finally got the keys but am I missing a trick?

6 years ago

Hi, it’s been a while since I posted and now finally have the keys. I’m about to book the structural engineer but I feel I’m missing the obvious when it comes to layout? I’m planning on taking down the kitchen /dining room wall leaving the toilet in the hall with the kitchen in a u shape in the current location. (Back wall is not staggered as shown in the photo)

Budget won’t allow for an extension just yet and upstairs is having the bathroom and toilet in one with separate shower but that’s about as far as I’ve got.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Featured Answer

andrewbooton

6 years ago

MATH, We don't have that information. Ryan wanted options but every option is subject to verification. Now is the time to look at viability not after the (cheaper) opportunity has passed.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

PRO
User
6 years ago
I remember this one................didn't we put a Utility where the store is?

If the back wall isn't staggered, how does it affect the upstairs plan, which is shown as a larger stagger. Or is downstairs not staggered and upstairs has a big overhang?

You would have to state what you actually want out of the place really before having a plan. Also, if you don't want to extend, what is your budge for a refurb without extension. ie:- Do you want to remove the kitchen, refurbish that? Do you want a separate study? Do you plan to knock down the conservatory for better views out of the lounge etc...............
special morning
6 years ago
I think your plan sounds good and I would leave the downstairs toilet where it is.

Once you have knocked through kitchen and dining room, have you considered having lovely double doors from the current dining bit to the lounge? Easy access in there will make it a more useable space, with better flow. You should be able to close them off to make the lounge cosy or formal however. Sliding pocket doors are good for this.

I also would loose the conservatory as I dislike them. Make the garden access from the new kitchen diner instead of from the lounge. That will also improve flow to the garden - its not so convenient to walk in and out from the garden through your smart room, but having a patio opening off the kitchen encourages eating outdoors and flow.

