Front door into living room solutions

6 years ago

Hi all,

I have found a lovely property that I would like to buy, but one of the issues is the front door goes straight into the living room. I am concerned about the heat loss. I am wondering if it is possible to get a small internal porch installed, similar to the photo below? I have also attached the floor plan. The room itself is 13’1 x 11’6 (3.98m x 3.52m) . If anyone has any experience, solutions or ideas, I'd welcome all your responses.

Thanks a bunch!

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PRO

User

6 years ago

You've definitely got enough room for an entrance vestibule. It's not clear from the plan which way is 13ft and which is 11ft. Hopefully, the 13ft is across, so that would leave you 3 feet for the hall and 10 feet for the lounge. You would have to take note of the width of the front door as the hall wall needs to sit next to it, so that measurement would also be handy.

If the measurement is the other way around and the room is only 11 ft across, then the hallway would have a greater impact, as it leaves only 8 ft for the lounge area. You also need to take not of the fireplace, and where you might wish to place furniture.

The fieplace is in the middle and if you put in a hallway, it throws the balance off. You wouldn't want to place a sofa right at the end of the entrance vestibule. In that instance, you would need to make the doorway in to the lounge on the right as you go in, not in front of you. Does all of this make sense?

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Comments (10)

Jonathan
6 years ago
I also think it is possible, would look great and perhaps you should consider using the front room as a formal dining room and making the back room your living room.
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I think you'll be able to see just fine if you move the small sofa to under the window. I'd try it. You already said that the small sofa is oddly placed and you don't like where the table is, so it's really the only choice you have. I presume you mostly use the sofa opposite the t.v ? You don't say how many are in the house? I think it's just the two of you. I'm guessing that when you have friends over, then you're not really watching the T.V so much, so the sofa in front of the T.V is the one you use mostly?
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Cecilia Peters
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you both so so much.

I really love the designs you have created. I will find out more on Saturday when i go to view like the door measurements. The dining room measurements are: Diner – 13' x 11'8 so i'm not sure if that is entirely helpful to you. The doorway of the right is a fab idea!

I also had the idea to change the living and dining room around, so that is a great suggestion!

Would any know roughly how much this will cost? Would most joiners/handymen be happy to do something like this?
PRO
User
6 years ago
It's a great idea to swap the rooms over, it's a shame there's no fireplace in the dining room, i'm sure there would have been at some point. Might be worth looking for an air brick in there on the right hand wall, which will then tell you that there used to be one.

The great thing about those houses, is that without the bathroom beyond, they are so easily extended.

You may wish to think about that before you go ahead with the internal vestibule.

If you are going to switch the rooms around, then you could go for a full hallway, with a view to having the dining room at the front and extending out the back
Ellie
6 years ago
I wouldnt switch the rooms though as then you would have to take plates of food back and forward constantly going from kitchen, passing though living room to dining room. Unless you actually dont use the dining room much?
Cecilia Peters
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you both. So the kitchen has already been extended, do i'm not sure why this wan't thought of. Also in regard to your previous question about lengths and widths, the kitchen is listed as Galley Kitchen – 12’8 x 6’6 (3.85m x 1.99m). So if they have used the same principle throughout the whole listing, the living room should be 13’1/3.98m (long) x 11’6/3.52m(wide/across)

Ah Yes, I did think about having to carry the food through the living room. Good point.
PRO
User
6 years ago
I guessed the measurements would probably be that way around. In which case, i'd probably go for the vestibule with the door on the right as you go in, that way you can still make use of the width with the sofa tucked behind the wall. ( Render no 1 that i did above ).

Also, I would keep the lounge where it is as it's the one with the fireplace.

I know on the drawing that the estate agent has done, the rooms look similar sizes, however, I usually find that the dining room one is quite a bit smaller.

They draw up those things and deliberately leave off sizes if rooms are on the small side. Got to love Estate Agents.............couldn't eat a whole one!
Jonathan
6 years ago
Sorry- I don’t see any issue with walking a plate of food 6 paces. Try it- it’s not that difficult
Ellie
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Probably more like 12 paces to get from kitchen, through the living room and then to dining table, 12 there and 12 back.

There are 4 of us, 2 young kids.

I would be walking from kitchen, through the lounge and into dining room at least 6 times before sitting down for dinner.

-to put cutlery out

-to put drinks out

-to put out sauces and salt/pepper

-then with 2 kids dinner plates

-again with the 2 adult plates

-again back to kitchen as someone has no doubt spilled something already

Not a problem if you have no kids but with a family if this was avoidable, which it is here, then I would avoid this.
minnie101
6 years ago
I think I'd live with it a while before making a decision. My friend recently added an external porch, c7x4.5, she has a hallway and always leave the hall door open when walking in or welcoming people. With an inward opening front door, it seems a tight squeeze at c3x3 to be able to open the front door to someone with the hall door shut or be able to get shopping in (may also be trickier with furniture?!). I might well be wrong but can see the hall door being left open and although the draught would be protected on one side it would be open on one. Perhaps a door curtain could work to a similar effect? It would be interesting to see if someone has one though and whether it's practical or not

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