No Side Return Extension? Here’s How to Maximise What You Have
Thinking you could do with a roomier ground floor but not able to extend sideways? Check out these inventive solutions
Extending into a home’s exterior side return is often a simple – if structurally significant – solution to creating more space on the ground floor and improving the flow between rooms. However, that option may not fit with your budget, or you may simply like the existing shape of your home and want to preserve that slim strip of space in your garden.
Fortunately, as these experts explain, there are plenty of ways to retain the original footprint while making the interior spaces work much harder. See if any of these catch your eye.
Professional advice from: Ana Martin of Martins Camisuli Architects; Cathy Dean of Cathy Dean Interior Design; Simon Heckford of Oasys Property Solutions
Fortunately, as these experts explain, there are plenty of ways to retain the original footprint while making the interior spaces work much harder. See if any of these catch your eye.
Professional advice from: Ana Martin of Martins Camisuli Architects; Cathy Dean of Cathy Dean Interior Design; Simon Heckford of Oasys Property Solutions
In this example – one of Ana’s own projects – an oriel window works harder still, expanding the kitchen’s dining area. It overlooks the side return and allows the dining table to take up a little less space, as the windowsill forms a bench seat.
“A window designed so it can be used as seating – and using some of the depth of the wall – will negate the need for chairs to one side of a dining table, freeing up a significant amount of room,” Simon Heckford says. “This can be incredibly valuable where space is constrained.”
The window’s view also opens up the kitchen visually.
“A window designed so it can be used as seating – and using some of the depth of the wall – will negate the need for chairs to one side of a dining table, freeing up a significant amount of room,” Simon Heckford says. “This can be incredibly valuable where space is constrained.”
The window’s view also opens up the kitchen visually.
Solution 2: Open up the hallway wall
Removing internal walls to open up an outrigger can be a brilliant solution for houses where the ground floor is made up of unconnected spaces. On this plan, designed by Simon, the removed walls are marked in red, showing how the narrow kitchen now flows into the hall and reception spaces.
You’ll need to be aware of the Building Regulations around fire in this situation – a protected escape route is a key requirement. But this is something your pro will be very familiar with, and he or she should be able to suggest solutions.
Fire doors can be an option, but, with this design, Simon used a fire suppression – or sprinkler – system to create a safe escape route.
Removing internal walls to open up an outrigger can be a brilliant solution for houses where the ground floor is made up of unconnected spaces. On this plan, designed by Simon, the removed walls are marked in red, showing how the narrow kitchen now flows into the hall and reception spaces.
You’ll need to be aware of the Building Regulations around fire in this situation – a protected escape route is a key requirement. But this is something your pro will be very familiar with, and he or she should be able to suggest solutions.
Fire doors can be an option, but, with this design, Simon used a fire suppression – or sprinkler – system to create a safe escape route.
Ana suggests another solution: “[Fireproof] glass partitions can be used,” she says. This is illustrated here, where a Building Regulations-approved layout and fire doors enclose and protect the staircase – aka, the escape route.
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Solution 3: Connect the living room and kitchen
If you have a reception room directly next to your kitchen and can knock down the wall, this is a great way to open up the space and make it more sociable and functional.
“This creates so much more of an open space without having to [fork out for] an extension,” Cathy Dean says. This idea can be seen in the project pictured, where Cathy removed the wall separating the kitchen and the living room and replaced the original window with French doors.
“Without spending all the money on the extension, you have the budget left to update the kitchen and dining room to have a similar feel décor-wise,” she says.
Read more about how this petite terrace gained space without being extended.
If you have a reception room directly next to your kitchen and can knock down the wall, this is a great way to open up the space and make it more sociable and functional.
“This creates so much more of an open space without having to [fork out for] an extension,” Cathy Dean says. This idea can be seen in the project pictured, where Cathy removed the wall separating the kitchen and the living room and replaced the original window with French doors.
