what's more important, an extension or a large garden?

[elmouno]

If you had the ability to extend but your garden would become tiny, would it be worth it?

[Thecazelets]

Depends where you are. In parts of Fulham, almost all the houses are like this and it doesn't affect saleability. In an outer suburb where people are specifically looking for more garden and green space it could seriously devalue your house.

[pushananas]

No way. We use our garden as another room.

[blueshoes]

How about a bit of both. A moderate sized extension and a moderate sized garden. I personally don't spend a lot of time in the garden and would prefer an extension but when I am viewing a house, I like to see a decent garden, but it does not have to be a large garden. Almost all families will want outside space for their children. Therefore, the garden should have enough space for a paved area and a grassy patch.

[bigbradford]

The planning department might have a view on that. Certainly permitted development is limited if the remaining garden is tiny. So garden over house extension in my view. Larger houses are not desirable on tiny plots. They are simply over developed and most people value space now.

[bigbradford]

Outside space I meant.

[qwertypie]

Maybe depends what the extension is for.

For example, I'd sacrifice a bit of garden to create an indoor space that could accommodate a dining table. I'd kill for a dining area...

[BackforGood]

It's about balance.
If you are able to afford a decent sized house (in most of the country) then you'd expect a decent sized garden to go with it, particularly if it were considered a 'family home'.

[Titsywoo]

How tiny? We extended and our garden went from 9m wide x 20m long to 9m wide and 17 metres long (extension is full width of back and into side return). We added 40sqm to our house which has been amazing. Unless my garden ended up being only say 6m long I would do it. I like having a medium sized garden as a large one takes up too much time (and I love gardening).

[Notcontent]

It really depends on where you are and how much of a difference the extra house space will make. In my part of London it’s definitely a yes. Some of the terrace houses are quite cramped downstairs and even a small extension makes a huge difference to how suitable the house is for modern family living. This outweighs the impact on the garden, particularly that these are not gardens that can be used for ball games, etc as they are small anyway.

[HeddaGarbled]

No, IMO.

[AriettyHomily]

Totally depends on the house configuration and space outside. What's your set up?

[Newpuppyplanning]

Entirely depends on location.

[CoolShoeshine]

I definitely would - unless the extension leaves the garden ridiculously small. I’d use an extension every day whereas the amount of days I spend time in the garden is limited.

[Zommu]

Really depends on location I think. Where we live in London, an extension really adds value since the houses are so small. People are fine with smaller gardens if they get more space in the house.

[JoJoSM2]

Given that an extension would make your garden go from good size to tiny, I take it we’re talking about city gardens and terraced period property?

It might not be an issue if you still have a lovely area to sit outside with a handful of plants.

Probably best to have a look at what else has sold or is on the market in the area. If a lot of places have big extensions and tiny gardens then that’s fine as it’s standard for the place.

If you're not thinking about re-sale, then just work out if you need an extension or garden more.

[Zarara]

What size is it now and what would it be after?

[FippertyGibbett]

Not for me, and I’d be concerned about selling it on.

[Ifailed]

You need to provide more information. 'Tiny' is relative and in the centre of a City it is more acceptable than in a rural location.

[CatkinToadflax]

Definitely depends on how tiny. Our garden is quite big but a very odd shape - very wide but not long, and winds its way round the house. There’s one area behind the garage that we don’t use at all so we’re about to put in for PP for a 20m sq extension to create a really nice large kitchen diner. We love our big garden and feel that we’re not really losing any space by extending as that area of the garden isn’t used anyway.

Not only how would it affect the house’s ability to sell in the future, but how much will it affect your family life?

[blueshoes]

It is necessary to know the current dimensions of your house and garden.

You should clarify what you mean when you go from a large garden (in your thread title) to a tiny garden (in your post) just because you added an extension. What size extension are you talking about? How about a double-storey extension (planning permission permitting) which sticks out less and leaves you more garden.