This week in the Examiner, Kieran McCarthy of KMC Homes discusses building advice on extending a terrace home.
In this latest article, Kieran will let you know what you need to consider when building to the rear and staying on good terms with your neighbours.
Question: I own a small terraced home in Cork City that I would love to completely overhaul and extend out into the back. From a builder’s perspective, what are the challenges that I will face when it comes to extending out the back and avoiding any impact to my neighbours on either side? There is no access to the rear. I want to extend the kitchen into the garden just leaving a small patio at the rear?
Answer: I too have lived in a mid-terraced house and needed to extend into the rear garden, so I am acutely aware of what you need to consider. First of all is of course the design. It appears that you are looking to extend your kitchen.
I would advise you to also consider a space for a laundry area (ours ended up in the centre of the house as it was low-profile space). What you are weighing up here is how to create a practical utility space while saving as much light-filled space connecting to your new patio as possible for your new kitchen/living space. It is a delicate but important consideration.
From a planning perspective, you can build up to 40m2 on to the rear of your house, but you need to ensure you leave over 25m2 remaining in your garden. The 40m2 is quite a generous extension allowance and will likely be more than sufficient for your requirements.
View full article in The Examiner here.
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