Building an identical extension to next doors.

paul5046

Hi
I live in a semi, and at the back next door has built a conservatory. One wall sits along the boundary. We want to build an extension, virtually identical.

1. I dont imagine we share the wall......do we.
2. If not, do we leave a small gap between the extensions. How big does it need to be.
3. Once we build ours, how do they maintain their guttering?
4. For insulation purposes, could we fill the gap (daft question probably)

Finally,daft as this might seem, if there was a small six inch gap i'd be worried about a cat getting stuck. If its any bigger, then that restricts the width of our extension.

olly300

If you want to build an extension virtually identical then go and knock on your neighbour's door. Be friendly and explain that you want to build an extension the same. Put your questions to them. You can even find out if their builders were any good.

ecgirl07

do new extensions etc not have be a metre from the boundary for the purposes of cats not being stuck and to allow room for maintenance?

Comyface

My Dad built an extension to the back of their semi many moons ago. Then a few years ago the next door neighbour knocked and said he wanted to do the same and could he use the existing wall as a party wall. My Dad agreed, he said 'They've lived with a wall looking them in the face in their back garden for years'. Their extension is now bigger than my Dad's (by a few cm), because the whole of the wall is on Dad's side IYSWIM.

Might be worth asking the question, as olly300 suggested.

Caroline_a

If you want your extension to be attached to your neighbour's wall you will have to get their permission. If they refuse, you will have to build far enough away for the builders to get in! Tends to be around 1metre. Our neighbours (who are nice) still said no, but they had put their extension 1m away from the party wall line... so we built up to the party wall line, and gained a 1m strip of garden :T

paul5046

Comyface wrote: »

My Dad built an extension to the back of their semi many moons ago. Then a few years ago the next door neighbour knocked and said he wanted to do the same and could he use the existing wall as a party wall. My Dad agreed, he said 'They've lived with a wall looking them in the face in their back garden for years'. Their extension is now bigger than my Dad's (by a few cm), because the whole of the wall is on Dad's side IYSWIM.

Might be worth asking the question, as olly300 suggested.

Sounds like the best idea, both benefit from having one less wall exposed to the elements.

My sister had an extension with three exposed walls. She never uses it in the winter as its so cold.

kmmr

Using the same wall or butting right up against it is the best option. Then you don't have to worry about the cat, or about piles of leaves accumulating in the gap.

Be aware that the wall may not necessarily be strong enough to support another extension, you would have to look at the original structural engineers drawings.

If you do agree to share the wall, or even to built right up against it (or within 3m of the foundations) then you will need a party wall agreement. Speak to the neighbours first and often though! They can make this process easy or hard.

And don't be tempted by Vincent Brown party wall surveyors. Find a local one through the RICS site, and accept that this is a bit of a costly activity. You may even need to pay a proportion of the build costs of the original wall to keep the neighbours onside. Would be fair if you want to use it.