Building under your garden

[Gilly]

Has anyone done this?

Is anyone interested in doing this?

From what I can tell as long as it is not changing the way the garden looks and isn't joined onto the house there's no requirement for any kind of formal planning permission.

I have a large rear garden with sun room (it's an old self-build conservatory the previous owner built) and a patio with a large lawn beyond it and some more patio and raised garden beds beyond.

I was thinking along the lines of a build that was put on here before where two huge shipping containers had been joined and developed into the side of a hill. Then there's plenty of strength already there and it's a case of excavating a hole in the back garden, lowering some containers in, sticking some steps in the garden and bob's your uncle.

I don't know if that's feasible or what the attributed cost would be, but I can't see why it wouldn't be workable.

 

[mattyprice4004]

Sounds very interesting! Can't wait to see what the verdict is.

I suppose you'd be in trouble if the container corroded and your grandmother disappeared into your garden during your annual family BBQ though.

 

[No1newts]

It wouldn't be the worst idea.

I was reading somewhere about loads of people now extending down rather than up on houses so what you are saying is another logical step of it all.

 

[Gilly]

Image of what I have now and what my head says could happen. Former on the left, latter on the right.

None of it drawn to scale

Because the sunroom is a flatpack POS there are no foundations, so I would be able to run from the patio just outside it as far as the boundary if I so chose.

 

[OhEsEcks]

I was watching a police program on TV a while back and they raided a cannibas factory that was buried in a farmers field inside shipping containers...

 

[FARGO]

Sounds like a good idea! Would it affect any neighboring properties (or your own!) in terms of subsidence / drainage issues?

 

[Gilly]

I was watching a police program on TV a while back and they raided a cannibas factory that was buried in a farmers field inside shipping containers...

LOL, I'm not building a grow-room

They catch you through your energy utilisation :shifty:

Sounds like a good idea! Would it affect any neighboring properties (or your own!) in terms of subsidence / drainage issues?

Subsidence I'm not sure of but I'd get a reputable firm to do the excavation and I doubt they'd get involved if they thought there were any dangers.

I've checked already and there are no utilities under the garden.

 

[JonJ678]

I think you'd have to dig down, put the container in the hole, cover up with dirt & recover with grass. Trying to dig laterally below the lawn then slide a container in place would be prone to collapse. Otherwise, plan seems sound. Possible drainage issues.

I don't know what the lifespan of a buried shipping container would be. I think they're exposed to sea water in use which suggests they're fairly rust-resistant. If it's a good few years, which seems likely, then you could periodically dig it up and put in a new one.

Interesting idea

 

[wesimmo]

I think you still need some sort of planning permission, certainly in London anyway.

Whether it's more of a formality than above ground i don't know.

Yours is a very modest proposal compared to some....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/nov/09/billionaires-basements-london-houses-architecture

 

[HecFam]

I also take it that it is possible to get a shipping container of that size into your garden?

Does your garden back onto another garden? Getting the right crane angle may be a problem.

 

[Shimmyhill]

You would have to go via building control so would still need the same plans and and architect etc. Other things to think about is the disruption of services such as waste, gas, water etc and tanking the underground building and there must be things like fire escapes to think about.

A very interesting idea, we have a big garden and ive always wanted a basement area for storage/home cinema....

 

[FARGO]

If you go ahead with this don't have steps leading down to the containers. Have something cool like a slide or 'Bat Pole'

 

[OhEsEcks]

http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/14hx0v/story_of_two_containers/

I remembered this from last year.

 

[Gilly]

I think you'd have to dig down, put the container in the hole, cover up with dirt & recover with grass. Trying to dig laterally below the lawn then slide a container in place would be prone to collapse. Otherwise, plan seems sound. Possible drainage issues.

Yeah, I'd have the hole excavated and then filled in around the container

http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/14hx0v/story_of_two_containers/

I remembered this from last year.

That's the one I was referring to

 

[Cosimo]

Sounds interesting but I can't see you doing this without planning permission. Do you have neighbours at the side and back?

 

[Gilly]

Sounds interesting but I can't see you doing this without planning permission. Do you have neighbours at the side and back?

Yep, either side and at the back.

I would speak to the council first anyway, but if there's no lasting visibility of any substructure what problem could they have?

 

[Skillmister]

Pretty cool idea. I look forward to seeing how this unfolds

 

[Redgie]

This is one of those threads where I start reading and think "God I hope this thread is 3 years old so I can see the awesome outcome", while I am disappointed that it isn't, this has some awesome potential

Subbed!

 

[HecFam]

My Dad went on about building an underground swimming pool for about 4 weeks, planning it out and everything.

3 years down the line... Nada.

I hope you have the POWER!! to actually carry this out. It seems like a really cool idea.

 

[Gilly]

I've contacted the council, will hopefully have the start of an idea as to whether it is feasible next week