Help - tiny non social kitchen
I am looking for advice on layout changes to the downstairs of my house. The current floor plan means a large portion of the house is taken up by integral garage.
Two things about the garage, ideally want to keep a garage door at front “in keeping” with the street, but open to the idea of converting most of it into something more useful.
Also, don’t want to simply convert the garage into a room and end up with a narrow useless room - afaik it’s only 7ft wide (1970s).
Happy with size of lounge, half is setup as diner, other half sofa/TVs etc.
The kitchen is a big problem, whilst we have crammed loads of worktop space into a small room, if we have guests round then the person stuck in kitchen cannot socialise with people in the lounge.
What would you do? If it helps, we already have water/waste (saniflow) in the garage as it was originally intended to be a utility but never happened. The whole ground floor is raised on floorboards.
Comments (72)
E T
6 years ago
Carolina
6 years agoSo, I really don't know if you'd get planning permission for this, but just brainstorming: move the front door to the side. Let go of the idea that you need to keep the garage door and you could do something like this...
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Comments (11)My first idea was to create a galley by simply moving the door to the utility. The kitchen could then be opened up to the dining room. My second idea was to keep the dining room separate but steal a little room from the front facing room (bedroom?). The benefit is that you get a deeper room that allows you to have an island that faces the garden. At the end of this island I have put a breakfast/ drinks area. I think this island and the garden door tick the box for social✔️ This is the more expensive option as likely putting in these doors (which are likely bigger than your existing windows will eat up £4/5k. If you did the second option you could still open up the room to the dining room. Furthermore you might think the Back door becomes redundant and use this space for the washing machine instead of putting it in the middle of a kitchen run. Option 2 is my favorite but there are likely many options and you might choose to find a concept planner who, for a reasonable hourly rate, will give you a number of options to consider....See MoreHelp choosing a sofa for kitchen.
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Danielle H
6 years ago
I like Carolina's first idea. To help with the light could you change your garage door to one with some glazing?
Also possibly pop some glazing in the hall on the wall opposite the WC entrance?
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A S
6 years agoHi,
Here's an additional idea: how about moving the kitchen to the back, where the window is, you could maybe have an L-shape with small island or island on wheels...You could then split the garage into two, the front being a utility and the second being a dining area...
You could consider built buffet- style seating. You could also use glazing on the garage wall where the dining will be to increase the sense of light from the hallway...the lounge area can be on the right side of the existing lounge diner where the doors are...this can be open plan or separated by glazed doors to, again to increase the sense of light.
the current kitchen can be used as an additional, more private snug or as a study space...again, you can use glazing on the internal wall if possible to draw light into the dining area.
Alternatively, depending on the size of the existing kitchen, you could maybe vombine the kitchen and hallway to create a go-through lounge whilst the current dining/living can be a kitchen diner.
A B
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agocyqi
6 years ago
PROEily Roe Interiors
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agocyqi
6 years agoJonathan
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agoCarolina
6 years agoCarolina
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agoA B
6 years ago- PRO
Eily Roe Interiors
6 years ago - PRO
Eily Roe Interiors
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
I know you wanted to keep the garage door but just a thought on the front something along these lines which would give you an overhang for your front door & give a more contemporary feel to the facade.....
& obviously if you though this was viable it would have knock on effect for the layout.
Darren1111
6 years ago- PRO
Eily Roe Interiors
6 years ago - PRO
User
6 years agoI like Jonathan's plan enormously ( as usual ). I also think it's a complete waste keeping a garage in any form when it's an internal one. The garages were built in the day when 7 feet was sufficient to park a car in and open the doors either side to get out. Modern day cars don't fit in them often. Thus, if you convert the garage, you are better utilising the space and visually improving the front of the house too.
With some hard and soft landscaping, I think you can make it more individual and look less connected to the next door house.
This now makes your house look larger, it has defined the plot and as you're on a slight corner your eye is drawn visually to the front boundary, which now looks a lot larger.
Carolina
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agocyqi
6 years agocyqi
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years agoHaving read with interest all the posts, including the weird comments from the Architect...............I would point out that I'm not sure some of the ideas would work from the Drainage point of view.
You have to start with the drains.
I am guessing that they go out of the wall on the right hand side of the house towards the front.
Therefore, moving the kitchen to the other side of the house is unlikely to be feasible.
A simple change like this may be best:-
I like to find out from local estate agents what people want from houses in your area, what others look like inside and what others have done. Always ensure you are not spending more than the house is going to be worth as an end product.
Jonathan
6 years agoSince the garage is only 7’ wide now it will be smaller when plastered. I don’t think it is realistic to consider the garage being a living room
Carolina
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoAgree Jonathan, forgot to add as was in a hurry as usual:- That following the chaps want for an extension in the future, then the new extension would serve as the primary lounge area attached to the new kitchen diner and the old one a kind of second small lounge area.
If you plan the kitchen diner area carefully enough, then you can do the extension at a later date and not disturb the already refurbished kitchen. In fact, all you would need to do is buy end panels to put on the newly exposed backs of the units that you can see from the new extension.
Darren1111
6 years agoI think we are stuck on keeping the garage - there’s convincing the other half
I agree with putting lounge in the new extension but I am dubious of having middle rooms with no external windows. therefore wondering about a half/3rd size like these
Darren1111
6 years agoIt would not be my intention to keep it open like that hence L shape, trying to achieve a wall dividing the living room.
Waste might not be an issue because we installed waste into the garage a long time ago when we were originally going to convert it into utility
I have marked waste in pink - I can’t remember if we carried it to the downstairs toilet or kitchen at front
The house is suspended on timber floor so I think that makes stuff easier??
Darren1111
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years agoHi Dan..............I don't think you need an Architect, the build isn't big enough or fancy enough, no offence. I do think you may benefit from a Concept planner as they can take you through all sorts of ideas and in 3d. It makes a huge difference to see things in 3D.
I think you also need to heed that the dimensions inside are not those outside. For instance if you went with a permitted development extension of 3m out from your house, by the time you have built the cavity wall it's now 300-500mm smaller and that would be both sides and the rear wall, thus, it's actually considerably smaller inside.
Here are a few of the layouts plus a couple of my own to help you visualise.
They look ok on a plan, but when you blow them up, you realise that the space is soon filled with furniture and the lounge area is tiny.
This is with a full width extension:-
This is a new one that i hadn't considered, but I think is actually my favourite so far:-
Darren1111
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years ago Emily
6 years agoI believe there is plumbing on left side? If so I think you could do a two mini extensions and get space for what you want. Leave the garden doors opening as is but on left side do a “bump out” extension for dining booth. Have L shaped kitchen on left side of room. And to give living area more interest and extra space create an opening into lean to area for a one metre bump out for second sofa and put tv on back wall. You could have other sofa where it currently is (chaise better or two chairs).
Emily
6 years agoStruggling to find right pics to illustrate a recessed sofa but here’s one with bookcases although bookcases not necessary to create the recess in this case and my kitchen/living/dining room where I stole 60cm from the lounge next door. This space was gutted so I could have taken out the nib wall and over head nib quite easily but I wanted to create the recess for added interest.
Emily
6 years agoEmily
6 years agoDarren1111
6 years agoWe cant lose the lean to, its invaluable for side access. Happy to block up access from kitchen though.
Here are some photos of neighbors - would i really struggle with planning?!
- PRO
User
6 years ago A B
6 years ago- PRO
User
6 years ago Darren1111
6 years agoSo i found a picture of what an extension would look like without opening up the space and keeping separate lounge
Is this a “bad extension” ?
User