Advice for 1840's Welsh Miners Cottage reno + Extension (Floorplan)
Hi guys,
Looking for ideas of how you could redo some of the existing floorplan and also carry out an extension to the rear of a very small miners cottage.
We have 4 young kids so would be also looking to install a small bedroom by redoing what would have been a crog loft originally.
Existing Floor plan is here:
I'm thinking of moving the wall for Bedroom 2 over to where the dotted line is in living room showing the location of a beam above and turn B2 into a lounge room. The reason for this is that I'm sure there is a lovely old inglenook fireplace covered by that very thick wall in Bedroom 2.
By moving that wall I know that the current living room will be small (about 2,2w x 3.5L) but it would be big enough for a kids bedroom but is it too small? Above this room we would put in a crog loft with another kids bedroom but it would be longer to also go over the shower/bathroom.
Shower: We where thinking of then moving the existing wall between the shower and kitchen further back into the existing kitchen in order to make the shower larger and turn it into a 'proper' bathroom. (Probably move this wall to where the window and kitchen benchtop are in the above diagram to give you an idea of space.)
Extension: The rear kitchen wall would also come down and then we would look to build an extension to the rear of the cottage with open plan living, dining and room. Also like to have a utility room somewhere but here is the catch...
We would need another bedroom or 2 in the upstairs of the new extension but we have to keep it to the same height as the original cottage so we would again need to do them as lofts.
Does anyone here have experience with these older cottage renovations as I'm really stuck for ideas in the new extension. Its like a blank canvas I have no idea how to start with.
Thanks in advance,
Comments (34)
Carolina
5 years ago
A B
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years agoA B
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years agoMany thanks JenP.
Here is my attempt at a rough proposed floor plan with the extension plus measurements. (note - i cant work out why the software has created the windows with swing arcs like the doors. please disregard these.)
Note: We've extended the small shower room so it is now a family bathroom. Looking to probably build a butlers pantry (is that what they are called) next to it and then a kitchen off that leading into the new extension with an open plan living and dining room.
there are no doors or windows in the extension plan yet but we want to have doors that fold back opening out onto a courtyard garden.
CheersA B
5 years agoWhere are your stairs? I think I'd look at keeping the 2 bedrooms at the front, then you could potentially have a really large open plan space at the rear. I'd also worry about having the 2 kids rooms so close to the living room.
Or you could have the living area in bed 2 (how exciting to find an inglenook!). But I'd have a small hall and shift the bedroom along a bit. It would be invaluable for all the coats and muddy boots etc! I think if you access both bedrooms beyond the living room, it at least gives a feel of separation.
Harry Boy
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years ago
PROOnePlan
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoWell, good news. We sat down with planners and our design guy and came up with revised plans which have finally been approved.
we break ground in a few weeks and now just need to lock in some internal layouts for ensuite to main bed and kitchen.
Does anyone have any good tips or resouces to help with interior layout design decisions?
Attached is our hand drawn plans and an elecronic one im using to try and help with layout.
cheers.
- PRO
User
5 years agoI like it, it's very hard to visualise how it sits in relation to gardens etc, so pics would be good. You've waited so long, it must be great to finally have the go ahead.
Just a couple of questions / small points. The master bedroom is large in comparison to the amount of room given over for the kitchen area, which is quite small.
I'd scale that back if possible.
I'm sure you have Plumbing constraints, but maybe a little amendment to the bathroom area would also help. It's a shame you can't get a bathroom in the bedroom block ( i'm guessing maybe it's not possible?
Harry Boy thanked User Harry Boy
5 years ago
rinked
5 years agorinked
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agorinked
5 years agorinked
5 years ago- PRO
User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoEventually you will most likely to prefer 5 bedrooms. However, with that comes the problem that you have quite a small living space compared to the bedroom allocation. I personally think that the living space, especially dining area, is too small for you all to live comfortably. Maybe you can think further on and plan for additional study / escape space toward the rear on the left?
If you have 4 kids plus you two, and an acre to live on, it's going to be busy and probably muddy. Providing an entrance where you can all get rid of boots and coats before going in to the house is essential. Storage is another essential.
I would suggest that although restoring the fireplace in the original sitting room is a nice idea, that you can't do that over providing enough living / sleeping space. Providing for future use is also something that has to be taken in to consideration now, as presumably you will be there for a long time.
A good concept planner will help you enormously as they can work with you, see how you live, work out what you need and balance that with what you think you want. Karen @ OnePlan comes highly recommended on here.
I know that this plan is larger than you currently have, but it was the only way of getting enough living space for 6 people.................so it's an idea and only 'sketched' to see hopefully the improvement on flow and space.
This one is super as you get a view front to back when you walk in giving the maximum amount of visual space.
Harry Boy thanked User rinked
5 years agoHarry Boy
5 years ago- PRO
User
5 years agoHi Harry, I went back over your original postings and realised that you had a bathroom already in the original block that you had extended from an old shower room.
Given that it would be a little daft to re-jig that and that you need a bathroom in the bedroom block, I kept it there.
I totally hear what you're saying about the footprint and not being able to go over that size. However, I think where a lot of us disagree is that keeping the sitting room in the old house is a nice idea when you have oodles of space to play with, but, when you're already a bedroom down for the future, and you've got a bedroom coming off a living room, then it's not so great an idea.
Thus, I went with your footprint and produced this for a better attempt. I didn't mark the door on the new bathroom, because, personally i think it would better as accessible by all, but you could choose to have it as an En-Suite. I did manage to segregate all the bedrooms from the living area though.
Harry Boy thanked User A B
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
I really like your plans. If it was me, I'd extend the utility room and make it the en suite. I'd look at getting a washing machine in each bathroom (4 kids...). I'd enlarge the kitchen to give you more storage and have a large table for everyone to sit round. I'd have some seating in the master bedroom if possible, so it could feel like another living space if you wanted. I'd make sure the covered porch became a fully functioning outdoors bootroom. I'd keep the sitting room at the front of the house, which I assume could flexibly became another bedroom at one stage if required. Keep us updated on what you do :)
Harry Boy thanked A B- PRO
User
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago Jonathan
5 years agoJonathan
5 years agoBtw my plan is likelya smaller footprint than the original so the planners may well accept this variation
rinked
4 years agoHarry Boy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agohi all,
Just posted a fairly large response only for it to disappear after hitting the post button.
We've been on hold for a while, first due to some family events, then some weather issues, then a cowboy tradesman and finally by the lockdown.
We also uncovered the inglenook only to find... no inglenook! It has been totally ripped out and brick and blocked up which is a kick in the stomach, to say the least. We're now thinking on the use of those front rooms again,
Sorry its been so long but on this update and thanks for all the comments and design advice. It' been extremely helpful. Roof fully finished now, windows n=in as soon as the windows company opens back up and inside old cottage chugging along too.
Its been a challenging journey and as they say, 'life has got in the way' so the build has taken a back seat but looking to fire up again so here are several pics of the story so far.
rinked
3 years agoHU-93991126
3 years ago
rinked