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

[WaryRaven]

i have found a house I absolutely adore. It is a period home and absolutely stunning…from the front. Unfortunately there is a well built but rather awkward “garden room” extension I just don’t like. It’s the shape I have a problem with. Aesthetically it’s fine. Floors and walls are nice enough. I would just want to get rid of the whole thing. But would I be mad for doing so? Dh thinks I’m nuts but I assure him many people would also consider the garden room an eye sore and maybe build an orangery type thing to the west of the kitchen in a few years down the line. I hate how the original external windows have just had the glass removed so there are just big square holes between the kitchen and garden room.

It really is quite gorgeous from the front. Would I not just be knocking thousands off the value?

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!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

@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.

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

Surely you could just brick up and plaster the holes in the wall that you don't like?

Wouldn’t it be really dark then? Don’t think there’s a window in the kitchen to the outside.

The actual house is posted online above with pictures.

Looks like there is, above the sink. That could be extended, perhaps.

I don't see why. It's not the OP's house. The details are already publicly available, and she chose to publish the floor plan.

That would be difficult as the kitchen sink is there and so therefore will be all the drainage which likely then runs under the floor of the garden room and out.

You can't have been on MN long. Properties on RightMove are very regularly linked and critiqued. I'm 100% sure it's not the only forum where that happens. If you don't want your property criticised, don't publish its details and photos online.

Once you’ve bought it you can do whenever you like with it

You can't. It’s Grade II listed.

OP, I think you would be nuts to demolish that. Better to get an architect or designer in to see what could be done to make it more in keeping with the rest of the house, and sort out the issues with the kitchen. I think I might just extend the kitchen into the extension, if you can get planning permission for that.

Looking at the link I think there’s a boot room extension on that side so the window above the sink is internal too.

Plus, the carbon cost of demolishing that whole thing and rebuilding would be massive

Quite possibly though not necessarily! If it's just the fact the kitchen doesn't have an outside window then it's worth thinking outside the box re moving the kitchen, perhaps.

To be honest I was very 🤨 when I saw the link for the house had been shared.

I intentionally cropped the floorplan in an attempt to protect the seller's privacy and avoid identifying the property. I’m not thrilled with the poster who undermined my effort to keep the house anonymous. I genuinely thought it would not be findable via reverse google images due to cropping.

It’s not my house and I feel like I’ve breached the boundaries of the seller tbh.

The fact that the poster also had a pop at the house shows me how good faith that post was made in

There's a whole sub Reddit for Rightmove!