Hi Laura, personally I don't think any extension is too small if you think it'll dramatically change and improve your living space!

Yes a garage does add value! I think around £8000 (don't quote me on that!). There is enough space to add a workshop and larger kitchen with utility. The upstairs plan would need more thought. There doesn't look like much space to get a new doorway in to access a new bedroom, and you want to avoid just creating a long and narrow bedroom!

Things to consider:

- If you wanted an insulated wall you would ideally want a cavity wall which are 300mm thick; bringing an extension internal space to 2m.

- The smallest recommended garage size to be able to park a car in would be 2.4m wide (internally), but if you have no intention to park a car then not a problem!

- Consider whether you want to retain access to the garden - think would you ever need to get a wheelie bin or wheel barrow from back to front without having to go through the house!

- Any side extension would need planning permission.

Hope that helps!

Nina

Thank you! That does help. So I need to explore narrow garages.

Depending on where you live you are very unlikely to get permission to build 2 storeys up to the boundary line. Does anyone else on the street have a full width double storey extension? Are the neighbours likely to object?

In which case upstairs will only be just over a meter wide internally. It would give you space for an ensuite for the master bedroom, a bigger bathroom and possibly a small storage room/ study, but not much more than that.

There are 3 other houses on our street (all same type of houses) who have extended to their boundary line so I think we would get permission. Would it really only be about 1m wide inside? Not sure that's accurate. We would only want a single bedroom and an extra toilet upstairs anyway, so I am hoping it's possible.

Did the other properties extend both storeys to the boundary line or is the upstairs set back from the boundary line?

Usually planning departments won't allow double storey extension to the boundary line. If your neighbour on the right did the same you'd end up with terrace houses instead of semi detached ones.

Hmmm.... Just walking up our street it does look like double storey full extensions right up to the boundary. Not sure why that's allowed... Like you said it would make them more like terraces if we all did it.

Yes and problem is that the beauty of terrace houses is in when they are identical or when they relate to each other in some way.

Random extension and rooflines from full width extensions butted up against each other look awful and will bring the value of the area down.

It's usually the fault of the planning departments. They shoot themselves in the foot. If they give one neighbour permission to build to the boundary they will have to give it to the other too. The end result is just an ugly hotchpotch and can cause neighbour disputes. It probably just hasn't happened on your street yet. Only a matter of time with house prices as they are.

This is a house just up the street. It's definitely all the way across. Doesn't look too narrow to me either... But I guess you'd have to hope that your neighbour doesn't also extend. I could cope with a very small room I think, so long as it gave us the function we need.

@arc3d that last photo.. omg.. lad is sad.

When keeping a 1m wide footpath, a side extension would be 1.3, thus a meter internally. Expensive. But i would allow you to add a toilet downstairs and a wider kitchen (wouldn't do a utility). Then keep the garage but replace it's door for a regular backdoor.

Not sure if a two storey is profitable, though it would make the box room a bit bigger. Are the ceiling joists front to back? And when you do go that route, please extend the existing roof, not add on like the neighbours did.

Wouldn't it be great if your neighbour would extend as well, you'd both stay 60cms off boundary and have a shared back access. (yeah I'm daydreaming a bit)

Oh that shared access would be great. See our biggest dilemma really is I want to bigger garden space. That's kind of the driving factor in the extension. Downstairs loo second. Everything else a bonus, hence wanting to know down the garage. So if we can't make it work, we may just move.

Hiya. I'm looking at a house with similar predicament. Did you ever do the 2 storey extension? Cheers

Hi! We have actually just completed. We are really happy with it. We squeezed in a toilet and utility area plus integral garage (this is narrow but a great useful space) and then upstairs we extended across the front to make the box room bigger, and added a 4th bedroom turning right off the stairs. It fits exactly a single bed edge to edge, or comfortably length ways.

Thanks for the reply and glad it worked out for you

Hi have you taken any pics of the finished side extension

Would love to see any photos inside/outside and floor plan! We have an identical drive and would like to do the same, only single storey. Utility, toilet and a storage/workroom at the front. We, like you did, want rid of an ugly pebbledash garage that takes up a third of the back garden.