RSJ disaster in kitchen extension plan
So we are halfway (hopefully!!) through a side return extension and internal remodelling project. All going well, until we get home on Friday and I realise there's a whacking great big RSJ ploughing through the middle of what I had expected to be a lovely open corner vaulted ceiling space (poorly explained but basically the back and the side of the house with vaulted ceilings and the middle of the room with its standard lowered ceiling).
Looking at the plans now, whilst the roof has been designed to be vaulted (as opposed to flat), it appears the architect has assumed (!?) that the ceiling itself would be at one level with the rest of the room, instead of using the height of the new roof. Having discussed it verbally, it just appears that this isn't specified one way or another into the plans. The plans do however specify velux windows on another side....so it appears to factored in for one part of the room and not another.
My question is - what can we do with this RSJ? It can't be moved - it's literally the supporting steel for the back of the house - but I don't want a dropped ceiling and 5ft of lovely wasted eaves sitting there doing nothing when they could be helping our kitchen be brighter and lighter.
I'm considering:
a) doing two separate pitched ceilings - one to the side of the room, which will stop at the RSJ, and another to the back of the room, again stopping at the RSJ, with a square of lowered ceiling in the corner of the room, or
b) boxing the RSJ in but leaving the box otherwise exposed/running through the open space on its own. It would mean the corner vaulted ceiling would have the RSJ running through it, which we could potentially make a feature....perhaps have lights fitted into the boxing, or painting it a different colour.
Sorry if I'm not explaining this very well...the first picture shows the RSJ in situ, in red near the top left of the picture. Where daylight currently shows is where the ceilings are meant to be vaulted. The second picture shows approximate dimensions and where the beam would sit where it to be exposed.
Any ideas, thoughts?
Comments (9)
Rose Williams
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas for kitchen extension
Comments (6)hi ! just a quick question or two ... which way does this extension face N,E,S, or W? what kind of roof are you thinking of? if you had 2/3rd width would that leave you a courtyard that still gets the sunshine ? morning or evening ? ..... 2/3 looks great on projects I have seen, especially if the remaining outside space is used as an eating or terrace type area - often in south facing gardens, this set up as you have it, would mean an evening suntrap - ideal for alfresco suppers! ...if you went full width - is there scope to put an access door to the laundry/ mudroom on the right hand side ? or is that a party wall ? having no window would be a deal breaker for me ( I do the laundry in our household !) Designing a kitchen to suit the space before you choose the external doors/ windows may be an idea to run with, as that way you can design without compromise - if you have the time to do it this way i would definitely recommend it ! Same goes for the laundry / mudroom ... be easier to design this to suit, then place the doors where suits the design ! Kind regards, Karen, OnePlan Freelance concept planners - selling only design...See Moreextension plans ideas? cost? suggestions
Comments (16)Jonathan - I think you maybe right that the hallway won't look as impressive as the rest of the downstairs living space, however I think this will always be the case, as our house doesn't look massive from the outside either - It's a chalet bungalow with 2 dormer windows at the front (and a massive dormer at the back). I'll have another think tho as to whether there's anything we can do to change the first impressions! Although I suspect it'll always be a house where "viewing is advised to appreciate the space" Bookworm - Thank you, I also wondered about having the dining room slightly further away from the Kitchen - I kinda felt that if there was space to sit in the kitchen/bar stools or whatever we could potentially get away with it, as then it'd keep the living room area as the largest area within the downstairs. It's an interesting idea only extending to the level of the cupboards, not one I'd thought of! I'm not sure how much that would save in terms of money tho, as I presume we'd still need the full RSJ even if only extending by a smaller amount.. would be nice to not eat into the garden quite so much tho! Will have another think! Although the idea of having a snug in part of the utility room space wouldn't work, as it's only 1.6m from that door in there to the front of that bit of the house, so after you added in a row of cabinets and a wall, it'd be less than 1m of space. Having just told Jonathan you need to see the space to appreciate it, I think it's also a case of you may have overestimated how much we have!...See MoreExtension advice with Plans
Comments (16)I really like the way the beversbrook one was done. Can I ask can you share the design/dimensions at all? It looks a lot bigger than mine and im struggling to visualise the space with the dimensions I have. if I potentially do the courtyard around the 2nd bedroom, bathroom and part of an open plan living area I'm not sure about what sort of space I will have. I'm going to have a play around with this idea....See MoreHelp with extension - kitchen/living/dining areas
Comments (3)Hi when I was thinking about what zones to have where I used @OnePlan on here who was brilliant. The picture you have posted is very similar to my kitchen design. Good luck!...See More
Carolina
6 years ago
PROUser
6 years agoHi Louise,
I have come across this issue quite a lot on my travels.
The main issue is that the best way of designing the room is to get a sketch done or a 3D visual of the room before you start so you can see all aspects, the light quality etc... This way details like your ceiling will be highlighted at the design stage. Apologies, easy to mention this in retrospect.
If you do another project I would be happy to offer an illustration service for you. www.3dinteriorillustration.co.uk
The answer to the problem at this stage depends a lot on the style of the finished room. If its modern I would always suggest using the beams as they are as a feature, boxing them in can look a little heavy sometimes.
Spend a little time and money preparing the surface and paint them gloss white, they will look very architectural and can addd to the overall aesthetic.
This is a project I did in Australia, the beams are used externally but the same principle applies. We decided to expose theme, spay them gloss white and make a feature of them.
Hope this helps and good luck with the project.
Martin
Nate218
6 years ago
PROWorsley Woodworking
6 years agolouisesnaps23
6 years agoCarolina
6 years agoNeero
3 years ago
thejjarteam