open plan design novice in need of help

3 years ago

Hi All,

I am a newbie to home redesigning and scored an E in anything to do with creativity at school. We are in process of buying this house that we really like. The boss says having an open plan is an absolute must. We had an architect out to see the house and he wasn't sounding too excited after seeing the house..

Some of the not so bright ideas we had was knocking the dining room wall back into the lounge to make the current dining room into lounge and incorporating the remaining old lounge area into kitchen and build an extension at the back of old lounge. The architect said that in this area everyone wants a separate dining room so he advised against it.

The other idea is to push the utility back further back into the garage (the garage is 18'x14'), incorporating the utility downstairs WC and store into kitchen to make it wider, extend the rear of the kitchen a further 5m into the garden. (the garden is 20m Long). The architect said that this would mean that the extension will loom much ahead of the lounge and we possibly will need to have a courtyard but also end up with a much smaller garden. The other problem will be where to place entry into utility from.. We are also planning to build a room above existing utility which he said should be okay (phew.... one thing that he agreed with)

the floor plan and dimensions are as follows

LOUNGE: 22'8" max x 18'0" x 15'8" 22'8" max x 18'0" min x 15'8" max x 13'1" min

DINING ROOM: 15'6" max x 12'6" x 12'6" 15'6" max x 12'6" min x 12'6"

FITTED BREAKFAST KITCHEN: 16'5" max x 10'1" x 12'6" 16'5" max x 10'1" min x 12'6" max x 8'10" min

UTILITY ROOM: 11'2" x 8'3"

the passage way is 4ft wide but can not be incorporated into the property as would give terracing effect (even though the neighbouring property also has a passageway on the same side)

What are your suggestions and ideas?

thanks for helping a clueless soul.

best wishes

Abhi

Featured Answer

Jonathan

3 years ago

Perhaps try his particular architect wasn’t a good fit for you and you will have better luck if you find another. I will say that it looks like a charming living room and it’s a pity to divide it. I’m not sure I agree that people want a separate dining room generally and the extension you were talking about putting on the back does sound as big as a starter home and therefore getting light into the centre of the house would be a challenge and an internal courtyard would be one solution- personally I think you probably need a much smaller extension. I also wonder if the bathroom is oversized and you could reduce the size of extensions by better using the space you have.

So I think you need another architect meeting but this time instead of telling them all of your plans for how big to extend, concentrate on what you are hoping to achieve. Ie kitchen big enough for an island, dining space for 10, two tv areas, a study, a bigger ensuite, more light in this room, etc etc

You should also think about your budget if eventually you will be selling. So many people do lots of building work but have no money for the finishing touches at the time, do them years later then sell shortly afterward- much better to know you can do everything now and enjoy it. The architect might have some thoughts on getting the most bang for your buck- for instance the extension over the utility room may be disproportionately expensive (depending on how it was built and how the roof is configured) perhaps you might consider a loft conversion instead to gain more square footage. Or they might suggest a different floor layout you hadn’t considered.
So best of luck- keep us posted. In the meantime I have been thinking that perhaps an extension a third of the size of your plan could get you plenty of downstairs space.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

Nicola M
3 years ago
Hi Abhi,

I personally would say the more important question to start would be; how long are you planning on staying in this home for? Are you hoping to renovate and sell in a few years hoping for a return on the money you put it? Don't let necessarily let the architect's opinion sway you into creating a house for future buyers if you aren't planning on moving any time in the near future.

In our first home, we actually removed the wall to the second bedroom to create a large landing that became an office/snug despite people telling us it wasn't a good idea. (It only left us with one bedroom.) When we came to sell, it didn't make a difference, we sold the house after 2 viewings and the space worked perfectly for us while we were there.
abhi thanked Nicola M
abhi
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Nicola,

Life in unpredictable but if no major changes then we won't be in this house for more than next 7-8 years but I think you make a very sensible point that we need to be driven by what works for us. The other issue that comes to my mind is that even if we move the wall between dining room and lounge a few feet back we will still end up with a small front lounge. The other issue is that the wall will come right next to the fireplace surround.

