The semi-detached house is almost as much of a symbol of the UK as red buses and Beefeaters. It’s versatile, welcoming and comes in a surprising number of sizes and configurations.
If you live in, or you’re about to buy, a semi-detached house then you might be happy to keep the structure as it is for the time being or you might want to remodel it. Here’s some great ideas for getting the most out of your castle…
Go open-plan
An open-plan living space has that feeling of spaciousness and freedom that we crave as many semi-detached properties can feel a bit poky if they have lots of walls and sections. However, there are some downsides – cooking smells, lack of privacy and (especially if there’s kids in the mix) all-pervading noise.
You can overcome this permeability by clever positioning of furniture, shelving and even by not knocking the walls down completely. Of course, for bedrooms and bathrooms, you’ll want to keep the walls where they are.
You could extend at the back
This is the easiest way to increase your footprint and you might, in some areas, not even need planning permission. Nowadays you’re not restricted to bricks and mortar for extensions – you could have a glazed structure, or even a timber-clad add-on. As long as it “flows”, has plenty of natural light and doesn’t upset the neighbours, you’re winning.
Work with your backyard
UK semi-detached houses always have a decent-sized back garden, so you’ll have enough space to have a man-shed (assuming it is of the male gender…), a kids’ play zone and maybe even a patio and barbecue area. All this and some greenery too!
Have lots of natural light
Semi-detached houses have an entire side with no windows; this is something that most of us never think about, but it’s a fact. You could expand the windows that are south and garden-facing to bring in more daylight, or make sure your extension has big windows. Don’t feel restricted, just talk to architects to make sure you’re choosing the right solutions to get the most out of your space.
