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Garage has been built in front of window
Booge
Posts: 52 Forumite
Hi All,
I bought a house in London in December. Overall I'm reasonably happy with it and the house has been fully renovated inside, with new double glazing etc EXCEPT for one window. I did know about this from the survey and my own inspection before I bought it, but I'm looking for some advice on what is best to do now.
Basically there are a few problems with the house:
1. The garage has been built partially in front of a side window to the house. As a result, part of the window looks into the garden and about a third of the window looks inside the garage. Obviously that is ugly. The house is a 1930s interwar semi that would not have originally have had a garage. Most of the houses on the road have subsequently had garages built onto them, in a variety of different styles. I'm guessing mine was built in the 1950s/60s. In my case, it appears that a previous owner had come to an agreement with the neighbouring property that they would both have garages built at the same time by the same contractor. So my garage is attached to the garage next door and the roof (corrugated asbestos cement) appears to cover both of the garages without any separation of the sheeting (see photo).
2. The garage roof is leaking on the wood is rotten. So I need to replace the roof. However, will the fact that it adjoins the garage next door make this difficult? Would the roofing contractor have to break or cut the asbestos at the point that my neighbour's garage starts?
3. The window frame on the side is old and needs replacing and is the only window in the house that has not been replaced with double glazing. It appears to be an original 1930s window. However, can this actually be replaced? Is the reason the previous owner has not been able to replace it because the garage is built in front of it? (not sure if you can replace it from inside the house?). So to replace the window, does that mean I have to demolish the garage?
The previous owners had been planning to extend the house around the side and had been granted planning permission. They handed me the architect's plans when they sold it to me. So that may be one of the reasons they had not bothered to do this work. However, I don't think I want to do that at this stage.
Any advice as to how I should proceed? Photos attached which should make it easier to understand what I'm talking about.
Many thanks,
Jonathan T
I bought a house in London in December. Overall I'm reasonably happy with it and the house has been fully renovated inside, with new double glazing etc EXCEPT for one window. I did know about this from the survey and my own inspection before I bought it, but I'm looking for some advice on what is best to do now.
Basically there are a few problems with the house:
1. The garage has been built partially in front of a side window to the house. As a result, part of the window looks into the garden and about a third of the window looks inside the garage. Obviously that is ugly. The house is a 1930s interwar semi that would not have originally have had a garage. Most of the houses on the road have subsequently had garages built onto them, in a variety of different styles. I'm guessing mine was built in the 1950s/60s. In my case, it appears that a previous owner had come to an agreement with the neighbouring property that they would both have garages built at the same time by the same contractor. So my garage is attached to the garage next door and the roof (corrugated asbestos cement) appears to cover both of the garages without any separation of the sheeting (see photo).
2. The garage roof is leaking on the wood is rotten. So I need to replace the roof. However, will the fact that it adjoins the garage next door make this difficult? Would the roofing contractor have to break or cut the asbestos at the point that my neighbour's garage starts?
3. The window frame on the side is old and needs replacing and is the only window in the house that has not been replaced with double glazing. It appears to be an original 1930s window. However, can this actually be replaced? Is the reason the previous owner has not been able to replace it because the garage is built in front of it? (not sure if you can replace it from inside the house?). So to replace the window, does that mean I have to demolish the garage?
The previous owners had been planning to extend the house around the side and had been granted planning permission. They handed me the architect's plans when they sold it to me. So that may be one of the reasons they had not bothered to do this work. However, I don't think I want to do that at this stage.
Any advice as to how I should proceed? Photos attached which should make it easier to understand what I'm talking about.
Many thanks,
Jonathan T
0
Comments
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Suggest you start by talking to your neighbour - removing half an asbestos roof is going to be a nightmare - and I would not be surprised to find it more expensive than removing the whole roof. Maybe they would like theirs gone too. Maybe they have found a way to deal with the rotting wood, if they had similar.I don't know about the window - would expect it can be dealt with, but at a price and maybe disruption to internal decor.But a banker, engaged at enormous expense,Had the whole of their cash in his care.