thanks for your advice..
Related Discussions
Help! need advice on interior design for open plan living space!
Q
Comments (4)
Hi Sofaiza, It sounds like you have done great so far and have a great space. Well done. I have just completed a kitchen design with what sounds like exactly the same kitchen units. We went for a speckled white worktop which worked really well. We then chose a light grey with a hint of blue for the walls - this is modern and fresh and works well with the white gloss and with the silvers or whites that may appear elsewhere in the kitchen. What flooring have you gone for? For a contrast Black worktop went well and was considered for the same project I mentioned. For the features walls the tiles sound intriguing but I would need to see them to get a better idea or know if they would work with the design. Sounds good though. I am happy to forward a few images of the project here if you want to get in touch. It will give you an idea of how it will all look. I also have trade accounts with the companies I purchased from last time which maybe of interest to you if you are planning on purchasing yourself (not through a tradesmen or designer). My email address is gina.everett@createperfect.co.uk or feel free to call the office on 0208 133 0702. All the best, Gina
...See More
Design help for open plan kitchen layout
Q
Comments (11)
Exciting times- I think side by side ovens have more presence and the island is a great place for the microwave. I don’t like seeing a microwave high up as I think it is dangerous. In fact you should put your ovens at a really comfortable height for you. I notice all of the designs show a draining board- personally I would choose an undermounted sink and no drainer to maximise work surface. I agree about putting the extractor in a cupboard- it doesn’t have to be a 600 cupboard though- I think it looks more luxurious if it is 20cm bigger than the hob. Consider if the 70/30 fridge planned is big enough. You could have a larder sized fridge and a freezer elsewhere. All of your designs show the breakfast bar sitting in an Lshape at the end of the bar- Personally I think that you should have the stools on the long side of the island so that they can see the TV, so you don’t have to have a cheap looking metal pedestal and so the stools don’t obstruct the sofa in the TV area. You have also shown the breakfast bar in a different material- if you want to use the island for food prep it might be easier to use and to keep clean if there are no differences in height and it is all the same material. If you want variety of materials in the kitchen you might choose two different cabinet finishes- perhaps one could be textured. I noticed the glass cabinets on one design- I would be careful about their placement because of getting steamed up. Lastly I felt the the designs with lots of vertical lines made the room seem smaller and I preferred the designs with uninterrupted horizontal lines.
...See More
Help - Open plan layout design dilemma
Q
Comments (2)
How about something like this? I would definitely put pocket doors across to separate the front section, it’s so useful to have a room that can be separate. It could be a TV snug or a playroom etc. The middle section I would have shallow storage on one wall and maybe a desk for home admin and just a place to dump mail etc so it doesn’t clutter the kitchen. Or even just a shelf or console there if there isn’t space for a desk.
...See More
Kitchen design help open plan or not?
Q
Comments (3)
I can’t help but think a shallow, wide, and tall pantry could be put against the angled wall in picture 1, without the need to get into building works.
...See More
PRO
Raumtastik
3 years ago
@abhi Hi Abhi, congrats on the new house. I think I would open the kitchen/breakfast room into the living room, and leave a smaller lounge near the entrance. It would make it for a pretty spectacular living space. Check us at www.raumtastik.com we would love to help you creating your dream home. Daniele
abhi thanked Raumtastik
Nicola M
3 years ago
No problem @abhi. I think that for that length of time you want to enjoy your home the way you want it.

I really liked @Jonathan's plan and this is very similar to what I was thinking.. (He also has made some very good points). I personally don't think the 'overshooting' of extension is a huge deal, ideally, it would be large glass windows/doors to allow as much light as possible if it is going to be blocking light into the lounge.

Jonathan's plan also allows a future buyer to have a formal separate dining room (if they want one) and you can use it for whatever you want to.

I would also recommend having a look at houses sold on your street (if they are similar style houses) to see if there are any photos of extensions other owners have done so you can visualise what is possible with your property.
abhi thanked Nicola M
abhi
Original Author
3 years ago
Jonathan and Nicola, a massive thanks to you both.

I really like what you have suggested Jonathan and I am really grateful that you took your own time to chalk out the floor plan.

Getting a room above utility shouldn't be a huge problem. Utility room as a flat roof with a skylight. I am only hoping to use the upstairs room as a study. It's window will open to neighbour's wall so will probably need a skylight on the roof.

I spent all of last night teaching myself how to use sketchup and have come with this plan..

Thanks for all the inspiration and please keep the ideas coming
abhi
Original Author
3 years ago
forgot to add, my 5 year old chose the wall colour... i would never have a red colour wall..the mrs sees red often as it is :-)
abhi
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
so just had a chat with the other half about what she wants from the space. she has said it should be not be cramped but yet everything should be within easy reach, easy to maintain, not too expensive but elegant, entry to utility from kitchen is a must, there should be an island with storage, she would prefer a dining table of 4-6 as well, oh yes, there should be a sitting area for 4-6 people, a big TV that she can watch when cooking (like she ever cooks!!!), a study corner for the teenager, enough space for the 5 year old to run around and keep her toys, a quiet place for her to read/work, a nice view into the garden, plenty of sunlight...

after very little deliberation, we have agreed that I should cancel the new house purchase and start looking for a new wife...
glendevon
3 years ago
If you are planning on building above your utility, don't assume that the foundations already in place for the single story will hold another story on top. You may very well have to demolish and rebuild this area completely to go upwards. Just saying, as this could have a major effect on your budget.

