Extension On Terrace House

microkid

Hi we have a small terrace house that we would dearly love to extend, as we really like the house and can not afford to move to something bigger that offers as much.

The extension we are considering would build on top of the kitchen, which is currently a single story, and make it the full height of the house. We would also widen this area as well, as presently it is the 3.5 feet narrower than the rest of the house. So effectively we are squaring off a corner and adding an upstairs to it.

This is all very straight forward except it requires building on the party wall which would result in a wall that my neighbour will then see from their upstairs window (the centre line of the window would be about 5 feet from the wall). The wall will project outwards towards the garden 10 feet.

I know this will probably not please my neighbours – but how will the planning office feel about it?

This also means we will need to remove a chimney breast to access the new extension. The chimney breast is also on the party wall and mirrors one the neighbour has. They still use their chimney so we would need to leave the stack in place. Is this possible?

The house is about 150 years old…

LilElvis

Probably better posted in this part of the forum
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39

microkid

thanks - how can i move it!?

neilmcl

Just talk to your local planning office. They are there to help.

jobbingmusician

You can't move it, but the Board Guide for Consumer Rights can..........

wealdroam

microkid wrote: »

I know this will probably not please my neighbours – but how will the planning office feel about it?

Follow Neilmcl's suggestion... ask your planning department what they think of your proposal.

bod1467

Be aware that you'll almost certainly need planning permission. And as part of the application process all affected neighbours will be asked for their views. (And this doesn't just mean your immediate neighbour - it also means all neighbours within a certain radius of your property who may be affected by the plans, particularly those with line-of-sight).

Any objections to the plans will be taken into account when assessing whether to grant permission.

RichardD1970

It might not be as straight forwards as you think. One thing to consider other than planning/neighbour issues is whether the foundations of the single story extension is adequate to build a second story on (if that is what you are thinking), or will it need rebuilding from scratch.