Help! no idea where to start...
Comments (24)
minnie101
8 years agokesteranneblack
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Need help for parents living room - where to start
Comments (24)Thanks all for your input. I will take some more pictures on Sunday once we have had a move around. Ash, thanks for your input and reply. The fireplace is a little unusual in that the picture you see with the lantern is the section next to the actual fire, but is part of the surround, i think there is one on the other side too - your comments are all taken on board and we will act upon them this weekend - particularly the rug ones. Hi Minnie, like AJ Interiors I have read through some of your other posts so thanks for replying to this one, all noted, like the coffee table under the light idea. Seniordiva- also thanks very much for your comments, you are spot on. They are definately getting wooden floor just a case of when. Im going to go through this whole page with them on Sunday and then get cracking. Pictures to come soon........See MoreWhere to start for our house renovation - help! ;(
Comments (11)Many thanks for all your comments. Really good food for thoughts. I had a few “loft specialist” quotes and we almost went for it. But the reason we did not is that all those specialist lofts companies were not willing to do the rest of the house (eg electric and plaster/painting in living room/dining room, installation of wooden floor in ground floor, reroofing...) so we would have to employ a separate company for this; which obviously make the project more expensive and not streamlined. I think our project is “small” but maybe it is not :) And does deserve a proper architect /design to start with... I will keep you updated ;)...See MoreWhere to start with a project? Builder or architect for ideas?
Comments (4)There are lots of knowledgeable people on here who could advise on layout of you post a floor plan with measurements. Are you in a conservation area? You would need planning permission if so. If you are removing structural walls you would need a structural engineer to do calculations. And these, together with drawings would go into your council for building warrant. I don't think you need an architect. Builders should be able to quote you based in the above....See MoreWhere to start ? Extending 60s Semi Detached. Help Please!!
Comments (6)hi Toby With a 130k£ budget as covey kitchens mention it below you would have a lots of potential in your house. Back to your must list here my opinion Our main goals are: 1. Must - our main living room moved to the rear, facing on to the back garden. By the look of it with your new floor plan compare to existing you would have quite a lot of structural works involved this would takes lots of money out of your pocket because of a profession fees remodeling and structural works. You need to be sure you know exactly what would you like to have and you try to use as much as possible out of the existing area to have spare money on a longer therm. By the look of it your floor joists are running from the left to the right and sitting on a studwalls. That means whatever you take off there it would be structural works involved too. Good to have your existing drawings for a first floor too just to check any other studwalls you would like to remove is it continues or not. Structural works are one of the most expensive method of a built so if im you and would like to have all of my must list to happen i would try to use as much internal partition walls as possible and keep it as is. 2. Must - We also want a much bigger kitchen and dining area. We are a bit traditional, and are not big fans of the huge open plan spaces which seem to be all the rage these days. We would prefer the flexibility of being able to close the kitchen and dining areas off from the living room when required (so you don't see all the mess and washing up for example!). That can be easily done with doors but at a same time be aware about fire regulations when you choosing the door in between the living room and kitchen. 3. Must - refurbish the upstairs bathroom and main bedroom. Bathroom refurb for a normal size usually about 4-5000£ depends on your expectations. 4. Should - Have a bigger porch/hallway for storage. What type of storage you looking for? Understair most of a time you have lots of space to save up for shoes and other household stuff. We built into a first 3 steps 3 chest of draws last time for a client for all there shoes and its always a dead space anyways. (It can be a nice future by the way) 5. Should - Create a space for a home office (convert garage?) Garage conversion can be a really good idea but if you would like to convert all and have windows and door by the garage door again might be architect and planning involved. If you would like to use as a home office better to shut down one third of it on a front and use it as a bin and bike storage with a garage door and 6. Should - Maintain storage for lawn mowers, ladders, etc that are currently stored in the garage door and use a rest as a home office. If you cant go ahead with a storey on a top you could fit a roof light in too too have some natural space to come through. 7. Could - Build over the garage and extend the tiny third bedroom to make it usable as a guest room. Thats can be a possibility as mention before but first you suppose to have a structural survey to be done to have a look at the existing footings and check if another storey can go to the top. Few time if its not enough you still have a chance to build over with a timber to timber structure and brick clad around as the weight of a structure is 3 rd them the standard. I hope so this would help for you....See Morekesteranneblack
8 years agokesteranneblack
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOoh thank you so much for continuing to help me with your suggestions!! I had no idea whether anyone would even see my post never mind helping so much - absolutely delighted with everyone's comments as I really am clueless and even after everyone's suggestions I'm still umming and arring about colours and patterns now.
GuigsART - really fab work and I've added you to my wish list :)
Lynne Harper - thank you for your great suggestions :) I agree re full length curtains as they would have been my first choice but unfortunately as the windowsill is quite with a radiator underneath aswell the curtains would be at an angle so not sure it would look ok. I love the idea of a beam style mantel but was worried it would look mismatched and that the windows being so 1950's would highlight this? I'm a novice though so would appreciate any further advice about what styles not to mix and whether this would be the case. The cabinet behind the door doesn't look great at all I agree.
Sarah McNally - aw thank you for wishing my luck...wishing I'd been blessed with a natural flair for this...hadn't realised how hard it is! :) Those colours do sound really nice to me actually and thank you so much for the images you attached - I appreciate it and helps me a lot. I've been finding it hard to apply the visual I look at to my actual room. Don't suppose you've come across any good apps or free software that helps you to do that if you upload your own photos? I love Starburst mirrors! Been thinking about one of those for ages to keep with window style.
Sara Smith - thank you and I agree completely that the fire looks cold - I think the whole room does as does the rest of my house as this is only just the first room I'm beginning to tackle! I was worried that unless I went the whole hog and kept the same theme as the windows (which I'm not changing) that any other style of fire surround would look mismatched hence we left it bare. Thinking a large painting or wondering if a really dark colour on that wall with maybe the sunburst mirror or something else would soften this?? no idea.
Mushti2112 - thank you too and it's hard to tell from the photo actually but inbetween where the existing sofas meet is a stepped wall where we had to build in a waste pipe to enable us to move the toilet upstairs from back of the house to the front. So unfortunately a corner sofa wouldn't work - would love one otherwise.
soozmacrae - really good point re mirror...just my novice attempt to put something there when we moved in :)
Katy N - thank you and what do you think about the below? Saw this and as I'm too scared to go for a dark colour in case I don't pull off getting all the other colours etc right in the rest of the room...was wondering about a light grey for the alcove unit and shelves??
kesteranneblack
8 years ago
G Arnold
8 years agoRe: mantle... We live in a 50s property and rather than going rustic we went contemporary/mid century.... Part of our renovation was a woodburner install... We went from plain chimney breast to with a mirror, which we liked, but mirror was in danger from the heat. So, instead of an oak beam (which would be out if keeping) we went with a custom glass shelf, got a very thick but shallow piece of tempered glass that was then painted on top... We really like the effect. Few photos showing 3 stages (forgive the poor pictures... I am no David Bailey)
kesteranneblack thanked G Arnoldkesteranneblack
8 years ago
minnie101