These ideas are fairly budget friendly as you don't have to move services which gets costly and messy. I'm sure there are other wow floor plans you could do, but it depends on your budget, as Man About the House says.
Related Discussions
Anyone got any good ideas for making an ex council house look cool?
Q
Comments (61)
I live in the Scottish Borders and three years ago there was a government incentive to externally insulate the houses. Due to the construction of the houses (poured concrete they couldn’t have cavity wall insulation ) . The difference to the heating bills is unbelievable but the look of the house is fabulous as there was new render put on new window sills and down pipes .i agree with the comment that just doing one house would stand out like a sore thumb but it just takes one to start the ball rolling . Maybe speak to your neighbours and they may want to do the same . All the houses in my street had the cladding and it has transformed the look of the street . I have since revamped my lounge and kitchen. There was nothing wrong with the kitchen cupboards so they where painted ,new work tops and sink . I did have a breakfast bar that took up a lot of room which I have replaced with a glass table . My next project is my bedroom which is getting refitted with new wardrobes and draws . Ex local authority houses are well built and have big rooms , they are worth buying as you can do so much with them ,I have bigger cupboards than the rooms that are in some new builds . This is my kitchen, it is so much lighter and more space . The back board is the same as the work top , so no tiles to grout .
...See More
Spent a year designing my garden - am i on the right track?
Q
Comments (18)
@ angm47 - Nice garden! It's the opposite to yours. Mine slopes upwards towards the far end, so I've added steps on the drawing, see the two horizontal double lines. So there would be 4 changes in level in total inc the last one behind the gabion retaining wall. I'm expecting a fair amount of ground excavation regardless of final design. PS I'm really into grids and straight lines so not opting for anything circular. @campo73 - nice isn't it! Yeah it's the same, 9x5 grid of 600m@ slabs, making the shorter side 3m wide, plus I've added another slab width path to two sides, making it even wider for chairs to be pulled out. I noticed the smaller table too. Thanks for the tip on the stone choice. @rachelmidlands - thanks for your additional feedback! @JBS Ltd - I agree that a light coloured slab would look more contemporary, which is what I'm after, but I'm reluctant to if they will go green all the time :-S You read my mind on the planting, I already have some miscanthus I'm potting up ready for action. As for the perennials, I'm going to go for strong stemmed ones with winter seed interest, rudbeckia goldsturm for example. I quite like the idea of a late season garden, like Joanne Bernstein's (bloody gorgeous garden and a BIG inspiration that one - see pic link http://farm1.static.flickr.com/343/19951288828_3accea0675_b.jpg. @Jen P - Yeah I thought it'd fit too - the size is 3.0x5.4m - it's hardly small! Whilst I like angm47's garden I am opting for straight lines, grids, no curves. Plus, crucially, (if anyone's noticed) I've brought ALL the planting areas away from the yew hedge boundary consciously, from a practical point of view. I'm trying to design it with manageability in mind as well as aesthetics. Plus I quite like the idea of bringing the focus inwards rather than putting it on the borders around the edges. Plus, I'm not so bothered if the garden is long and rectangular, because its easy to change when the kids grow up :) @colourhappy - totally agree - if you see everything at once you give the game away. So I've put in screening features with line of sight from the living room in mind. Re 45 degree angles, oh god that means a complete re-design :-) I've been told to 'work with what you've got' in the past, so taking that on board, my design grew from the existing raised brick border on the right that's parallel with the boundary. I'm not sure I could/want to change it all and and keep that there at the same time. @fran11home - thanks for the tip I'll check it out!
...See More
Almost there.....final thoughts if you please!
Q
Comments (18)
Hi Suzanne, The stairs i had in the drawing were my version of what i thought it would look like before we got formal drawings from the architect (bit of cut and paste of existing plans). I do have an updated version he did i'll post here. However on this plan the bay at the back of the kitchen is too narrow and we haven't got the side windows shown in the kitchen etc. The stairs i had shown have a half landing. Our current stairs have 2 quarter landings. The stairs only go up 1 floor - 15 steps (15th being the landing level). We are also constrained by some eaves so the steps can't come up directly onto the landing by the wall due to head height issues - i have shown this with a red line. Happy to consider any stair variants you mentioned. I will take a look at stairbox.com thank you. The hall is approx 7.5m by 3.5m if you include the utility/coat cupboard area in the overall space. Thanks again for looking at this for us!
...See More
Living room help - what am I missing?
Q
Comments (27)
I think the room is looking great. I’m useless with colour but I’m seeing purple in your wallpaper and pink for the fire so would try to bring these colours in. I would also add a lamp on the side table and bring in wood for warmth. If this table is too big there’s a smaller one. The only issue with a rug (ignore the one used it was just to help my poor photoshop skills 😂 ) is that the back sofa overlaps the hearth so a rug can’t sit under the feet. If this bothers you, you could layer rugs, could be sheepskins or round rugs etc or just have a small rug in front of the sofa facing the fire with a table on
...See More
special morning
6 years ago
Also not sure what that circle is in the store, but yes a utility over that side would be good. And outside access. Is it semi detached on that side?
Jonathan
6 years ago
I think if you intention is to extend at some point you should plan for that now as it may influence how you lay things out now.
Ellie
6 years ago
You say you just got the keys. . . so you haven't lived in the house yet? I think you should live in it as it is for a good 6 months before deciding what to do. It will give better feel of what needs done, how best to do it, where best views are, how the layout works, what spaces work and what don't.
Ellie
6 years ago
Oh and if you are going to extend at some point or get rid of conservatory at some point, I think you should do that bit first.
andrewbooton
6 years ago
There is space in your master bedroom for an en suite. Since you're reconfiguring your bathroom, I would lay the pipes for that at the same time, even if you couldn't afford to build the en suite itself just yet.
PRO
User
6 years ago
I'm saying no the En-Suite in the Master as probably not do'able. The soil pipe and drain will be on the right hand side of the house. Thus, getting a soil pipe from the other side, out of the back or the front and back round to the right i'd guess is not practical.

finally got the keys but am I missing a trick?

andrewbooton

Comments (9)

User

special morning

Related Discussions

special morning

Jonathan

Ellie

Ellie

andrewbooton

User

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US