Help with modernising a 1950's house
Hi Houzzers
I've purchased a detached 1950's property which is stuck in the 80's! Need advice on how to modernise it internally without having to extend. On the ground floor I'm thinking of knocking through the kitchen and dining room to create a kitchen diner but I also need a utility.
The current downstairs toilet is inaccessible unless you go through the kitchen which is inconvenient if you have guests imo.
On the first floor the toilet is separate to the main bathroom and its crying out for an ensuite.
Any advice would be gratefully received!
Floor plan attached and dimensions below....thanks in advance
Lounge: 24’10” x 13’8” (max) (7.57m x 4.17m)
Dining Room: 13’0” x12’4” (into bay) (3.97m x 3.76m)
Breakfast Kitchen: 14’0” x 8’10” (max) 4.26m x 2.70m)
FIRST FLOOR:
Bedroom 1: 14’0” x 11’6” (4.25m x 3.52m)
Bedroom 2: 13’6” (into bay) x 12’3” (4.13m x 3.74m)
Bedroom 3: 11’6” x 7’6” (3.52m x 2.31m)
Bedroom 4: 11’0” (max) x 9’0” (3.78m x 2.75m)
Comments (13)
Paul
7 years agoRelated Discussions
1950's bathroom/toilet conversion.
Comments (4)We got all the units and suite from bathstore, this was made up of 4 units (Toilet paper, wc, basin, drawer unit) with a total size of 1700 x 320 Hope that helps :)...See MoreNeed help with redesigning the front of this 1950's house
Comments (3)I would personally re-think trying to square it off with cladding and render. Not only is it an expensive option, but as a semi detached property changing the fundamental structure will always look odd when compared to the neighbours. It may actually devalue the property too. If you like the more modern style then I would focus on replacing the window frames as you suggest - if its all kept in one style this will also help. Then build a sloped roof porch to break up the profile of the front and replace the door with one that has full height windows either side to end up with a width the same as the window above - again this will re-enforce the symmetry, and linear balance that works well with contemporary styles....See MorePlease help. Modernising our 80s build house. What internal doors?
Comments (17)Hello Sarah. Ref your skirting, the Ogee and Chamfered are lovely but it may be helpful to consider the ceiling height in relation to the depth of the skirting. We are in a 1970s townhouse - VERY plain architecture - and the ceilings are not high. The skirting is very simple - around 4” and just a slight slope in to the wall along the top edge - so it’s recessive to the eye and gives a lot of wall space (i need space for art on the wall so this is good for me). The other thing I would consider is how much dust they might collect (boring but in my case, the easier to clean the better)....See Morekerb appeal for 1950s house
Comments (6)thanks! its semi detached. The outhouse on the left of the picture to the white enclosed porch is ours. The porch is a newer addition and whilst it's dry and functional I think it looks a bit cheap and ugly, so I'm looking for suggestions on what style to replace it with......See More
PROOnePlan
7 years ago- PRO
OnePlan
7 years ago 
A B
7 years ago
Irene Spinks
7 years agoIrene Spinks
7 years ago
PROd & b
7 years ago
PRONicola Scannell Design and Property
7 years agoHow much you do depends on your budget of course. I think that it would be good to have the kitchen/dining with a semi partitioned (half wall/ or fire place dividing spaces) sitting are all along the back of the house with lovely sliding doors. See a room I created earlier. Then you could get a separate utility room, toilet and snug or play room at the front. I can replan the house properly for you but I would need to know what else you would like to know what else you require from the house
Get in touch nicola@nicolascannelldesign.co.uk if you want more ideas or proper plans and costings.
Jonathan
7 years agoIf you don't want to do too much work this seems the simplest solution which would mean removing the chimney breast that seems to be between the kitchen and dining room.
jatson
7 years ago
PROParker Developments
7 years agoHere is a slightly different take on the downstairs, I think this would open up the downstairs, and means that you can access the downstairs toilet from the hallway as opposed to the kitchen like before, whilst also giving you a separate utility. I think the entrances to the lounge as they are at the moment are a bit strange, and moving the entrance as shown might help. It would be quite hard to knock the wall down to create one big open kitchen living dining as you would need to put a lot of steel in to hold up the first floor external wall (would have to see the property to be sure though). I think the entrance hall with glazed double doors in front will give you a great view and lots of light into the entrance hall.
On the first floor I think the ideal solution has already been shown. If you have a larger budget however, you may consider splitting on of the bedrooms to create 2 en-suites but this would be a lot more work, in terms of drainage, plumbing and moving walls to get the correctly proportioned rooms. It also depends on how many bedrooms you use, you may not want to lose one to create 2 en-suites!
PRO&INK Design
7 years ago
OnePlan