Door reconfiguration in medium sized flat
Hi - we’ve just moved into a 2-bed Victorian conversion flat and we’re in the process of decorating and making a few changes throughout. One idea we had was to move some of the doors, or at least flip the sides at which they hinge ! Is it possible to tell from the floorplan whether this is a good idea ?
We were planning to switch the hinged sides of the lounge door and kitchen door. Does that make aesthetic / spatial sense ? We really can’t understand why they were installed that way in the 1st place - it feels a bit odd.
the other option we’ve discussed at length is to flip the hinges on the front door (which we’re replacing anyway alongside all the internal doors with reconditioned Victorian ones). I’m keen to keep the front door as is for easy access to the lounge & kitchen whereas my partner wants to ferry visitors into the hall upon entrance so that they take their shoes off (by hinging it on the right).
any comments from builders / architect / renovation nerds especially welcome
many thanks
charlie
Comments (11)
Wumi
3 years agobelbo_muggins
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Reconfiguration of 2 bed garden flat
Comments (7)Welcome neighbours - we're also in Streatham. So, remember that Planning and Building Regs are two different things. Firstly, Planning. Permitted Development rules do not apply to flats, so things that can normally be done to houses pretty informally (loft conversions and extensions within certain maximum sizes are examples) need a full planning application for a flat. Look at the planning portal and check what you need to apply for. Lambeth is annoying as you have to do a pre-planning application if you want an opinion (they got rid of the duty planning officer advice a while back to cut costs) - a bit of a scam really, you would be better off hiring a proper planning consultant/architect used to Lambeth and getting your application right first time. We did everything under Permitted Development (house), so did not have to go down that route. Building Regulations then need to be complied with when doing the work allowed under Planning. Rather than organise site visits/inspections with the council, who are notoriously hard to get in touch with, we used a private company, London Building Control, who were excellent. It costs a bit more, but you don't spend your whole life chasing council employees who are unmotivated and useless (in Lambeth's case, anyway). Generally, internal changes (removing walls and using steels etc) do not need planning permission of any sort, but are definitely a Building Regulations issue: and you will need to show proper structural engineering drawings with calculations and steel specs etc. Good luck!...See MoreExtension, renovation and reconfiguration ideas? (Cuffley, London)
Comments (23)I've included my take on it (2nd pic) but the upstairs could probably be tweaked to work a little better as a larger family bathroom would be good. You could also easily change the pantry/downstairs bathroom proportions to put in a small study too if thats more important to you than a large mud room space (first pic). Both of these have the advantage of not changing too much of the existing structure so should cost less and/or mean you can tackle redecorating those spaces at a late time when budget allows....See MoreGarden flat renovation
Comments (6)Without knowing which walls are structural, how about something like this? Obviously with doors out from the kitchen area to garden. If you could extend you could move the whole living area to behind the chimney in current bed 2 (which I assume can't come out). Then keep bedroom 1 current size and have a more separate feel to the bedrooms as they could both be accessed from here...See MoreReconfiguring space to fit a nursery and home office
Comments (10)I would, in no small way, be miffed that the architects incorporated a communal space without first checking they could! A basic oversight. I agree with Kingfisher. If this is a short term fix, meaning you don’t want to spend too much, then moving the staircase for such little gain seems to be throwing good money away. It looks like you could still have just about everything you require without moving the staircase. When I say just about I mean not to have an en-suite (you mention it but I cannot see it on your plan). On the lower ground you have room for the master bedroom and nursery with one bathroom. Your proposal to build a wall to make the nursery smaller, thereby continuing the corridor to the door, solves your cat flap problem and can still be done with the stairs where there are. I agree that you should remove that internal door and small wall in the hall. It would open out the space and let in more light. On the raised ground level again your plan is good and can be achieved whilst leaving the stairs well alone. You have indicated that you want the study to also serve as a third bedroom. I imagine this is for occasional guests so would primarily be a study. Have you heard of Murphy beds?They are an ingenious way to utilise your space to its fullest where the bed is stored vertically inside a cupboard. studybed.com is just one site of many that offer other combinations of transformational furniture. The studybed is a desk that folds out into a bed. That leaves your good proposal to convert the living room into the kitchen/living room and yes I would move the front door....See MoreHU-557113193
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Fi T
3 years agoHU-42763896
3 years agoHU-557113193
3 years ago
Sonia
3 years agoExciting ideas from arc3D! We had a tiny kitchen and knocked down the wall between it and the dining area to create a nice spacious, but not huge, area. We also removed the door completely into the living room as wherever it opened to it was In the way, bloody thing! We filled and tidied where the hinges were and then painted the doorway white. I realise in a flat that may not be allowed, but just a thought. Our open doorway.
arc3d
3 years agoYes @HU-557113193, the walls would need to be checked by a structural engineer, but it looks as though the configuration of the original house has changed significantly. I think in the redesign they may have hung all the floors off the stairwell, in which case the remaining walls may just be non structural stud walls. One way to get an idea would be to knock on the walls. If they sound hollow they are likely non structural, but again you will need to have that checked by a structural engineer first.
If a fire door is need, it can be placed at the entrance to the kitchen
Rowland
3 years ago
arc3d