By using glass in the lowered part and putting the kitchen units in the lowest part you should be ok although 2.3 seems very low in my experience even for a conservation area - it is normally 2.5 on boundary walls. The only way round is if your neighbour were also interested in doing a side extension you could put in a joint application to have a higher side wall. I have done this once and it worked.

It’s a fantastic size and a lot of functions are taking place on the plan. We would start by looking at all those functions and question each of them to find out how each individual part needs to work and how it can improve your experience within the house. And importantly what is missing? Example questions, Utility. Would it benefit from direct access to outside for taking washing out to dry? Back door. Do you require a dirty entrance for muddy boots, or a dog for example. Cloaks. Would a cloak room in the entrance hall be a benefit to you? WC. It’s open to the dining area. Would more privacy maybe better? Study. It has a great view of the garden but, is separated from the living area by the Utility. Is it privacy you need or would you prefer to have to door open to engage with people in the living space? Kitchen. Would you like this to be more open to the day room or do you prefer individual rooms? Kitchen. Do you spend a lot of time in the Kitchen, would you like to have more views of the garden from there? The list goes on...... We find that 3D modelling also really helps explore the space and provides a much more informative view of what the finished house will look like. It allows you to see the light coming in, views out, what the space and volume feels like, and how spaces connect with each other. We would be very happy to discuss this in more detail with you. Just let me know. Chris

Yes, I meant opening up the right side wall to incorporate that pantry/utility space into the kitchen. You could maybe compromise and keep a pillar at that corner instead of opening it all up fully? Looks like pillar/corner could be at end of island, which I know is not perfect but it could work - gives you an end to the kitchen and provides a little separation for dining table - have a google at extensions with pillars and you might find it would be totally fine. Still a bit more expense as you'd need a steel to go over the larger opening on the right hand wall, but not as much as fully opening it up. Another option for WC would be to put it in the front section of new office (where the sofa is) - separate door from the office space into little loo - and then use the rest of the office as the utility room. The planned pantry/utility could then become office - which I know isn't ideal off the kitchen, but it depends how much you need office to be quiet and away from distractions, or if it's more of a place to charge devices and control/file paperwork. Also an issue with no windows to office (still got rooflight though), but gives the loo the front window (possible issue, I know!) and keeps the loo and utility away from kitchen - or maybe give the utility room the front window so it's nicer when doing laundry. Downstairs loo doesn't need a window.

Hello HU-267915313, If you are looking at increasing the value I would probably consider getting a layout package - a concept planner who can really investigate the space in scale - and what you can get from the space. We offer three different layout options with ours. I would keep the courtyard anyway personally, I think it will make a great feature. It depends on how you use the space and what you want from it - do you use the dining room a lot? How many people need to sit in the living space? Personally one of the things I would look at first is creating a booth-style seating area in the entrance to that space, leaving plenty of space to look down and out of the doors and to access the space - and move the entry to the courtyard here so you can access it from the center of the house. This then also gives you a full three-wall area in the corner to add the sitting room and TV area which has great communication to the kitchen but also isn't the first thing you see when you enter - allowing it to have some nice light and views of the courtyard (if desired). It's a basic plan but like this - this is to scale with what measurements I can make out on the plan. This is the sort of booth area - it can be done is several ways or just be a table and bench pushed further to the right-hand side. ...and yes to an island. I hope this helps. All the best, Gina