House reconfiguration. Open plan desire

last year

Hello,

We purchased this property in August 2021 with an aim to reconfigure the layout/extend to gain an open plan living/kitchen/dining plus a living room.

We have lived in the house for a decent period to understand it’s perks and deficiencies so are about ready to make the changes but are currently confused as to the best route.

We have 2 young children ( 1.5 and 4) so want to do the usual kitchen tasks etc whilst keeping an eye on them, plus we enjoy communal living but also want to retain some private area as the children grow.

We also like to entertain and like the idea of the kitchen diner.

We are pretty set on the cliché large kitchen island with seating.

At present the(smaller) old living room is a playroom which is great but we feel it’s a lot of m2 to devote purely to a playroom.

Due to the current world situation and rising prices, we are trying to avoid extending and making use of the existing footprint and removing/adding walls as necessary.

We also don’t want to lose anymore garden as we feel it us currently a good size for a young family.

I’ve mocked up a few options which I’ve attached but please offer any comments/criticism/advice to assist.

Budget is approx £45,000.

Thank you in advance.

Steve

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Jonathan

last year

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Comments (19)

Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
Another 2d layout
katlucy
last year
Could this work if plumbing allows?
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Picture 1 is of existing layout and 2 is my riposted reconfiguration
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katlucy
last year
Moving the study is the game changer it would appear :)
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
@katlucy it would appear so! There is a lot of wasted space with the corridors(previous extension joining onto new rooms). There is a 5.5m roof lantern in the new living room (see original plan) so we wouldn’t be able split this room. However the ideas you have offered are invaluable! Very creative. Thank you.

@jonathan as above, brilliant idea to use the existing corridors and study. I’ve been staring at this for weeks and it didn’t ever occur to me. I may move the kitchen to the dining area due to island pinch points. Any reason you put the kitchen in the position you did?

Has anybody got any idea if these schemes would be within the 45k budget?

Thank you
Jonathan
last year
In answer to your question about kitchen location- I’m not sure I agree with your thinking about pinchpoints as the space at the back of the room is bigger as glass doors slightly increase the floor space- and your dining table placed at the front of the room can be moved closer to the wall to create more space for every day traffic and then take pride of place in the centre of the room at Christmas- the island however can not move.

In addition I prefer the kitchen under the roof lantern as I think you have more benefit of it in a kitchen where good light is important. Plus a roof light and therefore a higher ceiling has more impact in spaces where you stand up. I also think the kitchen will get more use than the dining table so I think it should be positioned in the better space. And lastly I prefer not to see the kitchen sink when you first enter a room from the hallway.
kazzh
last year
If the idea is to open up, it might be worth considering using full height sliders to allow spaces to grow or change function as years go on. Using Jonathan's suggested layout as an example: the wall between the snug and study could be sliders. For now the space can be the more formal lounge with seperate study whilst children can be supervised in the kitchen seating area. When children are older and probably needing some teenage space, the whole area can be teenage zone - open study area and their own TV area to watch those teenage scary screamy movies, whilst you enjoy the kitchen seating.
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
Thanks for your reply @jonathan. I agree with your reasoning and think it would be a great choice to enable for flexibility but the room under the lantern is approx 370cm wide. After deducting 65 for units, 100 walkway, 120 for island inc 30 for overhang you’re not left with a great deal of space for seating and traffic. Something to look into I suppose with the kitchen designers.
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
@kazzh, thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea and it offers a chance for the house to evolve with the family. My only issue with the rooms you mention is the fact you only really have 2 walls to use for tv and sofa due to double French doors and the entrance door. Ideally we like to mount the TV’s on the wall so a partition may not work in this instance. I’ll definitely think about this one.
Jonathan
last year
Assuming the door recess gives you an extra 20cm you would have 105cm on the stool side of the island. Or you could have a 90cm island which is what I drew
Gloria GR
last year
In your second layout the island seems too wide and the dining table is in a very tight position and it’s impossible to extend. Check the space you’re drawing for the dining table with the real dimensions of a table for 6
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
Hi @gloria GR, yes I agree. My fault. It’s seems the way forward is the scheme shown by Jonathan as it opens the space up and allows adequate space for dining.
kazzh
last year
It's all food for thought....i did think of TV etc when writing with those rooms as an example. There maybe other locztions where they could add to your design. Sometimes open plan is so desired that it gets forgotten that sliding doors can offer a lot.
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
Thanks for all your comments on this. We’re looking at putting the kitchen as Jonathan has shown above. The only issue is drainage! Any suggestions? I believe the nearest stack is the downstairs toilets which is approx 9m away….a bridge too far?
Raffaella Mischiati
last year
Lots of interesting ideas! i wouldn’t like to have the utility room on the opposite side of the kitchen though, but you certainly have a better use of space with Jonathan’s and Kazzh’s ideas. food for thought.
Jonathan
last year
Personally I think you will have to have a new drain laid down the side of the house to the new kitchen then meeting up with other drains et the front. It will make a mess of your side path but it’s better than going under your floors
Steve Hughes
Original Author
last year
Yep, good suggestion. Don’t think you’d get the fall going under the floor as it’s a long run. I’ll get some ground workers to offer some prices. I think there’s an inspection chamber near the front door so hopefully connect in there. Do I need to get permission from the water authority to connect as it’s on private land? It won’t be increasing the capacity as it’s a replacement, not new. The main grey water drain is in the road which this would connect to.
User
last year
If it's a private sewer, that you are responsible for, you don't need permission. However, if it's a public (shared) sewer, that the water/sewage company are responsible for, then you do need permission, even if it is on private land.
Jonathan
last year
Most likely the drains are all yours until you get to the road. If you have a copy of your house deeds from when you bought -they will confirm the situation

House reconfiguration. Open plan desire

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