Bungalow layout advice
Hello! Ive just bought a 3-bed bungalow and need some advice and ideas about how i could maximise the layout for family living.
It was previously a woodcutters cottage and has had several small extensions added over the past 100 years. (its in Scotland btw). The bungalow is positioned on the edge of a forest to the north side (where kitchen is) and has a large south facing garden looking towards the river; this is where the living room is.
ideally we would like to reconfigure the space rather than extend, but we do have a wish list:
More connection from kitchen to garden
One bedroom being en-suite
Laundry/Utilty room must be kept
Living room remains as is
happy to take down internal walls though youll see from the thickness of some of the walls they are the original structure.
I hired an architect but am not happy with the half baked ideas so far, that dont even deliver what we asked for.
floorplan attached.
Thanks so much for any thoughts.
Comments (28)
A J-Z
4 months ago
tab darcy
4 months agoRelated Discussions
Bungalow restoration need advice
Comments (13)So if you did decide to buy this property - I think if you consider applying to replace the current kitchen extension with a larger one - ( I've just drawn it a little larger, to what looks like the party wall on left ? - but see how far you could go without wiping out all the garden !) and open up along theses lines maybe ? Changing the bathroom entrance so it's accessible by both bedrooms without entering the living area ... Putting double sliding entrance into snug area - keeping and using the fireplaces if you choose to do so ? This could be a good enhancement to what's already there ... It's always an asset to have a knowledgeable contractor who's happy to do site visits on a day /hourly rate when you view properties that tick all your other boxes ie the things you can't change with a sledge hammer like location / aspect / plot size etc . We often do rough 'feasibility /quick concept' sketches for clients looking to adapt a property or before they buy ! [marketing note : this is an example of our sketch consult service - normally chargeable at £35per hour -but happily given FOC to this Houzzer in this instance. See our pro page for more info on this and other freelance services ]...See MoreBungalow redesign advice needed
Comments (18)How about extending at the front opposite the conservatory? You could create a new driveway with parking space near the new front door. The extension here would make it easy to access the conservatory/sitting room without losing too much of the old sitting room which would now be a bedroom. And I think its nice to be able to see the driveway from your kitchen. The kitchen/living/diner would have tons of space for storage- you could probably include a walk-in pantry. The main problems with this are that: you've lost your walk-in wardrobe from the master bedroom to access the old utility/new bedroom- you'd need new wardrobes the family bathroom has no window- maybe a roof light would work? Not sure if this helps!...See MoreBungalow modernisation - floor layout help please
Comments (5)For what it’s worth I wouldn’t be keen on a master bedroom over the garage so this is how I would layout this house but in my opinion this is so important you need to get professional advice from your architect or designer in order to make it work for you....See MoreBungalow layout / extension
Comments (3)I wonder if the plan is ambitious enough- of course the architect might have delivered within your stated budget and what you really want will cost more. In my opinion the current proposal doesn’t give you a particularly big living space and I would be worried that the garage conversion isn’t big enough for its purpose and wouldn’t recoup its value when you eventually sell. I have a different (albeit budget challenging) proposition...See MoreA J-Z
4 months agotab darcy
4 months agoHaha, better than a half baked architect! It looks like you had two ' back' doors so yeah keep the one at the 'dining room', make the other a window for bedroom. I had thought to move the bathroom back into the store ( larder?) With its own door, then put utility in front with the two small windows becoming an outside door ( to washing line?) And access to your new kitchen where current bathroom door is. With wall space being at a premium in the kitchen, I'd be inclined to go for a large island (2.4m long X 1.2m wide is 8 standard units) with sink, dishwasher hob etc in it, a free standing dresser for a selection of everyday crockery and 'statement' fridge.
Allpress Kitchen Case Study · More InfoA J-Z
4 months agoA J-Z
4 months agoWumi
4 months agoA J-Z
4 months agoWumi
4 months agoCould you open up the living room to create an open plan living /kitchen /dining space?
It makes sense to zone all the rooms in close proximity to the bathroom and to each other, away from communal/socialising areas.
