Thanks Jonathan - we were certainly very pleased to secure it and were up against some stiff competition! Are you from around these parts?

Great minds think alike as we are indeed intending to convert the downstairs into a bedroom with ensuite shower room (as well as plumbing in the washer/dryer into the basement utility space).

In terms of the wood burner, our original idea (which may still win) was indeed to put the stove in place of the old Victorian range and build a small living area (sofa / chairs) around it, leaving the middle room as another living room / dining area. However, we're unsure whether or not we have the space for that, since we want a fairly big kitchen (we're keen cooks), that probably would extend partly down that far wall. Then, as I mentioned, there's the issue of having the stove's heat at one end of the house, rather than in the middle.

Interesting idea regarding moving the bathroom (as it would be nicer to have a larger house bathroom), however, that would mean losing a bedroom, which might not be wise for on-sale somewhere down the line.

Really good to hear your ideas though, and and certainly welcome any more from anybody!

It looks a lovely house. I agree re adding a shower and utility in the basement although think about ventilation for the utility for drying clothes etc. I think it would be a shame to lose the range if I'm honest. I also wonder if you could work with the kitchen that's in there. Integrate appliances and add doors, change handles, worktop and paint and add an island? Pic from deVOL for inspiration with the t&g panelling. A bit controversial but would you consider another heat source with a Victorian surround for the dining room?! Would you be able to squeeze in an ensuite between bed 1&2?

Try again with the pic

@Jonathan - Hmm the issue with splitting the bedroom above the kitchen (which is currently the master and the biggest) is that you have reduced head height all around the edge. Not sure it'd work to be honest, and I'd rather keep the master bedroom away from the adjoining property, despite thick, old walls. Definitely agree re taking advice from kitchen designers though - important we maximise the potential.

@Minnie - Ha, funny you should post that kitchen - that's exactly the style we're looking at; hand painted with a dark blue / white contrast. Had even looked at the deVol ones but I don't think our budget will quite stretch to them, but a local supplier has quoted about a third / quarter of price for something similar but made of pine. Definitely going to add an island, and we had thought we might move those existing units to the utility space downstairs, but upcycling them to become the main kitchen is an interesting idea we might explore. We're also big fans of the existing panelling, so that will probably stay, even if we have to first remove it to damp proof that back wall (it's semi underground, build on a hill-side).

We had also considered the idea of an ensuite jack and jill bathroom between bedrooms one and two but we were a little concerned about storage space - we're not big on freestanding wardrobes taking up space, so the existing built-in wardrobes we'd lose to do this wouldn't be ideal.

I know where you're coming from regarding the Victorian Range, however, I actually don't think it's original and it's not very well done. The surround is not made of the same Yorkshire stone as the rest of the building is (it's actually quite ugly up-close and looks a bit like crazy paving), and it's freestanding from the surrounding walls - I think it might have been some kind of 60s attempt to recreate a period feature.

We had also considered the idea of stove / fire in both the kitchen and the dining room, and if our budget allows, it could be a possibility. However, the dilemma as to where it would be positioned in the dining room still stands, with no existing chimney breasts in there, bedrooms above it (making a centrally positioned fire on the only available long wall difficult) and lack of particularly usable corners.

Realistically, wherever the fire / stove goes, we'd probably want a TV to be somewhere nearby so we can relax and enjoy it, so even if we find a good spot for the fire, it's finding a complementary place for the TV and sofa to go too that makes life even harder. First world problems!

Thank Jonathan - great effort with the sketch. We also prefer the middle bedroom (most probably because of the beautiful windows and the fact it's one of the only square rooms in the house!) but simply defaulted to the larger one as the master, but your idea is certainly food for thought. If we were to keep the existing bathroom location then we had planned to remove the shower cubical, which is currently taking an awkward chunk out of the third bedroom.

In terms of the kitchen layout, whilst I like how it looks on paper, I don't think that would provide us with enough space (both work surface and cupboard) after factoring in a big 110cm range, American style Fridge/Freezer, Sink and Drainer etc. Don't think I could get on board with a triangular island either unfortunately. But like most things with this house, it's jigsaw to be solved, and a tricky one at that.

Can already tell this forum is going to be an invaluable place to bounce off ideas...

I'm back ...

looking at you proposal of a log burner ... the wall between dining and kitchen is echoed above - so indicative of a supporting wall - so if there are doors between the kitchen and dining room - then adding a wood burner into dining room will probably be fine... but if you intend to open up the larger part of the wall to join both rooms - a conflict of HETAS and building regs for wood burner and cooker extraction hoods may well be an issue... so you'd need to consider that as part of your wood burner placement - so best to get a HETAS installer over to help.

Agree with previous posts about putting laundry in lower ground floor - I'd suggest if possible you use the workshop for this - and also make the loo into a proper bathroom with bath and shower using the rest of the workshop ... so basically have laundry and a humdinger of a sumptuous bathroom there - so that upstairs you can minimise the bathroom to a shower loo and basin - and maximise bedroom 3 - ie make this into a proper sized room again. ( perhaps if there is a 'no steps' access intothe lower ground floor from outside, this could be fitted out to be universal compliant for less able guests )

I do like the idea of the ensuites between bedroom 1 & 2 and with kitchen plumbing below - it does seem a logical idea ... but hear your concerns for storage ... so I wondered if the sloped outer edges mean you can get extended storage along the passageway outside the bedrooms ( Nordic homes often have wardrobes outside of the bedrooms)

Then if you decide to re sell at a later date - this becomes a viable purchase for a holiday let !

And in the mean time you'd get the benefit of your own showers and facilities in bedrooms 1 and 2.

Thanks for the mention Jonathan ! Yes we offer a totally independent concept planning service - see our pro page for examples and some reviews etc !
Hope that helps