Rear or side extension, which is preferred?

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So we have the option of doing a side extension or a rear extension.
A rear extension like this www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62117722.html
or www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=51050545&sale=84395172&country=england
Or a side extension like this:
www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=47020203&sale=54973181&country=england

I prefer the external appearance of a a rear extension (I think the side extension looks quite ugly from the outside), and also think it will be cheaper than a side extension, and I prefer the kitchen/dining area to open on to the rear reception room as in a rear extension, but the cons are that the rear reception will get darker (although we will add veluxes etc) and a side extension which connects to the garage, which we currently have, makes more sense?

Can anybody think of any positive and negatives of rear vs side extensions?

Thanks!

Rear extension for me, though I think a side extension can be made to look nice - it's just that so many are very... conventional. What I like about the rear extension is the possibility of opening the house to the garden and the flow through that it gives. In mine, I've also used some of the interior space on one side to create a utility room, where huge amounts of natural light are not so needed. (There is a small window in there, but that's it).

I think side extensions work well when the extra space that is needed is functionally peripheral to the house, e.g. if someone needs an office or consulting room at home, or a room from which to run a business.

I get your concerns about lighting with rear builds. One option is to have a rooflight fitted instead of veluxes at the part where the new roof joins the old building, to the width of the space you have - this means you can literally have metres of glazing to let light into the room that will be sandwiched into the middle of the house.

Much prefer a rear extension so you get 1 massive living/dining/kitchen with a whole wall of glass onto the garden, but for the love of god don't do it like Link 2 where they haven't put in steel and opened out the 'super room'.

Link @whiskyowl says a side extension works well e.g. if you need a downstairs level access bedroom and wet room annex style for future-proof, or a separate study or something.

Thanks for your replies!

My DH is more keen on a side extension as then he can get into the garage easier and he says uses up "dead space" at the side. But this "dead space" as he calls it, has our patio area where we put a large table in the summer for meals outside and also use for hanging out washing etc, so it is used.

DH also is not keen on a super room at the rear, which is another factor against the rear extension.

But I'm glad to see the pros above for the rear extension.

We did both (and loft)
9 months of utter hell
but so, so worth it

We only have the budget to do one!

Surely it comes down to layout - i.e. which option will avoid the almost inevitable "corridor" rooms which become walk-throughs to the new areas? That will depend on existing layout, so I don't think there's any answer without looking at your individual circumstances.

Most of the side extensions I've seen have caused a pretty awful layout, usually because the external/load walls aren't removed - small gaps/doors are put in, i.e. a door through the box room to get into the new ensuite bedroom, which leaves the boxroom nothing but a corridor. Or a kitchen with a side-kick opening into some kind of living space. But then again, they're often cheaper than an entire re-modelling that usually happens with a full length rear extension where entire walls are removed.

Factors
(a) how big is the garden - will you need wheelbarrow / bike access ?
(b) how big is the garden - will the house loom over the whole garden
(c) how big is the garden - will you still have aeras of privacy
(d) where is the drainage - try to avoid a manhole cover in the dining room seen that one
(e) which way does it face - will the veluxes allow in enough light to not need electric the whole time
(f) whichever you do, budget for as many steels as you can afford. "walls" can always be recreated with furniture and screens, but taking them out later is impossible

this is the layout

There is a garage to the side of the house, kitchen side.

We want to fill in the side return to do a rear extension, or extend the kitchen side ways behind the garage.

The outrigger bit of the kitchen apparently needs to be knocked down completely as it we need to increase the head height at the rear (there is a sloping roof currently, about 6ft at the lowest point) and the current foundations can't support the extra layers of bricks needed. So it is a bigger and more expensive project than we had anticipated/budgeted for.

A few answers to Ta1kinPeace post:
a) there is a still a side gate next to the garage, so there will still be side access to the garden.
b)garden is medium sized, quite wide as it's a corner plot. I don't think either of the extensions will loom over the garden.
c) yes, currently we use the side garden as a patio area as there is a door from the garden to that side, also can use the area behind the current reception room as a patio area.
d)drainage is to the side of the house which will need to be moved if we decide on a side extension.
e) back of the house is west facing, so lots of sun at the rear from about midday.

I was going to say side extension until you mentioned the drainage. Avoid the drainage as much as possible. Moving it is very expensive and may cause problems. You REALLY don't want your drains blocking on a regular basis.

With your layout I would do the side extension and make a nice big kitchen/diner/living etc. Then you'd still have the separate lounge overlooking the garden.

Your layout is similar to ours pre extension. This is ours at the moment (we have another month or so to go)

Bax - yours is less of a side extension than a second house, though!! It's coming on beautifully.

Loft extension

Thanks for all your ideas!

Still undecided...both MIL and my mum thinks we should go with the rear extension as the garden on the side of the house is nice and large to have the patio area and outdoor seating/BBQ space, whereas the space currently at the back of the dining room is quite small after putting in french doors etc...

hmmm...not sure