Replacing front porch - things to consider

[IntoTheFloodAgain]

Our front porch is joined with our neighbours (terraced houses) and needs replacing. It has a separate roof but shares a wall.

We’d like to have it replaced with a bigger one, as it’s a bit of a pointless space at it’s current size.

I’m asking as previously when we’ve had work done, we’ve relied on the builders for advice and didn’t really know when something needed to be questioned.

We found later that they messed up a lot, and some things were overlooked. They refused to rectify it so we had to pay out twice (they had all positive reviews so we were just unlucky I guess).

But this time, I want to be a bit more prepared as if work isn’t carried out properly, it could potentially affect the neighbours property.

With us wanting a bigger porch, it will stick out more than the neighbours.
With the porches being joined by a wall, I don’t know if this will affect the neighbour at all, as she’ll have a random wall next to her front door if that makes sense. Would that piss you off?

I’ve also read on another post about guttering problems during similar work, this is something I wouldn’t have thought of (and don’t want to 100% rely on builders a anymore)

Is there anything else to consider?

Just incase I haven’t explained it very well here’s a (poor) diagram of what it’ll look like.

Both porches are about 80cm x 1.70m currently.

We’d want our porch to probably be 1.7x1.7m.

Firstly look on council website about limits to size of front porches?

There is usually a portal thingy on there

Do any other houses have the same size as you want?

Do they have neighbours in same situation?

Perhaps go round to ask them

Is it possible to increase inside area to being door backwards iyswim?

I haven’t been able find much on the council website, there is a lot of technical information about extending but nothing on the size or porches in particular.

We are the only 2 houses on the street with attached porches. The rest either dont have an enclosed porch or they are on opposite ends of the house, and look a bit deeper.

I have a feeling that ours was maybe added on, rather than part of the original build as the lay out doesn’t make much sense to me (but I’m not an expert). There’s a large window in the hallway that looks into the porch, and is a bit pointless because no light comes in through it. And the doors don’t align, whereas most porches I’ve seen the front and internal door line up.

The doors already open outwards of the porch, and there’s no way of extending it inwards due to location of the stairs/walls in hallway.

Oke doke

Do you get on with your neighbours?

Perhaps they would like a bigger one too and have been worrying about how to do it without annoying you?

If they want one too it is much easier to build a double one and then halve cost isn't it?

The misaligned doors might prevent drafts better and let people in to take coats and shoes/boots off etc after shutting outside door but before opening inside door

Could you make inside door a double glass door to include window to get more light inside?

The council website should give limits on building out of front of house to stop people building huge extensions forwards iyswim - if yours doesn't then that is good

The council may not allow you to extend beyond the existing “building line”. If your shared porches are the only porches in the street and nothing is further forward of these porches, you might be at the limit.

If the porch matches the adjoining one I would be furious if I lived next door and you changed it to something inappropriate. This would bother me if the house was Victorian or older. If it’s newish there might be restrictions anyway.

Can you enclose it! That makes it more weatherproof !

Hi thanks for replying again.

I’ve spoken to neighbours DIL before, not about this in particular but about other works (she was asking what we’ve had to do, we’ve apologised for noise that sort of thing)
She told me that neighbour does need some work doing but doesn’t really want to have anything done. She’s retired and live alone so I think she’s just happy enjoy herself in peace tbh!

Sorry I should have mentioned but I didn’t it’d come up.

Neighbour doesn’t answer her door much either, but maybe when I see her next I’ll ask how she’d feel about having a wall next to hers

Her porch is also in very good condition, so maybe she’s had it done in the last few years. We’ve only been here a year so I’m not sure.

The window doesn’t bother me much tbh, that was more to say it looks like the porch has been added around it later.

It’s just the depth of it (or is it width?lol), that is the problem.

I also thought about moving the entrance door to the side instead, so it gives more room going in, but we’d still have to extend it (not as much though) due to with of the door.

@BubblesBuddy all of the houses have drives/front gardens so I’m not sure if that affects the building line?

When you say inappropriate to do you mean the style etc? They are ex-council terraced, not victorian houses. Each house looks a bit different from the outside, some have drives, some have large enclosed porches some have normal porches (the ones with just a roof over not sure what it’s called.

You can tell where work has been done, different style doors, different style rendering etc.

Mine and neighbours are both enclosed.

This is what they’re like except ours have flat, separate roofs, the doors are on the inside rather than out, and we have gardens/drives.

The building line is the edge of the porch in that picture. If you plan it to go further into the garden than anyone else’s porch or garage or house then it might not be allowed. It’s not the garden because that isn’t built on. It’s how far your building will be beyond anyone else’s. I am not saying you won’t be allowed but you need to check it out.