Design Dilemma
Paisley Dodds
8 years ago
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minnie101
8 years agoPaisley Dodds
8 years agoRelated Discussions
What's a design dilemma?
Comments (5)As a first floor drawing room apartment on one of the best roads in Harrogate, my daughter jenny, could only afford to buy it because of its extremely poor layout and condition. I am worried she has made a huge mistake investment wise as she bought at the top of the property ladder and then prices dropped. They have now risen again. The layout has even stumped an architect. The two neighbours also run rings round her because she is so lovely and naieve. I am trying to gently persuade jenny, to replace the old boiler in her narrow galley kitchen before she spends money on units and relocate it to her bathroom. Jenny has not had a kitchen for 6 years and is often away travelling. As i write she has just won silver at the Commonwealth Games and I would love to have some persuasive ideas before she comes home. A new boiler would allow her to get rid of the large water tank in the bathroom and release space there too. Any kitchen design will be forever compromised by fitting it around the existing boiler cupboard. She cannot afford a new kitchen and a new boiler but I feel getting the space right is more important than cabinets. my suggestion is she waits for units and buy the essentials of a good cooker and fridge (her heart is set on a white smeg, a case of eyes bigger than her wallet!), fix the plumbing, and go for an unfitted look until she has the money for units. The walls between her bathroom and kitchen are plasterboard so part of the wall could be removed to "borrow" a little space from the bathroom for her kitchen. This scares her rigid. Also, everyone has to walk through the galley kitchen to get to the main feature of the apartment, a large and sunny sitting room. Due to a chimney breast that layout is written in stone. We know the apartment could be lovely once improved but do others think the space improvements are more important than kitchen units? Jenny has no idea also that plumbing and replastering is entailed as at the moment she has no water pressure (due to said boiler) . Anyone any diplomatic ideas to persuade a daughter and do you agree? Please assist a worried mum!...See MoreShare your design dilemma and win Dulux paint!
Comments (629)Hi Andrea Brooks We can totally understand your dilemma - ‘Magnolia’ is certainly not for everyone! Different colours can evoke different moods and feelings, so don’t limit yourself to one colour throughout your whole house. Dark moody tones work brilliantly in bedrooms, and have been proven to help induce better sleep. Our favourite at the moment is Dulux’s Denim Drift. Bright, fresh colours are great for kitchens, and for creating a lively happy atmosphere. I love Dulux Coral Canyon which is really uplifting. Finally, dusted blues and greens have amazing calming qualities, and are fantastic for any rooms you want to relax and unwind in. Dulux Dusted Moss is a beautiful, versatile colour that will suit most styles of property, either traditional or modern. If you are cautious about using colour, why not introduce it slowly through your accessories, or as a feature wall, as these can be easily updated and replaced. Good luck and we would love to see the results. Hannah Dulux Amazing Space www.designer.duluxamazingspace.co.uk...See MoreNot a design dilemma - just a dilemma
Comments (14)Poor kitty. Do take her to the vets and get her checked out. As for the rug I was looking a while back how to clean wool needlepoint (got a couple of antique chairs with needlepoint seats) and seems that a sensitive fabric cleaner is mostly used for tapestry’s, rugs etc. Woolite is easily available and there are some good reviews on Eucalan. Both need to be spot cleaned (dab on , dab off) and don’t use water especially warm water as this will make the colours run. Might be worth a try before the expense of a professional clean. I haven’t cleaned my seats yet so couldn’t say if it works but there are plenty of ‘how to’ videos on you tube....See MoreDesign dilemma - help!
Comments (10)Hi Rob, I’m glad you like the designs! My other ideas included replacing the garage or converting it as part of the main ground floor or as an separate space like a gym, office or games room. Or creating a very large open plan space with a small bedroom downstairs and then adding or replacing the dormer extension upstairs to fit in 3 bedrooms. But this would have some compromises and I think you could do better with your budget! You won't necessarily have to rebuild/replace the garage. It might have a strong enough structure and foundation to support a first floor, especially if it’s timber frame addition like @tim_baker921 excellently suggests! But this would need to be determined by a structural engineer’s inspection. But did you mean that the garage needs to be replaced anyway for structural or other reasons? Reconstruction of the garage foundations could also damage the existing drain locations, which might then need replacing. This would eat into the budget more as well. So your existing drain locations should be considered for any of these options at the early design stage! Another idea was to extend out the sides of the roof and in front of the garage, with flat roof/dormer windows. But this would be more suited to a project where you couldn't exceed the existing ridge height. It might require a lot of design development just to get the roof profile looking good from the front. But simply raising the roof would achieve the same effect with a more standard roof profile. @Jonathan is right that you are more likely to be granted planning permission if there are other houses of similar heights and sizes on your road or if there is plenty of variation already. If you are interested in comparisons or development of any of these ideas further or would like us to work on a planning application, please feel free to message me directly on Houzz or contact me at: info@phillipbrewerarchitecture.co.uk Kind regards Phill...See MoreJonathan
8 years agoJonathan
8 years agoPaisley Dodds
8 years agominnie101
8 years agoJonathan
8 years ago
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