Layout / renovation advice (kitchen-diner)

6 months ago

last modified: 6 months ago

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice about a kitchen-diner knock-through and a potential side return extension in a late Victorian semi-detached house. I am bringing down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and creating a peninsular, with patio doors leading out from the kitchen. My priorities are to bring light in to the dining room, add a downstairs WC (that is discrete/not directly off a room), have a decent utility space (for laundry and sports gear, cat stuff, etc), and have plenty of storage (food, crockery).

I have attached a couple of options and have included approximate measurements. One involves simply putting a WC under the stairs, taking some space from the existing dining room (otherwise it is exceptionally small). The other option involves building in to the side return to create a WC/utility room. Each option has various pros and cons. I do not have the funds to open up the entire back of the house to create a larger kitchen-diner. The soil stack is located in the side return. There is also a third option to turn the side return into a WC & shower room (it is a four bedroom house with one upstairs bathroom currently), which also has benefits.

I have been through so many versions of these layouts, trying to work out how I can maximise the space but I'm going round in circles! I would be open to any other suggestions. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much!

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Comments (5)

Dee
6 months ago
Option 1 for now. And then, when you can afford to later on, you extend into the side and just move kitchen units into the extended area. At that point you may then be able to take some space from the current dining room for an additional shower room.
os_1082 thanked Dee
Jonathan
6 months ago
Alternative
os_1082 thanked Jonathan
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os_1082
Original Author
6 months ago
Thank you so much for your suggestions, Dee and Jonathan! They have really helped me think about what would work in the space. I like the idea of putting the utility in between the front room and middle room - that could really work!
Phillip McCaskill
6 months ago
Jonathan nailed the space arrangement. Depending on whether you want two sitting spaces, I would move the dining table to the back space as a proper dining area and add an island or peninsula with seating to the kitchen design. Also, change the door swing for the door going from the hall to the kitchen and add patio doors where the windows are on the back wall.
os_1082 thanked Phillip McCaskill
os_1082
Original Author
6 months ago
Hi Phillip, thanks so much for this. Changing the door swing is a great idea! And yes to the patio door. I am deciding whether to have the kitchen in the back or middle. I made a mistake with the dimensions so the remaining width of the kitchen/diner would only be 2.6m, which doesn't give me much space (I currently have the back room as a kitchen with units on all 4 sides). So I may make the middle a small dining room/nook instead and have the kitchen at the back. I think a bigger kitchen is my priority. I realise your/Jonathan's option might be better for resale but I will be here long term so want it to work for me! Thanks again.

Layout / renovation advice (kitchen-diner)

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Layout / renovation advice (kitchen-diner)

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Dee

Jonathan

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Phillip McCaskill

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