Weird shaped Victorian house layout advice
So buying this small semi-detached and looking to do a full-house renovation.
It’s really a 2-bed size (just about 90sqm) and we are thinking how to maximise space.
It already has a ground floor extension but they did not remove the previous exterior walls (the bathroom). Living room was already opened up and a beam was put in. The ridge height is rather shallow at about 1.9m so a full dormer may be out of the game.
What we are thinking of doing:
extend / rebuild the smallest room on 1st floor to make it an actual double bedroom
move bathroom upstairs, convert the
Comments (7)
Tony H
last yearTony H
last yearRelated Discussions
Awkward Victorian terrace house lay out - advice needed!
Comments (17)Hi all, Thank you so much for your posts and ideas. I really appreciate it! Well 6 years have passed and we still haven’t made any structural changes as we started a family instead! But we think we’re ready to make some changes now (just when its become more expensive than ever to do structural works!) A few things I forgot to mention in my original post is that the roof is a butterfly/London roof so its not a traditional pitched roof and would be expensive to make convert it. Plus we had to unexpectedly replace the entite roof this year because it was causing problems and didn’t have the time to think about a conversion due to the urgency 😫. The front door is next to the lounge (floor plan is upside down 🙃) I think we’re thinking of a ground floor extension now but ideally i’d love to separate out the 3rd bedroom so it has its own entrance and possibly make it bigger. The third bedroom is at a split level from the 2nd bedroom ie you have to go down 3 steps. But the roof above the 3rd bedroom is pitched and i’m wondering if its possible to extend into it and make it a study/4th bedroom. The pesky stairs still seem to be a problem! RE: John Botham thanks for your advice to be cautious as the layout differs so greatly to other properties on the street. Any advice, ideas or similar problems solved very much appreciated! many thanks SJ...See MoreTricky layout in Victorian semi - Advice appreciated!
Comments (11)Sorry for the very crude sketch but here's my suggestions 1. Knock bathroom extension and replace with 2 story extension squared off with kitchen block or better again if suitable from outside extend kitchen and replacement extension footprint to width of house. 2. Change rise of stairs to opposite side, this benefits upstairs so that the landing can instead become part of a bedroom. Existing staircase could probably be refuges. 3. Put main/family bath where fireplace is as it would prob be easier to work the difficult shape for a bathroom than a bedroom. 3. The new extension upstairs can then become the master bed with space to incorporate ensuite and/walk in wardrobe etc. 4. Put utility space in downstairs hall making use of under stairs as well if possible. WC could possibly also go there. 5. Dining room/kitchen could become open or broken plan with sliding doors connecting. WC could be on opposite wall with garden entice though small boot room as per second photo....See MoreVictorian style in a non victorian house?
Comments (18)Given the sideways chimney and wide window I think this house will always feel kinda mid century or modern and so Victorian adornments probably won’t do what you are thinking. Furthermore a TV over a fireplace is uncomfortable to watch and will likely make you more aware of the ceiling height. Plus adding coving will highlight the different ceiling heights. Do you really want this house to feel Victorian (which it probably never will) or do you just want the decorating style to be fancier than your previous house? Maybe the starting point should be your existing furniture and what you have to work with..... perhaps you already have a contemporary sofa and in this house you choose to decorate the walls in warmer shades..... or use wall paper or wall panelling? Instead of a contemporary floor covering at the last house perhaps you might choose a warm hardwood for this one or something patterned such as a Herringbone woven carpet? Instead of downlighters and a ceiling pendant perhaps you might choose wall lights and walk over lights here? And given that the chimney is clearly to the right you can remove a lot of the current chimney breast replacing it with side by side TV and fireplace which means a well planned wall with electric flame effect fire (so needs no chimney and can be used year round) and TV at eye level when sitting....See MoreLayout advice pls: Wraparound extension - Victorian end terrace house
Comments (1)Kitchen space looks great, Ground floor living/dining as seaprate rooms - do you need a separate dining room? Do the rooms marked living/dining need a dividing wall - or would they be more useful as a larger room with flexiblilty over furniture/use? I guess its the island in the kitchen eating up the space. Issue with Islands is they are single purpose blobs in the middle of the room....See More
Jonathan
last yearTony H
last year
PROi-architect
last year
PROResi Design Ltd.
last yearHi @Tony H
I enquired with our architectural team about your project and they have come back with a few suggestions however, I just want to communicate that these are just some rough ideas and our architects would need more information from you as well as a surveyor and planning team to look over your project in order to give you a more precise answer.- Option 1: Add a dormer - The head height may be low but you could explore lowering the first-floor ceiling if the first floor has adequate head height.
- Option 2: Add first-floor extension - This will depend on your loal council policy as some councils are strict regarding first-floor extensions. Also, the Structural Engineer would need to confirm that the foundations of the existing extension are adequate to receive an additional floor on top of the extension roof.
- Option 3: Plans* added below (*not to scale)
Reconfigure the ground floor plan to add a bedroom to the front of the house - we could flip the first step of the stairs to start from the hallway, create an additional roof to front of the house, move the bathroom to first floor and design an open plan kitchen, dining and living area to the rear of the house. Given that the extension is north facing we can explore adding skylights to the rear to draw more lights into the space.
As I mentioned before, these are all suggestions from our team but what we would rcecommend is getting in touch with us to discuss your project. At Resi, we have a team of architects, surveyors, planning and Building Regulations team who can help you design and layout your home for your needs. We have worked on over 6000 projects so we should have experience in doing your type of project. If you would like to chat to our team, you can book in a free advice call to discuss your options on our website or give us a call on +44 208 068 4811. Our team will be more than happy to help.
Have a lovely day,Bríd
The Living House