Dilemma - 1900’s Victorian Terrace - Downstairs Floor Plan

last month

Help! We have a dilemma.

We’re mid renovation/ build and can’t decide how to optimise our space, create stunning views and find space for a toilet/ utility room.

Our Front Reception Room (FRR) and Second Reception Room (SRR) are 50cm higher than kitchen. We’re opening up the SRR into the kitchen, and building a Side Return.

We have the option of

As per below floor plan, but this takes up much needed kitchen space
Close the FRR from SRR and a small toilet/ Utility, accessed from the hallway. The rest of the floor in the SRR can be dropped and turned into a mini snug accessed from kitchen. However, this blocks off a stunning view from front of house to Garden.

Are there other options or things we should consider?

Featured Answer

Gloria GR

last month

The text is broken and I don’t really understand the question. But I feel that the house is too narrow to fit this layout: kitchen, island, sofa and auxiliar table in just 5m.

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Comments (15)

J C McD
last month
The elements of your utility could go in discrete floor to ceiling Units down the left hand side - you would get a lot of storage and concealed washing machine etc. put a dehumidifier in the drying unit. Move your dining table up to the top and make it round. Put the couch at the bottom for a chill out space enjoying the garden etc. can you extend even 2/3 more feet if it’s not built? Or you can move your kitchen up a bit.
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Hi there! I’d love to hear what you are using the under the stair spaces for. It looks like the bike could fit under the stairs near main entrance comfortably. You then could use the current bike area for the utility i.e. muddy stuff mops and sports equipment. As such you would need to install shelves to add on the storage space. I’d like to agree with Minipie that, if you really love for the bike area to remain as is, as I feel you might, the next best position for the utility is in the basement. The basement offers several advantages as compared to hiving off a space on G.F, especially when you consider the available space which you’d require to store all the stuff you said. I imagine sports equipment for example would need quite a generous area. I like the idea of a cosier retiring area for the library and I would really recommend an alterations for that. As for a pantry usable from the kitchen, options look really limited but I’d know what you think about moving the toilet across to the opposite void area, and then converting the new space to a pantry. It’s both proximal to the kitchen island, and will also not complicate the plumbing process, since you also want to introduce a sink in there. Hope this is useful! If you need more guidance, feel free to drop me a line or check out our site: www.betterspace.co
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Hi, photos of the current layout/floor plan would be helpful. You can attach them to a comment under here, or perhaps even to your original question (not sure). Wait until they are clear, before you hit the submit button.
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Zoe Kelly
last month
Also not sure I understand the question, but depending on the stairs (Eg whether there’s a beautiful banister you want to keep or not..) can you move the downstairs toilet towards the front of the house (basically having it in the space that’s currently just corridor) and then have the utility and understairs cupboard space accessible from a door to the kitchen?
jojo_harding
last month
We’re losing the SRR completely. The original door to it will walk into a roomy utility (priority for us as we all trail run/bike so constant mud fest) further down the hall toilet on the right and big coat/shoe cupboard on the left. From the kitchen we considered a snug but have opted for walk in pantry freeing up more space in the kitchen. Have maximised the kitchen layout to enjoy garden views. Massively inspired by @thise17life like ours I think yours is wider https://www.thise17life.com/blog/trdzgnyi9gbv2e6rlsv8m5797odjj9
Simon Reeves
Original Author
last month
Thank you all, @jojo_harding this is exactly what we’re thinking, we have two dogs and train all the time so do washing all the time! Do you have pictures of yours? Would love to see it!!
jojo_harding
last month
Hi - we're just finalising our drawings so not done yet - the instagram page for @thise17life does a tour and also I found this one https://studiowolsey.com/side-extension-henley-on-thames they have the snug as a study - I'll attached a photo too - again it's smaller than ours - and yours by the look of your plans.
jojo_harding
last month
This is the plan for our SRR. We'll going to level the pantry with the kitchen and remove the chimney breast.
Simon Reeves
Original Author
last month
Were planning to drop the floor too, so it’s an extension of the kitchen. The problem is, the SRR is 3.3m wide and 3.7m long. If you take 1.5m of the length for the utility (slightly narrower than above) the only left with 2.1 (allowing 10cm for partition wall) to fit the snug - which would only have a 2 person sofa. Also, we’re opening it out fully with a steel so we don’t have the toilet there. The pic below is the start of the build before the steel goes in.
Tika Edwards
last month
I would lower the entire ground floor if possible. We did this and have no regrets. We gained nearly 20cm in height to over 2.8m and made the flow through each room easier as it was all on one level. We also kept the FSS open to the kitchen with glass crittall doors separating the spaces so we use that space a lot more now. From the front door, there is a hallway straight to the kitchen (w/ door to left for FSS and stairs to right side) and put in a wall to left once u enter kitchen where a large larder was against the wall (and a cloakroom on the other side across from the staircase). No separate room for utility needed as we put the washing machine/dryer upstairs on the first floor next to the bathroom so don't have to carry laundry up and down stairs.

