software as well as weekly emailed reports throughout construction. We put a high emphasis on trust and communication right from the initial phases of your project. Architectural designers, tradespeople, engineers and council members always speak a different language and it is important that you feel comfortable. |
(Awesome) Action Plans One of the ways that we strive to maximize your levels of confidence is through the 13-page Action Plan that we provide pre-construction. It is broken down into approximately 24 unique categories with all materials that will be built into your dream extension listed and included. Sometimes it takes 2-3 revisions to get these 13 pages 100% correct but we are happy to do 200 revisions if that is what it takes. We want you to understand every detail and material that is going into your project. Rather than saying “Hey! I thought that was included!” we guarantee that you will be impressed with the depth of detail in what we have covered. Our Action Plan provides the ultimate level of transparency meaning that you will have absolute clarity about constructing your dream extension. |
WORK THAT WE DO NOT SPECIALISE IN
While we are quick to point out that we specialise in major extensions, renovations and architectural new builds, we also like to be transparent about the type of work we do not specialise in.
If you have a smaller project in minds such as a new deck, singular bathroom renovation or garage conversion, then we are probably not the right building company for you. We will respectfully tell you this during our first phone call. This will save both of us from disappointment as well as wasted time, money and energy. However, if you have any of the aforementioned projects in mind as part of a larger scope of works, we can easily schedule it in as a component of construction. By doing it this way, we can offer greater efficiency and a stress-free experience. We are not interested in cutting corners by using unskilled tradesmen or materials of inferior quality in order to offer you the cheapest construction price. So if you are after the lowest quote in Auckland please do not ask. However, if you are interested in building a strong relationship with a reputable building company who has systems in place to ensure you have a pleasurable experience whilst providing the highest quality result, give us a call. We would love to chat further about how our team can help you best! |
Large customised extensions like this property are the sort of work that Certified Home Extensions specialise in.
Deck extensions only like this are not our speciality, but if it is apart of the larger project it can easily be scheduled in and can offer you greater workmanship and cost efficiency!
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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Steve & Leslie, Western Springs
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Let's Extend Your Home Together!
We have completed over 176 unique projects each one with special needs and requirements. For this reason, we have developed our 7 Steps to Success. It allows us to get as much information from you as possible before providing you with our expert advice, recommendations and proposed solutions.
1. FIRST CONVERSATION
If you know you need more space, or are looking to build a new home, the first stage is for you to give us a call. We'll ask you a few questions and then schedule a time for Emily and/or Alvin to pop out and discuss how we have helped others in a similar position and how we can help you. One thing that you can do that will help us in the meantime, is returning the questionnaire that will be included in your complimentary Ultimate Information Package before your Start Up Session. This gives us the opportunity to learn a little bit more about how we can help you best, before we meet for the first time 2. START UP SESSION
This is when you'll meet us for the first time, as we sit down together and run you through every step of the process that we've developed for making your experience easy. We'll also go for a walk around your home & present you with a preliminary price range for your project that is based on our past experience. Our ultimate goal here is to end any fear or uncertainty that you might be feeling, and start up excitement & creativity, essential ingredients to any building project! 3. DESIGN YOUR DREAM
Once we've knocked your socks off with our Start Up Session, the next stage is for our handpicked architectural designer to come and view your project. We'll also be present at this meeting to ensure that all ideas remain within budget and that you'll be able to afford your dream home. The strong relationships that we have with our chosen designers also means that we can guarantee you five-star treatment as we move from concepts to full working drawings. This process usually takes at least six months, so being a priority is key. 4. COORDINATING DRAWINGS AND CONSENTS
We pride ourselves on the way that we coordinate the process of getting from concepts to building consent from our clients, believing that bar any unforeseen complications we can have you ready to start construction approx six weeks faster then any other company. The team at CHE does this through constant communication; with you so that you always know what is happening and with the designer + council to make sure that you remain a priority and that things happen as fast as possible. Dealing with council especially can often be quite challenging and that’s the real bonus of dealing with a company like us, we spend our day working for you making sure that your dream for your home is made a reality as smoothly and with as little stress as possible! 5. PLAN OF ACTION
While your building consent is processing, or alternatively once you have brought consented plans to us, we'll schedule a site visit at your home. Every member of our team who will have a $10,000.00 involvement or greater will attend i.e. builder, plumber, painter, drainlayer. We'll compile an 18+ page Action Plan from the information that they give us, that will be broken down into 25+ categories. Alvin will personally present this to you, making sure that you understand every aspect of what your constructed dream home will include. The overall fixed price that is included in your Action Plan will not change, unless you change your mind or something unforeseeable happens during the course of construction i.e. rotten existing wall framing. 6. YOUR DREAM HOME IS MADE REALITY!
Once we've received a signed Action Plan & CBANZ contract, we'll push the go button and get the construction of your dream home started, usually about 6-8 weeks after we have received the paperwork. Our team will also get you set up on our online project management software, so you'll be able to follow along with our schedule & always know whats happening, no matter where you are or what time it is. If you prefer things the old fashioned way, we'll also email you a progress report usually on Friday afternoons that will keep you up to date. You're also more then welcome to give us a call, flick us an email or send a text at anytime. 7. LIVE YOUR DREAM
HOORAY! Once construction has finished, we'll hand the keys over to your dream home, completed on time and within budget. We'll leave behind us a bottle of champagne, and a copy of your HALO guarantee which our team will have obtained at the beginning of construction. The HALO guarantee is just another way that we help you to look after your biggest investment, your treasured home. It is the most comprehensive residential guarantee on the market, ensuring that you have full cover for any structural or non structural defects that might occur for up to ten years. So coming on board with CHE means you';ll have ultimate peace of mind, not just for the duration of your project but for up to 10 years afterwards. |
HOW DO I BEGIN MY JOURNEY?
Congratulations, you've decided to extend your family home
! It's the beginning of a very exciting journey, but the first step can often feel a bit daunting, which is where we come in. The first stage in our process is for one of our team to come and see you for a Start-Up Session. During this session we will do a tour of your home while listening to your requirements, we could then maybe go through some alternatives, or just offer you an expert opinion on some areas. Our ultimate goal is to stop any fear or uncertainty you might be feeling and start-up excitement and creativity – essential ingredients to any building project. During our time together we’ll go over;
By the time we have finished talking, you will have a good understanding of every stage of the process, of the likely cost of your project and when we can get started. You will be ready to start making your dream home a reality! There is no obligation to build with us after the meeting with Emily or Alvin. You won't be tied into any contracts at this stage. So, simply fill in the form below or if you would like to skip the paperwork, feel free to give us a call anytime on 09 233 3113 and one of our team will be happy to assist. |
Learn about the 5 Common Building Project Errors to avoid when considering a Home Extension. Our Team, Systems and Processes saved one past client $16,595.00 of unnecessary costs and stress while extending their home.
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