1930s Middle Room Layout Advice
Hello,
We have finally (after a very long conveyancing and one failed Victorian house purchase) got the keys to our 1930s semi detached house!
It is a blank canvas and is in some need of some serious modernisation, which we are looking forward at getting stuck into. We are in the process of getting some builders quotes right now as the work is far beyond our DIY skills!
I like to think that i've exhausted all options with coming up with a new floor plan for downstairs, but I thought I'd ask for your advice as I'd love to see if there's something I've just not thought about!
Some background info for you, there's 2 of us in this 1930s house (maybe a dog after all the reno work!). I work from home, and my partner works from home for half the week as well. We're converting the loft into a master with ensuite, so it'll end up being a 4 bedroom house – I don't particularly want to lose two of the bedrooms to home offices, so our thoughts are to have one set up downstairs that looks onto the garden – I also like being crafty so I think the space here is perfect for any arts and crafts!
Where the current kitchen is, we'd look to turn into a utility room with WC. The boiler sits on the right hand wall, and is only 5 years old so I'm not sure where else I'd move this to.
Between the front and middle room, we'd put back in the wall with pocket doors – I think that the pocket doors would actually remain open 95% of the time to let light through from the front bay window to the back.
The middle room is where I anticipate to move the kitchen, my reasoning and thinking behind this is based on wanting the office to be in the back single storey extension overlooking the garden where there is plenty of natural light. I don't want the middle room to become a 'through-passage / dumping ground / unused space' which I've found lots of people on here seem to also have similar problems with. My intention is to remove the chimney stack and have the cabinets and the sink on the left hand side, with the island in the middle that has the hob.
The single storey extension at the back is currently one room, and one weird conversatory (not so sure what this was ever for) space?! This will be pulled down and put back up, it'll have two large windows and one double doors, with either 2/3 velux windows so it'll be lovely and light! This space will house the office and the dining table & chairs.
Existing floorplans and my proposed one attached.
Thank you in advance for getting to the end of this mini essay, and if you take the time to reply, thank you I look forward to seeing your ideas!
Chânelle
Comments (10)
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Comments (14)Yes I think that possibly we wouldn't have gone with doors if I did it again - although it's lovely to open them in the summer. Yes the shower went really well - I think we ended up with a 1600 x 800 shower tray which runs the whole width of the bathroom. Again it feels bigger than I thought it would....See MoreHow to make the most of our 1930's downstairs layout.
Comments (6)Hi Emma, I've been messing around with your layout below. Mainly the side to rear extension along the drive. - I'm not sure whether you would be able to move that wall in the kitchen (I'm assuming it's load-bearing, along with the column and you'd need a structural beam) but I'd have a breakfast bar rather than an island. It's recommended you have at least 4ft clearance for a kitchen island and with the dining table being on the other side, there will not be enough space to manoeuvre around it. With a slimmer breakfast bar (say 60cm) you could put essential coffee/tea making items on it, have some shallow open shelving below and have space for 2 high stools on the other side. - I've placed the toilet in a utility room, as you don't want to toilet directly off the kitchen. Plus you gain a dedicated space for laundry and a mudroom of sorts which is accessible from the garden and garage. - You could build a cushioned bench seat along the wall where the toilet was. Creates some more casual seating for guests whilst your cooking and is a place you can work from. Maybe get one of these cantilevered tables which could double as a laptop stand and side table. These are just my 2 cents! Professional planners like @OnePlan can give you some really good layout solutions....See More1930s semi-detached single storey extension layout advice please
Comments (14)Hello and thanks for your prompt reply. The drawings provided show that the support beams are 203mm depth and therefore they will be too big to sit inside the ceiling void. As the weight per linear m is 23Kg as detailed on the drawings it may be worth asking the engineer to reduce the depth and and increase the weight so the beam can be inserted into the ceiling void. I note that there is also a couple of posts in the stud wall and these could be upgraded if necessary. I do not make these suggestions lightly. The main benefit of inserting the beam inside the ceiling is the removal of the shadow cast on the ceiling. The return nibs on either end could be cut back and if needed posts could be fixed direct to the brickwork to provide vertical support. There may need to be a spreader plate welded to the bottom of the post in order to mitigate the point load on the foundation. Obviously this is more of a structural design issue. Is there a good reason for not centring the bifold doors to the external wall? You have so much height on the flat roof why not put a warm deck roof on instead of a cold deck with in cross ventilation? Can I also suggest a warm pitched roof too. You may find Web Dynamics TLX Goldto be a very useful form of insulation as you will only need about 75mm of PIR insulation in between the rafters. I've never been fortunate enough to meet a building control officer willing to accept a heavy duty Catnic lintel over a 4M bifold door. I thought the under stairs might be the position of the meters. I would consider relocating these to an outside wall. Then turn the WC through 90 degrees and design it under the stairs. If I was planning a kitchen diner extension with a beautiful bi-fold door looking out into the rear garden would try and create a direct flow from front of house to the back. I would move the utility room into the middle of the house to provide a direct line of sight from the front door to the rear garden. GD3 would provide access into the utility room. I'd consider moving the door along the living room wall so it could open into the hallway. This would allow a 950mm wide fully glazed door to be placed between the hallway and the kitchen diner. With regard to the position of the new extension wall which is adjacent to your adjoining neighbour I suggest that you look up the party wall act 1996 booklet online here - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/523010/Party_Wall_etc__Act_1996_-_Explanatory_Booklet.pdf The part that is of interest is "Line of junction - building astride the boundary". If you build across the boundary you should gain at least 150mm of additional internal floor space along the length of the outside wall. Also if in the future your neighbour decides to build an extension they can utilise your wall for if they pay half of the cost of its construction. I'm sure you know that you are responsible for paying all of the costs from all sides relating to the party wall agreement. If the neighbour on the other side is within 3/6m then you will need an agreement with them as well. The architects drawing indicates that the drain is not adopted or shared and therefore you will not require a build over agreement with the water authority. Best wishes Andrew...See MoreAdvice for Ground Floor Extension on semi-detached 1930s
Comments (26)I do think you need a replan regarding reception room space. When you consider the final square footage of this house and the cost of building it to that size you are in the league of most 4 bedroomed detached houses. I think if you had gone to view a 4 bedroomed house with a living room that is 14’x12 you wouldn’t have bought it because in that context it would seem small. I suspect that having lived in a flat you didn’t have much space to store things so you are trying to plan where to put everything but having a bootroom and laundry space, a pantry and extra hallway cupboard shouldn’t be a higher priority than the principal rooms and I bet if you are honest this living room isn’t any bigger than in the flat. And if you are saying that the back of the house has the best views, the best access to the garden, will be the most impressive space because of the kitchen you are planning then in my opinion the best reception space should be here and any compromises should be to the front room...See More
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