A J-Z
4 months agosiobhanmcgee90
4 months agoMarie
4 months agoWumi
4 months agoI too personally prefer a separate kitchen. I think the dining area could act as the bridge between kitchen and sitting room and still allow the kitchen to be a separate room.
I am also a fan of a broken plan over open plan. These are my favourite examples on Houzz
Bakery Place · More Info
67P Extensions, remodelling & refurbishment · More InfoA J-Z
4 months ago@Marie I couldn't agree more with all of this. Like the idea of retaining the second door too for when you just need to nip out to the garage etc rather than going through boot room. We would absolutely want a clear sight line from front door (north facing one) to the back garden, so yes walls will be coming down! I'm loving the idea of a big range on the back wall (exposed stone) and a massive kitchen island with pantry off. Below is what I'm thinking so far, with maybe built in dining nook against the wall where the skylight is. That little bit of wall jutting out is actually a glass panel wall which we will keep most of I think. Ideal for the broken plan feel. Still unsure how to make boot room smaller but retain access to laundry room outside of new bedroom suite area...swapping laundry with bathroom had been suggested before but as it's the main family bathroom I feel would need access straight off the living space..?
Marie
4 months agoA J-Z
4 months agoOf course! Seems so obvious lol. That gives more space for the walk in wardrobe in new bedroom suite. Feel like this is getting close to optimum plans;
thank so much everyone you have been an amazing help so far. :Dtab darcy
4 months agoI'm so glad you are enjoying this, it's a great group for ideas. If you are up for further ' pushing the boundaries' here's a sketch based on moving the east bedroom door down to the living room end. Probably wildly inaccurate dimensions, Gives room to make something of a kitchen in that corner.
A J-Z
4 months agoYes I can see that too @tab darcy. I think I am too sold on a central kitchen! Did this on Ikea then scribbled some details. This is view as if looking from garden in
A J-Z
4 months ago
Hi guys, I don't know if you're still around or if I should be starting a new thread, but need some advice on layout of kitchen now. I've mocked up some 3D images on room planner and can't decide whether to go full open plan or add a moveable 'hallway' corridor. Full open would mean that the bathroom, and two of the bedrooms was directly off the kitchen dining area. Having a partition (which we would probably have opened up 90% of the day,) would mean a bit of privacy and noise control when required (e.g say my twin 6 year olds have gone to bed and I've decided to blend hummus, or something). I love the free flow of the open plan especially as the living room is still relatively separate but I wonder if it would get annoying..? Have attached some pics of both options please let me know what you think. Unfortunately it won't let me open the Shoji doors to give an idea of how it is when open. Have tweaked the design/layout of kitchen a fair bit and continue to do so. thanks so much.
Wumi
4 months agotab darcy
4 months agoA J-Z
4 months agoThanks! It's a good point about the bathroom and I did think of putting the door to it in the utility/entry, but it means for those nightly toilet trips you would have to go through the utility and it seemed a bit fussy for those in the east/west bedrooms. Also, our principal bedroom will be off the utility so there's a chance we could be disturbed when the kids go to the loo. I am liking the wall separation more and more, and it also gives more usable wall space for units/coffee area as in pic. So it's roughly a 30 m sq kitchen/diner which I'm hoping is big enough for 4 people day to day
Marie
3 months agoA J-Z
3 months agoHi I'm back! I don't know if updates are useful at this point but I have changed my mind so many times about the best layout for this space..is this normal?! Having lived with the idea of an island for a bit I just wasn't loving the flow of the room and the kitchen situated at opposite sides of the room, and dining table floating in the middle. The room is too narrow now that I've reinstated the wall to have at least 1m around the sides of an island that would comfortably fit 3 stools. Worktop runs were also proving tricky. The problem is there are two necessary thoroughfares in the space - to the living room and to the garden (as pictured). So had to think out the box a bit. Played around with a peninsula layout and it has really grown on me. Added shallow larder storage too. Hob placement tbc. Any obvious alternative layouts that I have not thought of? (also, I know fridge next to oven is not ideal, we currently have this in our kitchen and find it is fine. Fridge placement has been the biggest headache!)
tab darcy