I do like the OnePlan en-suite option but it would be very, very small for an en-suite and I'd have to dig up the floor to add another toilet, all of which can be avoided if I just leave the downstairs bathroom as it is....I have guests who stay regularly and no one has complained yet. I think this would be an unnecessary expense, love to do it but must be mindful of my budget. I definitely agree that it would be less annoying and more private for my guests to access the bathroom and their bedroom off of the hallway and not the living/dining room, so I shall try and come up with something else for coat storage. kikiamack Unfortunately there is not enough space even when making the double doors into a single to squeeze coat storage into the corner :(

Having had time to 'play' on the floor planner, I came to realise that gaining the two things that you would like the most, storage and an extra loo, were not that easy. If you go with my original idea of moving the entrance it does make for a much larger master bedroom ( gaining storage ) Going in to the Workshop from the house leads to more storage and the possibility of a guest room, which you also wanted. I think the only way to gain a lot of space and storage is to build the porch and it makes sense that if you were going to do that, you'd make it large enough for plenty of storage for the coats / shoes etc. At the same time ( as it would be cheaper and easier ) you would also build a utility room on the same patch as the porch at the rear of the kitchen. Instantly gaining huge amounts of storage. I know that you didn't want to extend, however, the plan allows for a re-jig without the porch or utility and for these to be added if you re-consider. I don't think the layout lends itself readily to a staircase in to the loft. You could put a staircase at the bottom end of the lounge, however, i honestly think the money would be better spent on a porch and utility. Bedroom areal blown up Kitchen / porch / utility blown up A concept planner is a must with this type of project. They take on board what you want, have a good old re-jig as above and come up with various ideas. They can then blow them up in 3d and give you a 'virtual ' walk about, so that you can visualise more easily what it will look like. I've done everything 'roughly' to scale and used full sized objects for the rooms, so you get a rough idea! You do need to start with a budget as Jonathan says, otherwise you can have all the grand plans in the world, but if the money isn't there, you need to taper the ideas.

Thanks everyone. I think we are going to extend the hallway into the utility as this is the cheapest option and the utility needs doing anyway. We are going to remove some of the cupboards, so that the pushchair can go in the space created and move the sofa to block the playroom door... then we can test it out for a few weeks. I've reorganised the kitchen cupboards, moved the microwave and the plates etc and its made a big difference already to how the kitchen feels. Feeling positive :)

A much more functional layout can be achieved in the existing room by flipping the existing hob and fridge freezer. It looks like you are currently losing a good 30cm or so of potential counter and cabinetry space next to the doorway, and it would give you a longer counter run between sink and hob. I would also add a long bank of shallow low cabinetry alongside the wall between the 2 doorways, which would give you quite a lot of additional storage space without interfering with the walkway or sight lines. Plus the narrow ledge there could help keep clutter off your work surfaces. In terms of dining space, you could lose your unloved peninsula and then add a small table and chairs. You would have to squeeze in the 60cm oven into the main work area, but 30cm would be gained by the fridge move, and another 20cm could be gained by swapping to a 60cm sink cabinet. (I assume it’s 80cm right now.).