Objective: save space
Creating new living or working spaces, rethinking volumes, rearranging rooms, imagining an inside-outside space… Everything is possible with an extension project.
Depending on your needs, the surface of the land, the configuration of the existing building and your budget, the extension can take different forms:
- A single-storey extension to enlarge the living room or create a new space (bedroom, office, studio, garage, veranda, etc.);
- A vertical adjoining extension, on several levels, in the continuity of the housing, or even why not in rupture to play on the contrasts, the volumes and the architectural style;
- An elevation so as to raise the roof and gain a floor while retaining the area of the land.
Whatever its destination and its form, the extension responds to a common objective: to gain space. The enlargement of the living room or the creation of a new room will allow you to reclaim your space as well as possible for a tailor-made habitat, in your image.
Why opt for the wooden extension?
What is a wooden extension?
The wooden extension refers to the wooden frame extension: it is a construction with a wooden structure, filled with insulation, which can be covered with the material of your choice: wood cladding, stone, brick, PVC , traditional plaster…
Architect’s words:
When the Nantes architect Nicolas Masurel is questioned on Bois.com on the reasons for which he favors the extension, he explains:
I recommend, most of the time, the wooden frame panel, because this technique offers many possibilities. The panels can be transported by hand, an undeniable advantage when working in town, on plots that are difficult to access. In addition, the elements can arrive pre-assembled – even fully assembled – and the carpenters can assemble them quickly. It also offers the possibility of insulating directly at the heart of the load-bearing structure, between the uprights, without encroaching on the volume of the extension. Finally, I like to use structural parts to transform them into pieces of furniture. This creates a continuity between interior and exterior.
The advantages of wood for a house extension
Wood combines many qualities:
- A natural, renewable and biodegradable resource, which functions as a carbon sink and remains zero waste;
- A noble and warm appearance for extensions with wood finishes;
- Exceptional performance in terms of thermal insulation: wood is twelve times more insulating than concrete;
- Solid, rot-proof, fire-resistant: well chosen and well designed, the lifespan of construction wood is estimated at 400 years with proper maintenance.
A tailor-made architecture
The wood construction mode makes it possible to set up on any type of terrain and to adapt to all configurations. A light, flexible and malleable material, wood indeed offers all the possibilities of shape and design, both for the frame and for the cladding.
Then, depending on its architecture and the coating chosen, the extension can:
- Either harmonize with the existing building to create continuity and blend into its environment;
- Either contrast with the habitat – through curves, a cube shape, a green roof, wooden cladding… – for a resolutely modern and original style.
Modular, the wooden extension is also scalable: it can easily be enlarged later. Convenient !
In short, the wooden extension adapts to everything and everyone. It will enhance old residences, traditional houses and designer villas alike.
A quick job
Thanks to its lightness, wood requires shallower foundations, thus reducing earthworks.
The boards (wall elements, floor, joinery, exterior cladding) are custom made in the workshop. Then delivered as a kit, the wooden extension requires only a few hours or even a few days of assembly.
For example, all-inclusive, the construction work for a wooden extension can last from 3 weeks (extension less than 30 m2) to 6 weeks (extension of 100 m2).
An affordable cost
The timber frame extension remains one of the most accessible on the market: its average cost varies between 700 €/m² and 1,200 €/m2, when the bill starts on average at 1,100 €/m2 for a concrete extension. .
What can we learn from this craze for wooden extensions?
In 2021, 30.5% of extensions and elevations were made of timber frames, a share that continues to increase over the years. And for good reason: durable, economical, light, malleable, insulating and resistant, wood has something to seduce. Quick to implement, the wooden extension also adapts to all configurations. Finally, whatever your architectural bias – harmonization or striking contrast between the extension and your house – the wooden extension will enhance your property.