January 18, 2020 | Awake & Dreaming

Sheffield United’s outstanding first season back in the Premier League continued as John Fleck hit a late equaliser at Arsenal. The Blades were typically organised and threatening throughout but looked set for defeat when 18-year-old Gabriel Martinelli steered in an opener for the hosts. Arsenal dropped deeper as the game wore on and struggled to create too much, although Nicolas Pepe thought he should have been awarded a penalty after the break. And Chris Wilder’s attacking substitutions were rewarded when Fleck hit a deflected shot into the far corner to keep the seventh-placed Blades four points clear of the Gunners.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was facing a stacked in-tray for his first job in management and the Spaniard has now overseen one win in his first five league games in charge. Without suspended captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the Gunners were always likely to be lacking a goal threat. After all, the Gabon forward had scored 48% of their league goals this season. But Alexandre Lacazette – his replacement as skipper – is hardly a novice, and with Mesut Ozil and Pepe in support the Gunners could still boast a £160m strikeforce. But it was Martinelli, just 18 and making his fourth league start, who was the pick. He volleyed wide from a smart Pepe cross, shot into the side-netting after more quick feet from the winger, and then gambled to convert the opener after makeshift left-back Bukayo Saka saw his cross loop up into the goalmouth.

The watching Aubameyang was moved to declare him a “superstar” in waiting in a post on social media. Arteta could point to his side having over 60% of the possession, but Blades keeper Dean Henderson was largely untroubled – making just three saves. If Arsenal’s expensively assembled attack failed to add much spark, it was the other end of the pitch which showed where work is needed in this and future transfer windows. Alarm bells were ringing for some Gunners fans with the arrival of the teamsheets. Two wingers, a perennial scapegoat and David Luiz made up a back four of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Saka, Shkodran Mustafi and the Brazil centre-back.

An extension on your home might be something that’s needed. Whether it’s for a growing household or because you want to boost the value of your home. Here are some tips for adding an extension to your home.

Check Planning Permissions

Firstly, planning permissions and regulations for your home are the first obstacle to get past. There may be a few snagging points that you’ll want to flag up now and now whilst you’re in the midst of knocking down walls or building the foundations. So think about what can be done on your property by getting in touch with your local council. Be sure you have the go-ahead before putting up any cement board siding or the groundwork for your new extension. While you’re at it, it’s worth checking in with your neighbours to make sure that what you’re doing is alright with them too. This is especially the case if there’s going to be a negative impact on their view or the noise is going to be a little loud and over a long period of time.

Set A Budget

Knowing the budget, you’re working with is very important because that’s really going to dictate what you can do with your extension. An extension can be costly and depending on the size, you may want to solidify your budget in detail so that you know exactly how much you need to spend and where you don’t want to start overspending. Having a budget will also help with you not going overboard and spending so much money that it puts you in a significant amount of debt. That won’t give you that happy ending you wanted with this extension otherwise.

Know What You Want To Create

What do you want from the extension? Is it a conservatory or do you want to build onto a room that already exists? It’s good to know exactly what your plans are because you’ll need to communicate these plans with whoever is responsible for building the desired extension on your home. The same goes for any interior designer or architect that might be hired to have an influence over the design and furnishing aspects. Have the idea of what you want confirmed for you and your household first before you start doing any work. It’s a lot of money to spend and then realises what you’re trying to achieve isn’t going the way you hoped.

Consider The Logistics

The logistics of building an extension are whether you’ll be without certain areas of your home for a brief or long period of time? Perhaps you’re knocking down your kitchen, or setting up new windows and doors, and therefore you’ll need a temporary situation to make sure you can still function in your home. Consider all these elements before you start anything because you’ll want to put a few things in place beforehand, no doubt.

Adding an extension to your home is exciting, so make sure you’ve thought it through, planned out a budget and considered all the finer details needed for it to go smoothly and without a hitch.