Extending a semi detatched when neighbour has too

neneromanova

I_have_spoken wrote: »

I'm wondering if the previous owner was smart enough to get a deed/covenant for the right to do the same extension in return for allowing their garage to be used as the load bearing wall?

How do I find this out?

cyclonebri1

keystone wrote: »

Well certainly very interesting anyway.

Cheers

Yes, another one, and I'm certainly not going to get involved in this other than to say it would be pretty difficult to comply with the PWA.

My 1 comment is that from earlier, the suggestion of using the roof space.

Well, I've no doubt it could be done, but, a house of that age will have roof trusses rather than conventional purlin support. It makes life very difficult to convert to living space. It's also much more expensive and few builders would have the nous to do it without structural help.

I hate to say it but, move, or it will become a money pit that you will never fully recuperate from.:(:(

I_have_spoken

I don't understand what you mean.

The Party Wall Award could be complex because of the existing extension, your garage tied into their wall, excavations at boundary and the need to put footings over boundary to maintain garage width.

Kind of depends if the current owners built the extension, so they could be sympathetic to you doing the same

cyclonebri1

Looking at it, the garage could also end up being too narrow to be a functioning garage too.

System

no one has mentioned the critical issue here (unless my skimming missed it) - you may have serious problems with planning depending on the surrounding area, what you are doing is making a semi into a terraces which often doesn't sit well - I would speak to your friend the architect and see if they have experience of doing anything similar in the local area

neneromanova

the_r_sole wrote: »

no one has mentioned the critical issue here (unless my skimming missed it) - you may have serious problems with planning depending on the surrounding area, what you are doing is making a semi into a terraces which often doesn't sit well - I would speak to your friend the architect and see if they have experience of doing anything similar in the local area

The extension wouldn't be built right up to their extension so it wouldn't become a terraced.

System

neneromanova wrote: »

The extension wouldn't be built right up to their extension so it wouldn't become a terraced.

but effectively it would appear to be a terrace, all i'm saying is its best to discuss the intention with the planners at the outset

notanewuser

I_have_spoken wrote: »

The Party Wall Award could be complex because of the existing extension, your garage tied into their wall, excavations at boundary and the need to put footings over boundary to maintain garage width.

Kind of depends if the current owners built the extension, so they could be sympathetic to you doing the same

Award?? The term is Party Wall Agreement (from the Party Wall Act).

But agree, it's really awkward here.

ed110220

I don't think there's going to be any significant difference between leaving a 1 m gap and building up the neighbouring house either visually or for planning purposes - it's going to look terraced. To leave enough of a gap to be significant I think would make the extension too small to be worthwhile.

I'm no expert on planning but I doubt it would be allowed simply because I haven't noticed anything similar. Plenty houses in your situation round here have been extended (one right opposite) but none I can think of where both have been extended to meet or almost meet.

Structurally it would be a big job to have the upstairs end wall unsupported by a wall downstairs. I've seen it done with a system of box-section steels but expensive of course. It could be made a bit cheaper perhaps by keeping the weight down by building the upstairs extension non-traditionally using timber or steel frame but people tend to be a bit suspicious of anything not built out of masonry.

neneromanova

Ok, Ignoring the extra bedrooms upstairs, would it add any value if the existing plans:



And we did just the bottom design and updated the bathroom/bedrooms upstairs?



I'm guessing we could extend the garage flush with the house on their wall, which would be roughly 9 1/2 m2 (ish) out the front and 13m2 (ish) out the back for the bigger kitchen/utility room/downstairs loo?

EDIT: Or even take the garage off the front of the house, change the current door for a UPVC door and window for the loo and just cut down on the junk we keep :rotfl: and just extend out the back and make the kitchen/utility room?