Stupid mistake - no side or rear access

Rosa_Damascena

theoretica said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Definite said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Mojisola said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Just to offer an idea of the scale of the task. 

There's a good chance that's protected.  Don't do any work on it without checking.

It's not -  I checked when I bought 4 years ago and I haven't been notified of a TPO since. 

Would be an absolute disgrace to cut that tree down 

It will require maintenance though! Plenty of lower branches have dropped and have been cleared away since I've owned it, and I expect more in the years to come. I'm just looking for practical means of clearing large loads without destroying my home in the process. 

If you don't already, chop it up into a big garden waste bag - and keep the outside of the bag clean(ish).  Rather than carrying loose branches through the house.

I've got rubble bags but need to be careful how much I fill them as they get heavy fast!

getmore4less

A lot would disappear with a regular domestic garden shredder.

Looks like there is room to build something from the logs or fashion the larger bits into garden furniture.

Outside wood burner would take care of a lot of it to make evenings comfortable.

Rosa_Damascena

Well I finally ventured out into the back garden to give it the first tidy of the year. Just the lawn and moving stuff from the rear to the front through the house took 3 hours and a lot of huffing and puffing! Plenty of weeding and trimming to be done but if I keep on top of it - and that does mean a good few hours every week - it should be manageable. It looks so much better now, I am motivated to get out there again tomorrow evening.

I spent every minute I was out there regretting sacrificing my side access though!

twopenny

It's something I've seen other renovators do if that makes you feel any better.
One built a larger kitchen over so you have to traipse through hall and diner with shopping with wet muddy shoes.
The other you went through the living room.

mug2007

We built a utility room extension so no longer have side access.  I understand why people don’t like it and I imagine it will put off some prospective buyers when we sell. One visitor  once mentioned how terrible it was.  I would have loved to have a utility room and side access but there wasn’t the space.  I have no regrets as I love having the washing machine, drier/drying area, second sink, boot room etc out of the way.  We do have limited rear access (permission from council required) which we have had to use once due to moving a large piece of glazing that wouldn’t fit through the house.  I think these projects can be very challenging at times and there is a good few things I would change if I did it again (Not the side access for me though!), I am glad to have done it and overall our house is a fantastic improvement on what it was before.   Thinking it could be the similar for you Rosa :-) and great news that you are on top of the garden maintenance.

Woolsery

Rear access, if you'll parden the expression, isn't always desired these days. When I offered some of my old garden to the terraced (but posh!) houses behind, the prices I quoted them were £3k higher with access to a lane. I thought that was a good extra benefit for them at a fair price.

Two of the property owners chose no access, saying it would just aid burglars, so I was £6k down. It was a deal I'd have jumped at, but presumably they're still carrying rubbish, recycling, bicycles  etc through the house on a weekly basis.

Rosa_Damascena

After 2 years, I am finally learning to live with it! 

What has made life easier now is having had a patio built recently - crucially when it was dry! - and having a lot of the building debris that existed in the garden cleared. It is only the garden stuff that needs to be cleared, which is manageable if I keep on top of it.

Overall I have a home I absolutely love and have no intention of budging from! 

TELLIT01

It surprises me just how often people do extend the the full width of the plot without considering how they will get large items through from back to front, or vice versa.  Our former neighbour's son did that and never stopped complaining about the hassle of removing garden waste. 

Postik

When I was looking to buy I found it very off putting when a house had been extended and there was no access around the back.  I think weekly grass cuttings in a bin bag would be fine to be carried through the house, but building a new patio, fitting a new shed, creating new flower beds or filling in old ones, would be a nightmare.  With that said, we're a small island and space is at a premium, so I can fully understand needing to maxinimise the space indoors.

Rosa_Damascena

Postik said:

When I was looking to buy I found it very off putting when a house had been extended and there was no access around the back.  I think weekly grass cuttings in a bin bag would be fine to be carried through the house, but building a new patio, fitting a new shed, creating new flower beds or filling in old ones, would be a nightmare.  With that said, we're a small island and space is at a premium, so I can fully understand needing to maxinimise the space indoors.

This was anticipated to a degree, with 3 sets of external double doors, multiple internal double / triple doors and no carpets in the floor so cleaning is simple with a broom and and Easi-mop. My builders have taken care to cover all surfaces properly with sheets and OSB boards and I had a shed built whilst I still had side access. It really is just garden debris now, and I have found that the easiest way of managing this is by filling standard external bins which can be easily lifted and the contents tipped into green waste bins at the front.

I'm not saying it's perfect, but on balance the compromise is worth getting the home I wanted.