The question may seem unnecessary at first. After all, how can you go wrong with extra space in the house? But careful consideration of several factors that comprise good use of interior space will reveal that it is, in fact, possible to make a house expansion with too many square meters (m2).

The Need for Space

The reason why people want to expand their houses in the first place is that their present interior space is simply insufficient to accommodate them and their household comfortably enough for their personal standards. Perhaps thee kids have grown too old and rowdy to share rooms anymore. Perhaps you have a new member of the household: a new baby, a parent moving in, etc., and theres need for one or more additional rooms. Maybe youve decided that its time to build a home theatre, a game room, a home gym, or a family library. Or perhaps your closet has become crammed up with piles of stored items that reorganizing it seems to be possible only with a new, dedicated storage room.

Whatever your reasons for wanting a house expansion, the bottom-line is that you need more space than your house can offer in its present condition.

The Problem of Overexpansion

You may need space, but having too much space can be a problem, too. Overexpansion can lead to unused, neglected space that degrades over time, and is therefore, to put it frankly, a waste of your money.

Have you ever been to a huge, old mansion? While there may be many beautiful rooms in it; well lighted and beautifully decorated, the chances are good that there are more than a few unused rooms that, for all intents and purposes may be considered abandoned.

Admittedly, its highly unlikely that a little house expansion is going to turn your house into a great mansion that might be worthy of a European lord. Nevertheless, old unused mansions have a valuable lesson to teach us about the use of interior space: it is better to have no extra space than to have more space than you could possibly use.

Keep in mind that houses and rooms do not remain pristine indefinitely, but degenerate over time. Wood boards get creaky or eaten up by termites, cobwebs develop, wall paint fades and gets stained, waterproof sealant gives way and leads to leaks, and much more. In fact, every portion of the house is a potential hazard to the other parts in the even of calamity (earthquakes and fires, for example).

Unused rooms also make a house feel lonely, even spooky. This is because interior space is meant to be inhabited and used by human beings. Rooms are supposed to be places where the life of the household is played out, whether it involves conversations, work, eating, recreation or other day-to-day human activities. To have an unused, unkempt room in the house is like having old ruins in your backyard: you see signs of past human activity, but no humans.

For these reasons, try to make sure that you dont overdo your house expansion, even if you do have enough resources for it. Its alright to have a little extra space, but try to maximize every m2 in your new space.