Best way to make our house work for us
Nicola Wood
7 years ago
We have 3 bed semi which we're looking to extend to create an additional garden room, larger utility room and larger bedroom. We're open to how this is achieved but don't actually know the best way to do it. The problems we have are...the master bedroom is an odd shape and we have no room for chest of drawers. We'd like to either expand the size of the room or create a new master. We could do with having some more utility space as current space is a little small (tumble dryer and freezer in garage). The garage is reasonably long and we thought we could take some space out of the garage to make utility bigger without compromising space for a car. Finally, our current living room space is just a bit snug. We'd like an additional living room space off the kitchen. It must have room for a fire and for 2x 2 seater sofa and a tv (and rather large dog bed!). We were thinking 4x4.5 m extension off the kitchen. We have thought of a few options 1. Single storey garden room off kitchen, expand utility into garage and create a new master bedroom above the garage by adding dormer windows to loft space. 2. 2 storey extension to the back with garden room on ground floor and making master bedroom upstairs bigger. Extending into garage again to make utility bigger. Does anyone have any advice or ideas?
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (6)
Jonathan
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Best way to make use of space in Bathroom
Comments (3)You are welcome. You can put the bath by the window, its just being aware that the window sill may get a little wet but as long as the tile on the bottom of the window sill is fitted at a slight angel so that the water runs back into the bath there shouldn't be a problem. Also fitting an extractor fan will help with possible moisture problems. I have attached some renders from a recent job we have done with the bath under the window....See MorePlease Help! How to best use extension space to achieve our wish list.
Comments (3)I agree with above - you're going to have a lovely bright utility! The usual way people extend is to put the utility and WC into the darkest bit (turning the utility 90 degrees like suggested above) which then pushes the kitchen/dining/living towards the garden end. But that would have involved more walls coming down - I feel like this is a case of you got what you asked for, but now you're asking for something else. I think the architect has come up with the best layout though for minimal work involved - putting the dining table in the dark space will just make it a corridor and you'll mostly eat at the island in the light room with garden views (other than dark evenings like you say when being in dark dining room will be quite cosy). I know people who have done that and regretted it and wished they'd put the kitchen in the dark bit as you tend to be doing something in there anyway and you'll be looking through the lovely bright space rather than being in it. Getting a decent second living space seems important to you so the current layout achieves that. You could perhaps add some high level transom windows between kitchen and utility to bring more light into kitchen (depending on where tall/wall kitchen cabinets are going to be and how ceiling is). Another option that you haven't mentioned is to put the new lounge into the dark space (then you'd have to call it a snug!). Leaving the new space as kitchen and dining. But perhaps you want the sofas to be looking onto garden, or you don't want it right next to the other sitting room - which is understandable. So it depends on what you'd use that living space for - or would also having a couple of upholstered chairs or a window seat in the extension allow you the flexibility you are looking for? Regarding the loo situation - I don't like having to walk through the utility to get to it (mainly as you're going to have to clean/tidy your utility every time guests come round, no thanks) - alternative is to walk through the WC to get to utility - would result in a bigger WC (you don't want to squeeze between toilet and basin so put them on the same wall) and a more useful utility space - and you'll have one window into WC and one into utility and nobody will be walking through the cat litter tray - could keep the pocket door idea so that it's more like one room normally, but easy to close off the messy utility when guests arrive (if that is ever allowed to happen again!)...See MoreHelp! I can't make our en suite work
Comments (9)Don't know if this would work for you, as you've tried bedroom 1 & 2 what about using bedroom 3 and the extension as the entirely new bedroom and en-suite with a stylish walk in wardrobe to get to the en-suite? The master bedroom would be narrower but with a bed at the window end and plush seating at the other either side of the walk in door it could look really nice and save a lot of messy building work in the original house. Either that or if you skip the en-suite and use say bedroom 1 just repurpose the space left for a walk in wardrobe....See MoreHELP! Best way to insulate our loft?!
Comments (2)Avoid spray definitely heard surveyor's flag it up on mortgage applications...See MoreNicola Wood
7 years ago
Victoria
7 years agoJonathan
7 years ago
A B