Hi all, I've posted a while ago about our conundrum over the best way to extend our 1930s terrace. It's the standard layout with the kitchen and dining room already knocked through. But we have the added complexity of 1.1m drop at the rear of the property (currently we have a raised deck which also doubles as garden storage) and a relatively small garden. There is also a small lean to that houses our washing machine and tumble dryer, which is starting to pull apart from the main building due to shallow foundations.
We've settled on two potential options. The first is to knock down the lead to and replace with a utility extension which you step down into (about half the drop, and then another couple of steps from the back door to the garden). This would house a downstairs toilet, washing machine and tumble dryer, full sized freezer, storage cupboard and we'd also leave a space for our dog crate to keep the dog separate when needed. We would replace the old deck with a new composite deck which can be accessed for underneath storage. The kitchen would be remodelled slightly and we would create a built in dining area in an area which is kind of wasted space at the moment. This would seat up to about 10 people at a push.
The second is to lower the entire floor (there is a void underneath so it's possible) and to have a more standard full width rear extension with a utility cupboard to one side. This looks more visually impressive, but we would have to lose our under stair storage for a downstairs loo, and would lose the space under the deck for garden storage (we don't have space for a separate shed).
What would you go for? The practical (and cheaper) version, or the larger less practical extension which would probably add more value? We have no plans to move in the near future.
I've drawn rough plans to show what I mean!