Hi Lisa For a good example of what your intended drawings above may look like our project on Hatcham Park Road used a similar bifold + window design: For a south facing property you definitely do need to think about solar gain. Any glazing you chose should have a Solar Control Coating on it no matter how large you ultimately choose to have the opening. This will reduce the amount of solar radiation that can come through the glazing and reduce that overheating. For a 2.4m wide door opening a bi-folding door system will give you a lot of framework. In that width you could easily have a double door opening (or french door) for more glass + less frame + keeping the opening size as planned. We have this size French Door on show at our showroom in Amersham if you wanted to get a feel as to how big the door leafs would be If you were to choose a larger/full width glass opening your choice between sliding and bifolds will be a personal choice on design. Bifold doors = more frame but you have the option to open the whole expanse in the summer. Sliding doors = less frame, floor to ceiling glass. They create a seamless indoor outdoor design even when the doors are closed. But when open you will only get 2/3 of the opening clear. Any advice needed on the glass doors or windows let us know.

I'd vote option 4, 2&3 don't appear safe (also option 5 with emptying things into the sink and just impractical). Using option 1 layout, could you have the kitchen along the length of the left wall moving the sofa forward a little, with a narrower coffee table, (and putting the hob and sink as far from sofa as possible). Put the dining table on the bathroom wall with a bench seat. Put a cupboard in the 500 alcove for a larder. You may have room a small chair next to the tv (one that doesn't visually feel the room). I'd make the opening to the courtyard as large as possible. Not sure how that would work as planning isn't my forte and I would strongly suggest engaging OnePlan or similar. I do agree with the estate agents advice though.

It would be a shame to remove such an unusual bay window. Very few windows go right down to the floor like this. In many ways this creates quite a modern look as well as being a beautiful original feature. Have you thought about extending directly out from the kitchen, incorporating the utility (and maybe part of the covered passage?). This could be 2 storey with lots of glazing/bifold doors to the garden with lovely views back of your spectacular bay window. Take the wall down between the kitchen and bay window room to make it all open plan whilst retaining an interesting shape. If you still want a separate utility this could be put into the rear area of the garage, maybe with a WC. Upstairs, you could put in a shower room in part of the existing bedroom 3 next to the bathroom and with the extension it would be a good size bedroom, probably large enough to be the master with dressing room area. This should help to increase the value of the house by creating what everyone wants for a master bedroom.

There are some really valid points made here so far and some thought-provoking space planning ideas so thanks so much for those. I wasn’t sure if people were interpreting the drawing lines near the dining table as a wall but they are in fact the outlines of where the RSJ structure would need to go. Also, the existing patio doors are drawn in but to tell you the truth I would remove those once I have building control sign off. Too many doors would be impractical and each one would need to have a door closer on it! But a necessary evil for fire reasons. I think the sprinkler systems are around £10K so I would rather not thanks. I see one design shows the living room open on the 1st floor but from what I understand that would not be allowed as there needs to be a safe protected means of escape from the bedrooms right down to the ground floor. The stairs need to be in an enclosure but correct me if I’m wrong. Using the garden doors as safe means of escape is a possibility and we have a side alley/access so a door could be added. On one design there is a utility which I am trying to fit in rather than just using the under stairs space for the washing machine etc. I don’t like the idea of walking through the kitchen instead of a hallway but I can see the point about that they wasted space. Although corridors are good place to hang art work and paintings! Also people might get in the way of the cook! One question which I’m finding hard to phrase…. At what stage in a property renovation does building control become applicable or more specifically when do the fire regs start to make an appearance? Is it because I’m adding a potential fire source to the garage? The neighbours opened up the existing kitchen on the 1st floor (see estate agent drawing) and combined the dining space with the kitchen. But there is no record of them consulting with the council but they did have to get building control for the garage conversion. Seems odd. But I just wander will the inspector be looking at the entire house (such as if toughened glass on patio doors) or just look at the conversion work in the garage? If I have to pass though the living room to get to the other staircase will this be an issue for example? I feel that I need to get a clearer ideal of what is really necessary and strip everything down to the essentials. I wish to spend a lot of time with an Architect but their time is expensive so I guess I’m trying to work out the best way to proceed in terms of the layout and design. The architect costs £80 per hour and he studied at a well-recognised University. He didn’t really listen or interview us but did one plan on top of my drawing and said shall we go with that then? He also said that access and egress is taking a lot of space which others are saying on Houzz. In one design I have opened up the whole ground floor space and changed the stairs to the front in a design but at what cost? At the same time I think I need to be quite pragmatic and too much structural changes are going to cost. The budget is not going to be huge for this house. Its not worth spending say £100K on this house as its next to a busy road and the property could end up being a real money pit. I was hoping for £50k finished but that’s with me laying the floor, decorating and making my own kitchen. Possibly being a laborer and doing the project timeline charts and ordering materials. Essentially, we need a family sized kitchen and since I have built a studio in the garden and park on the driveway it makes sense to convert the garage. The garage is long and narrow and more space I think is needed for a kitchen diner/family room. I am hesitant in placing loads of expensive RSJ’s everywhere and having sprinkler systems installed. Also, I don’t really want building control legislation to have to come into force on the whole house top to bottom. Maybe I’m being over fearful of Building Control! We had done drawings for a whole house recon fig including the top floor bedroom and where going to put two new staircases in. Building work got really expensive (Covid/cost of living etc) I got Nervous of increased materials costs too, builder so decided to scale back original plans and be a bit more pragmatic. We may have placed some constrains on the overall ‘ultimate’ layout design. But making use of the spare time available during the Covid restrictions was essential when it came to renovating the top floor bathroom. The top floor bedrooms work quite well as they are so I didn’t see much point in re-configuring everything. But I do get the message and it does make sense to have holistic approach in an ideal World. For me to take up the decking ready for the extension and cover up the astro turf is no real concern. I really wanted a home studio workshop and as the garage is going it gives more storage etc.