What would you do to this house?

[ChoicesChoices]

Hi, have namechanged as this could make me completely identifiable - we are in the process of buying this house, and plan to extend it a bit. It also needs full rewiring, new central heating and redecoration, but the roof is sound.

I'm curious what anyone else would think of doing with it - at the moment part of the plan would be to turn the garage into a single, then build an extension that spans the back of the garage across to the edge of the dining room to make a kitchen / diner / family room in an L shape. But DH and I can't quite agree on the details!

Thoughts?

[betterwhenthesunshines]

Then the current kitchen could be a ground floor study ( which I wou;d love!). You need to fit in a utility/laundry room somewhere.

You are also in danger of over-extending the ground floor and leaving the upstairs not quite keeping up.... one bathroom for 4 bedrooms is a bit underserviced these days I think. It doesn't look like you can do a roof conversion as the eaves already look sloping in the bedrooms? Could you add another gable above the garage at the back to give Bedroom 2 more space... You coul steal some space from the current bathrrom to make that an ensuite (if you like them to make Bed 2 the master) and then extend the WC space across that redundant bit of hallway between the bathroom and WC to make the family bathroom. Difficult to tell as there are no dimensions.

Houses we've done we have lived in in their dilapidated state for at least 6 months while we get to know the house and work out what we really need to change for the best. It could be great - but it's going to cost you!

Alos paint exterior and definitely change front door!

[ChoicesChoices]

Ooh thanks for that - yes, I think the old kitchen will probably become a study, and we are struggling to work out where to fit a utility room in! The bathroom upstairs is quite generous, albeit under eaves for the most part, so we wondered about that becoming an ensuite and extending the current toilet into a family bathroom. There should be enough space, though there's an awkward chimney breast to work around. We wondered about finding space for an ensuite in the biggest bedroom, but with the box bay window I worry we'd ruin the proportions. An upstairs extension is something we hadn't considered, so thanks for that! Probably not enough money though.

[ChoicesChoices]

Agree about the value of living in the house first - we're hoping to do the wiring and central heating at least before we move in (currently renting). And at least we'd have a working kitchen whilst the extension work was going on.

[7to25]

Don't agree that there is a lack of space upstairs.
The garage takes up so much space that the downstairs is small in comparison with the upstairs, although there is a lack of bathrooms.
From the photographs, the jutting out bit of the garage would have to be rebuilt to match the ceiling heights of the existing rooms.
I presume that some load bearing Walls will have to go to make this new room open plan?
What is the dispute? Although I agree with living in it for a while.

[ChoicesChoices]

Thanks 7to25, yes we would knock down the back of the garage and make it higher, probably a lean to roof across the extension. The current beam across the garage would need raising, and a new steel put in across the back of the dining room to open up the space. I don't think we'll open up the side at all, it starts getting too complicated at that point I think!

DH and I don't agree about where to put the kitchen - I favour where the back of the garage is now, and he prefers where the dining room is.

We've signed up to the Shelter /RIBA scheme to get an hour with an architect, so that'll hopefully give us some more ideas, but the more things we can agree on at this stage, the more we'll get from that meeting.

[7to25]

I think that the position of the new kitchen may be governed by practicalities like drainage.
I don't know what the respective views would be like and so can't comment but would like the far bit of the extension to be a utility space containing laundry and perhaps freezer, making the existing dining room into a family space

[7to25]

PS
There must be lovely views onto the back garden (unless we are not being shown the nuclear power plant) and they cover them up with nets!

[ChoicesChoices]

Yes, the garden is nice, with the field then beyond it - the back of the house is south west facing, so should be lovely and light when the nets come down! The house is well laid out in making the most of the aspect.

[ChoicesChoices]

Thinking about it a bit more, we do need to find out about drainage issues - I would imagine drainage will be easier to sort in a room that has external walls, but DH won't just take my word for that!

He likes the idea of access to the garden from the living area, and having the most light there. Whereas I don't like the idea of having to walk through the kitchen area, even if we bias it all to the side, in order to get to the dining and living area.