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Dining Rooms Kitchens Design Dilemma

downstairs layout for small house and conservatory dilemma

Alix Brodie-Wray

last year

We have a small narrow kitchen, underused under stairs cupboard / pantry. We currently squeeze a small table and four chairs at the end of it which I hate as we are always squeezing around. We have growing kids and soon this won’t be practical.
The table used to be in the living room but this felt odd due to the proportions of the space.
We are happy with the size of the living room and I have thought about knocking through / taking some space for the kitchen: but we have a fireplace and I worry the living room will look wrong and off balance.
My husband does not love open plan. And I do worry about noise and smells.
At the back we have a small yard with an alley and then further garden. Some neighbours have added conservatories and only one has an extension which is only half the width of the house and backs onto the alley.
We may not be able to afford a proper extension and our neighbours are quite difficult so it could be hard to get ok from them. I guess we could have a conservatory dining room but I hear these aren’t great. Or we could knock through and make a large kitchen diner and the conservatory could be an alternative sitting room.
Attached a floor plan and also aerial shot to get an idea of the back yard situation.

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Comments (3)

PRO
DOR Architecture
last year
Its not ideal that you need to walk through the living room to the kitchen if you would like to keep the spaces separate (i.e. not open plan). If your property is within Permitted Development rights and your budget permits then you can try to add even a small extension of less than 3m (not sure why you need the neighbour's permission?) say 2m. This would give you a lot more room in the kitchen to allow a better dining arrangement. Then it would perhaps be helpful to add a small lobby next to the stairs cutting a separate access into the kitchen, although this will make the lounge narrow partially so it would need some modelling. A local architect could really help, seek professional advice if you can. Good luck

www.dorarch.com
PRO
i-architect
last year
Hi Alix!

This is something that I could help you with. You definitely have scope to take some space from the living room as well as the extend. It isn't necessary to get permission from the neighbours to do this.

I offer an online design service called the Big Picture Plan. You can find out more and book it here: https://www.i-architect.co.uk/bpp.html

This books up a month or so in advance and my next available date is 7th March.

Best of luck with your project,

Jane

chartered architect

eco-home and conservation area specialist

www.i-architect.co.uk
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I don’t think your plan for a playroom is an economical plan. Firstly it’s an additional small room- this house has enough rooms for any family- what you need is larger rooms. You have stated you want a kitchen with an island- the space you currently have won’t accommodate an island but if you did extend the kitchen this will likely add far more to the resale value. The rooms at the back of this house have two doors to the patio- you intend putting the playroom just here meaning you loose the best route to your garden most likely resolved by replacing the Dining room window with French doors….. and moving the radiator, replacing the floor and building a new patio! The living room at the back of the house could be a playroom for the next few years- perhaps you should make an aperture to the dining room to keep an eye on the kids.
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PRO
Resi Design Ltd.
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Hi Alix, If you are looking for some architectural advice, don't hesitate to get in touch for a free consultation with our team at Resi on +44 208 068 4811. We have experience of working on over 5000 projects across the UK (especially in the London area) so we probably have done a similar project to yours.

Our team of experts are more than happy to chat with you about your options, design layouts, costs, timelines and can also put you in contact with some vetted contractors that we have worked with on numerous occasions. Hope that helps. Have a lovely day, Bríd.

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