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Building a Home Renovating Design Dilemma

Can anyone help me figure out this redesign?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We have viewed a house which ticks so many boxes, the problem is the space is wasted and doesn't work for us. Upon entering there is a large porch, with archways allowing light into the dining room that houses the stairs. Ideally we would enter into the living room and have rid of the archway but I know that is a structural wall. With the stairs being where they are the house just doesn't flow. There is a wetroom at the back of the garage that we would not use. Perhaps that could be the dining room? Upstairs there is a separate bath and wc. But with the shape I can't see how we could make it work as one bathroom. The entire house needs replastering and new kitchen/bathroom and we would have a budget of 35k for everything. Am I being unrealistic, should I walk away from this house? Picture of floor plans in the comments.

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Erin Coulter
Original Author
3 years ago
Erin Coulter
Original Author
3 years ago
Upstairs
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Whilst I understand the constraints of budget I think you are approaching the planning wrong. I think the way to do this is to decide on the layout that works best and then work out what you can afford to do now- perhaps you can make economies on purchases such as the kitchen cabinets to get a better Gliw in your home. An architectural designer or a concept planner are worth considering to help with this- they would also help you visualise the finished space too. If this were my house I would be thinking the entrance wasn’t big enough for the size of house and I would be concerned about privacy of the bedrooms at the front, I also don’t like the current kitchen being some distance from a window and being a heavy traffic area. Although I can’t see the layout properly I think I have got the sizes about right to show how I would do it. I have moved the front door to the middle of the house, shown a vaulted hall with stairs to two big upstairs spaces, shown the living space as completely open plan but with the option of using one of the downstairs bedrooms or one of the upstairs rooms as an extra living room. In my opinion there are often houses with long narrow extensions across the back that should have been better considered as invariably people need bigger spaces rather than more small rooms and retrospectively opening up the original house into this space is more difficult that building in the steels originally. So my plan doesn’t change any of the external walls of the original property but a couple of internal brick walls have been removed. I have just shown what is commercial and probably wouldn’t cost the earth but a designer would spend time trying to better understand your needs.
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Hello Sarah, There is a possibility that you have combined sewage in that location. I can see a drainage pipe from the roof on the front of the house. Have a look down the street and see if there are any other houses with bathrooms or drainage on the front or contact your local Building Control who will confirm. I have no idea how important the number of bedrooms are for your needs but you could forfeit the third bedroom. Alternatively have a smaller kitchen area. as the second plan and take a small chunk out of the bedroom, probably less is needed than I have indicated. If your budget allows then remove the chimney, but it is not necessary. I would take out the walls around the stair to below as that will make the space much broader. and also give the space a funky feel to it. Add some velux windows with shafts down into the kitchen dining space. I am not sure why there is no window onto the garden, perhaps look into that on your deeds and see if it could be allowed. The kitchen may be better located towards the front of the house on the first plan so that any seated area is not adjacent to a circulation route/ corridor space. Set the roof windows in a neat pattern of 2 or 3 over that space as it will help to tie it together as one. I am not sure how often you would use the front small bedroom but it could be opened out as part of the living room now and when you eventually sell, put back as a bedroom.. Hope that helps Roger
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Jonathan
3 years ago
I don’t think you have to walk away.

If you knocked the hall and shower room behind the garage together you are right it would be possible to make this a dining room.

Upstairs there is no benefit to knocking the wc and bathroom together. Lots of people have a separate wc and are happy with it. Could you make it work for you by putting a small sink in the WC? Would you consider a Shower room instead of a bathroom in order to find space for a wc in there?

Arch between the porch and dining hall- probably these were the original front door and window apertures- likely making them square again is a minor job- if you want to remove them all together and have one big room this can also be done but since this is likely a £2000 job you need to decide if it’s worth it.

Personally I wouldn’t move the front door to the lounge as I think it could reduce the curb appeal.

I’m unclear why you think the whole house needs replastering- is it possible it hasn’t been decorated in years and showing some inevitable cracks of age?- often decorating alone can sort those out.
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Ravenswood Designs
3 years ago
What period is the house? The stairs are not shown on the ground floor plan but I presume they are fairly near the front door?

From the information supplied, I would close up one arch and unite the dining room with the kitchen. I would say there's space to create a downstairs WC from the wet room. I would close up the access from the garage and use that corridor with the rest of the space from the wet room to make a utility room.

Upstairs I would leave the WC separate. I've seen this before and there's no way of making it work as one bathroom but that needn't matter. I would put a bifold door on the bathroom and turn the bath parallel with the window. There would be enough space for an L shaped bath with shower over, 800mm at its wider end. The bath would be 1700mm and the space is 1900mm so I would panel out and create an L shaped alcove. This will hide all your pipework, avoid ugly boxing and create a shelf and space for a shaver point and lighting over. It would look something like the model attached- I've used those colours just to delineate the tiling. That would leave 1200mm on that wall, enough space for a freestanding washstand of around 900mm - something like the attached picture. Your radiator would then be on your left. I realise I haven't tiled along the bath wall. This is a very quick model for layout only.

You could turn the bath the other way and have a narrower shelf and downlit inset shelving on the "basin" wall.

.

I'm guessing this was a cottage that's been extended and altered over the years. If so, I would say work with the quirkiness and don't try to make the house something it isn't. This will give you a better outcome and cost you a lot less. With careful planning it's doable on your budget but, as ever, labour will be your most significant cost.
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Nest Estimating Ltd
3 years ago
Hi Erin, we recently provided a first time buyer with a budget cost estimate for similar works. The budget cost estimate provides a detailed breakdown of works and expenses as well as highlighting potential areas where you can save money. They were then able to determine whether they wanted to go ahead with the purchase of the property. 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

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