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Home at a Crossroads: Move or Extend?

As the clocks fall back and evenings draw in, November has a way of bringing us home. It’s the season of candlelight, slow suppers, and gathering with loved ones indoors. Yet, it is also the time of year when many people start to feel the squeeze of their surroundings. Perhaps it’s too many family members around the dining table, or guests lingering in a kitchen that feels one doorway too small. At this time of year, I often hear the same question from clients across Cheshire, “Should we move, or should we extend?” 

It’s a dilemma that blends heart, head, and home. Moving offers the excitement of fresh horizons and the chance to reset. 

Extending promises the joy of transforming the space you already know and love into something more fitting for your lifestyle. Both options have their appeal, but each requires careful consideration. 

 The Value of Staying Put 

For many homeowners, the emotional ties to a property are undeniable. You’ve built memories within those walls, nurtured your family, or spent years perfecting the garden. Location is often another dealbreaker. If you’re already in a village or on a road you adore, perhaps close to schools, friends, and the rhythms of daily life, then staying put can feel like the obvious choice. 

Extending allows you to keep all of that while reshaping your home around your needs. From an interior designer’s perspective, this is where it becomes exciting. Instead of compromising on a property someone else has designed, you can create spaces that are utterly tailored. That might mean adding a glazed extension to flood a north-facing kitchen with light, creating a spa bathroom retreat above the garage, or designing a leisure suite at the rear of the house complete with gym and cinema. 

Another advantage of extending is control. You’re not beholden to what the market offers. Instead, you get to reimagine the layout, the flow, and the feeling of your home. Increasingly, I see clients investing in extensions to future-proof their properties; adding lifts, home offices, or guest suites for visiting family. These aren’t just lifestyle upgrades; they’re design choices that elevate long-term liveability. 

 

The Case for Moving 

Of course, extending is not without its compromises. Space is finite, and not every plot lends itself to expansion. Planning restrictions can prove challenging, and the disruption of living through building works is not for the faint-hearted. 

This is where moving steps in as an appealing alternative. A new home can unlock opportunities that extensions simply cannot, whether it’s more land, a better outlook, or a location that brings you closer to work, schools, or leisure amenities. 

There is also something to be said for the clarity of a fresh start. For clients who feel their current home has too many limitations, a new property can be a blank canvas. Even if the architecture isn’t perfect, there is often scope to apply design at scale, to reconfigure layouts, introduce luxury finishes, and integrate the technology and wellness features that modern living now demands. 

Financially, while extending can add significant value, the costs of large-scale construction projects, from materials to trades, have risen sharply. Moving, despite stamp duty and fees, can sometimes make more sense, particularly if you’re moving up in the market. 

 

Heart Versus Head 

At its core, the decision comes down to more than money or square footage. It’s about lifestyle. Do you love your current community and simply wish your home worked harder for you? Or does your heart yearn for a complete change? 

I encourage clients to picture not just the next two or three years but the next decade. Where will your children be? Will you need more entertaining space or less? Will elderly parents need accommodation? A thoughtfully planned extension can evolve with you, but if your long-term aspirations involve more land or a complete change of setting, moving may be the wiser choice. 

 

A Designer’s Checklist 


When I work with clients wrestling with this decision, I encourage them to ask themselves several key questions: 

  1. Do you love your location? 
    If yes, extending often makes sense. No new house can replicate the comfort of a community you cherish, from nearby friends and schools to the daily rhythm of your neighbourhood. If the answer is no, moving is often the cleanest way forward. 

  1. Do you love your home’s exterior appearance? 
    If the façade or architectural style leaves you uninspired and cannot realistically be changed, then no amount of interior work will make you fall in love with it. In that case, moving may be wiser. 

  1. Does your home have extension potential? 
    Think beyond the obvious side or rear extension. Loft conversions, garden rooms, or reconfigured underused spaces can all transform a home. If there’s little scope to add space or value, it may be worth looking elsewhere. 

  1. Does the existing layout work for your lifestyle? 
    Even without adding square footage, sometimes rethinking the floorplan can unlock potential. But if the flow feels fundamentally wrong or structural limitations block change, then moving may be the only way to achieve the home you need. 

  1. What is your appetite for disruption? 
    Renovations can take several months and are inevitably messy. If you relish the process and see it as an investment in your long-term comfort, extending could be rewarding. But if you crave instant change, or have a growing family impatient for space, moving may be more practical. 

  1. Can you see yourself here long-term? 
    Ultimately, this is the deciding factor. If you imagine your family thriving in this home for years to come, the effort of extending is worthwhile. If not, it may be time to turn the page and move on.  

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