Thanks for your help and advice- all really useful and helping me sort the confusion of what I need and want and what is and isn't possible. The skinny space is the kitchen now. It's not ideal as of course is very small and narrow so can't house much. But I like that it's just off the reception room and. It quite in it! The kitchen houses the boiler currently and all pipe work there for oven and sink etc so I know this can be the kitchen but just worried the space is too small. My original plan was to keep the kitchen where it is but rehouse boiler and put washing machine in the toilet. The toilet would go in the bathroom but of course now that's not possible I need to put the boiler and washing machine somewhere and if back in the kitchen then I lose so much space. Could such a small space work? I need to rule out this ideal by speaking to a specially that deals with very small spaces. Any recommendations please?

Here's a thought - I have two teenage kids and I have never known them or anyone elses kids to play in a "playroom" for more than half an hour especially on their own - they always gravitate to where you are! and will end up building lego on the kitchen table etc. and in the end you are happier having them "in sight" (Unless there is a host of other kids at your house as well.) So my advice would be to not lose valuable space to a designated playroom. Think about the activities you and your partner enjoy too! Do they need some designated space? It could be a room where a lot of toys are stored, sure (and its nice to close the door on it) but could it also be a room where the piano/craft table/office/homework desk/drum kit etc also live.

Do you need to keep a downstairs bathroom, or are you happy to have only the en suite until the loft is done? (bearing in mind this may put buyers off if you end up selling before you do the loft). If you do then I agree with SpaceMaker’s idea of moving the bathroom to the dining room area if soil pipe allows. Or if soil pipe does not allow (eg if soil pipe runs back through the garden rather than under the house) then at least move the shower and sink, so as to leave only the loo carved off the kitchen. The dining room could divide into a bathroom and utility on the left hand side (using the under stairs space as well) and then a corridor through to the kitchen on the right. If you decide you don’t need the downstairs bathroom then you could have the same sort of division but make it a utility and study space. You will free up quite a lot of space if you take out the chimneybreasts - in your shoes and budget allowing I would keep the one at the front so you can have a nice fireplace/woodburner as a lounge focal point, but then take out the others. Certainly a side return extension, with glassed over side roof and glazed doors to the garden at the end, would have a big impact on the size and feel. Rooflights are cheaper than a full glass roof and have the benefit of being openable for ventilation in the summer.

I'm struggling to visualise this, so here are some random comments which aren't very coherent but may just help. My architect was clear that when you go into a bathroom, ideally you shouldn't be able to see the toilet. If you can manage it, moving the toilet to where the shower is at present would achieve that and also tuck it nicely out of the way. I don't know if it would matter that you could probably hear the flush from the bedroom. I think you would need to put the bath under the window at the back, as in Nicola's lovely photo. For the shower, if you can manage one of those without a shower tray, again as in Nicola's photo, I think that would stop the room looking too narrow. If that is a chimney breast, sometimes it's possible to create a cupboard in the middle of it, which may be a storage option depending on structural safety. And other fairly invisible storage can be achieved by floor to wall cupboards, perhaps with a mirror door. To protect against flooding damage, you could either start the cupboard a bit above the floor or mount it on marine ply. Sorry, not a plan, but some random ideas.