Would we be mad to buy a home and knock down a perfectly functional extension?

You know you can add your own decor and furnishings when you buy a house?

@WaryRaven

Architect here

best thing to do

• get internal windows installed: crittal style (but cheaper) that can open.
• demolish the extension when you re ready to re-build.

but if i m honest, the shape makes sense to me. Just fix tour issue with the original windows.

if you can post real pictures, it would be easier to comment than just on floorplan. But based on that, i dint mind it and it makes sense to me.

The bare minimalistic style of house just doesn't appeal to me. As for knocking down the extension - depends how much money you have. I would keep looking but maybe it's your dream home. In which case think carefully before proceeding

Gosh is that the property?

It's lovely and I like the extension. Its massive and will have cost thousands. I definitely think you r nuts to destroy it!!

But, if you are millionaires, which you probably are if u r thinking of knocking it down and building another one, then crack on! It's up to you what you do with a house you own.

If I had the money I'd turn it onto a coffee shop. That extension feels like it could house a lovely seating area for cream teas and afternoon coffees.

Gorgeous property.

I can agree that the extension is not particularly attractive. The plain windows are an issue and seem at odds with the age of the house. I would feel confident a better extension could be designed but it will be difficult as it’s listed. Everything seems pared back and the extension is lacking character.

I wouldn't demolish it until I was ready to build whatever was going to replace it, that's just two lots of work and disruption.

Personally, I couldn't pay to knock that much value off a house and then pay to do another extension which better suited my taste especially at current construction prices, it's just against my frugal instincts.

However if you do really want it, I would be mindful that often choices that seem odd like various aspects of the extension are due to facts on the ground or planning or listing rules which aren't obvious at first glance. The extension might not have been the first choice in style for the owners either but the best compromise that they could make at the time. You may find you can only get permission to rebuild something broadly similar.

The house is beautiful and from the floor plan I was thinking you would be mad to knock it down but looking at the pictures that extension is just a weird bolt on that looks unutilised and not part of the house.
I think I'd try to rejig downstairs and move the kitchen/diner to the extension to try and bring it into the house.

Exactly. Surely most people know that it is possible to find a lot of information via reverse image search.

I don't mind the extension, I bet it is really handy in wet weather and for entertaining. Although I would hate to cook a pork belly in that kitchen.

But, I am not sure I could pay close to a million pounds for a house that have bedrooms so small that you cannot even fit a decent wardrobe into them.

Everything seems so spacious. Except the bedrooms.

I think you're a bit nuts. But, up to you I guess!

Once you’ve bought it you can do whenever you like with it. Most people take a lot of factors into consideration when buying a house, transport links, proximity to family friends, and schools. Not everywhere has a vast array of housing stock for people to pick their idea construction period. Are 90s built houses destined to be decorated in Changing Rooms style, Victorian houses have to stay as multiple small rooms.

Once you’ve bought it make it work for you, your the only person it will affect!!

No, indeed, I doubt she cares what I think about it.

They probably used Google lens or similar.

No, and I’m sure the OP doesn’t give a shit what you think about it either. It was just the superior tone of your post I was referring to really.

But wouldn't you gather from that that she clearly didn't want the details posting?

Not very fair to the actual owners of the house who are having their property critiqued on MN without their permission.

It's a bit scary that reverse image thingy!

There was no need to post the listing.

Don't worry, the house won't be upset that I don't think it's very nice 😁

Are we really OK with outing the OP's location without asking them if it was ok?

It's not the op's location as she doesn't actually live there, she could live in a totally different area.

It literally took 2 seconds.

If OP doesn't want 100,000+ people to know where she's thinking of buying a house, don't post the actual floor plans on a public forum 🤷‍♀️

Going against the grain here but if you have the money to buy it, knock it down and do what you want and it's value is irrelevant because you're going to live, there then it doesn't matter. Not many people are in that position though, so choose wisely!

There was absolutely no need to post the full listing on here though, other than to say ‘ooh look I’ve found it’. And of course to be insulting about the property.

Well, she posted the floor plan in a public forum....

You can just do a reverse image search on the floor plan and the listing will come up. I had found the property too, but I wouldn’t post it on the thread as it’s an invasion of privacy.

I agree it's well out of order. Sneaky and snakey.

Slightly mad as you will be paying for the space so you would probably be out of pocket if you came to sell

But not at all mad if the remaining house is big enough for you ( looks big to me ) , it's where you plan to stay, and you can't find anything close to buy