Connecting the house and garden

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

Any thoughts about how i might be able to do this? i bought a 1930s house just before lockdown that needed a lot of work. its been extended a few times, with a flat roof kitchen at the front in the 1960s then two large rooms at the back upstairs and down. The house is built on hill. The last extension disconnected the garden i feel. the garden is south facing and has great views. I wondered about a balcony of some sort. the room on the right is a bedroom at the moment and on the left is one of three sitting rooms.

im not sure why but you can see the extension wasnt full width which left probably the original backdoor recessed.

Thanks Andy

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Comments (4)

kazzh
2 years ago
How much of a remodel, rejigg did you want to do?

I see that there isn't any symmetry except in the bay window - the area above is different. So you could go all out to sort that element out, if you wanted. It probably depends on if you are going to rework the internal use of space. A simple solution might be to add a door or french doors in the sitting room, either maintaining the bay shape or removing it altogether to use the full window breadth to a balcony/deck. The scale of the deck probably depends on if you would like to enter the garden or just look over it. It could extend the whole length and the same adjustment could be made to the bedroom.
Andrew Keen thanked kazzh
Sonia
2 years ago
I agree that simply making the left hand window into full length French windows will give you immediate access to the garden. I did this in my house by adding sliding doors. You can then have a patio or a deck laid, with nice wide steps down to the garden. Decking isn’t long lived so it depends on your budget.
Andrew Keen thanked Sonia
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Hi original poster! I know it’s 7 years since you asked this but would love to know what you did. We are not in a similar position with a similar looking house at the back but even steeper. I know that a full extension and lowering the internal floors would be ideal but we can’t afford that and need a 5-7 year fix. Please let us know what you decided and why ☺️
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Hi Joe, in case you are still deliberating :-) I prefer the second layout with the diagonal view from the living room to the kitchen. Firstly, the space in the middle will function as a sort of lobby, leading to 3 different areas - upstairs, kitchen and living room so it needs more room to make it comfortable to navigate. It should be able to accommodate more than one person at a time. Also so often front rooms become dead spaces because there is no direct view into this room from the main activity areas of the house which is usually the kitchen/dining area. The view into the living room will allow vitality from the kitchen to flow into this room to enliven it and you also have the flexibility to close it off when needed for quieter moments. I am adopting a very similar layout myself for the same reason and so refreshing to see someone thinking along the same lines. I think the additional cost in beams will be more than worth it in the long run. All the best with your project!
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Decking is one of the cheapest options, but it doesn’t last long. Mine started to rot around the edges after 8 years, but it may do the job for a while until budget allows. Another thought is gravel contained within wooden edging. It may be a bit difficult to walk though, but again pretty cheap. With the drain cover you could cover with the gravel and then sweep it aside when access to drain is needed. With decking we actually built a hinged door over the drain within the deck. Now we have laid porcelain tiles and we had a drain cover that incorporates the tiles so it is “sort of invisible” and it can be lifted to gain access (see below). I think you idea of plant pots is a great way to tart up a concrete patio, add an outdoor rug (they are weather proof) and some garden furniture.
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If it's not the house that is causing you frustrations but it's more about feeling disconnected from the garden because of the change in levels outside then it sounds like you'll get most benefit from altering the garden. I would definitely suggest working with a garden designer or landscape architect on this. You could look at terracing the garden to create more of a gradually stepped approach so you can see more greenery and physically have a more gradual transition up to the rest of the garden from the lower patio. Changing the metal railings for glass or large planters that would prevent someone falling over the edge and adding greenery to the patio would help - I think they might be where the feeling of being in prison is coming from! But something more structurally radical would be more effective and could be really stunning. Best of luck with your designs.
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Andrew Keen
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks very much both, really helpful.

There probably is work needed inside, I can't really make sense of the last extension in the early 2000s. The two additional rooms at the back have left two sitting rooms in the middle of the house which are pretty dark. Also I can't help thinking that the kitchen should be at the back as part of an open plan space. Not doing the full width of the house and just leaving those stairs seems very odd.

Anyway, I think patio doors on the left is probably the way to go and I likt the idea of a balcony eventually wrapping right round the back and may be the ide of the house. I'd much prefer to not just look over the garden but have steps going down from the balcony. The ground does fall away quite quickly though so If I have a balcony say extending 3-4m, it would be a similar drop to the grass at the furthest from the house point.

Quite a lot of house round by me have balconies, some are wooden, some concrete, some metal. Would there be a big difference in cost, yes?

Thanks again, Andy.
Sonia
2 years ago
I think wood is cheapest option but it will eventually rot, bricks/concrete the next, then a stylish metal/glass combo would be priciest.

Connecting the house and garden

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kazzh

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Connecting the house and garden

Comments (4)

kazzh

Sonia

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Andrew Keen
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