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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

‘Link detached’

23 replies

Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:26

We’ve sold our house and I need to buy another. Sod all on the market.

The only house that ticks every box has a link detached garage. For some inexplicable reason I hate that. It has a reasonable drive and could probably currently park 3 cars comfortably with the current garage in place. Probably 5 without.

AIBU to consider buying this house with the view to removing this garage? I would obviously pay for all associates costs. Surely the neighbour would want this as it renders their house completely detached in a desirable area?

Has anyone done this? I don’t think it would devalue the house personally, having done a lot of research into similar houses in the area without garages but with lots of parking.

OP posts:
GeriGeranium · 28/05/2020 08:33

If you only want the house without the garage, don’t proceed until you’ve spoken to the neighbour and got their written legally binding agreement that you can do the work.

You have no other way to know if they’ll see it the same way you do. For all you know they love the garage, or are hugely unreasonable, or will demand payment to let you do it.

Flamingolingo · 28/05/2020 08:38

I think I would probably be quite concerned why someone would need to park 5 cars. I’m not sure it would affect their house value either way, but could be quite costly to put the side of their house right. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t devalue your house though. Garage conversions are one thing, but to lose it entirely when you already have parking? I’m not so sure about that...

fartyface · 28/05/2020 08:40

I'm sure you can do it, but it might cost you to make good the neighbours side of things. But I don't know why you would remove a garage for the sake of it.

Is it very ramshackle or are you feeling a bit snobby about it?

Ellisandra · 28/05/2020 08:41

I’d try to work out the “inexplicable” bit of hating a link detached. If it’s snobbery - get over yourself! I’d definitely sound the neighbours out before purchase. Remember they’re not going to agree to your future buyer re-instating the garage and losing the fully detached status.

tealandteal · 28/05/2020 08:42

Surely you can park at least one car in the garage with three on the drive?

Original poster
Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:42

Thanks. WRT the five car comment, I was just providing context of scale. We don’t have 5 cars, I just feel that a garage is unnecessary if you have storage in the garden as I wouldn’t personally park a car in a garage. I think the link detached is fugly as hell and it’s the only dealbreaker for me when the house ticks every single box otherwise

OP posts:
longearedbat · 28/05/2020 08:44

What is your objection to link detatched? You are not going to hear any noise from next door.
Garages are very useful for storage. Is there room (and access) to the back garden for a shed, assuming there isn't already one in place?
Personally, I think it's a bit odd to buy a house and then actually reduce the amount of space you have available to use, seems like a waste of money.

PeppaisaBitch · 28/05/2020 08:44

Why do you need to park 5 cars. Garage is great storage. I don't think I'd want a house without one.

Original poster
Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:44

Yeah I suppose it is snobbery perhaps. I’m not wild on spending £650k+ on a house which is perfect apart from a scruffy link detached garage!

OP posts:
Original poster
Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:46

Longearedbat. I personally think separating the house from the next would look a lot better. It has a 150ft garden backing on to fields with side access. Plenty of room to install a fab storage facility/shed.

OP posts:
BumpBundle · 28/05/2020 08:46

I agree - I hate link detached houses and no idea why. It's definitely not a snobbery thing, I'd much rather live in a terrace than a link detached. I think it might be because it's unsymmetrical and squiffy. No offence to anyone that has one, it's completely just personal preference.
There are three things to consider:

  1. The neighbour may not want you to do it and that may scupper your plan completely. There's a risk to their property and you're changing their property substantially.
  2. The council may not allow it. Often there's high thresholds for planning permission to make any changes that are visible to the public and if they alter the look of a street. This might be fine but it also might not be.
  3. Practical possibility. Depending on how the garages were built, it may not be safe or possible to take down one, without taking down the other.
Look into these options. Speak to the neighbour, the council and perhaps get a builder to take a look?
longearedbat · 28/05/2020 08:46

Well, you could always tidy up the garage, or even turn it into extra living space.

Student58 · 28/05/2020 08:50

We have a link detached and ours is genuinely ugly as hell. It was also lived in by an old lady before us so very peach and flowery too. It offered excellent value for money. We dont have rear access, which is a pain, and I do think the link detached thing is a bit of a con. In our case neighbours on one side have done an extension and partly converted their garage so we are really more like a terrace. Although the benefit of only being attached by garages is you get a lot less noise. We would never have got a property this size otherwise and we couldnt afford it now.

iwantmyownicecreamvan · 28/05/2020 08:51

Mine is (was) a link detached but with carports instead of garages. Mine is the corner house so only linked on one side. My neighbours had their carport demolished and replaced with an extension which did not link to my house but left a small pathway and gate so they could walk around the back. They didn't need my permission to do this - but of course this might well be different for a garage. Just a thought.

RandomLondoner · 28/05/2020 08:53

Wouldn't a link-detached house be part of development of similar houses? In which case you would be uglifying the whole street by making one property break the pattern.

RandomLondoner · 28/05/2020 08:55

I suppose if I'm right planning permission would be denied anyway.

Original poster
Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:55

Thanks everyone. That’s interesting, icecreamvan! I can’t see why anyone would kick up a fuss about removing it unless it damaged their property which I would obviously rectify.

OP posts:
Original poster
Slushpuppienostalgia · 28/05/2020 08:56

RandomLondoner. No - the road is a real mixture of different houses which is part of the appeal. Some huge, some modest. Some really old, some really new.

OP posts:
Healthyandhappy · 28/05/2020 09:07

Thats alot where r u buying°°!

AJPTaylor · 28/05/2020 09:24

It depends how they are linked. I have lived on a lot of 70s estates!.
If the wall of the neighbours house forms the wall of the garage it will be tricky to get it all to match and not look shit without covering the now exposed brick with something and neighbour is unlikely to want the expense/upkeep of render or similar

Flamingolingo · 28/05/2020 09:33

I think I’d focus on how to make the garage more attractive rather than getting rid of it entirely. Our garage is very useful storage space and is in addition to a rather large shed/outbuilding thing in the garden

Neron · 28/05/2020 11:26

It's clear why you hate it. You want to be fully detached, not joined in some way to your neighbour.

Panicbuying · 28/05/2020 12:01

I don’t live in a link detached house but if I did there is no way I would consider agreeing to the neighbour demolishing their garage - wouldn’t be worth any risks to my property and the fact that I’d be left with a garage shaped patch on the side of my house which would presumably look different from the rest of the brickwork.

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