To separate the play room or not?
jimiminibillybob
5 years ago
We are designing a wrap around extension. The house is semi detached and we are struggling with the downstairs layout. My husband is determined to have the children’s toys in a separate room so wants a playroom. The playroom will become a homework room/study when they are older. We don’t know where to put it! The fireplace we love so did not want to move the living room for where it is. The current layout in the plans I have uploaded, I’m not sure how this will look design wise. I want the home to feel well designed and flow. I wonder whether instead of having it as a separate room we have a dividing wall between the snug and playroom like a bookshelf instead. Or perhaps we can move it elsewhere. Any tips would be welcomed. There are 3 steps going down between the existing house and the new extension, the extension will be slightly lower down to give extra height to the room and to bring it closer to the garden/ground level. The configuration of the downstairs rear doors overlooking the patio can be changed. We are open to the downstairs layout changing completely from the current drawings but the stairs ideally need to stay as they are. Most of the dotted lines are there to show existing structures that will be removed or they are roof lights so the plan can look a little confusing with so many lines on it!
Any advice on the kitchen layout would also be fab! Thank you in advance
Any advice on the kitchen layout would also be fab! Thank you in advance
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jimiminibillybob
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Play room or open entranceway/area
Comments (14)Yes you’re right, the way they use the room will change over time. The kids don’t play together on their own yet but it won’t be long plus I like to vary the rooms they play in especially if we’re stuck inside for a longer amount of time. I don’t want to add sliding doors further down the line as it’s a bigger project and going to cost a fair bit anyway so I don’t want to do it twice especially the flooring. The hallway is going to be slate just like the kitchen but think that if we have it open to that area too then it’ll have to be slate as it would look a little odd with kardean through there. Thats a good idea re storage. We’re looking st getting built n cupboards but having all the small bits in baskets so they’re tidy. I also do a lot of work from home as im a teacher so need a bit of space for my things too...See MoreTV in open plan living space or in separate room?
Comments (9)It all depends on your lifestyle - we have a separate TV room and it means we go there to watch specific programs rather than having a TV on in the background whilst we are doing other things.We have so much screen time these days with our phones that i feel we don't need a TV in a room where we are doing other activities and particularly not where we are eating as mealtimes are often the only moments families get to sit down and talk together. It means you have another room to entertain, read or chat without TV noise & distraction....See MoreIs anyone able to help with new potential downstairs layout/ extension
Comments (8)Never sure about separate playrooms. If your children are young, you’ll want them in the kitchen/open plan space so you can all be together as a family during the day. If they’re a bit older, they could play (games consoles etc) in the front living room. I think your current design might mean you just have a walk way through to your kitchen with no purpose. How about opening up the whole of the back into one big space with plenty of built-in cupboard storage for toys? Kids are little for such a short time really, it seems a shame to ‘lose’ that space. Also can you have windows on that side of your house? If not, potentially the playroom would be dingy. Just my thoughts! H x...See MoreRenovation ideas
Comments (7)Fire regs state you can’t make the route of escape from bedroom less safe than how the property is now. So unless you open the kitchen upto the hallway and stairs they won’t apply. It you move the kitchen to a different room you will need to comply with building regs in the same way that major changes to electrics will also need to be compliant, as will new heating, as will an extension- no biggy as competent trades people can deliver this without needing glass partitions. Before planning an extension work out how much you need to spend inside the original house and then calculate what budget is remaining for building- this can be the guide for how big you can build. I suspect the kitchen may have previously been a garage, if there is no separate garage you might consider building more on the back to reclaim a garage space. In my opinion you should consider if you are going to have a sitting and TV space in your kitchen and then if the current lounge will become an underused and wasteful space. You might also consider if the children will actually use a separate playroom as younger children generally want to play near you and older children like their own space....See MoreJonathan
5 years agoI think the typical stairs have 13 risers so the ones I drew could be swapped for smaller ones and I think then you could make the dining space bigger and therefore put steps on the boundary between the original house and the extension.
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5 years agojimiminibillybob
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5 years agoJonathan
5 years ago
Jonathan