Floorplan ideas
Hi everyone,
I’ve seen some really helpful replies on here and I’m hoping you may be able to help with our floorplan- just to make sure we’re doing the right thing and we haven’t missed anything… We have a 1950s bungalow with a 1980s roof extension- we’re planning to extend the roof further and replace an unsightly box dormer with 2 smaller dormers- resulting in more usable space upstairs. Redecorating the entire house, new windows, new plumbing, electrics, etc. We want to improve the downstairs layout but would rather not extend (I don’t think we need to). We’re quite happy with the plans for upstairs but we’re still not sure about the ground floor. I’ve added photos of the existing and proposed ground floor plans (sorry for the tippex and pencil amendments I don’t know how to do this electronically!).
What we like about the proposed plans:
We’re keeping the door where it is and moving the staircase over to get a more generous entrance hall- with a full height ‘atrium’ style space. We can walk straight into the kitchen from here (through a pocket door) with a view to our lovely garden. The kitchen is north facing so we’re hoping this doorway will let south light in. There should be plenty of north light from the rear 6m sliding doors and velux. Our lounge is double aspect, with plenty of light and views to the garden- we’d like to keep it this way and plan to open up the dining area to the kitchen to get one big L shaped space. The playroom can become a games room or 2nd reception room once the kids outgrow the toys- so we’ve put a pocket door here so it can be shut off from the open plan space.
What we’re not sure about:
The utility room is in a converted fuel store with low ceilings so it can’t really be repurposed for another means- it’s stuck where it is. It’s currently accessed via a shabby conservatory which we’re getting rid of, and will put a door in from the playroom. I would have liked the utility to come straight off the kitchen but this seems a good compromise. The playroom is in a very dark corner of the house- we’re hoping it will be much brighter once the opaque plastic conservatory goes. I thought about moving the kitchen to this corner but I’m thinking it might still be too dark and it’s a less nice view to the garden.
The kitchen layout is tricky with this floorplan. We had an appointment with Magnet and I’ve attached the visuals. It seems really cramped but maybe it’s not so bad? Maybe we’re being greedy but I thought we’d be able to get a more spacious working kitchen area. I’ve since tweaked the kitchen layout a bit- replaced one of the full height larder units with worktop and added some units to the window alcove area (although not sure what to put here). These plans have 1.2m between the peninsula and full height units, but I think we can stretch this to 1.4m if it makes it less cramped. That would still allow 950mm of walkway on the other side of the peninsula. Would that be a good idea or a mistake? Is there anything else we could do to get a better kitchen space? We talked about putting in a tiny extension to square off the room- but it’s a lot of money for not much extra space. Perhaps it’s worth it though?
I should mention we’re planning to have a ‘breakfast larder’ area where we can put the coffee machine, toaster, microwave, etc and hide them away behind cupboard doors. Magnet couldn’t draw in exactly what we wanted but you can see the coffee machine!
Sorry for waffling- I’m keen to see what other options there might be!
Comments (12)
rinked
2 years agoReally nice design! Though I'd leave out the american fridge and the units near the door. This will allow for a sidelight and/or wider door. Then I'd probably close off the lounge door, or at least one. Coffee machine could go next to the tall units (1 larder, 1 ovens, 1 fridge). IKEA has limited cabinet sizes, so might want to use some imagination with that (also keep the shelving left of the extractor). Could do a bit of overhang+stools, but since it's a traffic line I'd leave it open, much more practical+safe. The window next to the playroom could be a nice window seat.
And I dislike pocket doors if they are not a necessity, hinged ones with plenty glass would be lovely (or is the playroom door mostly closed?). Utility is big enough for a big freezer.
Related Discussions
Floor plans ideas for kitchen/toilet areas
Comments (3)Thank you so much Carl that is exceptionally helpful! We have just started looking and are just trying to decide if we buy something we know we will want to change or not and how much it would be. This really makes our decisions much clearer. Again, thank you so much!...See MoreFloorplan ideas
Comments (1)Excuse the extremely crude drawing 😄. But one idea could be to make your hallway and create a door at end. Utility to left when you walk through new door. Move your kitchen (with island) over to right hand side extending into your existing extension. Close up your back door to the left and create a dining nook ( so on trend 😍) need any more help. I offer (affordable ) 3d plans through edesign to help you visualise your ideas. https://www.no60interiors.co.uk/...See MoreLayout floorplan ideas wanted!
Comments (0)Hello, do you have any ideas for the downstairs layout of this house? I want to open up the kitchen by taking the vertical (looking at the 2D floorplan) wall out and add a downstairs toilet in the porch. However I can't work out what to do with the space next to the stairs. Do I put a wall vertically between the kitchen and porch to create a hallway and have a wall to put a sofa against in the lounge? Note there is a chimney and fireplace in the lounge. Any thoughts would be really helpful :) Thanks!!!...See Moremid terrace Victoria terrace house - Floor plan ideas
Comments (7)There is definite value in having an upstairs bathroom. In time, flipping the stairway, will make installing a bathroom upstairs easier and provide a better flow upstairs and down. In doing this, it may be possible to instal a downstairs loo. Integrating the current bathroom into the kitchen will definitely give you more space. You may be able to have double doors or more glazing to link what I imagine is a patio area outside....See More
J B
2 years agoJ B
2 years agoJ B
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoThanks again for your comments so far. I've found a kitchen planner online and made some adjustments to the Magnet plan... I've changed the peninsular to an island and moved it out a bit to create more room around the hob area. There's now 1400mm between the island and oven/fridge wall and 950mm between the island and back door. But I'm now wondering if I should move the island further in to make it 1200mm to the oven/fridge? I've moved the main cleaning sink to the window area and put a smaller prep sink in the island. I quite like this idea although I'm not sure where the best place for the pull out bin will be. I think it should be on the island, where the main prep area will be but I'm sure I'd like it closer to the cleaning sink too.
Any critique for this updated plan? I quite like it- it seems much less cramped then before but could be 'bitty'? The wooden worktop area should have wood all around the sides too- couldn't quite get the look I wanted from the planner but you can probably see what I'm trying to achieve...
rinked
2 years ago
Mike Harwood
2 years agoWell JB, For a more centralised approach? Why not just go all open plan for the lounge/dining/kitchen area and remove all of the walls including the wall between the lounge and hallway to make an even bigger impression, change the U shape kitchen area so it has easier access to the play area and utility plus window inset space allowing you to have a deeper worktop semi-island as per my revised floor plan?
J B
2 years agoJ B
2 years ago
Richard L