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Kitchens Design Dilemma Renovating

How Would You Redesign This Ground Floor Without Extending?

29 days ago

Hi,
We're about to give this house a full refurb before moving in and would love some ideas on the layout.
We originally planned a 3m rear extension, but with costs being what they are, we're now trying to make the most of the space we already have.
Picture 1 shows the current layout, and Picture 2 shows our original idea.
At the moment, we're thinking of:
Moving the kitchen to the back of the house.
Creating an open-plan kitchen/dining/family area.
Making the front living room bigger by moving the current kitchen wall back so it lines up with the staircase wall opposite.
Keeping the staircase where it is.
Keeping a separate front living room.
We'd also like to split the garage so that:
The front section stays as garage/storage space.
The rear section becomes a home office.
The current downstairs shower room is removed and replaced with a WC and hand basin, with access to the office from there.
Our wish list includes:
A kitchen island (with no sink or hob on it).
A pantry or dedicated food storage.
Utility/laundry space.
Plenty of natural light.
A practical, family-friendly layout.
The proposed rear kitchen/dining/family space will be around 3.72m wide x 7.46m long.
A few questions:
Does our proposed layout make the best use of the space?
What's the best way to fit in a pantry and utility area without making the room feel too cramped?
Would you go for a separate pantry or full-height storage cupboards?
If this were your house and you weren't extending, how would you lay out the ground floor?
Any ideas, sketches, or suggestions would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks!

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Comments (3)

Jonathan
29 days ago
Alternative
P's Place
Original Author
29 days ago
Thank you Jonathan for the alternative layout. The house is a linked detach house, attached to the neighbour garage at the front. So im unsure if we're allowed to have the downstairs toilet per your layout.
Currently the electric & gas meter are in the garage near the front.

For the back where the new kitchen din er will be be. Looking at back layout of drawing. Per the original layout, if we dont move the door, the width from the door to the exterior wall on the left is 3.5m and 2.2m on the right.
We plan to put large slidding doors across the back so there is uninterrupted view when you walk in the kitchem
The garden is south facing. So sunny near the house and cooler at the back. The back of the house over looks a forest.

Thank you, Jonathan, for the alternative layout. Its a design we've never thought about. Few questions & clarification please.
The house is a linked-detached property, attached to the neighbour's garage at the front, so I'm unsure whether the downstairs WC in your proposed position would be permitted.
The electricity and gas meters are currently located at the front of the garage.
Regarding the proposed kitchen/dining/family space at the rear: based on the original layout, if we retain the existing rear door position, the distance from the door to the left-hand external wall is approximately 3.5m, while the distance to the right-hand side is approximately 2.2m.
Our intention is to install large sliding doors across most of the rear elevation to maximise natural light and create an uninterrupted view through the house when entering the kitchen.
The garden is south-facing, so the area closest to the house receives the most sunlight, while the rear of the garden is cooler. The property also benefits from attractive views over a forest at the rear, which we'd like to make the most of when designing the layout.
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Jonathan
29 days ago
The reason I put the kitchen in the right was so that you could connect the front and back rooms.
Moving the wc will be permitted- there is of course a cost implication- in my opinion having a wider hallway and a route through to that space is worth that cost.
You don’t have to move the electrics or the boiler, you could keep the front part of the garage as a store. You might feel the cost is worth it to gain an extra room. I would move them to the porch and then coat storage moves to the hall.
Big bifold doors- lovely idea- if the budget doesn’t stretch the current apertures will provide plenty of light and the garden will still be the first think you see when you open the door.
I would consider having two apertures because it leaves you the option of later building a 4m square extension behind either the kitchen or the dining room later which could be an extra reception room.

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