Rear extension on terraced house - right up to both neighbours boundaries

[SkipFeeney]

Hi,

I am off to look at a house this weekend. If we buy it we would like to build an extension at the rear. The extension will need to go right to the boundaries on the houses either side. Would this likely to get through planning ok or is a big no no? See picture below for how it would look, the extension would be the box coloured orange. None of the other houses except the end one have an extension on.

HouseExtension

• SkipFeeney
• 21 Feb 2020

Thanks

 

[tony1851]

Assuming single storey, you could go out 3m without planning permission, or possibly up to 6m if neither neighbour each side, or at the rear, complains.

 

[noseall]

The extension will need to go right to the boundaries ....... or is a big no no?

No-no. You need a buffer zone of between 150mm and 300mm to deal with gutter/soffit/fazcia and foundation toe.

 

[tony1851]

No-no. You need a buffer zone of between 150mm and 300mm to deal with gutter/soffit/fazcia and foundation toe.

What if it's a lean-to sloping front to back? and for the foundation, under the terms of the PWA you can take the outstand of the foundation into next door's (as long as it's not formed in reinforced concrete).

 

[^woody^]

What would the water company say? Likewise the deeds.

 

[Notch7]

terrace houses often have drainage running across the back which might stop it happening

Also full width extensions on terrace houses often foul up on the 45deg rule (if you go for full planning)

 

[John D v2.0]

You can build astride the boundary if you notify the adjoining owners and they are in agreement. Then of they want to extend, they can use the same wall without leaving a stupid gap that fills with rubbish and is impossible to clean outin theory you can even charge them to use it, but it's unlikely to be a great idea.
If you don't want to enroach on next doors underground, you can build an eccentric Foundation which is just another word for building the wall at the edge of the foundation. The se on our project said that's no problem for domestic (we had trench fill)
With ours We do have a small overhang of the parapet coping stones as we built up to the assumed original boundary, but the fence is on the neighbour's side so we don't actually overhang the fence itself.

 

[^woody^]

leaving a stupid gap that fills with rubbish

Thats a common fallacy akin to the Mandela Effect, and it is not the case in real life.

 

[tony1851]

What's the 'Mandela Effect'?

 

[^woody^]

It's when you swear blind that something is true - not just an opinion, but you think you have an actual memory of the thing but in fact it's not true and your memory is wrong.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall ..." and "Hello Clarice" were never actually said.

 

[John D v2.0]

Thats a common fallacy akin to the Mandela Effect, and it is not the case in real life.

I must have imagined spending quarter of an hour filling a bucket with leaves, children's drawings, crisp packets, and other junk on the weekend then and having to scrape things to the front using a stick because the gap is too small. And having to do that every couple of months

 

[^woody^]

I must have imagined spending quarter of an hour filling a bucket with leaves, children's drawings, crisp packets, and other junk on the weekend then and having to scrape things to the front using a stick because the gap is too small. And having to do that every couple of months
View attachment 185227

That's over a foot wide! No wonder it gets filled with crap. You could clear that out with a JCB bucket.

A narrow gap is totally different.

 

[John D v2.0]

That's over a foot wide! No wonder it gets filled with crap. You could clear that out with a JCB bucket.

A narrow gap is totally different.

Narrow being one that allows the toe of the foundation to remain within the boundary on both sides? So that'd be around 300mm i suppose.

And trust me I'm often tempted to clear the whole lot with a JCB.