Also, and I know this is probably impossible to do, but if often helps to have lived in a space before you alter it. One often comes up with ideas after seeing how a building actually works for you, and are able to take more account of flow, available light, external noise etc. We extended our house after living here for 13 years (couldn't afford it before then) but the extension we wanted was so, so different to what we would have built had we done it straight away, e.g. it was on a different side of the house for starters.
abhi thanked glendevon
Sally Shawcross
3 years ago
I think it is worth trying to live somewhere for a while before deciding if possible. We have a 3bed semi that already has an extended kitchen, utility and conservatory. When we were buying it we had a builder round to get an idea about how to extend and make it open plan, etc. Years later we haven't changed it yet, as we realised that the space we have is more than enough for the size of our family and the overall house footage is perfect for the market. We do still want to change a few things such as add more light and update the conservatory but nowhere near what we thought we needed or wanted. Personally every family I know isn't bothered about a separate dining room but one option is to but pocket doors or large doors between kitchen & current lounge to make that an option for a separate dining room if you sell. More than anything I wouldn't spend more than the house is worth in total.
abhi thanked Sally Shawcross
CV Barny
3 years ago
Jonathan’s idea of adding extension to kitchen area only is a good one, anything else will make internal rooms too dark. Really, I think you’ll have plenty of room for a family of 4 if you take Raumtastik’s advice and knock lounge and kitchen through and make the existing dining room your lounge/snug. This is what we’ve done (don’t whatever you do open up the whole of downstairs, you’ll have nowhere to relax that’s not full of other household noise and distraction). We have a seating snug area in kitchen/diner too as well as dining table plus island with seating so I can keep on kids doing homework whilst making dinner. This is a much cheaper option as keeps kitchen utilities in same place and will involve minor building works....more to spend on dream kitchen and less inconvenient for your family as will be quicker to do too. Don’t think that bigger is always better. A well thought out and flowing space is much better than just adding square footage! Like us, you can add sliding doors to both kitchen and (what was) lounge area so it all opens up into you garden. Forget the room above utility. Too expensive for what it will add. You want value for money so that every pound spent delivers maximum bang. Good luck.
abhi thanked CV Barny
CV Barny
3 years ago
Fully agree with Sally too!
abhi thanked CV Barny
abhi
Original Author
3 years ago
thanks folks, very sensible advices.. Sally: in an ideal world we would have lived in first before getting the work done but with a young child, work involving crazy hours etc it will be just a bit onerous to move out again or manage to live with all the construction work going on.

I agree with all of you that perhaps utilising the existing space and concentrating on the flow is a better idea rather than throwing ridiculous money at it especially if this isn't going to be our forever house. We have for now put the idea of a study on top of utility on hold.

one of the plans we have been thinking is the below floor plan, this would involve very minimal work so quite cost effective. the utility room has a skylight (its in a recess so not too much sunlight but still not too bad) as well as a window into the passageway so light shouldn't be too much of a problem. the flip side is that kitchen area will be only 11ft wide and we will take some space from the garage (original size is 18'x14' ). the benefits are better sitting area, entrance to sitting area without going through the messy kitchen parts and separate entrance to kitchen from hallway so not having to walk the whole way around to dining room for those formal dinners..

What are your thoughts would this work?

thanks

Abhi
flwright
3 years ago
I like Jonathan's ideas both for upstairs and downstairs. If you do not want a whole length extension downstairs, that is a great suggestion. If you wish not to do anything now but may be alter slightly, keep the bigger picture in mind when you eventually want to do it and try to do whatever you do now to fit into that eventual one so you do not waste money down the drain.

open plan design novice in need of help

Jonathan

Comments (14)

Nicola M

abhi
Original Author

Related Discussions

Raumtastik

Nicola M

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author

glendevon

Sally Shawcross

CV Barny

CV Barny

abhi
Original Author

flwright

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

open plan design novice in need of help

Comments (14)

abhiOriginal Author

Related Discussions

abhiOriginal Author

abhiOriginal Author

abhiOriginal Author

abhiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author

abhi
Original Author