Help! House layout dilemma
jophilip1
7 years ago
Hello ... We are a family with two small children (4&2) and moved into our new house 3 months ago and we always knew we would want to do some work to it. It is a terraced 1920s property in a conservation area. The property is characterful and has charm. It has a more modern extension to the rear of the property to make a big dining room/ family room which the previous owners did.
I do like the house however I think it has so much potential that just needs a bit of thought to try and unlock it... The only trouble is, the layout is starting to bug me more than I initially thought so I need some help to try and get my head around how I can attend to the issues list and gain some of my wants in there! Help please!!
So my issues are around layout mainly - the downstairs just doesn't work - loads of wasted space.
- The kitchen is on the smaller side in the middle of the property and with no natural light. It also houses a washing machine which I want out of the kitchen!
- the side access to the garden has been covered and offers a long narrowish space that is a utility type area however the washing machine is in the kitchen(?!) has a few cupboard to be honest has become a bit of a dumping ground. It has front and back access. Front access is more useful because it can house a buggy/pushchair. (The space is currently at its narrowest point just over 1m wide and at its widest 130cms)
- there is virtually no hall space - when welcoming guests we are prancing around the front door because the stair case is literally straight in front - then we have to negotiate which way to go into the back of the property where we spend all our time. I'd love a hallway or a defined area to travel through the house so that the sitting room to the left was not a walkway. The stairs are also enclosed between two walls (guessing pinning up middle of the house?) - I'd love to also have open balustrades to make it feel less enclosed - don't know if this is possible.
- I have no storage which is becoming crazy crazy with two young children. My eldest has just started school and I can now see I need a school cupboard as well other cupboards housing shoes, coats, wellies, buggy? for the rest of the family.
We have a huge cupboard under the stairs that just does not work as it is accessed by worlds smallest door (which my head is not very thankful for!)
- we have a large downstairs bathroom with a huge shower that we do not need as we have two bathrooms upstairs (I'll come to that later).
- filing - everyone's Bain but grrrr... We have no specific space for it and just grrrrr!!
The other annoying thing is that we have a southeast facing house so we miss out on a huge amount of daylight during the afternoon and the downstairs rooms that benefit are the velum Windows in the narrow covered passageway and the downstairs loo!
We like our sitting room as is so we would prefer not to touch it however welcome thoughts
So there are my head spinning thoughts on downstairs!!! :)
Our wish list would love to include
- Kitchen/ diner
- separate utility space - happy with walk in cupboard or room
- downstairs little loo
- playroom/ teen den (for later yrs)
- sitting room as is
- study area
We have a budget of £40k currently and we are based in east Surrey so know it is t going to stretch far however we would love to challenge the budget and the houses potential.
We are quite happy putting in planning to square off rooms and side alley and porch way if it is really needed but wanted to explore what the house could do in the 'as is'.
Upstairs ... I'll leave that for another time :) and another budget!
Thanks for your time!
I do like the house however I think it has so much potential that just needs a bit of thought to try and unlock it... The only trouble is, the layout is starting to bug me more than I initially thought so I need some help to try and get my head around how I can attend to the issues list and gain some of my wants in there! Help please!!
So my issues are around layout mainly - the downstairs just doesn't work - loads of wasted space.
- The kitchen is on the smaller side in the middle of the property and with no natural light. It also houses a washing machine which I want out of the kitchen!
- the side access to the garden has been covered and offers a long narrowish space that is a utility type area however the washing machine is in the kitchen(?!) has a few cupboard to be honest has become a bit of a dumping ground. It has front and back access. Front access is more useful because it can house a buggy/pushchair. (The space is currently at its narrowest point just over 1m wide and at its widest 130cms)
- there is virtually no hall space - when welcoming guests we are prancing around the front door because the stair case is literally straight in front - then we have to negotiate which way to go into the back of the property where we spend all our time. I'd love a hallway or a defined area to travel through the house so that the sitting room to the left was not a walkway. The stairs are also enclosed between two walls (guessing pinning up middle of the house?) - I'd love to also have open balustrades to make it feel less enclosed - don't know if this is possible.
- I have no storage which is becoming crazy crazy with two young children. My eldest has just started school and I can now see I need a school cupboard as well other cupboards housing shoes, coats, wellies, buggy? for the rest of the family.
We have a huge cupboard under the stairs that just does not work as it is accessed by worlds smallest door (which my head is not very thankful for!)
- we have a large downstairs bathroom with a huge shower that we do not need as we have two bathrooms upstairs (I'll come to that later).
- filing - everyone's Bain but grrrr... We have no specific space for it and just grrrrr!!
