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Original poster

How important is side access?

24 replies

Madamnit · 20/10/2014 21:22

Just trying to weigh up the pros and cons of extending out to the back and side of the house. extending to the side would mean cutting off back access to the garden.

We would have the main entrance to the house and patio/bi-fold doors at the back.

Am I missing why side access is desirable?

OP posts:
SingingTunelessly · 20/10/2014 21:29

Gardener/window cleaner or even more inconveniently any drain/mains sewage problems. Think most people prefer direct access to the back garden rather than having to go through the house for everything tbh.

Greencheese · 20/10/2014 21:32

I suppose it really depends on the garden, where are the bins? Is there room at the front for them and does it look ok?

Whats in the back garden, ie if there's a shed that needs replacing soon what would you do? If you say, had a bike, would you wheel it through the house?

That sort of thing really.

Parietal · 20/10/2014 21:34

is access through the house level or are there steps? if you wanted to get a wheelbarrow of earth from garden to front (or back), how would you do it and what would you ruin on the way? For some houses, it is easy to go through the house with mud but for others it would be very hard.

Anticyclone · 20/10/2014 21:34

... But on the positive side, no side access makes it harder for burglars to, access the rear of your house from the front!

Original poster
Madamnit · 20/10/2014 22:03

Great - thank you! I hadn't thought of she'd/bike sceanario and I suppose that could be an issue when kids get older!

OP posts:
Nepotism · 20/10/2014 22:53

I've just gone from a mid terrace to a semi. I'm extending sideways but still leaving access so I can take my muddy dog round the back. Also, logs for the woodburner. Having he side access was actually one of the biggest plus points for me.

united4ever · 20/10/2014 23:41

I would like to do a side extension in the long term. But would like to leave enough space for a wheel barrow, wheely bin, bike etc so I guess 1 metre max. Also if you do extend right to the boundary whats to stop your neighbour doing the same and suddenly a semi becomes a terraced house.

EBearhug · 20/10/2014 23:47

I live in a terrace. There's no rear access (railway embankment). The only access to the garden is through the house. If I buy a sack of potting compost or something, I have to take it right through the house. Bikes live in the shed, so have to be taken right through the house. There needs to be some work done on the roof and external rendering soon. I am trying not to think about what will happen with stuff like the scaffolding and any wheelbarrows for rubble. Or cement, or...

I do quite covet side access sometimes.

Original poster
Madamnit · 21/10/2014 07:52

This is really good to know, if we eventually move then we don't want to put off any potential buyers!

OP posts:
Marmitelover55 · 21/10/2014 07:53

We have side access and it was straight forward for our builders to access the back this way including with the digger etc. friends in a terrace want similar work done and foundations will need to be hand dug and everything will need to go through the house. It will be MUCH more expensive. If you can keep the side access then I would.

haretyme · 21/10/2014 10:32

Have rejected two lovely houses in the past because everyone had extended (photos did not show this online) and now houses claiming to be separate dwellings were so close together - talking woth others i found I was not alone. Plus other reasons stated already.

2plus1 · 21/10/2014 10:43

We have extended both side and back on our 1920s semi. Within the side extension we incorporated a gated passageway so still extended the kitchen by several feet but the bedroom upstairs is over the kitchen and passageway. I wouldn't have purchased a house without a rear access having had this before where a neighbour took out my fence panels for access or at another house I have had to ask the same favour, neither ideal. Our rear extension was only permitted across the original footprint of the house so the side passageway is still accessible. That said we had decided that it is so useful that we wouldn't have built across it.

Sandthorn · 21/10/2014 16:55

It would drive me nuts to have to take outside stuff (bins, bikes, lawnmower, a couple of tonnes of logs each year, the occasional tonne of manure!) through the house. Not sure I'd immediately discount buying a house because of it, but it would have a strong influence!

LuckySaint · 21/10/2014 17:22

I used to live in a house with no side access, I dinted my lovely oak worktop in the kitchen whilst dragging new 6 foot fence panels through the house.
And removing a manky old shed, was fun Hmm

TalkinPeace · 21/10/2014 17:50

when we extended sideways we left the standard 85cm gap

  • bikes
  • wheelbarrows
  • bins
then again we have a 200 foot garden so it was essential

the side gate is 7 feet tall and has a deadlock built into it so does not compromise security

BalloonSlayer · 21/10/2014 17:57

We are a mid terrace and have side access which goes around the neighbour's garden.

We practically never use it. We had a flat roof replaced recently and they wanted to know if we had rear access. I told them it was a pain in the arse (no pun intended) and they could come through the house instead. They gallantly insisted, until they saw how far they'd have to walk, Grin they soon changed their minds! So, no it wouldn't bother me having no side access at all. (Although when the front door banged behind me the other day it was handy.)

Topseyt · 21/10/2014 17:58

Side access is very important. I lived in a house without it once, and the only way we could create access to the back garden was through the house. Not normally a problem, but it was when you needed to drag messy rubbish through to the bins at the front, or take building materials or gardening stuff through.

Think carefully before sacrificing your side access.

HowlCapone · 21/10/2014 18:03

I have no side access and I hate it. Obviously I don't miss having it all the time, but when I do have to drag stuff through the house it annoys me.mi also hate not having somewhere convenient for the bins.

TalkinPeace · 21/10/2014 21:23

OR
make sure you have rear access : lots of Victorian and Edwardian houses have alley ways along the backs of the gardens

PossumPoo · 22/10/2014 07:40

Rear or side access a must for me. A friend recently suggested we extend out and to the side and was a but shocked when I said no way to loosing the backyard access so there are people it wouldn't be an issue for.

its your home so work out what it is you'd like Smile

merlehaggard · 22/10/2014 07:43

When we moved, having a side access was a def thing we wanted to gain. Previously everything we wanted in the garden had to go through our garage and then through our kitchen. It was annoying. However, I would weigh up what having a side access does to your plans cos I think your internal space should be a priority but ideally keep a side access.

burnishedsilver · 22/10/2014 08:24

If I was buying a house, lack of side access would really put me off.

WhoKnowsWhereTheSlimeGoes · 22/10/2014 08:29

We had no side access in our last house, never again. Bikes, logs, gardening stuff, dustbins, access for tradesmen. I would not buy a house without it.

Chewbecca · 22/10/2014 09:48

We now live in a 'proper family house' with side access that I would not sacrifice but I wanted to add that in my 20s I lived in a tiny 2 bed Victorian terrace with a teensy back courtyard garden and no front garden (door opened onto street). In this house, I didn't mind at all, it was perfect for my lifestyle at the time (pre children) and I never once realised the lack of access was a problem.
I did have a bike but it was easy to carry through the house, I had a bin in the back garden and brought my one bag through once a week. Garden stuff was kept in a box thingy in the back garden. It really wasn't far from the front door to the back (!) and the floors were wood.

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