Site specific solutions for problem plots

ABOVE: This stunning contemporary-style family home in South London started life as a derelict garage and single parking space — on a site of just 6.5m x 7m. To the rear was an electricity substation and planning constraints did not allow any clear windows in the east, south and north elevations due to overlooking concerns.

Problem 1: "It's too small..."

Plots don't always have to be half an acre

Plots don’t always have to be as large as you might think to comfortably hold a house. Firstly, even though a site might look small, when it’s cleared it will probably surprise you. Old buildings may obscure your full vision and overgrown sites with illdefined boundaries always look cramped. Hedges that are poorly maintained can intrude upon a site and mask the real dimensions.

In city or urban areas there is a general acceptance that sites will be small. But the higher values that new and exciting properties command tend to cancel out the drawbacks. This does mean that designers have to think carefully and this, in turn, leads to some pretty innovative design. More use of multiple floors is necessary with basements and attics brought into play. Traditional circulation space – hallways, corridors – might need to have other uses or be discarded altogether.

In many urban areas, off-road parking isn’t required. But if it is and turning space is restricted, it’s necessary to once again think beyond the normal parameters. A turntable takes up the same space as a small parking bay with a profile of just 70mm. The manual version costs around £6,000, which is often less than the cost of a driveway for a larger site. If you want the powered version it’ll probably rise to about £20,000.

One thing that does have to be considered with narrow sites is that it’s all the more difficult to provide the ‘kerb appeal’ that goes so far in establishing the value. If the garage does become the dominant architectural feature of the property, and it’s impossible to disguise this by turning its entrance doors to the side or burying them within the façade, the house can become an attachment to the garage rather than the other way around.

But it’s not always width that’s restricted. Sometimes the plot can have a substantial frontage but a restricted depth. That does mean that the maximum kerb appeal can be sought, but it also means that care might have to be given to the design so that windows look to the side.

Small site solutions

ABOVE: David Snell purchased a site, estimated as being just 650m², in a rural hamlet. The Ordnance Survey is a very useful tool, but it is not always right. He noticed that the rear boundary formed an acute rather than an obtuse angle and also that the cypress hedge along the right-hand and rear boundary was extremely overgrown. He engaged a surveyor and it turned out that the site was in fact closer to 1,000m²

ABOVE: Architect Warren Milne certainly made the most of this tiny, end-of-terrace plot in Berkshire. The house they built is just 4m wide (and 7m deep) but they have dug down to get a three storey house that doesn’t go above the ridge height of the neighbouring homes. Read more about this project.

ABOVE LEFT: Paul and Larissa Killoran bought a small site. Their design made sure that the only windows that looked towards the rear were secondary windows and that their French windows opened onto a private garden area to one side. They also built on three storeys to get four bedrooms and an office in the loft.
ABOVE RIGHT: James and Laura Snell bought a site in a small town that measured just over seven metres in width. They built a four bedroom home on three storeys that complements the street scene. Their garaging and parking had to come off a rear entrance.

Problem 2: "It's sloping..."

Non-flat sites bring out the best in designers

A slope of any sort strikes fear into the hearts of self-builders who see nothing but added expenditure and a difficult build. However, it does in fact bring many positives, particularly if taken into account from the very start.

A sloping site will mean a more complicated design. It will mean extra landscaping and the possible need for retaining walls. It may also mean that drainage might be more difficult and that solutions such as a pump may be required. But a pump, at a cost of between £1,500 and £2,500, may well be partially offset by the fact that flexible hose is typically cheaper to lay than the equivalent run of drains.

ABOVE: This oak framed house was built on a perilously steep riverside site. Read more about this project.

On the plus side, a sloping site does mean that a more adventurous approach can be taken towards the design and that the solutions often become flagships for the flair of their architects and self-builders alike.

There are extra costs involved. Self-build expert Mark Brinkley reckons that for every degree of slope, the costs will rise by about £1,500. So a 10° slope may cost another £15,000. That may seem a lot but it’s not all used up in the superstructure itself. Rather, it’s the costs of spoil, tanking and retaining walls that’s likely to form a large percentage.

A large sloping plot, for instance, might necessitate 60 lorry loads of spoil going away at a cost of nearly £15,000. It might also mean the construction of two retaining walls, say each 30m long by an average of 1.2m in height, at an additional cost of £10,000.

A sloping site may also mean that part of the lower floor will find itself below ground. Effectively that means that it is a partial basement and, as such, the construction will involve walls becoming retaining and the need for tanking or waterproofing.

A full basement will cost at least as much to build per square metre as any other part of the home, and probably more. Partial basements won’t be as expensive but may add at least 10 per cent to the overall costs.

ABOVE TOP: H&R Editor Jason Orme felt that he had to incorporate the slope to the rear of his building plot into the design of his self-built home and garden. “We levelled the ground rather than building into the slope, which resulted in a lot of spoil. I’d recommend anyone in a similar situation get the landscaping sorted out as early as possible — in fact you can use up a lot of the spoil in your scheme. You need to plant early, and plant well.”
ABOVE: Mike Davies’ site, as well as being narrow, also dropped away towards the rear. But that meant that it had commanding views over the valley and the surrounding countryside. He chose an upside-down approach, which puts the bedroom accommodation on the lower level with the living accommodation on the first floor to take full advantage of those views.

Problem 3: "We don't like the plans..."

Applying for a new scheme is a no-risk option

If it’s a bona fide building plot then it’s got some sort of planning permission. The trouble is that one person’s ideal might not be another’s. But if one takes the view that any planning permission is simply the Trojan horse for a better one, there are marvellous opportunities.

If, when you read the files leading up to the planning permission being granted, you discover that there was an awfully long fight, you might decide that enough is enough. But in many cases there’s room for improvement. And don’t forget that any subsequent application is considered against the existing consent, rather than the fact that nothing has yet been built.

However, it’s worth being open minded as a change to the existing plans can have a dramatic impact. H&R’s Editor-in-Chief, Michael Holmes, bought a site with planning permission for a modest home, but by adding paddock land and re-orientating the house, achieved a huge uplift in size and value.

You can make limitless applications on the same site. If the planning permission was originally granted in Outline with a subsequent Approval of Reserved Matters, it is open for the purchaser to reapply for a completely different scheme, so long as the original Outline consent is still in time. However, if permission was granted after the summer of 2006, any Approval of Reserved Matters (detailed consent) must relate to the Design & Access Statement that accom - panied the original application. But that doesn’t prevent a fresh Full application.

ABOVE: Martin and Helen Hart got planning for a two storey deckhouse-style home and then went back for consent to put a basement beneath it, which effectively added one third to the house size without altering the visual impact. Read more about this project.

Further reading:

• Sloping sites solved
• A Multi Level Self-build on a Sloping Site
• How to make the most of an awkward plot
• An urban self build on a small plot