Lewis Carroll1 -
For the window I would be looking to brick up the part that is covered by the garage and plaster the inside, fitting a new window into the 2/3rd sized hole that would be left. I would probably look at re-shaping it at the same time so that it is not a curved frame.3
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Surely the side that is in the garage can be bricked up and plastered internally then a new smaller window can be installed in the remainder of the space?
I would speak to the neighbour regarding the roof and hope they want theirs done too. Though if you go with this ask the Roofer to do a join/break in the middle (depending on the material you go with) so if you want to get your roof done in the future its easier?FTB - April 20201 -
Another one for bricking up the bit in the garage. If you were to "square up" the opening, you will probably need a lintel which will bump the cost up a little.
Her courage will change the world.
Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.0 -
As above, talk to the neighbour. I would explore options on pitching the roof, this will open up more internal storage options but will cost more.0
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I would talk to neighbor about doing new roof but in this process would now ask that the middle wall be raised so that from then on each roof becomes separate? Brick up blocked area of window so it looks good.Initial mortgage bal £487.5k, current £258k, target £243,750(halfway!)
Mortgage start date first week of July 2019,
Mortgage term 23yrs(end of June 2042🙇🏽♀️),Target is to pay it off in 10years(by 2030🥳).MFW#10 (2022/23 mfw#34)(2021 mfw#47)(2020 mfw#136)
£12K in 2021 #54 (in 2020 #148)
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To save £100K in 48months start 01/07/2020 Achieved 30/05/2023 👯♀️
Am a single mom of 4.Do not wait to buy a property, Buy a property and wait. 🤓0 -
Booge said:
3. The window frame on the side is old and needs replacing and is the only window in the house that has not been replaced with double glazing. It appears to be an original 1930s window. However, can this actually be replaced? Is the reason the previous owner has not been able to replace it because the garage is built in front of it? (not sure if you can replace it from inside the house?). So to replace the window, does that mean I have to demolish the garage?I feel I might be in a minority of one here, but if it were me I'd demolish the rear wall of the hideous garage and get the gorgeous window professionally restored.I'd guess the rear wall is as far back as it is so the garage is long enough to get a car in. If you aren't using the garage for parking, and could live with the loss of ~0.5m storage space, then moving the wall makes more sense than trying to come up with another workaround for the window.More so because you aren't really sure what you want to do in terms of extending in the future. A replacement rear wall for the garage could be constructed and clad in timber, making it a relatively low-cost option for a storage area on a 'temporary' basis. If it were done carefully and with proper planning, there could be no need to disturb the AC roof. (although it sounds like you need to do something about that anyway).You really need to sit down and come up with a plan about what you want to do for the long term. If extending is the ultimate goal then don't spend a lot of money on re-roofing the garage - if necessary build a shed in the back garden and use the garage only for storing things that won't come to harm if they get wet from roof leaks. (If you don't need the storage space then don't bother with the shed).Carrying out work on the window (either restoring or replacing it) will be largely pointless if this opening is going to be where access will be taken into the ground floor extension. Just do what is necessary to make the window weathertight (e.g. filler and paint).Also, you say this is the only window in the house which hasn't been replaced with DG, but the glass in the front door and sidelight look suspiciously identical to this one.... have those windows been replaced with DG units incorporating the original glass, or are they original windows too?7 -
Thanks for this. Yes my thought was to move the garage wall as well. Nobody uses garages to store cars in these days anyway and as you say it is basically just a storage room for garden furniture, lawn mower etc.I don’t think I ever want to extend it to be honest because as far as I can see i wouldn’t make any profit on doing that, and this being London the house cost a lot in the first place. There’s only me living in the house and I’d rather have some other financial assets, not just invest everything in my house.0
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Is the window that’s partly obscured by the garage a window into the hall? I’m just imagining a double-aspect hallway that has the most incredible light, diffused by coloured glass flooding into it at different times of the day if @Section62’s suggestion was taken up.
would've . . . could've . . . should've . . .
A.A.A.S. (Associate of the Acronym Abolition Society)
There's definitely no 'a' in 'definitely'.0 -
That’s a great window. I’d work with it, rather than ripping it out.As to the garage roof, remove all the moss, and it may be easy to leakproof the AC sheets.No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?1
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