Living with mum - finance advise needed

sheramber

the new wall was built outside the original one so we had a cavity wall on our garage.  That meant it didn't get  very cold, which also meant the bedroom above didn't get cold from the garage below.

jbkmum

sheramber said:

the new wall was built outside the original one so we had a cavity wall on our garage.  That meant it didn't get  very cold, which also meant the bedroom above didn't get cold from the garage below.

Ah I see! We'd be building on next doors land. They have a strip of land down the side of their house which is only accessible by walking up our new driveway. Which isn't going to happen....

Spendless

jbkmum said:

thegreenone said:

My thought would be to extend the garage/store to as far as allowed in the front and create a bedroom for your Mum.  Her own bathroom next door.   This would give you and your children a bedroom each and your bathroom upstairs.  Make sure the work is done properly, to comply with all regs. for the future.  

As your Mum will have been looking after your little one all day, she should have her own quiet space in the evening (lounge) to watch her TV shows, have friends around, knit, game(!) - private space.  No toys, no interruptions unless it's you with a cup of tea or glass of wine.

You and the children have the Dining Room and Conservatory.

Unless the garage needs to be demolished and an extension rebuilt, I really don't see why you would need a two-storey extension.  In six years' time, your 11-year-old may be looking at going to uni.  and will return for holidays and afterwards, but I don't think you need to overspend on big extensions.  Make it a home now.

Ive spoken to a couple of builders who suggested that the way the garage will have been built is very unlikely to be up to regulations with footings that wouldn’t pass inspection now. However, it could be converted to a living space for mum without knocking it down, but we’d lose access to the back garden from the front. That’s an issue because of the dogs.  But then again, it seems like there is no perfect solution that doesn’t require lots of money so we might have to find a make do solution.

jbkmum said:

thegreenone said:

My thought would be to extend the garage/store to as far as allowed in the front and create a bedroom for your Mum.  Her own bathroom next door.   This would give you and your children a bedroom each and your bathroom upstairs.  Make sure the work is done properly, to comply with all regs. for the future.  

As your Mum will have been looking after your little one all day, she should have her own quiet space in the evening (lounge) to watch her TV shows, have friends around, knit, game(!) - private space.  No toys, no interruptions unless it's you with a cup of tea or glass of wine.

You and the children have the Dining Room and Conservatory.

Unless the garage needs to be demolished and an extension rebuilt, I really don't see why you would need a two-storey extension.  In six years' time, your 11-year-old may be looking at going to uni.  and will return for holidays and afterwards, but I don't think you need to overspend on big extensions.  Make it a home now.

Ive spoken to a couple of builders who suggested that the way the garage will have been built is very unlikely to be up to regulations with footings that wouldn’t pass inspection now. However, it could be converted to a living space for mum without knocking it down, but we’d lose access to the back garden from the front. That’s an issue because of the dogs.  But then again, it seems like there is no perfect solution that doesn’t require lots of money so we might have to find a make do solution.

Could you explain more about why this would be an issue because of the dogs? I live in a semi so have side access (though  I have a large gate at the bottom of the drive that adjoins what was previously a coal house). I've never once taken my dog for a walk round this way. I open the front door instead.

sheramber

Our alternative was to get the garage underpinned to allow us to build over it.

I don't know the relative cost as we didn't pursue it, preferring  to build the  new wall.

Like Spendless , even with 3 dogs and access round to the back of the house, my dogs went in and out of the front door, including a golden retriever who could come home with wet and mud up to her belly.