Making our 1930s semi work for our family
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What would our 1930s terrace interiors have looked like?
Comments (12)We bought a 1930's house recently in west London. There were a number of styles prevalent during this time usually falling into 1 of 3 categories - art deco (the one everyone knows about), mock-tudorbeathen which as the name suggests has tudor beams, oak iron studded front doors and often oversized fireplaces too. Finally there were the modernist homes with a focus on modern materials (think lino, curved glass crittal windows and tubular steel frame chairs etc. For me however its some of the smaller architectural details that I love in 1930's houses - lead light windows (sometimes with stained glass), picture rails in every room, 1 over 3 panel doors with high bakelite or brass knob handles and best of all original herringbone parquet floors! These are the things I've chosen to focus on in our house without going all out 1930's! Also as ASVInteriors mentioned there is also an element of arts and crafts to some of the 1930's homes which can often be seen in pretty entranceway doors/windows, quality inset kitchen cabinet doors/drawers, panelled cupboards and sometimes board and batten type hallways. I found the original brochure with illustrations for the homes built local to us from when they were first constructed which gives a great idea of what the interiors would have been like originally. Hope this helps!...See MoreHow to make the most of our 1930's downstairs layout.
Comments (6)Hi Emma, I've been messing around with your layout below. Mainly the side to rear extension along the drive. - I'm not sure whether you would be able to move that wall in the kitchen (I'm assuming it's load-bearing, along with the column and you'd need a structural beam) but I'd have a breakfast bar rather than an island. It's recommended you have at least 4ft clearance for a kitchen island and with the dining table being on the other side, there will not be enough space to manoeuvre around it. With a slimmer breakfast bar (say 60cm) you could put essential coffee/tea making items on it, have some shallow open shelving below and have space for 2 high stools on the other side. - I've placed the toilet in a utility room, as you don't want to toilet directly off the kitchen. Plus you gain a dedicated space for laundry and a mudroom of sorts which is accessible from the garden and garage. - You could build a cushioned bench seat along the wall where the toilet was. Creates some more casual seating for guests whilst your cooking and is a place you can work from. Maybe get one of these cantilevered tables which could double as a laptop stand and side table. These are just my 2 cents! Professional planners like @OnePlan can give you some really good layout solutions....See MoreKitchen/Diner layout advice - 1930s Semi
Comments (8)Congratulations on your new home! Great plan. My house is 1930s and the kitchen was minuscule! One day we decided to knock down the wall between the tiny kitchen and the living/dining room. Best thing we ever did. We blocked up the wall (apart from the door) creating a kitchen/diner at the back and the living room at the front. I sometimes wonder if we should have left it open plan? That’s a thought. I think swopping the kitchen and dining room over would be better. Of course it will cost more due to moving all the pipe work, but it would fit better. Finding a really good builder is the hardest part. You could ask for recommendations from family, friends and neighbours. You could also ask for recommendations on your local Facebook Town Group. There are groups like Trustatrade.com but I’ve not heard good things about such groups. Once you have a list of builders 🙏 you can draw up a list of work you want them to do and get three quotes. The cheapest isn’t always the best though. Wishing you every success....See More1930s Semi Plans
Comments (7)Hi, how exciting your planning to extend. 1930s houses have great potential for these types of extensions. Having a flush rear could be possible with the correct structural engineers drawings. However as you are a semi, it might be a good idea to check with planning as it may or may not affect your neighbours natural light. As an example; We too extended our 1930s however a detached. Here’s an example of ours and I’ve highlighted where the steel beams where placed (in red). We ended up removing the extra windows that extended out in the rear in order to make the open plan space as large as possible. We also opened up the lounge to living and blocked the door leading to living room. Both structural engineers are right as you have two options, however I would be inclined to go with the option of two steels no pillar which would allow for better use and larger space. Here’s a little video of our extension should you wish to see it. https://www.instagram.com/p/ClOiT4AoCpp/?hl=en Hope that helps! Christina....See MoreJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years ago
This is a largely to scale floor plan I did with some software- but I couldn't work out how to label it! Possibly self explanatory...?
Rough measurements are:
Master bedroom 14'10 x 12'8 but the box bay affects that
Bedroom two (back right) 12'8 x 8'8
Kitchen diner 18'8 x 7'9 (I don't think this includes the old kitchen though which is the L shape)
Ideas welcomed!Josephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years ago
Hall space is another issue! I'm pretty sure the wall is load bearing as it is the living room wall underneath...
Josephine Scott
5 years ago
PROUser
5 years agoWould need dimensions of everything, and accurately, as can't guess the left of the house. I presume that the drains are down the left hand side of the house. I agree with the architect, you probably can't do a loft conversion and a bigger bathroom as there's no where for the stairs to go up, they have to go over the original stairs, and that impedes the bathroom.
I do however expect ( pending the dimensions ) that you can make the bathroom better than it is. Something along the lines of this? You are restricted too, by the Stairwell. This would be probably be possible as it is . Not a vast improvement, but you do have a toilet and basin in there.
If you were able to move the wall over the stairwell a bit, then the improvement gets better. You would then have more choice on the layout.
Josephine Scott thanked UserJosephine Scott
5 years agoI hadn't considered moving that wall so that's interesting. Walking upstairs there's about 6 inches of space before the ceiling (I'm 5'10"). Here are some photos of the stairwell/landing and yes the pipes and waste pipe are down the left of the house. The current bathroom layout is bath parallel to the front of the house then toilet and sink next to it at right angles. There's only enough room fo
the bath on that side with about 6 inches gap before the wall.
pazzomed
5 years agoNot sure if viable, but would extending above the kitchen be a possibility? Just jotted down one idea below, red being bedrooms, blue being bathroom (put this side re plumbing). Yellow could be floor to ceiling storage or add window if light needed.
Original bathroom could become ensuite or put to another use depending on your family’s needs.
How much do you love your house and area where you live? Perhaps weigh up option of moving v extending?
Good luck!!
Josephine Scott thanked pazzomedJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years agoJosephine Scott
5 years agopazzomed
5 years agoHi again, just a few further ideas, but don't know how viable they are - see drawings below (not sure if i got measurements right based on 1 square = 1 foot)
First one just moves wall out slightly and re-hangs a few doors (see red) - may be possible to optimise the space by finding 'best fit' bathroom suite???
The second and third ones encroach more into your bedroom space, allowing for a shower bath and a double basin vanity unit. They also give you an idea how much smaller the bedroom would be / what you could fit in it.
Hope this helps a little or at least sparks some ideas!!Josephine Scott thanked pazzomedJosephine Scott
5 years ago
Monica