I can’t think of a solution to my extension issue (WITH DIAGRAM!)

[Elleee]

Currently thinking about extending out to the rear of our house to give us a bigger kitchen/living space.

Blue line is the back of our house.
Purple line is where we’d like to extend.
Pink line is neighbors garage - their garage wall forms part of our boundary.
Brown line is our garden fence.
Red line is where our issue lies!

The red line would measure approx 3m x 3.5m - I’m envisioning it being a really tight, horrible area that is just such an eye sore. Who wants to sit on the patio there and be boxed in by 3 wall of brick (well one of the walls has a window in). I think it would get really hot in the summer and would also be a horrible view out of the window.

Any ideas on what we could do? We don’t really want to extend the full width as it’s too close to the neighbors boundary.

Just put loads of lovely plants in nice pots there and a couple of chairs. Maybe one of those garden sails so you have a nice shady corner for hot weather.

Our house is similar with our extension only it's a fence rather than a wall where you have the neighbour's garage.
We have decking there and a couple of chairs and it's truly a lovely place to sit in the evening. It's shady which means it's been really nice the last few days. It doesn't feel boxed in at all.

What direction does your garden face? I have an area like the one in your diagram, it’s where my washing line hangs (strung several times between our wall and neighbour’s garage wall), we’re south facing so it’s perfect for the washing. Also the bins are there as it’s next to the garden gate.

we have 2 windows facing there, but the patio doors face the ‘proper’ patio, it’s really not an eyesore or a problem.

I’d add that not every bit of a garden has to be picture perfect, functional parts are fine too

Wont it just be like the side return on a terraced house? I keep the bins in mine.

I think a nice parasol or similar and a cafe table and two chairs + some potted plants and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous ‘courtyard’ coffee spot. This seems like a non problem!

Could you put trellis and climbers on the other two walls. I don't see why you couldn't sit there or put storage there, some pots etc

We've got an area of patio like this and after a house remodel it will lead straight off the kitchen. We're planning a courtyard-style dining area, with pergola, climbing plants, nice plants etc

You own 2 of the 3 walls meaning you can attach things to them. That means planters with trellis, or you can use horizontal slim wooden battens like the very modern fences, plants in pots. You can buy mature instant hedging to hide anything you want.

Just google courtyard gardens to see what people manage to achieve with seating, planting etc.

if it's big enough, I'd create a little bistro area. Be nice to sit and have breakfast, or a drink of an evening. As long as you add some greenery and lights it could look quite charming.
image uploading.....

I'd put an awning over it, maybe glass roof and make a little conservatory/greenhouse? You could dry clothes there in the Winter, and grow plants in Spring, and put a little bistro chair and table in it for the escape room - only one person at a time, i.e. YOU!

I'm going to do this, when I get the funds but my garage where I'd put the lean to greenhouse is at the end of the garden (old Vic terrace), so I'd have to walk the length of the garden to escape ha ha, but still.....

We’re south facing! And unfortunately because of where it is, it couldn’t be a washing line area as it’s kind of where the main seating/patio area is in the garden really.

This does look lovely!
Do you think it would still have the same effect if the back wall had a window in it?

Not really - it’s right where my kitchen window is. We do have a bit of a side passage down the other side of the house which is where we keep our bins.

Could you put patio doors on the purple and blue lines adjacent to the red line? We have a similar set up (but only with patio doors on your purple line equivalent), also with a south facing garden and it works well.

Sorry irrelevant. Didn’t read properly

Is the rest of the grey squiggle not patio too?

We have a similar space. Ours is probably 4m x 3m (this opens to the grasses garden). We have laurels between us and the neighbours. A washing line that then be retracted when we are sitting out. We used to have outdoor wall art too but DH took it down. I loved it. He didn't.

Being enclosed means less wind in the summer for BBQs. You can make lovely with plants and lights.

Make it a secret garden. Some screening, pretty plants climbing the walls, comfy seating, pretty lights. Lovely decor / mural on the brickwork.

It would be protected from the wind so great place to sit when windy. I'd decorate the walls with greenery and make it a cosy seating area.

Perfect space for a hot tub!

Not mine, but I’ve always loved this little area, so something like this? There is a door at the end leading to another part of the garden.

The entirely non-sensitive photo is under review. It’ll appear eventually, I hope.

If the rest of the grey is seating area I'd just focus on filling it with greenery - it sounds like a lovely place for a mini jungle garden.

Like this https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%2Fid%2FOIP.bVihDQciHmQa9tCtZK5nqQHaJQ%3Fpid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=7a2bd944db5e60e29680f6da378ad08d21eb7987ad0ca7d38f7ac983d78837df

There aren't any measurements, so is it actually worth it? For the cost, how much extra space will you actually get?

I would use it as a covered space to sit outside. But I shun the sun and hate having a south facing garden.

I live in a terrace where lots of us have extensions on the back. Ours is an almost full width one with patio doors across the full width and it’s south facing so gets lots of light. When we bought the house (with the extension) the kitchen was in the extension and the old kitchen became a middle room with very little light, we swapped things over and put the kitchen in the middle and the lounge area in the extension (it’s all one big room).
The other houses have extensions like you’re suggesting. They have narrower patio doors where the original back door was and the kitchen in the extension but more like galley style. Our neighbours all say they wish they had a full width extension.