advice needed on plans for side return extension in London flat
We’re currently looking to start build soon and wanted to get some advice/thoughts on the attached proposed plans (have also attached existing). We are of course trying to add value on the flat and want to prioritise a nice kitchen/dining/living. we love to cook so love the thoight of the island, but are slightly concerned when re-selling we might be sacrificing living space too much With this design. There’d also be the option to swap dining and living areas. Thoughts?
Comments (12)
PROAdrian Design Ltd
4 months agoMost of our clients would remove the courtyard and then
swap tv with kitchen areas. Adding another meter towards the rear would have a huge impact.
PRODual Designs
4 months agoYes I think the inner courtyard would make the three spaces (TV, dining and kitchen) feel very small and cramped. If this space can be removed the whole space can be divided by their own zones and make it feel much moor spacious. Here's an example though very different from yours
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Comments (3)Hi Paul. Does the kitchen need to stay on the back wall? Can I also ask what are you looking to blend in with. I hope you don't mind me saying but have you thought about the size of the tv? We've got a 60inch tv in our basement room (about 4ft 5 wide) and the front of our sofa is 8ft from the tv. Im not sure you could go any closer to the tv and be able to see it. It looks as if your tv would be about 8ft wide so your sofa would need to be much further back. I could of course be wrong!...See MoreVictorian side-return extension help needed!
Comments (14)Sorry I can't see the photos you are referring to - my comments are limited without pictures/plans. I agree with Man about the House - pricing seems to be top end. We live in Highgate, North London (not a cheap area) and our house is approx. 3,000 sq ft. Prices for work on period homes are not in this range unless you have opted for a very high end fit out. Our side return costs £55k and that included all professional fees, lighting, underfloor heating, bi-fold doors, domestic appliances and lovely leather sofa from Habitat. Admittedly, we kept our existing Britannia range cooker and dining table and chairs. Yes we got many quotes for £140-£200k+ but decided to use professionals for planning and some visits during key stages only. The rest of the project was managed by us. There are many ways to create value in a project - Ikea Voxtorp handleless kitchens are great with a quartz worktop. You can even get the doors sprayed with a F&B colour, it's a fraction of the price and visually compares well to Roundhouse kitchens - which I love but simply can't afford. We got endless quotes for quartz worktops - the costs varied by more than 50% for exactly the same material. We needed 13 steels in total and paid a total £4.8k inclu vat and £3k installation costs. Remember you should be negotiating on all elements of your project. I can also compare to a similar house/project in a nearby road, not a high end finish but inexperienced home owners who paid £140k for a pretty average side return turnkey solution. Keep researching and talking to home owners that have actually completed projects on their homes to get a really good view about the costs and where you want to spend your budget....See MoreVictoria garden flat extension advice
Comments (11)Aftenoon. I would definitely advice getting a professional of board. If you're going with an interior designer or concept planner - now is the time to get them in. They can then work alongside you throughout your project and help you get your ideas into order and help you work out what's possible and what other contractors you will need on board. I would recommend sending your initial plans/ideas so a few interior designers you are considering and start getting some prices in. Don't forget to ask what you get for the money. Will they help with lighting plans, planning permission, do you get trade discounts? It will all matter to the over all spend of your project. With projects like this it's also great to make sure you chose someone who includes 3D imagery of the designs so you see exactly what you will be getting as an end result. I have attached a few recent project 3D's so you see what I mean. There are hundreds of designers on here so I would start looking at some portfolios and get a feel for the designer - it's important you get on and that you think they will understand *you* and be able to interpret *your* ideas into the final layout / design. I hope that helps but feel free to get in touch if i can be of any further assistance....See MoreHELP AND IDEAS! Two bed ground floor flat side return/extension
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HU-267915313
4 months ago- PRO
Dual Designs
4 months ago HU-267915313
4 months agoThank you! What do you think about this alternate design which would move the kitchen to the front and give more space for dining/living?
minnie101
4 months agoI think the peninsular is too long re a walkway and would worry about the hob position with stools and knocking pan handles.
What if you kept the kitchen where it is but on the left have a double larder and FF using a long high level window above to the courtyard (can’t find a great pic but you get the idea). Then on the right have a 12ft run of units (with undercounter oven) that leads straight to a banquette seat (again pic isn’t a straight run but just illustrating banquette joined to units). I would incorporate the boiler in a unit that sits on the worktop and maybe some shelves and wall lights.. If you use a pedestal dining table, you can push it right back against the banquette. Keep the sofa where you had it but turned the other way opposite tv unit and perhaps a small accent chair in the corner. I would also make the bifolds wider. If you don’t like the idea of looking at the side of the fridge you could always incorporate shelves at the end looking into the living area.
I hope that makes sense, not that I’m any good at planning!
minnie101
4 months agoBetter pic of a window although obviously not as deep
I forgot to say, i think it would be money very well spent to use a concept planner. You could try OnePlan on here
- PRO
Dual Designs
4 months ago Kate
4 months agoHU-267915313
4 months agoWould you consider putting the kitchen in the “New” bit like this? So flipping the original design?
PROCreate Perfect
4 months agoHello 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
Tim Baker