The early part of the year is traditionally the time when homeowners ponder whether they should sell up and look for something bigger, or take the less drastic (and less expensive) option of extending.

At the beginning of 2006, Stephen and Karen Dolan wanted a little more space for themselves and their new baby son, and now, one year on, their new lightfilled, cosy rear extension is very much a part of the family.

Back at the start, however, getting builders even to quote for the job was the most frustrating part of the project.

"The house was fine initially. We had two goodsized rooms at ground floor level. But we were thinking about having another child and knew we would need more living space eventually, " explains Stephen. "We tried for quite some time in the beginning to find builders to quote and who could guarantee a time frame for the work. Then we remembered seeing the new Shomera extension displayed at an exhibition in the RDS and decided to check it out."

Having built a reputation for providing additional, but wholly separate, purposebuilt work spaces to the rear of residential properties, Shomera decided to extend its own market. With 5,000odd planning applications for house extensions in the Dublin area alone last year, the move into house extensions made sense.

Shomera's timber frame structures have an eightlayer wall system and also insulation values that exceed building and energy efficiency regulations now in force, according to the company. They are also exempt from planning permission, making the entire building process relatively fast compared to standard extension construction.

A Shomera is constructed off-site, allowing for installation within a guaranteed time frame.

That was part of the appeal for Stephen and Karen who wanted minimal disruption.

At the same time, their bright new room wasn't going to be the draughty, leaky lean-to stuck on as an afterthought, which was a feature of so many homes in previous decades.

"We decided to go for the Shomera in the end because, unlike so many of the other companies, they could give us an actual date for completion, and guarantee it. They said it could take three weeks, but it was actually up and ready in less time than that. We didn't have to move out. And they do everything, apart from painting the walls at the end.

"A team comes initially to put in the foundations and sort out the gutters. Then the actual structure arrives in huge pallets, and the roof, and it's literally put up in one day - a bit like that 'building a barn in one day' scene from the film Witness. Then came the carpenter, electrician and plasterer to finish off.

"They put in a wooden floor in ours, but there are other options in terms of the overall design. We wanted an additional family living space with lots of natural light, and so we went for the optimum amount of glazing.

Which could have meant the room would be cold, but underfloor heating was installed as well and so it's really cosy. We would now consider putting underfloor heating elsewhere in the house as a result. It's really well insulated and I think that one of the nicest features is the very high ceiling that gives even more of a sense of space."

Speedily constructed, nicely designed but, should owners decide to move home, will an extension addon in terms of valuation too?

According to Wade Wise, director of Savills Hamilton Osborne King, extra living space is always a plus.

"If properly designed and constructed with work and finish to a high standard, an extension will add a minimum of 5% to the value of a home."

FACT FILE

Shomera extensions begin in size at 10' x 12' (3.24 m x 3.64m); prices are from Euro28,500. The Shomera Village in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath showcases the full range of products; a second village outlet will open in the Glen of the Downs in March.
www. shomera. ie