Extension to already extended house

markin

Its a very small flat garden do you really need the walk way to it? It seems a bit of an expense to do a full side ext and all that steel to gain only 1300? wide internally.

zoz73

I like having front to rear access for lawnmower, log deliveries etc plus my understanding with PD is you need to leave 1m from boundary?

Doozergirl

Your friends were in a totally different situation. For a start, they haven't prioritised the loo and utility over additional living space that adds vital value.  The increase in square footage and 'grand plan' brings an economy of scale.  If they were on a tighter budget, I'm sure they'd have built the square back extension only, gone with a slightly smaller kitchen and then fit the loo and utility in according to budget.  I wasn't reinventing the wheel with my suggestions; there a millions of those houses out there. 

You can get an architect to draw you anything you want, and it can be built.  You have to cut your cloth accordingly as well, and look at not just the exact things that you want, but your budget and then weigh up how the house can accommodate both. And, if it's not a forever house, how much value can be added.  

Re: engineering.   You can see the lines where the massive steels were proposed to hold up the original corner of the house.  If they have done it exactly like that then they will have dug specific footings to creat a goalpost of steels to hold up the entire original back wall at first floor level.  There's another steel T'd into it.  The house would have been utterly gutted in order to do that and the increase in square footage helps pay for it in the increase in value. It would have been disproportionately expensive to do that in three separate building projects, which is what you're looking at.  

Most people leave the side wall intact even then, because even whilst building a big extension, that extra metre to the side is disproportionately more expensive than the rear extension and adds a lot to the cost.  

PD will allow you to build to the boundary.  You're still
missing a trick as there's under utilised space in the existing house and small extensions cost disproportionately more than larger ones.  

I have friends with the same layout as you (save the manhole dogleg) and they've gone longer on the kitchen extension to provide a dining room and have the original lounge and dining room for reception rooms, but they don't have the utility and loo because the old kitchen is effectively an even longer length of hall, like yours.  

If you don't have a massive budget then working with every inch of space you already have, cutting out dead areas and providing flexibilty in the space is the cheapest way of building.  I think you'll probably work it out by actually looking at proposed costs and not just the floor plan.  

zoz73

Yes I take your point about the increase in square footage and overall economies of scale. I do know they lived in the house while it was being done.

Other houses in the street have converted their entire garages right up to the boundary. Could I do this (and create a garden store at the rear of the ‘car port’ or as it’s not a garage ‘proper’ I’d be restricted to the PD limitations?

thanks so much for all the advice!

Doozergirl

Yes.  As above, PD allows you to build to the boundary.   

There's no photo of the carport, but from
what you've said, I thought there wasn't much there to 'convert'.  Do you have a photo of it?  Again, building regulations apply.  

zoz73

I guess it’s less of a ‘conversion’ and more of a ‘demolish car port and build side extension’...

Doozergirl

Yes.  That's your neighbour's wall as well, not a party wall so you'd have to build so that your builder can access both sides of the new wall. 

A nice new rear extension and a remodel to get the type of rooms you want is the answer.  I have a client with a very modern kitchen in a room with the original chimney breast, stunning cornice and period style french doors to the garden.   It looks even better than a modern kitchen in a modern box precisely because it has character. It's all in the design.  

zoz73

Yes it’s looking like that’s the answer. Thank you so much - incredibly helpful.