Should I buy a house that needs an extension? Panicking

[Polkadotdash]

Advice needed please.
We’ve had an offer accepted on a house that only works for us if we extend it with a two storey addition at the back of the house. It’s a terrace with a small garden, which will be made 3m smaller by the extension.
We went on a visit with an architect yesterday and they seemed unimpressed with what we were thinking and thought it was unlikely we’d get permission for a two storey extension, despite three other houses having done it in the street. This was because the neighbouring houses are so close to the one we are buying. We also will have no rear access to the garden so the building work will all need to be done through the front of the house. The architect’s eyebrows shot up when we said we were planning to live there whilst the work was done.
I’m now freaking out and have got serious cold feet about going ahead.
My husband won’t talk to me and says it’s up to me to call the purchase off.
We’re currently renting (at extortioniate cost) having sold last year. We’ve been looking at houses for two years. I’m fed up of looking. This house seems to be the best we can afford in a very expensive area.
Will it matter if the garden is tiny? Maybe 4m by 4m. It’s currently horrible, like a paved prison yard with mesh fencing at the top of the wood fencing.
What should I do?

Don’t do it.

At best the cost of the extension will be the same as the upswing in price but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

£300 per month for council tax!!!!!

Do you have to live in that area. It seems very very expensive for very little.

Add the cost of the extension to the cost of the house then look around for houses in that price range.

If you can’t get what you want then maybe the area is too expensive for you and you either look at flats or squeeze into a 2 bed.

Most loft conversions or extensions don’t really add value.

The architect I think can see that he would be wasting his time drawing up plans and you have to think if you didn’t get permission is living in this house as it stands feasible.

You could end up renting and paying a mortgage on a house that for your family is not fit for purpose

Extensions are a nightmare, never again will I live through one (if I could live elsewhere perhaps) they also cost more than you think - our architect gave us a guide of £30k and it was £50k!

Do you have to be exactly in this area? Kirsty and Phil often take buyers slightly further out to a cheaper area. If you need another bedroom, this might be the only way.

Go and see the other house. Be honest with the EA.

Do you truly need a 4th bedroom or is it a want?

Don't get the 2 confused and push you into spending more than you can afford.

Dont really understand what you mean about the monthly cost? If you have £50-100k lying around to pay for the extension then why can't you put this down instead towards a more suitable house with the same amount of mortgage? I think you're probably thinking the extension will be much cheaper than it will be. We've just had an upstairs extension and garage conversion and it's cost nearly £60k all in, that's Midlands and I'm assuming you're London. Had quotes over £10k more for the building work.

What would it mean if you pull out at this stage?

We’ve looked at about 30 houses that are the cost of this house plus extension, which is our max budget. Without fail they all need work - a new bathroom, a new kitchen, a loft conversion. The only things coming on the market are mostly probate sales. No one is selling nice family houses at the moment. So we got to a point where we thought if we have to pay for work, we’re better buying a cheaper house and doing it up. This then lowers the amount of monthly payment on the mortgage and because it’s a terrace it drops the council tax to a mere £245 a month.
We need four bedrooms as we have three kids. A ‘done’ small four bed locally is £750k. A bigger four bed is £850k with a decent garden. A really nice one is £1m.

And I don’t really know what it means if we pull out. I guess we piss the vendor off, we lose out solicitors fees and my husband may never speak to me again (not spoken since yesterday so far). But worst is that we are stuck renting for longer and in limbo. I just want my own house again.

You'd be much better off buying a house that 'needs' a new bathroom or kitchen and waiting to do it up than buying this house, pissing off the neighbours, living in a building site for months on end and ending up with no garden. From what you've said you'd be mad to go ahead with this purchase.

Thing is though, if we buy at the top of our budget there will be no opportunity to save fix a kitchen or bathroom for at least 10 years. My husband will be 60 by then. I’m not sure it’s the best option to wait that long.

But wont any house be revalued for council tax once the extension has been done?
Listen to the architect

Children don't NEEt there own bedrooms, yes it's nicer/easier if they do but it's not essential.

Look at decent 3 beds be creative with bedroom solutions etc.

Mine have ended up with a small single each but until very recently were sharing. Split a large double into 2 etc.

I read your title and was about to reassure you that building an extension doesn't have to be a nightmare but here are some points for serious consideration:
Do you really want to live in a house where construction materials (timber, bricks, wet concrete, tradesmen with mucky boots, etc, etc) are being slopped through the house and out the back door?
Finance - Have you had a projected valuation done? Get an estimated cost for the extension (add a healthy contingency for the hassle to he builder of not having clear access to site). Then get a valuation done for what the house would be worth with an extension but no garden. It may not add up.
I cant see many people wanting a 4 bedroom house with no garden so I would say pull out and keep looking. One thing you can be assured of is that other houses will come on the market. Make your first extension project a simple one.

Not sure about English Planning law but north of the wall we are required to keep private garden ground (rear of house) and this limits the size of an extension - your architect could advise.
Do you have floor plans you could share to see if the existing space could be re-jigged?
I agree that kids sharing isn't the end of the world. I designed our new house giving our boys a nice room each - they had been sharing while we built and then said they missed sharing when we moved in! Cant win!
What about building a healthy sized insulated shed / kidcave in the back garden - can double as summer entertaining space and a play area for kids to get out of house if they are sharing a room - can be taken with you if future sellers don't want it. I did this recently for a client who thought they needed to extend to create a home office - kept cost down, didn't affect house and can be taken with him if he moves house. Google garden pods for some ideas - the off the shelf ones are more expensive than if you get a decent joiner to build one for you.

It sounds like a big gamble.
And if you’ve applied for planning and been turned down, then wanted to sell, prospective buyers would see there’s no chance of planning (as opposed to now when there might be) so that would affect resale.

You might be able to get the LA planning dept to give you an indication before you buy. Or you could delay sale while current owners apply for planning, and make it a condition of the sale, people do that sometimes I think.

Polkadotdash

The problem is you cannot afford that area if you can only afford 4 beds with a lot of work but then don’t have the money to do the work.

If a nice family home came on the market you wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Why can’t you look into adjacent areas. Or look at 3 beds where you could split a double into 2 singles or look at an auction property in the vicinity.

Definitely pull out-extending is a nightmare to live through anyway

Sounds awful if you get no garden to speak of and no current planning permission

Personally I'd turn it down and blame the extension difficulties and arrange to see the other house today - being nice to the vendor is ridiculous it's a crap move for you

Buy the new house or look further afield - or buy a field and build a house you want

Where exactly are you looking MN seem to be able to come up with places in a particular area to suit the criteria

Can you post a link to the house so we can see? It does sound like it’s not a great idea unfortunately.

It’s not a question of affording the house and the extension. We can do that. It’s a question of if we extend we will make a small garden smaller. So we’ll have a nice house, 4 bed, garage, big kitchen diner but a small yard. Should we do it?
We don’t want to live in another area. We like it here. We moved here only last year and went through hell to get kids school places. We’re not moving them again.
And I love the idea of buying a field and building on it, but there aren’t many of those available in west London!

Also worth noting that we’re not primarily undertaking this with a view to making a short term profit. We are likely to live in the house for the next 20 years.

Buying a house that needs an extension (for your family) when you don't have planning is madness in my opinion. Even more so if getting planning is unlikely.

If the house is already a workable family home (which it sounds like it is- it just doesn't suit your family), then I'd really worry about ever getting back the cost of the extension if you do get planning.

I'd look at the new house that came on the market and I'd seriously consider widening the search to cheaper areas. Liking the area is one thing, but if you can't afford it you can't afford it.

How old are your DC?

11,8 and 4