Above Garage Extension - Still a semi D?

Penalty

Just wondering what the status is on Semi detached houses which convert their garage and also build above the garage.

Is this still considered a semi D if the neighbour does the same thing?

If after on part converts and then the neighbour follows suit can the neighbour be forced to keep a minimum distance between the 2 walls to ensure the first level is not connected.

Looking at buying a house and this is a common theme at the houses we are looking at and I just want to know the rules on it?

D3PO

why does it matter ?

weather the term is semi d or detached makes no difference it is what it is and it doesnt change the value whatever way you classify it.

As for forcing the neighbour to keep a min distance you can always appeal against any PP being sought after. However Id suggest its not a very advisable thign to do for neighbourly relations nor do I think you would be successful. You would have a bit of a cheek appealing against it when you have the same yourself.

FWIW a terraced house not only shares party wall but shares a roofline. Its unlikely an extended upwards property would share a roofline so Id say its a semi D.

Penalty

I agree it's not a neighbourly thing to do but I was just checking on waht the rules are - if we bought a house without an extension over the garage could the neighbour object to us doing it on the grounds the house will no longer be a semi.

On the valuation issues - in theory yes the house is worth what it is worth and whether it is a semi or not should not make a difference. However the reality is that people will value it differently.

The same way the exact same house with one postcode can be a different price 10 minutes away in a different postcode.

D3PO

yes they could appeal. I cannot see anyway it could be successful though.

your argument over value holds no water though. You wont have the exact same house in two different postcodes ... and anyway demand for an area is a price driver but its not even worth getting into this argument.

Penalty

Maybe not the exact same house. However very similar houses have vastly different prices depending on the postcode. To say otherwise is naive.

Similarly while I don't agree some people will be put off a house because it is terraced rather than semi detached. You may not agree with their logic but it it is there. The difference in value is impossible to quantify but it is there as ruling out some people naturally dampens demand which reduces price.

Mrs OBumble

Surely a semi-D is one that shared a wall with another house on one side, but not the other - irrespective of whether that wall goes up the full height of the building?

If the buildings are already touch at garage level, then how will it change if you build on top of the garage? I don't get it.


FWIW, simply minded house-type-taxonomy:
Detatched - shares no walls
Semi D - shares wall on one side
Terraced - shares walls on both sides
Apartment - shares more than two wall, and/or shares a floor/ceiling

D3PO

Penalty wrote: »

Maybe not the exact same house. However very similar houses have vastly different prices depending on the postcode. To say otherwise is naive.

Similarly while I don't agree some people will be put off a house because it is terraced rather than semi detached. You may not agree with their logic but it it is there. The difference in value is impossible to quantify but it is there as ruling out some people naturally dampens demand which reduces price.

i never said houses that are similar in different postcodes dont ahve different values ...

location location location.

However a 3 bed semi D on 1 main street that is 1200sq ft and a 3 bed semi D 7 main street that is 1200sq ft and is a 3 bed semi are essentially worth the same.

However if they both get sold the same day there is every chance there will be a descrepancy in what they sale price is that variable has nothing to do with the house or the location, its to do with who sees them, how the EA works the potential bidders, how somebody prefers the decor of one over an other (despite this really not supposing to have any impact on value) etc.

my point is weather you class this house as a semi D or a terraced house should the work take place you refer to the value isnt altered by the definition per se.

Could it put somebody off bidding of course it could. People ahve trivial reasons for not falling in love iwth a property however its more likely to attract more interested parties due to the extension than ruling bidders out.

Ray Palmer

The term semi-detached refers to living space and the ability to walk around the house. So two garages touching doesn't stop it being semi-detached. You can walk around one side of the house assume the garage has a door into the garden.
When you put an extension on top of the garage it is still considered semi detached. If you convert the garage it is no longer considered semi-detached.

The detached element is to do with ability to bring something from the back without bringing it through the house.

Common language use would think of it based on walls but it isn't correct use.

ted1

Ray Palmer wrote: »

The term semi-detached refers to living space and the ability to walk around the house. So two garages touching doesn't stop it being semi-detached. You can walk around one side of the house assume the garage has a door into the garden.
When you put an extension on top of the garage it is still considered semi detached. If you convert the garage it is no longer considered semi-detached.

The detached element is to do with ability to bring something from the back without bringing it through the house.

Common language use would think of it based on walls but it isn't correct use.

is that your definition?
if there's no lane between the house its not a semi D. That's my view


with regards looking to build over the garage. you'll have to level the thing, relay the foundations etc as they wouldn't have been designed to take the weight of a two story.

also the neighbour could object because it changes the appearance, and depending on the orientation it could cast a shadow, depending on the window placement, they might lose privacy.

Ray Palmer

ted1 wrote: »

is that your definition?
if there's no lane between the house its not a semi D. That's my view


with regards looking to build over the garage. you'll have to level the thing, relay the foundations etc as they wouldn't have been designed to take the weight of a two story.

also the neighbour could object because it changes the appearance, and depending on the orientation it could cast a shadow, depending on the window placement, they might lose privacy.

It's the definition we used in college when I was study civil engineering so that of the building industry.

Most garages have the same foundation as the house if built at the same time. It would actually be more awkward to adjusting the depth on the garage foundation. As with anything like this you would have to inspect the foundation to be sure.

Shadow from an extension is incredible weak grounds to object. The right to light argument requires 45 year of having the light to even use it. After that it is not even considered a strong argument. People really rate their own view on extensions and building way more than they are legally entitled to.

Most planning objection will just slow a building and get minor changes. When applying for planning most people will over shoot so they get what they want.

The other hope is you stall the building so the builder can't afford to wait or in the case of the market drying up they go bust. It is only delaying the inevitable. You might get 10 years extra at the most