Wall removal - thoughts please!

[TiffanyAtBreakfast]

The sale of the house we're buying is about 60% done now and I'm tentatively starting to get excited

We plan to do some wall removal to make a nice big space downstairs but we're not sure which layout to go with. Hoping MNers might have a strong opinion one way or another!

Ideas so far:

• knock down wall between kitchen and utility rooms to make a big kitchen with an island in middle

• knock down wall between living room and kitchen to make big L shaped living room, then put the kitchen where the utility was

• knock down all walls between lounge and kitchen including the hallway wall to create big open plan space when you come in from the porch (kitchen will be in the utility room and we'll keep that enclosed)

All of the above obviously depends on which walls are supporting walls, so we'll get a builder in to check before doing anything, but which would you do of the above ideas? Or is there a layout we haven't thought of?

[hownottofuckup]

I'd be tempted to knock between the kitchen and utility room but keep a small utility room for storage etc. Unless you can use the garage for that? In which case I'd incorporate the whole utility into the kitchen to have a big kitchen/living space (no island personally, think they're awful). If I was doing that I'd also be tempted to move the kitchen/living room wall back (if it's a stud wall) to make the living room completely rectangle.

[wowfudge]

I would knock kitchen and utility into one to make a nice big kitchen diner into one. Then partition off the rear of the garage as a utility room to keep washer, dryer and additional freezer/storage out of the kitchen, coat storage maybe.

If you want a more formal dining space then either use the conservatory or the rear of the living room.

If possible, you could also put a door into the side of the garage in order to allow access to the utility room directly from outside. I don't know where the boundaries are and whether this would work and you'd need to think about security, etc.

[Minniemagoo]

Do you need a garage?
I'd knock down between kitchen and utility, turn back of garage into new utility and front as storage/shed.

[YelloDraw]

+1 for knocking through kitchen and utility, and making a bit of a utility in the back of the garage.

[namechangedtoday15]

I would use back part of garage as a utility room then would knock down walls between kitchen/utility and kitchen/lounge but put a stud wall across the living room (level with the stairs) so you have a separate lounge at the front of the house and a big kitchen diner living area across the back of the house.

Personally I don't like conservatories so if you have the money I'd change that to a proper garden room. If you can do that I'd use that, plus kitchen and utility as big kitchen diner and maybe keep the wall between the kitchen and the lounge, and hive off the back part of the lounge as a playroom/study/TV room.