Hi there, yes - I'm another kitchen designer who feels your pain! In my area, we have a lot of small kitchens (often with awkward staircase protrusions & the like!), so I know the challenge all too well. First of all, jot down a list of all your "must haves" and "nice to haves" - from what you have said, worktop space is probably on your must have list. Think about all the appliances you want to have and sizes of these also. With ovens, think about whether undermounted is preferable to an eye-level oven housing (easier to use, but at the cost of worktop). Consider also the height of your room - if your ceiling permits, consider taller wall units to make best use of space. Look at where your existing water & waste run and position of your existing sink. If you can work with these existing positions, you can save a bit of your budget in avoiding the cost of rerouting/replumbing it all. Try, where possible, to use standard units in 600,900 and 1000 widths as these will offer you most value. Consider a modern "J Pull" handless kitchen - they give the cleanest of lines (helping make a small space seem bigger), look stunning and these days all manufacturers have a competitively priced J Pul kitchen in their line up. To make your budget stretch - - Pick your unit range carefully and consider the cheaper door options - quality can still be good and you can get "the look" for a lot less than, say, painted solid doors - Try an pick units with matching carcasses - you may then be able to minimise the number of "end panels" which may be a little prettier, but come at a price! - Consider vinyl flooring - there are some really excellent vinyls on the market which can replicate tiles, wood flooring and yet the cost to both buy and install are much lower than other types. -Pick tiles carefully - there is such a wide selection on offer, you can usually find the right "look" at a price point that works for you. Alternatively, small "upstands" to match worktops are quick and inexpensive alternative. -Be pragmatic in selecting your appliances. We would all love that fancy Neff dishwasher with 192 programmes and a projection of the time remaining until it finishes, but do we REALLY need it??!! -Pick lovely accessories, get nice kettles/toasters/jars to really set off the kitchen - pound for pound, it will really add value -Spend a little extra on lights and sockets to "lift" the kitchen - there is nothing more soul destroying than putting in a £30k kitchen only for a client to try and save a few tens of pounds by using cheap plastic sockets and switches! Obviously I am biased, but I would suggest you seek out a good, independent kitchen design/supply company and make use of their expertise. Measures and designs are normally free, and if you are open and honest about your budget and needs, they will work hard to really deliver what you want at a budget you can afford. People are often under the impression that the big chains are cheaper, but that is not always the case - they will try and sell you what they are told to sell and meet their sales targets, whereas a local independent will have a wider range of options to work with to try and tick all your boxes. Hope this gives a little food for thought. Feel free to post a sketch of your space here, and perhaps we can give a few more specific thoughts. Oh - and have fun!! You should enjoy bringing your new kitchen to life!!

Hi Rachael, This may or may not be something you considered. In our area, we've had a number of bungalows put dormers in to become chalet bungalows and we've even had a few of the detached bungalows add on another floor and become a 2 & even 3 story home. Renovations - like £50K-£100K average for a loft conversion are easier on costings depending on footage, spec & if there will bathrooms. However I've never worked on a complete story addition, so would only be a guess of £75K +++, if very frugal - (may be able to get it that low with simple layout - but would think with your footprint size, would be more than £75k - would just have to get some quotes). You will have to check the head height of your loft space for a loft conversion and seek planning permission for either of the above. Either option would give you a massive extension to the property and allow you do more with your downstairs. If you are looking for a low-cost (relatively - as still updating bathrooms & getting new kitchen) practical option - knock through the current Dining Room & Reception Room to make one open-plan space housing kit - diner - lounge (lounge at front of reception, dining at back of reception, & kit in dining room). Add larger glass wall & doors, sliding doors or concertina to back of current Reception Room to open into garden. Convert current Kitchen into TV snug / 2nd reception Use one of the bedrooms as an office if you are able Add an ensuite shower to the last back bedroom (just enough room for this) Do any aesthetic updates & decorating to house & current bathrooms. OR If you don't want to keep the garage: Knock the Garage, Kit & Reception Room into one large open plan, triple aspect space or just Garage & Reception Room (keeping kit as a snug) ... have large kit - dining - lounge area with great views all around and glass access into the garden Use the Dining area as office or 2nd reception / snug Use one of bedrooms as office if you need to and are able Add ensuite shower to the last back bedroom Update bathrooms, decorating & aesthetics of home Good luck & best wishes!

You need to give proper measurements to get proper advice! Your u-shaped kitchen will be 600mm + (at least) 1200mm circulation + (at least) 800mm for the breakfast bar. If you want to accommodate stools at the breakfast bar then you need circulation space for those - at least 600mm. That's 3.2m, leaving 1.8m in the dining and sofa space. Most rectangular dining tables are 900mm, so with seats either side you need 2.1mm for dining. You can see that using these minimum sizes, you would need 5.3m for your current plan. Being honest, I don't think it's a good layout for the space. Look at where the door is - it's coming in and opening onto two tall sets of units (oven on the right, pantry on the left) this will give a cluttered feel as you enter the room. Much better to build in your tall units on one wall away from the door. I would put them where the sink is in your plan. Where are you putting fridge?

Thanks for the comments. If I am successful in buying (don't like to assume anything before contracts exchange!), I will certainly live with it to see how the light falls and so on. I was just wondering whether anyone had successfully mixed black quartz worktops with other cabinet colours - I've seen some lovely darker cabinets (darker green/darker blue), but wonder whether mixing them with black worktops works? Many thanks for the comments and interest.