Is this small mid-terrace extension even possible?

last year

We are FTB and (like everyone else) are really keen to not rent anymore. We are considering putting in an offer on this small Victorian mid-terrace. The asking price is really good but the current layout is not ideal as we are a family of 5 so we would like to make some structural changes. Here are some ideas we have:

Create an entrance hallway - this would take space away from an already small living room.
Move the staircase 90 degrees so it is not in the middle of the reception room (and faces the back of the house?)
Move the staircase completely so it faces the front door
Create a hallway upstairs, taking some space from bedroom 2 and then running along bedroom 3 (so needing a 2-storey side return extension, which would enlarge the back of the house).
Extend above the kitchen and downstairs bathroom to create an upstairs bathroom where bedroom 3 is currently and then a newly built 4th bedroom
Alternatively extend into the loft space for the 4th bedroom (but we would also like at a least a WC upstairs).
We would then want to reconfigure the kitchen and downstairs bathroom and maybe extend further out downstairs into the narrow but long garden (maybe with a small conservatory).

We don't know if any of those ideas would work or even be affordable. I think one of the neighbours in a similar terraced has gone up into the loft but that has created a third bedroom not a fourth.

Also, could we approach an architect as prospective buyers for a very basic quote to give us an idea of how much we would need to budget?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions/advice.

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Comments (3)

tamp75
last year
Sorry to be negative but I think you’d be best off waiting for a more suitable property. The asking price may be very good but it looks like there are several reasons why that’s the case. That type of layout is always a bit awkward to sort out & I think the changes you mention (if they were possible) would cost you in excess of £100k. Then you’d need to factor in somewhere to live whilst the renovation was taking place (I think it’s too small to live in during the works) & you’d probably also need to get party wall agreements for any works as it’s a terraced property.
Jen
last year
I’m inclined to agree with tamp75. This house is too narrow to accommodate extra hallways and a side return extension, and they would be hugely expensive with little benefit. If your heart is set on this house (and I can understand the appeal), then it may be best to simply extend into the loft, depending on the sleeping accommodation you need for your family, and the pitch and structure of the roof. I would convert bedroom 2 into a study/playroom/circulation space, to allow access to bedroom 3, and it may also be possible to steal a corner (perhaps replacing the hot water tank?) for a toilet/washroom. I’d also leave the current staircase where it is, and put new stairs into the loft directly above it, entering from the study/playroom. You will need to check buildings regs concerning firedoors etc.
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Wow! Thanks for the comments so far. It's great to get all these different perspectives. Where to start? So one important thing to mention is that we're really tight on our budget. I figured that the most cost effective option would be to keep the current kitchen where it is which I figured only really gives us option 1 or option 2. I wonder how much more expensive it would be to have a totally different design? The original house didn't have a bathroom upstairs but we managed to squeeze one in when we renovated the upstairs while still keeping 3 bedrooms. So this is the original bathroom downstairs. I wanted to keep a small toilet and shower at least for when the kids get a bit older or if we have guests. The pictures of sofas in the living room and extension are a bit optimistic. I'd be quite happy to have one sofa in the living room and one in the extension. Sophie, our builder recommended we keep the window in the bathroom if possible, but this means making the extension a bit less wide - not by much, but perhaps enough to make a difference. The actual side passage wall is the same in both options. We could ditch the window in the wider bathroom option actually and keep the same width of extension. His point about keeping (or having) a window was that it'd be good to have some natural ventilation and daylight in there. We checked the head height and it'd be enough for a shower. I kind of prefer option 1 from a flow point of view, but I'm very concerned about the door opening straight into the kitchen. Alky, I can't really see much detail in your pictures, are you able to upload something a bit higher res? From what I can see, it certainly looks like a big and creative change. The funny thing is that one of the neighbours whose house is pretty nearly identical to this design (apart from the toilet/bathroom) their house looks pretty awesome. But now I'm confused because you've all raised very valid points which make me wonder about the whole design.
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I think your space is going to be very tight but you might just manage to replace your bathroom with a narrower shower room. With a 1000mm shower width, you could gain a single bedroom of the dimensions shown in my very rough sketch (I cannot be more definite as your plan and dimensions do not indicate particular wall lengths). Pulling the shower room door towards the stairs gives more space in the shower room. I would try to achieve a built in wardrobe for storage too if possible. The layout suggests stud walls upstairs so this could be achievable fairly inexpensively. Building-in the bed and buying a bespoke mattress would also help you to make the most of the space and available storage.
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Been thinking about this one overnight:- ( i have a sad life! all say ahh ) You do not have to have a window to call it a habitable room, however, I believe there is a building control requirement for the room to be vented through another, check that out. So, in short, yes the bedroom could be moved and not have 'windows' . I don't know the arrangement of the wall top left that goes in to the garden area, but bear with me. ............ would it be better to have a separate Galley kitchen? I would prefer so. Is there a possibility of a window far top left? A stud wall only takes up 4" so not a great deal of space, plus it would make the lounge / diner look a lot nicer without seeing the kitchen on view permanently & of course you get a longer kitchen run. ( I think the proposed one is too small ). Plus you gain a wall to the lounge area, always handy for furniture placement, as this is what is lost in an open plan arrangement. I also changed the bathrooms round as previously suggested, and had the entrance in the hallway for the second one. Please bear in mind as a said before:- Not to scale - don't have dimensions as had to guess, but on the face of it, likely do'able. I like running plans through estate agents...........ones that I know well and trust as I know they'll give me their honest opinion on what would infinitely give a better price on re-sale. Contained living and dining with separate kitchens, good sized bedrooms etc. So do ask one. Estate agents are handy, they will want you to get more for the property because, if they smell a sale, they get more commission! Roughly where i was going with this after some sleep!Of course, if you still want to go open plan with the living / dining/ kitchen, then lose the top wall and maybe consider a door system to open and close for entertaining purposes - No doors, fully open plan .with doors!
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Hi, once you have decided on a layout, we can provide you with a budget cost estimate. The budget cost estimate provides a detailed breakdown of works and expenses as well as highlighting potential areas where you can save money. If this is something of interest please send the plans and photos to hello@nestestimating.co.uk and we can provide you with a quote
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lujaq38
Original Author
last year
Thank you both for your replies. I’m not surprised to hear that the narrowness of the house is a real limitation. I’ll have a think about your loft conversion suggestions Jen if it looks like the structure would allow for it.
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Is this small mid-terrace extension even possible?

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tamp75

Jen

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lujaq38
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Is this small mid-terrace extension even possible?

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