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen so it didn't make sense to cut the FSS off from the hub.
firegard
last month
Dear Simon,

I’m about to undertake a very similar extension to my Victorian terraced house. I intend to have Crittal style doors between the FRR and the SRR which will allow privacy but can be opened to create an open plan ground floor. This also allows a view from the extended kitchen through to the front garden and a view through from the FSS to the back garden. The access to the FRR will retain the original Victorian door from the hall but access to the SRR will be through a wider pocket door that can be left open during the daytime to allow a visual flow from the hall to the extension and garden. This will be the access to the kitchen and the hall will be blocked off to create a utility and entrance to the cellar from the kitchen. Unfortunately, as I live in a conservation area, planning will not allow me to take the side return extension across to my boundary wall so this will be narrower than I had hoped, but it will provide a large L shaped kitchen with a dining area and a seating area up one level in the current SRR the wall of which will be removed as you describe.

i hope this might provide another option which will allow visual flow through the whole ground floor.

best wishes,

Rose
pazzomed
last month
Hi Simon

Looking at your floor plan there seems to be a lot of under utilised space and i am guessing from the first floor plan that there will be sky lights down the left hand side of the extension? Have you considered moving most of the kitchen to the left hand side so your counters are under natural day light. You could sacrifice any top units for open shelving to maximise the light/view. Also may sure you have at least 1 unit space of worktop either side of sink and hob.

If it is possible, perhaps a bigger utility could be gained by moving the dividing wall between the SRR and the hall??? Alternatively a cheaper option could be to install a wall of floor to ceiling cupboards in the SRR (kinda like a false wall) that you can hide everything away in (you could even include a large airing cupboard)

The opposite wall could be a mix of shallow units, open shelving, a desk if needed or maybe library/reading area and lots of greenery? Think of the SRR as becoming a glorified grand hallway – keeping the middle clear will ease the flow and also give you a decent indoor exercise space? Lighting will also be very important in this area – maybe a mix of ‘daylight’ effect bulbs and also mood lighting/lamps for when you want it more cosy.

I have added a couple of drawings below to help visualise what i mean – might spark some new ideas?

Good luck with the project
pazzomed
last month
oops - if writing on picture too small, I can re-do it for you :-))
Jane
last month
last modified: last month
The kitchen design by pazzomed is much better. As someone else said your house does not look wide enough to have an island plus sofa across its width. I am in the middle of a refurb of a victorian terrace and sacrificed the middle room as sort of glorified hallway. I opened up the front room to the middle room so that you can see the whole way through the house from the front window. I also like the idea of making the middle room into a utility etc. but I didn't have that option as my stairs had to be moved to the side wall of middle room. I understand how difficult it is to nail down the layout with so many competing priorities.
Jane
last month
Also don't fixate on having a kitchen island unless it fit really well with the overall scheme.
jojo_harding
last month
Hi - how wide is your kitchen going to be? Ours will be 4.7 by 5.7 - there's definitely enough room for an island/sofa/dinning table if you manage to get your utility sorted and utility storage right. I've been in so many kitchens now this size or slightly smaller and they look great - there's lots of clever things you can do with seating, window seats etc.

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Dilemma - 1900’s Victorian Terrace - Downstairs Floor Plan

Comments (15)

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