Swapping Kitchen to front of house

[natteralot]

We recently moved into a miid terrace, everyone else on the row has the kitchen in the back, but the rear of the house is darker most of the year and needs lights on all year round. As a family we spend a lot of time in the kitchen and are thinking of swapping it with the lounge which is at the front of the house and very sunny, front grassed garden is on the road side and at back is secure yard.
Is it unusual to have a kitchen at the front and are we going to make the house unsellable in the future if we did this ? I would very much appreciate peoples comments thanks

[TarquinMoriartyGruntfuttockII]

Where are all the water and sewage systems located?

[GemmaTeller]

I've seen a few terraced houses with the kitchen at the front and the sink/taps at the front windows - these have fields at the back so I'm guessing they did it as its nicer to look over fields from the lounge.

Wouldn't put me off.

[QuiteQuietly]

My in laws have a new build with the kitchen at the front. I really like it. The living room feels private and overlooks the back garden and you can be nosey through the front window while washing up. My only issue is kids coming in muddy from the garden straight onto carpet (instead of hard kitchen floor). If the plumbing works, I'd go for it!

[natteralot]

Hi thanks for your comments, the plumbing and electrics, gas could come from under the front of the house (wooden floor) and we have drainage both at front, so actually is easier to adapt than to do the same at the back in the original kitchen which is a concrete floor (with a small extension beyond that), we have no beautiful fields to look at at the back just garages but it is rural.
with regards to the kids coming into the kitchen, there is the hallway first, so we could just put a hard wearing floor out there. :)

[Iwantacampervan]

I had a house with the kitchen at the front of the house and lounge/diner across the back. I liked the arrangement and would happily do it again.

[Madamecastafiore]

So you can put your Fairy Liquid on the windowsill and look at the pa pus grass in the front garden whilst washing up? ??

[Flomple]

Kitchen at the front in itself wouldn't put me off, but a rubbish living room might, so it depends on how both rooms would end up. And I think I'd need the kitchen to feel intentional rather than a load of units put into what's otherwise obviously the original living room, IYKWIM. But that might just be me.

Also one issue in a terrace can be neighbours' noise - would evenings in your living room be disturbed by neighbours' washing machines or vice versa? Not a deal breaker I'd have thought, but just chucking it in the mix.

[Artistic]

Recently moved out of a mid terrace with kitchen in the front & lounge at the back. Totally worked for us! Especially when DC went out to play it was dead easy to keep an eye on them from the kitchen window. Longe access to the garden was very relaxing & opened up the whole lounge for entertaining guests etc. the only drawback was as PP said - muddy garden shoes on the lounge carpet! One of my neighbours had put wooden/bamboo in the lounge & I thought that was the best solution!

The only other minus was kitchen noises & smells going upstairs due to stairs being closer to the kitchen. Also it was open plan so all the fumes went straight up...so be sure to have a proper door to the kitchen that can be shut to prevent this!

Overall - it's great! Go for it!

[Frostyfoxy]

We had an extension built and at the same time moved the kitchen from the back to the front. We now have a lovely view from the living room over the fields at the back of our house instead on into the main road we live on. Totally works for us but the villagers were all agog when we first did it!!

I don't think it would make the house any less sellable just because it is different from the rest of the houses around. To me it was a no brainer as the views were at the back and we live in the living room, not the kitchen but having said that our kitchen/dining room are much better and bigger than before and you couldn't live/eat in the tiny previous kitchen so if you did want to use your kitchen as the main living area it would be better as it is now anyway. (Does all that make sense??)

IMO I'd say go for it!!