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MattB94
Posts: 1 Newbie
Hi all,
My wife and I are looking at buying a 1930’s bungalow which would be a “project”. It needs completely gutting to make it what we want, but we hope it could be a good way of getting exactly what we want in a way we could afford (our budget for redeveloping it would be between £80-100K).
We would, in an ideal world add a second floor extension (all the other houses on the street are 2 stories so planning permission is likely) - obviously the foundations of the house could get in our way of doing this. Is there any way of finding out if an extension is possible and checking the foundations before buying the property? We don’t want to buy the house to find out later it’s not an option.
Option 2 would to convert the bungalow into a Dorma, again, would the foundations need to be checked? Or as it would be using the existing structure would they be fine as they are?
In terms of value and cost second floor vs dorma. From my research a second floor extension would be more expensive but would that be the same in terms of the value added?
Thanks so much in advance!
My wife and I are looking at buying a 1930’s bungalow which would be a “project”. It needs completely gutting to make it what we want, but we hope it could be a good way of getting exactly what we want in a way we could afford (our budget for redeveloping it would be between £80-100K).
We would, in an ideal world add a second floor extension (all the other houses on the street are 2 stories so planning permission is likely) - obviously the foundations of the house could get in our way of doing this. Is there any way of finding out if an extension is possible and checking the foundations before buying the property? We don’t want to buy the house to find out later it’s not an option.
Option 2 would to convert the bungalow into a Dorma, again, would the foundations need to be checked? Or as it would be using the existing structure would they be fine as they are?
In terms of value and cost second floor vs dorma. From my research a second floor extension would be more expensive but would that be the same in terms of the value added?
Thanks so much in advance!
0
Comments
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Firstly, there is no such thing as a 'dorma.' It's often spoken about, but never found, and I blame Pavarotti's most famous song! I think you mean a loft conversion with dormer windows.
This might be possible and more acceptable from planning and practical perspectives, but from my own experience looking into such a project, while structural steels could take some of the strain, I was still asked to dig trial holes to check the foundations on our 1970s bungalow.
Bear in mind too that there may be a large difference between foundations on a 1930s structure and one from the '70s or 80s. Our last 1930s house had foundations of under 300mm!
In the end, although we gained PP for a dormer extension, we decided to extend laterally and redesign the interior to make better use of space. The amount of steel we needed pushed up costs and we were disappointed with the usable space and sloping ceilings that would have been created.
You could speak to some of the residents nearby if they have had a recent first floor added to a similar property, to see what their experience was. Otherwise, you might have to arrange a visit with a structural engineer as a first step. Anything's better than digging trial holes, even assuming you're allowed, which I doubt. Mine filled with water faster than I could dig at this time of year!0 -
I would assume that the foundations will not be adequate for adding a second floor and quite possibly not good enough according to current practice for the building that is currently there.
If you price your prospective work on this basis you can see if it makes sense to buy this bungalow. If less drastic work is needed it would be a bonus.0 -
It might be worth looking at the planning portal of your local council to see what plans your neighbours put in and what they had to do to complete their extensionsGather ye rosebuds while ye may0
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You might not get planning permission for a 2nd storey because it would raise the level of the roof line.0
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1930s detached bungalows are a disappearing breed. On a generous plot and in a decent area, the probability is it will be demolished and a 4/5 bed house erected on the site or will be extended with rooms in roof plus ground floor extension.If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales0
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Ours was a 1920/1930s bungalow, we wanted to extend it and keep it as a bungalow but they would only allow us to increase the footprint by a third. This wasn't enough for us so eventually they let us go upstairs (which wasn't what we really wanted). We could only have a chalet bungalow because they wouldn't allow us a proper two storey house because of the roof height. We live in a semi rural area and have no very close neighbours but the nearest to us is a 'proper' house. The road is a mixture of bungalows and houses - ours is the only chalet.
We had to have the foundations underpinned for the extension.
We do come under 'countryside' so things are a bit stricter but couldn't really understand some of the restrictions.0
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