“Without spending all the money on the extension, you have the budget left to update the kitchen and dining room to have a similar feel décor-wise,” she says.
Read more about how this petite terrace gained space without being extended.
Solution 4: Light the space with internal glazing
Glazing is another way to enhance the interior flow and sense of space without going down the side extension route. While replacing an internal wall with glazing is certainly structural, it’s likely to be a lot less work than removing an external wall to build an extension.
“With internal glazing, we love to use Crittall doors to let light through in a modern space,” Cathy says.
Glazing is another way to enhance the interior flow and sense of space without going down the side extension route. While replacing an internal wall with glazing is certainly structural, it’s likely to be a lot less work than removing an external wall to build an extension.
“With internal glazing, we love to use Crittall doors to let light through in a modern space,” Cathy says.
Solution 5: Consider a pocket door
Along the same lines, Cathy suggests another way to open up and connect the interior spaces and create flexibility
is with a pocket door.
“These allow you to have the best of both worlds,” she says. “The space can be completely open-plan when necessary, but can also be closed to add a cosy, more private feel.”
Learn more about how this clever broken-plan space was designed.
Along the same lines, Cathy suggests another way to open up and connect the interior spaces and create flexibility
is with a pocket door.
“These allow you to have the best of both worlds,” she says. “The space can be completely open-plan when necessary, but can also be closed to add a cosy, more private feel.”
Learn more about how this clever broken-plan space was designed.
Solution 6: Relocate your storage
One of the challenges where the side return hasn’t been incorporated is that a kitchen in the outrigger can be short on storage space.
The possibility of creating an ‘overspill’ area that allows some of the kitchen functionality – the washing machine or bulk shopping, say – to be bumped elsewhere is worth looking into, as it will potentially give you more floorspace in the kitchen.
“We often try to make better use of the understairs area, as it can end up being under-utilised if it’s not organised,” Cathy says. “If it’s near your kitchen, it could be a great space to build in a pantry of some kind, either to store food or tableware. If it’s near to your living areas, it could be a great space to build in cupboards for general storage.”
Discover how to move your washing machine out of the kitchen.
One of the challenges where the side return hasn’t been incorporated is that a kitchen in the outrigger can be short on storage space.
The possibility of creating an ‘overspill’ area that allows some of the kitchen functionality – the washing machine or bulk shopping, say – to be bumped elsewhere is worth looking into, as it will potentially give you more floorspace in the kitchen.
“We often try to make better use of the understairs area, as it can end up being under-utilised if it’s not organised,” Cathy says. “If it’s near your kitchen, it could be a great space to build in a pantry of some kind, either to store food or tableware. If it’s near to your living areas, it could be a great space to build in cupboards for general storage.”
Discover how to move your washing machine out of the kitchen.
Solution 7: Extend without knocking through
Demolishing the external walls isn’t always necessary to create an indoor space in the side return. This area, which now functions as a dining room, has been given a roof and is connected to the rest of the ground floor by the original external window and an opening where the original back door or a window would have been.
Simon says this can be a good solution where the budget is tight and the external walls are in good shape and well thermally insulated.
Tell us…
Are you considering whether to extend into a side return? If so, what are your favourite inspirations here? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Demolishing the external walls isn’t always necessary to create an indoor space in the side return. This area, which now functions as a dining room, has been given a roof and is connected to the rest of the ground floor by the original external window and an opening where the original back door or a window would have been.
Simon says this can be a good solution where the budget is tight and the external walls are in good shape and well thermally insulated.
Tell us…
Are you considering whether to extend into a side return? If so, what are your favourite inspirations here? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
A deep window can create a new zone in a narrow space. Ana Martins suggests this addition can also make a big difference.
In this scheme, an oriel window – one that protrudes beyond the external wall – has been designed in at the garden-facing end of a kitchen. It not only provides a place for someone to sit and chat to the chef, but also a gorgeous and generously proportioned outlook onto the greenery beyond.