Side extension - neighbour already has one up to boundary line

carled

Hi all. Looking for a few ideas/opinions please!

We live in a 1948 semi. Our neighbours on the "unattached" side have (back in the seventies) built a flat roof 2-storey extension (demolished original single garage) right up to the boundary line so their extension wall is directly against our garage wall. Their fascia and guttering actually overhangs our property line and would prevent us building directly upwards. Because of the curve in the road, our house is slightly forward of theirs and their extension is stepped back around 18 inches from our front building line (our garage and house are in line).

We are now in the process of investigating a side extension ourselves but our local council (Blaby in Leicestershire) doesn't appear to have many useful guideline leaflets online as other councils I've seen. We've got builders coming around tomorrow just to have a look at the site and give us ball park figures for what we are considering prior to us getting any plans drawn up. What I'm interested in knowing about is if anyone has any experience of what can be done regarding the boundary line... a few doors down there are two houses with extensions meeting virtually on the boundary line and, yes, it does look like a row of terraces just there, particularly as one extension is dead flush with the main house.

If our neighbours are already up to the boundary line (no windows on this wall) then I'm assuming that the planning office are unlikely to fuss about us likewise building up to this line (or as close as we can build with their flipping guttering in the way!) or do you think they may now start to treat it as "first come, first served" and as our neighbour got their extension in first, we're out of luck?

Also if we were to step back from our front building line then we'd be putting our extension in line with theirs, which surely is more likely to form this "terraced look" that they are keen to avoid?

At the rear, is the rough rule of thumb that we can extend back as far as we want as long as it doesn't go further than a 45 degree angle from their nearest window (which is at the back of their extension)?

Thanks for any tips or advice on this - will be interesting to hear about other peoples' experiences on this subject!

iamcornholio

You need to find out what your specific councils current policy is regarding building at the boundary. Some want a 1m gap some may want more, or let you build to the boundary at ground level but not at first-floor level.

The terracing effect is the criteria, but how you go about preventing this is should be negotiable - but some planners are very "computer says no" in terms of flexibility. I would not be surprised if they insisted on stepping further back than your neighbours extension, rather than allowing you to be forward of it

Again, at the rear check if they apply the 45 degree rule or not

Unless any posters on here live in your area, then what they might have done will not apply to you

sarahevie

we are in the research process of doing the same. We have been told by friends in our area (west yorkshire - leeds city council) that they are only approving half width extensions (not the full house which is what we require) in order to maintain the appearance of semis, end terraces. They are requiring 1 m between properties.

Would be very interested in any quotes you get, we left details with a highly regarded local building firm last week but they never got back to us. I'm considering phoning them again or trying elsewhere.

LandyAndy

sarahevie wrote: »

we are in the research process of doing the same. We have been told by friends in our area (west yorkshire - leeds city council) that they are only approving half width extensions (not the full house which is what we require) in order to maintain the appearance of semis, end terraces. They are requiring 1 m between properties.

Would be very interested in any quotes you get, we left details with a highly regarded local building firm last week but they never got back to us. I'm considering phoning them again or trying elsewhere.

When last week? I'm sure you don't want a 'back of a fag packet' calculation.:cool: