Side return without breaking the bank?

smfdurham

Hi, we own a mid terrace Victorian house and have found enough threads to know that a downstairs extension involving a side return with velux windows, 2 meter extension, bifold doors to the garden, all open plan - would cost £50-80k depending on kitchen spec etc etc

Unfortunately I just don't think it would add that much value to the house and would take us many years to save up.

Does anyone have an idea what it would cost to add a side return with doors to the garden with Velux windows to the new roof. Plus removing an existing wall to allow access to the new room from the existing dining room? Would planning permission be needed?

I presume if we knocked down the existing wall between the dining room and kitchen it would start getting expensive?

And if we knocked down the wall between the kitchen and new side return room that would equally be a big cost?

Any advice most welcome!

Simon

smfdurham

Should have mentioned...we are based in east London

Cakeguts

If you remove the dining room wall you still have to prop up the bit of the house that remains above it.

Your extension wall would have to be within your boundary and any gutter on the roof would not be allowed to overhang your neighbours garden. A side extension that is long and thin would be a very expensive way of getting extra not very usable space because any room would tend to be long and thin. The only way that these extensions work is because they are open plan and not two long thin rooms next to each other.

phill99

I have some string here. Please tell me how long it is.

smfdurham

Thanks for the helpful response (less so for the sarcastic one)

I presume both the dining room wall and kitchen walls are load bearing therefore would both require propping up?

Cakeguts

smfdurham wrote: »

Thanks for the helpful response (less so for the sarcastic one)

I presume both the dining room wall and kitchen walls are load bearing therefore would both require propping up?

What is above the walls? The kind of walls that are not load bearing are the ones that you can take out without a bit of house above them falling down. So a room dividing wall that wasn't holding up the ceiling would be alright to remove but the wall that is holding up the joists in the room above the staircase isn't..

smfdurham

Yeah I'm pretty sure both walls will be load bearing based on that logic

Might just be the case that it's either worth doing properly or not at all

jimmy_cricket

That sounds a lot. We had an extension done in east London about eight years ago. The shell, French doors to garden, small utility room, cloak room, wiring for electrics and lights, and radiators to the three rooms and plumbing for washing machine was around the 20k mark. We then bought a kitchen and fitted it ourselves, another 8 k I think.
It was a while ago as I said but don't think building work has gone up by that much

Cakeguts

jimmy_cricket wrote: »

That sounds a lot. We had an extension done in east London about eight years ago. The shell, French doors to garden, small utility room, cloak room, wiring for electrics and lights, and radiators to the three rooms and plumbing for washing machine was around the 20k mark. We then bought a kitchen and fitted it ourselves, another 8 k I think.
It was a while ago as I said but don't think building work has gone up by that much

It depends on how much space there is. You might not think that it was inexpensive if all you got for your 28k was a long thin corridor about a metre wide by 2 metres long. If however you got a full width extension on the back of your house that might be good value.

jimmy_cricket

It was the full width of the house x 3 m deep.