Hello pips_p, If you kept stairs where they are to negate need for structural engineers and expense you could still have 3 bedrooms and a en suite shower room or wet room with walk in closet for the new master bedroom. The two rooms have sliding doors (inside wall cavity) Pocket door illustrated via the arrows. The illustration shows a shower as per your plan but could easily be a wet room with tanking.. Here's a quick illustration using main plan but focusing on area in question. I felt a walk in closet would be more desirable to the plan, plus two bathroom areas on this floor is really all that's needed for bedroom/bathroom ratio. You could then perhaps situate a downstairs loo if you don't already have one. If further showers are needed, you could have another wet room style closet loo, as opposed to just a loo at ground level. : ))

Hi Chloe. I can't design for toffee (nor is to scale etc!) however it might give your thread a bump for those that can:) Personally I would probably employ Karen at OnePlan to design the whole space! Hopefully the plan is self-explanatory but i might look at banquette seating with shelves and conceal a tv over the banquette bench (should be about the right viewing height!). For others to help it might help to give more details. I assume from the plan that you have a separate living room so maybe sofas aren't the priority? It also looks as if you want a study area? What type of oven (and hob) and how many do you want? Do you want a sink or hob on the island? I'm assuming the log burner is to go in the existing chimney breast? Is the room to contain utilities? Do you want a microwave, wine fridge etc? I can see a concealed tv in your ideabook so assume that's on the list? Do you want a pantry/breakfast cabinet etc? How many is dining to seat? If you speak to someone like Karen they will ask lots more questions so as to design the space specifically for your family!

Karen, to be honest with you, you do not really need the council's approval (or Lawful Develpment Certificate). As long as you are absolutely sure that what you are doing is within PD, you can just go ahead. The LDC is for future buyers, and can be gained retrospectively. I didn't wait for it on either of my projects - by the time it came from Lambeth I had basically finished the outside of the loft. It is absolutely critical that if you do this, you make sure your plans are compliant though...with loft conversions that is mainly making sure that you do not exceed the maximum additional volume measurements, and that the dormer is set back 20cm from the edge of the original roof. Do make sure your builder is on top of the necessary building control notifications and inspections though - this takes much more effort, and is nothing to do with planning, and absolutely compulsory. Happy to tell you more about this/answer questions: you have my e-mail address. Everything from the specification of windows,through insulation depth required, to position of plug sockets is controlled and needs to be correct. In my experience, plenty of builders don't know enough about the regs and bodge things. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/120/what_to_do_next/3

Congratulations on the new house. The best advice we were given was to live in the house as it is for at least six months before committing to significant changes. We were so glad of that advice as after six months we’d found that what we’d originally thought we’d do wasn’t what would work best for us or the house. I like the jack and Jill bathroom idea btw. A friend of ours in the USA did the same for his teenage daughters, including two basins as he reckoned they might both need to be doing make up etc at the same time! Good luck with the house. Angie