The other annoying thing is that we have a southeast facing house so we miss out on a huge amount of daylight during the afternoon and the downstairs rooms that benefit are the velum Windows in the narrow covered passageway and the downstairs loo!
We like our sitting room as is so we would prefer not to touch it however welcome thoughts
So there are my head spinning thoughts on downstairs!!! :)
Our wish list would love to include
- Kitchen/ diner
- separate utility space - happy with walk in cupboard or room
- downstairs little loo
- playroom/ teen den (for later yrs)
- sitting room as is
- study area
We have a budget of £40k currently and we are based in east Surrey so know it is t going to stretch far however we would love to challenge the budget and the houses potential.
We are quite happy putting in planning to square off rooms and side alley and porch way if it is really needed but wanted to explore what the house could do in the 'as is'.
Upstairs ... I'll leave that for another time :) and another budget!
Thanks for your time!
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Comments (11)
Helen C
7 years agojophilip1
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Large kitchen layout dilemma, help!
Comments (5)Hi diviyag, I have looked at your proposed plan and noted a just few ideas on the drawing attached here.This U shaped kitchen would be improved with a peninsular ( they aren't just a feature of the 70's anymore!) and I would recommend this to make a soft divide to a large open space. But importantly if the hatched section (breakfast bar style) was raised slightly it would provide a place for closer social interaction with the kitchen (imagine sitting there on a bar stool whilst someone else prepares food) we don't always want to sit formally at a table....AND it would also provide a screen on the opposite side of it on the worktop for busy mess which we cant always avoid. This is a priority for an open plan scheme. You could actually think about putting the dishwasher and bin there too, as washing up will likely arrive to the kitchen from the table and this would be a good spot to put it down ready for stacking into the dishwasher. Position the sink where you have put the hob. You haven't mentioned fridge but if you wanted to have a tall fridge (integrated) or a USA FF place this on the wall between the patio doors and kitchen window. I would recommend creating a feature wall where I have reappointed the hob. Would advise further if I knew more about the project/ your style/ appliance requirements etc. Now is the time to think about your lighting - again a priority for an open plan scheme. To get you started; you need to create at least one light source which is not just from the ceiling i.e. mid height. You have an opportunity for a nice side board/ dresser on to which you could add 2 x table lamps. Add a feature chandelier pendant over the table if possible. Add smaller pendants over the peninsular. If you make a recess in the wall for the TV to sit in (50-75 mm) you can 'hide' it when not in use by various home tech solutions, or use a fixing mechanism to tilt the screen to serve dining table / sofa area . Finally to bring your styling up to date by adding large floor standing plants....See Morelounge layout dilemma - we can’t agree, need help.
Comments (6)If you've got a family room I might be tempted to put a tv in there, use the dining room as a snug and have a table and chairs with a small sofa in the living room. Alternatively use the family room as your main living room and the dining room as play room (depending on age of child/ren). The proposed layout doesn't allow for much seating and also blocks the path from the kitchen and seems quite close to the stools. I think just seeing half of the back of the sofa may also look slightly odd?...See MoreHelp needed! Layout dilemma for kitchen diner / space planning
Comments (16)I completely agree with OnePlan. Take your time. Don't settle for less (unless your budget really doesn't allow..). I sell and design kitchens and my boss pays me per hour, not commission. And everyone gets the same lowest possible price. People can come back time and time again, until their kitchen fits their needs perfectly. I hear plenty of stories on people being pushed into a signature or lured in with discounts. Or salesmen without any technical insight/background. Or designers not really listening to someone's needs/wants. It saddens me. A kitchen is not a car you can trade in after a year or so. Always look for something you can live with for 10 years plus (and longer). Your workspace would ideally be 80cm (minimum), that means the area inbetween sink and hob. Every other bit of surface can be used to place other items, make a drink, etc. When you regularly work with two people you could downsize the tall cabinet left of the ovens to a 30cm pullout larder, so a 90cm drawer cabinet could go next to it (for example)....See MoreHelp with extension layout + split-level dilemma
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7 years agojanelouisethomas
7 years ago
PROEquilibrando... Space Planning with Feng Shui
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoalyper
7 years agoHelen C
7 years agoHi Jophilip I've been pondering this all evening and this morning! I think to maximise the space and light you have to move the services (utility, wc) to the left hand side of the house. I would change the current downstairs bathroom to a cloakroom for all your storage needs. I would block off the wall in the sitting room to make this a more formal space to escape to in the evening. I think you would need to get rid of the wall on the right hand side and incorporate that narrow space into the kitchen. Then you can get the light into the middle of the house with velux windows. I'm just not sure with moving all that plumbing and the wall it would come within budget. Hopefully a pro will give some input, apologies for the crude drawing!
- PRO
Helen C
7 years ago
Helen C