Floor plan help!

3 years ago

Hi everyone, I’m in the process of buying a Grade 2 listed cottage which needs a full renovation and the layout needs reconfiguring (particularly downstairs) to better suit our needs. I have come up with some ideas, but I wanted to get some other opinions and see if there’s anything I’m missing.

Here’s the current floor plan for downstairs. The internal wall between the kitchen and the dining room is a modern stud wall. There is a blocked up doorway in the downstairs w/c going through to the sitting room (currently show as a niche in the wall). The “conservatory” is a rotting timber lean-to and needs replacing.

My thoughts are to remove the stud wall to create a bigger kitchen/dining space, reinstate the second doorway into the sitting room and then split that room into two to create a study/snug and a utility room. Then to put a new conservatory/orangery along the back of the house for a living room.

The front of the house is east-facing. It‘s not a big house but it’s very charming with beams and pretty windows, and it has a beautiful garden. I know it could be a really lovely home but I just can’t get the layout right in my head so any suggestions you might have would be very gratefully received.

Here’s my ideas so far:

Thank you!

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Comments (5)

PRO
Anya Brakha Interiors
3 years ago
Hi Sarah,

If your property is listed I would suggest start by investigating what features are of special interest, the listing can sometimes include features such as woodwork, fire places as well as external elements.

I would also suggest that you budget for a good planning consultant, as this will help speed things up if you intend to obtain listed building consent for a new conservatory/orangery and reconfiguration of the existing layout - as it may be contentious issue. Is the property within a conservation area?

It may be best to determine the boundaries in terms of what you can and can’t do to the property, internally and externally, then work to develop a design that works around these extents rather than getting fixed on a layout this early on.

Hope this helps.
Sarah thanked Anya Brakha Interiors
Sarah
Original Author
3 years ago
That‘s such a great point, thank you. I am actually in the process of arranging for the local conservation officer to make a site visit so they can advise us on what we’re likely to be able to do, so hopefully that will help clarify things.

Yes, the house is in a conservation area, although from looking at the other houses in the area, it would seem that the focus is on maintaining the look and feel of the village, and pretty much anything goes if it’s at the back and out of sight! The house next door has an ugly flat roofed, rendered extension on the back, so I would be very surprised if they won’t let us swap our current grotty conservatory with a lovely solid wood one, even if it is a bit bigger. But then again, who knows! Fingers crossed!

Thanks for your advice! 😊
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The revised floor plan looks like an improvement to me. When you say move the door into the livingroom, are you talking about the front door? If so, I would avoid that as loose the hallway will 1) remove some of the original style of the home that could be a beautiful design feature and really made stunning and 2) It will make the space much harder to keep cozy and 3) walking straight into a livingspace from outside just lacks a bit of the formal welcome that an entry hall provides and feels less private. If thats not what you meant can you explain further?
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Hi C smith, You probably have enough space in that room to have a utility and office room (depending on how much office space you need!). I suggest making a list to work out exactly how much space you need for each and then dividing the space based on that proportion. Alenka, I think that's a great idea! You could even have sliding or folding doors over each side so that they can be covered up when not in use. So that you don't feel like you're working in a laundry room, or get muddy things near your paperwork! like this: Please let me know what you think? And I wish you all the best with your renovation project!! Phill
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Hi Alexandra, The only way that I can see that creates a 4 bedroom layout upstairs with a usable bathroom involves moving the stairs very slightly. Fortunately this should be a lot more straightforward and cheaper than moving it to elsewhere in the property. At first floor level this moves the landing into the centre of the house, so you can have 4 bedrooms off of it with a bathroom at the top of the stairs. Each bedroom has at least 1 window and I would recommend adding a small window above the stairs to provide natural light. Bedroom 1 stays mostly the same size and all of the bedrooms should be able to fit a double bed. Bedroom 1 could even have a small ensuite added in the top right corner. At ground floor level the door into the reception room would need to be blocked in so a new door from the kitchen would need to be added wherever the fireplace isn't in the way. I also think it would be worth knocking through the wall between the kitchen and dining room and creating a bifold door to provide views and access into the garden. Please let me know what you think? And I wish you all the best with your project!! Phill
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PRO
Anya Brakha Interiors
3 years ago
Not a problem at all. Good luck with your project!
PRO
Nest Estimating Ltd
3 years ago
Hi Sarah, once you have decided on a layout, we can provide you with a budget cost estimate. The budget cost estimate provides a detailed breakdown of works and expenses as well as highlighting potential areas where you can save money. If this is something of interest please send the plans and photos to hello@nestestimating.co.uk and we can provide you with a quote
Sarah
Original Author
3 years ago
That’s really helpful, thank you.

Floor plan help!

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Floor plan help!

Comments (5)

Anya Brakha Interiors

SarahOriginal Author

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Anya Brakha Interiors

Nest Estimating Ltd

SarahOriginal Author

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Sarah
Original Author

Sarah
Original Author