Large gardens are all well and good if have the energy & ability and you can afford the time (or money) for maintenance, but it's not always ideal. The size of garden should be appropriate to the size of house and appropriate for the lifestyle of the owners.

Hi Kate. We have three children under 8 so are in a similar position to you. If it was my house I would..... In response to your first question, a 33ft x 14ft open plan room would not necessarily be too big, but it would leave you without a downstairs utility or WC. As tamp75 has commented, a hallway is good for isolating noise to upstairs bedrooms, and you need somewhere for coats, bags, shoes etc. With three storeys, having the kitchen open to the hall may create problems with building regulations (fire safety). I'm not an expert in this area but it should be considered. 2. I would definitely reposition the cloakroom. It looks like the drainage to your house will be on the right hand side of the plan, so I would not put the WC under the stairs. Something like Jonathan's second suggestion would work well. 3. I would create a utility room, but only a small one. Large enough to hold a washing machine and tumble drier (stacked to save space), sink and some storage. If you can get hold of a copy of George Clarke's Home Bible he has a whole chapter devoted to utility rooms - it is well worth a read. 4. I would reconfigure the property in a similar manner to Jonathan's second suggestion. The only minor changes would be to move shorten the hall slightly by bringing the entrance to the kitchen level with the stairs, and possibly reconfigure the area for utility/WC/cloaks. I recommend retaining the first floor living room as it stops the house feeling too 'top heavy' and could be a really good family space. 5. It's hard to answer this without knowing more about you. I think it might be possible to have a kitchen, seating area and dining area but I suspect that you might have to make some compromises. You have the potential to create two lounges elsewhere in the house, so I would compromise on the seating area. Given the scale of this project I would take my time to consider all of the options. I think it is definitely worth spending a few £100s on a concept planner as they could save you £1000s in the long run. Good luck.

I would get a smallish drop-leaf table with two comfortable dining chairs for you and your roommate's eating area. I suggest no barstools - they take up too much real estate. Guests. Ask them to bring a cushion or a folding chair because you don't have enough chairs. I lived in a very tiny place and my guests were happy enough to sit on the floor - 90 minute party, max. Serve VERY good food. Separate the living and dining areas by color/style and/or an area rug for the living room that will compliment your furniture. Decorators siggest that the front legs of living room furniture be placed on the rug if the rug is too small to fit under all of the furniture. If you get a sisal rug, be sure to use a rug pad. Sisal can be like sandpaper on the wood finish of your floors. I would NOT put a rug in the kitchen. Use washable foot fatigue rubber mats instead. Best wishes.

Hi there, Are you still looking for a designer? Feel free to get in touch! Kay Moden