Doing up Victorian property: to extend?

[Blackberrythief]

DH and I have always wanted a period property to do up but have never found anything in our price range until now! It would be a forever home and we would be using professionals but looking at this one, I don't see how would be best to extend? DH believes extending both sides of the house as it literally sits on the neighbours boundary (there is a hedge behind it!) But I feel this would look odd? A quick google doesn’t bring up any Victorian builds extended like this but I guess none would be on an unusual plot as this one? Said house is med05.expertagent.co.uk/in4glestates/%7B85477bdf-a4b5-4b3e-80f0-559e4b4d6d3f%7D/%7B88189abe-bf55-402e-8a74-e392baecb62d%7D/DSC02414-Copy.jpg Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

By both sides do you mean squaring off the the dining room/kitchen/store side and converting the garage? I think creating a big kitchen/diner with a utility and retaining the separate lounge is enough for downstairs, and then I personally would convert the loft for an extra bed/bath upstairs (no bathroom upstairs currently..?).

Great project house!

Do you mean replace the garages and the kitchen/bathroom bit with "house"?

It's a fabulous house :)

Thanks for the replies! It's nice to get an extra pair of eyes! No bathroom upstairs, DH was thinking of keeping garage, extend above it for another room and doing a double extension on the other side for a big kitchen diner downstairs and master bedroom and en-suite upstairs. He thinks it could be four beds whereas I would have thought you would lose a room for a family bathroom. However won't it look odd with the garage on the side? I don't think we need to build into the garages as I feel there would be enough room downstairs.

The foundations of the garages may not be sufficient to add a room on top so it might be that knocking them down and building the whole lot is a better option (I'm not a builder or anything though!)

I think a family bathroom upstairs is "essential" in a family house of the proposed size although that is personal preference I guess.

My attempt is attached. En-suite above the store, Juliet balcony looking out of the new end wall at the foot of the bed. Bathroom in the current middle bedroom (depending on drainage!). Retains one garage and converts the other to a study. I would match new windows with the current upper windows in style.

I would make the "store" bit on the plan a utility room and retain the toilet.

Lovely house and soupdragons ideas good!

I'd do what soupdragon suggested but also extend the dining room back in line with with store room as well to make a large l shaped/living/dining area and then keep the storage area as downstairs toilet and utility room etc.

If the middle bedroom can't be a bathroom because of the plumbing, I would sacrifice the en-suite and small corner of my proposed master bed to make it a family bathroom.

extend the dining room back in line with with store room

It's on the boundary so can't go back. I searched it out on google earth because I am a total saddo.

Obvious choice for me is to get rid of the bloody awful garage and extension the other end and have matching side extensions. Two storey with windows etc to match (your architect would probably do that anyway). You'll have lots of time to sketch out changes to the interior. Good times!!

good detective work soupdragon. I didn't look properly at it.
Op I'd go with soupdragons suggestion!

Thank you for the replies!

@SoupDragon Thank you! Love your plan, I didn't think to put a study in one of the garages and keep the other garage, great idea! My worry was it might look a bit odd with one garage attached to the side but I think that is a better option then building a detached garage which would take up more of the garden. Love the idea of the Juliet balcony too, to take advantage of the views!

Eek very excited now!

I don't think you'd notice a single garage with it being at the back/side. Add a side window to the study and rooms above and it will look Fine I think.

With the study, I thought having the door by the window to the original room it wouldn't really make it a "corridor" as there probably wouldn't be furniture there.

The views are exactly why I put a balcony and drew the bed on the plan 😂

Obviously none of this might be possible as I have no experience beyond George Clark and Kevin McCloud...

You could easily do it in two halves as money permits which is good.

Is that Victorian? Looks more recent.

@cleopatrascorset Do you think it might be more recent? Shows how rubbish I am with period properties!

The door shown in picture 5 is possibly 1930s

I'd say it's between the wars, or Edwardian at the earliest.

Anyway, great project! You can only improve it by knocking down the garage. I like Soupdragon's upstairs. Downstairs, I'd make the footprint of the living room once massive open plan kitchen / sitting room, and have a more formal room and study the other side.

I couldn't decide between massive open plan kitchen/diner, the option in my "plan" or leaving just the chimney as a double sided wood burner. Personally, I don't like huge open plan spaces and removing the chimney can be expensive and problematic.

There are so so so many options but if it's a forever home I'd employ an architect.

It depends on what you need tbh. I would, in a dream world, want an extra bedroom, the bathroom upstairs. And at least on other reception room.

I'd knock in the kitchen, dining room and store and build out so that you have one large family kitchen room (and an architect will be able to tell you how to do this sympathetically and to keep the fire place). I'd probably want some kind of utility too and maybe a pantry.

Please please get an architect, my cousin didn't and she just spent a lot of money of something that doesn't quite work. Long term it'll be worth the money.

It all depends on your budget, of course, but I'm not sure that extending sideways will do.
I'd think about creating an L-shape, extending the kitchen (now kitchen/diner/family space) southwards. Above the kitchen would be the family bathroom and above the south-extension would be the master bedroom. The main concern would be the extension casting a shadow over the garden.
Why has the house got a different orientation to all the others on the street? Is there a reason.

Thinking more creatively, replace the garage with a double height extension extending the gable of the main house. Ground floor big open plan kitchen/diner. First floor void at far end so get double height room and 20 feet windows. Then put an internal balcony and study/library in the other half, accessible from the first floor (but with a fireman's pole or kids slide down off the balcony).

I agree with @Loofah01 re extending both sides. However I also agree with the other poster in that I doubt the existing foundations would allow you to build on top of them. Frankly it would probably be easier and limited cost to demolish them and lay out new foundations. Would also reassure you in the future but you would need advice from an architect and structural engineer as we did.

Fabulous potential though

I think building the outside "shell" is fairly obvious as the house seems to lend itself perfectly to having two side extensions, mostly within the existing footprint. How the interior space is configured depends entirely on what you want from the house and how you will use the space.

And yes, absolutely get an architect!