No side return - problem?

[nomorespaghetti]

We’ve offered on a semi which has been extended to the side and rear, so no side return or outdoor access to the garden. There is a garage to the front of the house (part of the side extension), so we can store bikes, scooters, muddy stuff, etc in there. Current owner has bins at the front, but I’d probably keep them in the garage.

To get through to the garden you could go through the house, or through the garage which has a door to the kitchen, then about 3 steps from the garage door to the back door.

The potential problems:

• window cleaners would have to go through house


• lawnmower would have to go through kitchen from garage (wouldn’t really want to put shed in garden as it’s on the smaller side as it is)


• garden waste (grass cuttings etc) would need to go through kitchen/garage to bin

To us, it’s not a major problem. It will be inconvenient at times, but the house is great in so many other ways that we can live with it. But I’m slightly worried about selling it on- would it put you off?

I will be put off by it but the question is how common is this set up in the area you are looking at? Around here, most semis have side returns.

It would massively put me off, because I’m a fanatical/very keen gardener and couldn’t easily manage without easy, direct access to the garden. Obviously, for many people that’s less of a priority.

I live in a mid terrace with no side/read access and it’s a pain in the bum. We wanted to get some landscaping done and it would be a fortune because of having to carry topsoil etc through the house in buckets instead of using a wheelbarrow. Would it be possible to partition a way from the garage to back door to avoid going through the house?

It would be possible to partition some of the kitchen to make a passage from the front to back through the garage and some kind of utility, and we would redesign the kitchen, so may do this.

I am a pretty keen gardener, but quite small scale, as I have been gardening in a tiny north facing yard for the last 6 years!

The majority of properties around here do have side access, I think. But there have been compromises with everything we’ve seen - we’re south Manchester and the market is red hot!

Sounds awful.

I would look for another property.

We have this set up and the only time it's been a problem is when trade people come (ie. To clean the gutters). They get through to the back garden via the garage.

On the plus side it feels more secure, as thieves don't have access to back of the house (we live in a city).

Wouldn’t bother me, we’re buying a house with this set up at the moment, although there’s a garden shed so not planning on carting garden implements through the house.

The lack garden access wouldn’t bother me but I would not buy a house that had been extended right up to the side boundary as if your neighbour did the same you would end up in a terrace and it creates problems with maintenance.

If the price is compared to a terrace and is what you can afford then go for it.
But it's really not a semi, it's attached to next door, or at least to their boundary.
If you need work done in the back, or the roof etc this will be problematic.
I personally wouldn't go for it if there were other options.

I've lived in a (rented, social housing) property without rear garden access unless through the house, and its not something I would choose again.

We are mid terrace and everything you mention is workable. In an ideal world I’d like side access but the enormous amount of equity dulls the pain, frankly!

I wouldn't view a house with no access to the back, I'd hate for everything to come through the house. I'd keep scrolling on Rightmove.

We live in a semi-detached house with no side return, garage was built by a previous owner onto the side of the house, have a door in the kitchen going into it, & also a door at the end of the garage into the back garden, & up and over garage door at the front.. It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but if we need to do work in the garden, we carry the lawnmower through the garage to the front or back.

The advantage to having no side return is that your back garden tends to be more secure, people can’t just wander off the street into it, they would have to climb over the garage, i.e. not easy access.

It would not put me off buying a house with no side return.

It usually does put a lot of people off. It the price is usually reduced to allow for this

Thanks all. Yes the price of this house is lower than a lot we’ve seen, so it does seem to have been taken into account. Lots to think about!

I have this in my house and I do dislike it, but the truth is, I couldn’t have afforded a house with such a large kitchen without this set up. I’m also a keen gardener, and I’ve moved a whole gravel patio and laid turf, dug out flower beds, done fencing and disposed of small trees (after the storm) through my kitchen, so it’s very possible but it is a nuisance that I moan to dh about, but I have to be honest with myself that the money we had couldn’t get everything I wanted in the area I wanted.

We bought a semi like this few years back it didn't put us off. As pp say I like the fact it's more secure. We are having work done at the moment but front but there's no way of making a side access now unfortunately. It is ideal for garden bits, depends what you have in the garden. DH mows and takes it through the house the rubbish in containers. We don't need a lawnmower at the front. It's all doable basically.

Could you put a rear door in the garage?

We don't have side access and I really miss it. Unless I really really loved the house and couldn't find anything else I wouldn't buy it.

The potential problems:

window cleaners would have to go through house

Many of the nice ladies on Mumsnet feel very offended by working-class men being in their house. You may wish to bear this is mind. How would you feel if one of them wanted to use your lavatory?😱

(Would it be possible to create some sort of tradesman's entrance?)

our house has no side access, but the access is almost entirely level through the house (only a 2cm step) and I have a very good sack trolley which can haul compost / gravel / garden materials through the house to get to the garden. If the access had steps, that would be much worse.

Put a door in the garage at the back, then you have a side return except with doors front and back

Could you add a door at the back of the garage so you can go though garage to garden without going through the kitchen? Even if it isn't on your plan to do it now, knowing a door could be added later if the access annoyed me would help me relax.

It would put me off the house - it's a none negotiable for me

Could you add access via the garage?

We lived in a house where the garage had a full up and over garage door front and back so you could drive right through to the garden, it was really handy. A smaller pedestrian door would still be convenient enough for most purposes though.