redesigning house layout

[Amanda1000000]

Hi everyone! I need your help :)

After living here a year we are trying to sort out the downstairs layout of our home as it has a big floor area but various issues, namely

1. The dining room is too dark, small and a thoroughfare
   
2. The conservatory is too cold or too hot and we'd like to turn it into an extension
   
3. The double garage conversion is a waste of space with the current stupid layout!
   
   Since the house has many extensions loads of the walls are load bearing, but we are considering taking some out to make it more open plan. Specifically the wall between conservatory and kitchen (only one storey) to make a kitchen-diner and possibly the one between the study and games room/converted garage so that we can access that room from the hall. The stud walls between hall and dining, plus between utility and games room are also on our hit list, as well as blocking up the front entrance to the lounge!
   
   The current floorplan is posted here:
   www.houzz.com/discussions/421448/Redesigning-downstairs-layout
   
   Would be very interested to hear what you would do if it was your home and had a decent but not unlimited budget?
   
   Thanks!

[MrsGrowbag]

we had similar dilemma, as our conservatory was useless for 6 months each year, unless you were prepared to eat dinner with frost inside the windows.... our first plan was to knock through between the conservatory and the kitchen, but got people in to look at this (builders, conservatory people and a friendly local estate agent) all of whom pointed out that it would be almost impossible to get this through Building Control. Apparently the Building Regs got changed 3 years ago, and if you knock through so that the conservatory become part of the house you have to be able to prove that the house is not thermally less efficient than it was before the knock-through (and before it's knocked through the heat loss from the conservatory isn't counted in the calculations as it's not technically part of the main house iyswim). Anyway, given that our conservatory was old and needed upgrading, even if we could have got the thermal calculations to work (v unlikely) we would have had to pay for a new conservatory on top of the cost of knocking through. In the end, we got quotes for an extension instead which turned out to be not that much more, and I am so glad we have done that.
Looking at your plans, I'd suggest that you knock the kitchen, dining room and smaller utility area into one big kitchen diner, and you would still have your utility area in the old garage. We are turning our dining room into a second sitting room once our new kitchen is installed as we are planning just to use the new kitchen/diner we have paid an arm and a leg for created. It depends how you are likely to use your space but it looks as though you've got lots of options.

[nocake]

I agree about knocking the kitchen, dining room and small utility into a single room. Move the wall in the garage conversion so the utility is a rectangle across the back then the front section will be a more useable space. Put in doors from the utility and the study.

As for the conservatory, either knock it down and rebuild with a tiled roof or reglaze with thermally efficient glass.

[Amanda1000000]

Thanks MrsGrowbag and nocake!

We'd realised we would need to extend into the conservatory with planning permission etc. currently trying to work out depth of foundations. We actually have a wall on the left and dwarf wall on the front of conservatory so I was hoping we might get away with just roofing it...

The arch between utility area and kitchen was once an external wall but I was thinking it could be a pantry cupboard.

Do you think we should take down the wall between the hall and current dining room, would it be silly to have a huge hall? Was imagining looking down it to the kitchen diner with sliding doors onto garden, but am worried the T shape hall and kitchen diner would feel a strange shape and we'd lose all the heat up the stairs.

[formicaqueen]

I would probably make the kitchen/diner much much larger. I'd build the extension and also knock down the wall between the extension, the kitchen and dining room to make one very huge open plan space with long fold-able doors on to the garden and floor level decking just outside. At the extension end of the open plan room, I'd have a couple of comfortable seats and a long burner. In the middle I'd have the dining area and I'd keep the kitchen end of the open plan room where it is but rearrange the units.

I would keep the lounge as it is, a snug with a proper log burner is always lovely on a cold winters night. I'd block off one of the doors though - the middle one.

Also continue the study/small utility area wall straight along through the garage to create a more logical split. The rear half would be the large utility area and the front would be a square games room, accessed through the large utility room.

Alternatively, you could create a small corridor from the entrance hall to the games room (and also possibly the large utility room?) by stealing the top of the study. Your study would be a smaller 9 x 7.6

[formicaqueen]

About taking the wall down between the hall and the dining room. You may have some problems with fire regs. I think you many need a door between the open plan area (with it's kitchen) and the stairs to the bedroom??

[formicaqueen]

You could still knock the hall and dining area into one space if you wanted to create a more formal and larger dining area?

[architectming]

May I suggest you to take advice from an architect who can give you some creative ideas? The Royal Institute of British Architect RIBA is currently running a charity scheme called, Architect In the House.

An architect will come and give you an hour of free advice in return for a small donation to the charity Shelter, see

www.architectinthehouse.org.uk/

Good Luck!

[lalalonglegs]

I agree that the easiest thing on paper is to knock the dining room, first utility room and kitchen together but, as it does all seem a bit sprawling and tacked together it would probably be best to do as ming says and speak to an architect who will be able to offer several solutions.

[Amanda1000000]

Thanks everyone, the more we though of different designs, the more we were wondering about needing an architect. The architectinhehouse sounds like a great place to start. I'll let you know what they suggest!

[BackforGood]

I would certainly be taking advantage of that much space, to put a downstairs toilet in. An absolute must in a house of that size, surely ?

In terms of where / how, I'm not great on visualising stuff so would get some thoughts from an architect. IMO, even if you had to pay one full rate, I think it would be an investment that is worth it to get the house 'right' in the first place.