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 lived most of my life in terraced houses, usually quite large, so it's completely normal to me to have no side access and issues are minimal. I now live in a much cheaper area so could afford a semi. If this house has been extended, the extra internal space should more than make up for the loss of side access.

We can't add a door at the back of the garage, as the garage doesn't extend all the way to the back garden, the kitchen extension is behind it. If that makes sense!

This was a compromise for us when we bought our house. Access to the back is via the garage, then through the conservatory.
We put in new garage doors which are split 2/3 - 1/3 so you can just open the smaller door without having to fight with an up and over door.
I love the security of my back garden, there is no way into it other than by my house or a neighbours garden.

We live in a house like this. It's never been a problem for us. We clean our own windows, have a shed in the garden which is where the mower is. The only slight annoyance is bringing garden waste through the house during the summer.

We sold a house like this, a larger kitchen was much more useful than a side return! Not sure what everyone's issue is. It was hardly ever an issue, main every day one was probably bikes going through the house to the shed but you have a garage access in the front. I found it nice and secure tbh. Millions in terraced houses cope with the issues you've mentioned.

Millions in terraced houses cope with the issues you've mentioned

Exactly. We do and so do most of our neighbours (London). It’s really not a problem. I guess if you have dogs who like to get muddy it would be a pain to have them go through the house, and any major landscaping at the back would be messier and perhaps more expensive, but the other things mentioned aren’t really a big deal IME.

In fact we have a cat and living terraced is actually a benefit as it means she’s much less likely to go onto the road.

Presume you still have the other benefits of being semi detached ie no neighbour noise from one side, windows along that side?

This post could be titled 'tell me that you don't have a clue about the market in South Manchester without telling e that you don't have a clue about the market is in SM...'

Also in South Manchester so know what you mean about the market.

It depends on your priorities - we've extended to close to the side boundary on our semi on the basis that it made financial sense to use the space as living space given that the next step up (to move to get the equivalent size living space) was at least double the cost of the extension even before you include moving costs etc. Of course it would be ideal to have both (the living space and side access), but that would have meant a big compromise so we went out right to the boundary almost. We use the additional living space every single day - compared to it being a bit of a pain when we cut the grass or whatever a handful of days a year.

Would also agree with it being more secure - which is a key concern in S Mancs too. We were broken into via our back door (on the side of the house, towards the back garden) - the side passages / space down the sides of these types of 30s semis get quite dark during winter and I think its easy to slip unnoticed down the side of the house / into the back garden. About 6 houses on our cul-de-sac (family area) were broken into on the same day in the weeks before Christmas. It was one of the reasons we went to close to the boundary when we extended.

We thought we were more secure too not having a side access. When We got burgled a few years ago the scumbag came in through the front door while we were asleep upstairs...

This is what I was going to say.

We have this, and I didn't realise until we bought the house. All our nighbours have the same issue, the garages go to the boundary of the property. It's not an issue day to day, the window cleaner needs to come through the garage which means we need to be about to let him in if we want the back windows cleaned so that's a bit of a pain but the only issue. The only time I can see it being an issue is if we get a garden office put in, they mainly seem to be preassembled and a crane would be needed to lift it into the garden because there's no lane down the back of the gardens either (our last house we always used the garage door at the end of the garden for access for workmen, not the gate in the narrow side return).

We have this and I love the security it provides in the back garden. But. You need to ensure you have a straight path of access through the garage to the back door in case you ever need to transport building materials (eg 3m planks!) through, otherwise it could easily be a nightmare.

We're also lucky in that we can put a dividing door between the kitchen and garage/garden route which would give us extra security if we needed to leave access open for tradespeople etc.

I can't understand why people do this - build right up to the boundary line, so that wheelie bins have to live in the front garden or get dragged through the kitchen.

I'd give it a miss...

I think if you can go through the garage and there is a wide door from the garage to the garden then it's not really an issue at all. If you actually have to go through the kitchen then that is more of an issue and would expect it to be reflected in the house price. But then it's obviously a matter of comparing your budget to the options and deciding what you are willing to compromise on.

Our large detached house in a village only has access to the garden from the front through the large garage. I've never considered it to be a problem at all. The house is worth will over 1 mill.

You mention that the garden is quite small so if you're not going to be putting a shed in it or anything large like that then it may be workable for you. As for selling it on, yes I think it will put some people off but many will be fine with it.

Personally I'd find it a pain but as you say OP, it's a compromise between the living space available, easy access down the side and the price/availability of the property. If you are planning to stay there a while and the house is a good fit for you, then go for it! Compromise is often necessary with property.

We want to extend our house out to the side which would mean losing direct outside access to the back garden. But, we are having a direct line through from the front door to the back garden door. We are doing this to create a larger hallway for wheelchair access though. I hope it wouldn't put people off if we were to sell.
Is there anyway you can put in a door in your kitchen so you can go straight through?

I'd prefer the extra living space than having a side access so it wouldn't put me off, especially if you have room in the garage for bikes etc.

It wouldn't even occur to me to see this as an issue! (Used to terraced houses)

We bought a semi with no side access. The garden is substantial. We are in the process of returning it to a true semi by reducing the side extension. We agonised over this for ages and finally decided it was the best thing to do.