Side extension on sloping site help

mr tommo

mr tommo

mr tommo

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Joined
13 Dec 2004
Posts
5,398
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
I'm currently contemplating building an attached garage to the side of my semi-detached house. We've put this off for 4 years as we always planned to move sooner. Plans have changed now and we think we'll probably be here for another 5 years now.

I have mocked up this horrendous drawing using my iPad so I can explain the problem a little better :

NpOaBET.jpg


Hopefull that shows where my problem lies. If I was to build a garage from the current site level, the garag would end up finishing 3 quarters of the way up my patio door and look ridiculous.

The ground can't be raised as then the fence between myself and my neighbour would be about 2ft tall :p

Just wondering if anyone knows what the norm is with sloped sites like this, I've googled for ages to find examples and can't come across anything. Any help or advice would be great :)

I'll go see if I can grab a photo while it's dark which may be easier to understand.
 
I'm confused, Why is the fence height an issue if you are building up to the boundary?
A photo would definitely help.
 
Build garage wall from current level and feather drive and / or use some sort of retaining structure like gabion baskets filled with nice stone.
 
Sorry don't think I've explained myself particularly well. Just been out to take a few snaps.

Ignore the drive and gravel it was all makeshift when we first moved in, will probably be block paving it once we decide on the extension.

XSzaAXa.jpg


This would be the ideal look to tie in with the rest of the house, however the drive would need to be raised and I'd be able to see into my neighbours garden from the car :p I'm guessing that's not ok :o
pYrn13y.jpg


NSn76JB.jpg



So heres another mock up. The top one is a regular house on a normal level site. The bottom one is the only way I can see my garage extension working? It doesn't look very good at all and looks totally out of line. I can't find any examples of garage like this on google at all.

Are there any alternatives?
PbhKUeX.jpg
 
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I can see what you are getting at re: the height of the fence relative to your garage, but I don't see it as an issue. Presumably the fence would only be 'short' along the length of the garage and wouldn't make any difference to the neighbour. Could you build a ramp rather than raising the drive height entirely?
Have a chat with the neighbours and see what they say. Its not as though you'll be sitting in the car 8 hours a day peering into their garden.
Alternatively, raise the height of the drive and add in your own fence along the side if you have the width.

EDIT : Sorry, looking at those pics again, the garage wont actually run parallel to the fence, so its just the drive height your worried about. Build a retaining wall, raise the height of the drive, add in your own fence if it bothers the neighbours and your done :) (It sounds easy in my head)
 
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You will need planning permission I reckon, and there will be party wall matters to deal with, due to the closeness of building to your neighbour (i.e. justifying that the additional load from the garage won't affect the neighbour's building or foundation.

My opinion would be do to the garage at the lower level. This could probably require underpining your existing house foudnations where they meet, if those foundations are shallow. Very doable, just need to be careful and get some competent structural engineers and contractors to do all the design checks for Building Control, party wall, etc.

p.s. why do you want a garage; would a carport not suffice?
 
If you do build at the current ground level, could you add some kind of detail (glass perhaps) above the garage door, bringing the height of the garage roof closer to the height of your existing doors.
 
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